Favorite LFS "CUSTOMER" STORIES ...
- Thread starter Miles
- Start date
I don't work at any fish store but a day ago I was at walmart looking around at the filters and couldn't help but see a probably 7 year old and his dad buying feeders and a goldfish bowl on impulse, then the kid says "I want a sucker fish to clean up too!!", the father obliges, then I grimaced as I saw that the father of the cretin was holding a goldfish bowl, from that moment I knew that pleco and the feeders were as good as dead.
On that same night at walmart I also saw an idiot who was babbling on and talking trash about how the walmart didn't take care of their fish and the fish were stressed as hell, this guy even boasts about saving fish and all that bs. (I agree with the walmart sucks at livestock but what happens later makes this guy a filthy hypocrite.) Well the guy then proceeds to fill a bag with cold tap water, and then nets himself a couple of fish straight from the tank into the cold, and chlorinated tap water. Hypocrisy at its best.
On that same night at walmart I also saw an idiot who was babbling on and talking trash about how the walmart didn't take care of their fish and the fish were stressed as hell, this guy even boasts about saving fish and all that bs. (I agree with the walmart sucks at livestock but what happens later makes this guy a filthy hypocrite.) Well the guy then proceeds to fill a bag with cold tap water, and then nets himself a couple of fish straight from the tank into the cold, and chlorinated tap water. Hypocrisy at its best.
Not really a good story, but it happened recent at my LFS. I was in the store browsing around and there was this little kid buying all these fish. He was going nuts saying he wanted this one and that one. Finally, the guy helping him starting asking him questions like, how bigs your tank? What fish you got already in it? I was there listening to everything because I was kinda close to them. The tank was a 10 gallon.
Well, the kid didnt know what fish, he just started pointing at tanks and saying " I got 1 of those, and 2 of those and 1 of those". The guy at the LFS started telling him, these fish you are buying are aggressive, and the ones in your tank arent. He couldnt convince the kid, the kid was acting all stubborn etc. The guy kept telling him, " The tanks on that side have aggressive fish, and the tanks on these sides are peaceful". The kid would just have this dumb look on his face like he couldnt comprehend. Anyway, I kinda butted in and said, yeah the fish are gonna die and the tank is too small. But still the kid didnt care and wanted them. Anyway, I left and the guy at the LFS was still dealing with the kid, so I dont know what happened. More the likely the kid bought the fish anyway.
Well, the kid didnt know what fish, he just started pointing at tanks and saying " I got 1 of those, and 2 of those and 1 of those". The guy at the LFS started telling him, these fish you are buying are aggressive, and the ones in your tank arent. He couldnt convince the kid, the kid was acting all stubborn etc. The guy kept telling him, " The tanks on that side have aggressive fish, and the tanks on these sides are peaceful". The kid would just have this dumb look on his face like he couldnt comprehend. Anyway, I kinda butted in and said, yeah the fish are gonna die and the tank is too small. But still the kid didnt care and wanted them. Anyway, I left and the guy at the LFS was still dealing with the kid, so I dont know what happened. More the likely the kid bought the fish anyway.
Miles;2321571; said:I think anyone who has worked in a LFS has a million of these..
Anyways, a guy came in the other day, and bought some clown loaches.. (twice my age, already knows more about fish than me based on this)
Inquired about 'dwarf angelfish'.. I chuckled, said no.. "we must be all sold out".. he continued on, to educate my young self on the wonderful world of 'dwarf angelfish'.. apparently if you were born after 1980 you probably wouldn't know much about the dwarf angelfish, and so obviously you would want to hear all about them because your young, stupid, and work for a corporate pet store.
I told him about our guarantee on the Clown Loaches, as they just came in a few days earlier, and I am a nice guy like that..
He told me he would 'climatize' them very well when he got them home.. I smirked, continued on with some good advice, made sure I threw the word 'acclimate' out there for him... he ensures me as he's leaving the department that he will 'emacitize' them for a long time..
Just so happens, I was the ole' back-up cashier to help him on his merry way.. We chatted a bit more, I asked him some silly questions just for S&Gs to see what kind of ridiculous retorts I would get. It was a fun time for all (mainly me, at his expensive).. but on the way out he told me again, and I quote "I will 'emancipate' them real well when I get 'em home!"...
So now our happy troop of clown loaches will live happily ever after with their dwarf angelfish, but only after adjusting to wheather changes, struggling with eating disorders, and becoming independant of their parent and/or guardian before the age of 18.
The End.
Hmmm......dwarf angelfish are sw. Is he gonna put clown loaches in sw?
Great thread!
