Lfs worried about internet ruining their business

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Sounds more like some personal grudge.. then anything business imo. Just like any other "hobby" you get some pretty seriouse clicks ect... and if you tick off "the wrong person" you can kiss your reputation goodbye..

As for the internet vs store debate... i still stand and will always firmly stand w/ my mom and pop shops... mine works very hard to keep it's customers happy.. both with what they carry and their prices. most instances as a consumer... if your spending $$$ on a regular basis ect... and being a decent person they will make you happy. They want to make money obviousely, and i want certain things... it's a mutually rewarding exchange. Its when a shop doesn't try and do right by its customers... that it fails. which they can only blame their own greedyness. and yes many do need to adapt to their locals individual needs ect. living right outside milwaukee... there should be no need for a specialty LFS to expand to other pets unless they desire too. Do what you know, and do it well. in smaller demographics, yeah carrying other pet needs is probablly a smart move.
 
I think the issue is not fish, but equipment. I don't think any stores(with the exception of specialty retailers) are making a significant amount of money on livestock. Equipment is where the profit is. However the wholesale price for a small retailer may be the same amount that Petsmart or Petco is charging retailer. If you throw in high rents, it is amazing that any local fish stores can survive. Sadly in my local area that has turned out to be the case, there is one local fish store in a county of 1 million people.

I don't know that fish are that profitable even for Petsmart and Petco. However there is a bit of "a moat" on things like dog food an other pet items that are expensive to ship.
 
It is true the more you order the less you pay a friend of mine told me that years ago.
I would rather go to a shop where the staff is friendly and helpful than a store where I can save a few pennies. Nothing is more frustrating than paying good money for something then finding out the guy did'nt know what he was talking about later on. Another thing that makes me ma is you try to help the store out and they basically laugh you out the door. Then the next time you're in there the items is marked to what you told them.
As for fish not being what they are marked apperently they are shipped under the wrong name to make exportation easier on the supplier. This is extremly frustrating to stores we got to no a guy who works at a lfs and he was telling us this story. The store is lucky to have this guy with them as he knows a ton about fish. He is what I would call a hardcore hobbist as he has even gone diving for his own fish. It is nice to talk to guys like that as they are very helpful and that is one thing online shopping can't do.
 
I don't blame them for not doing business with you.

NEVER GET INTO THIS HOBBY THINKING YOU WILL NOT LOSE EVERY CENT YOU HAVE PUT INTO IT.
 
Adamson I don't understand what you are getting at.
I was not bad mouthing anybody what I was trying to explain is how sometimes they get fish that are labeled wrong. The