I own a LFS for 17 years and have plenty of stories.
first one:
Caller: do you sell fish?
Me: ah yes.
caller: what kinds?
me: all kinds
caller: how big are the fish?
me: which ones
caller: do you sell colorfull fish?
& on & on....... a lot of dumb people.
Oh this is a good one from my first shop back in 1992.
I had a sign that said African Cichlids above the door.
A lady came in and asked if I was selling African children!
lmao til this day.
more to come. good times.....
I own a LFS for 17 years and have plenty of stories.
first one:
Caller: do you sell fish?
Me: ah yes.
caller: what kinds?
me: all kinds
caller: how big are the fish?
me: which ones
caller: do you sell colorfull fish?
& on & on....... a lot of dumb people.
Oh this is a good one from my first shop back in 1992.
I had a sign that said African Cichlids above the door.
A lady came in and asked if I was selling African children!
lmao til this day.
more to come. good times.....
Again stupid goes both ways. I have slowly been eliminating stores from my shopping trips after finding uneducated employees (even to simple levels) or extremely unhealthy fish. Anyways yesterday I found my favourite. We walk into this store and look at all the fish quickly realizing they are having a tremendous outbreak of ick being it all the tanks pass water to each other through little vent holes I'm thinking cool no fish for sale anyways we are observing this one tank with a dead fish being disembowled by the other fish when employee approaches. We tell him that the one tank has quite a few fish who have gone to a better place and he say "Yeah I'll get them but we just can't figure out why they keep dieing all over the place." We mention politely that maybe they they have an issue with ick that manifests in the white spotting. His response "Oh that makes sense they all seem to get white we weren't sure, so can I fix that?" To my amazement there at his station is a giant bottle of ick treatment. Obviously no one had thought it pertinent to tell this young man that they had been treating the fish.
We continue our trip and he now likes us and wants to talk. Cool enough nice kid just working his job not his fault pet store isn't educating him. He say to us "check out this cool show tank they made up to show off some pretty funky fish." Ok no problem we walk over to this little 10 gallon tank setup on a box and look inside. I think what threw me off was the little oscar in it. Then upon closer look this little temple decoration has to convicts parked in it along with the other 6 fish in there the convicts chase anything that comes near the little temple thingy. Guy says "aren' those hiding little guys neat they love to play." We just looked at him and told him they probably weren't playing but either way that was not a happy home for the fish. He says to us "Really how come our manager does it if its not good? He loves this little tank and won't sell fish in it."
I'm by no means an expert but it is discouraging when management at LFS has no interest in informing employees to help them aid the customer. So thank god for guys who work at those places and actually love fish and no thier stuff.
We continue our trip and he now likes us and wants to talk. Cool enough nice kid just working his job not his fault pet store isn't educating him. He say to us "check out this cool show tank they made up to show off some pretty funky fish." Ok no problem we walk over to this little 10 gallon tank setup on a box and look inside. I think what threw me off was the little oscar in it. Then upon closer look this little temple decoration has to convicts parked in it along with the other 6 fish in there the convicts chase anything that comes near the little temple thingy. Guy says "aren' those hiding little guys neat they love to play." We just looked at him and told him they probably weren't playing but either way that was not a happy home for the fish. He says to us "Really how come our manager does it if its not good? He loves this little tank and won't sell fish in it."
I'm by no means an expert but it is discouraging when management at LFS has no interest in informing employees to help them aid the customer. So thank god for guys who work at those places and actually love fish and no thier stuff.
I agree it does go both ways. I still once in a while shop hop but not to many lfs but big boxes of poop I call them. like to test the young ones out to see if they know some basics. Amazing that they just can make up something to make it sound like they do know? Not bashing all because there are some that do know something.
I always tell my guys if they do not know the answer to the ? that they tell customer that they will call me or get the answer. All my years (30) If I do not know the answer, I will tell them I do not know & will try to find it. Its sometime hard to figure out their problem without seeing the tank & the fishes. I have actually left the store before and the customer drove me to their house to see the tank. Usually at that point I can figure whats wrong.
The biggest problem in the hobby with new & old is over feeding fish. Then not enough filtering & or water changes. & to many fish.
me again
I always tell my guys if they do not know the answer to the ? that they tell customer that they will call me or get the answer. All my years (30) If I do not know the answer, I will tell them I do not know & will try to find it. Its sometime hard to figure out their problem without seeing the tank & the fishes. I have actually left the store before and the customer drove me to their house to see the tank. Usually at that point I can figure whats wrong.
The biggest problem in the hobby with new & old is over feeding fish. Then not enough filtering & or water changes. & to many fish.
me again
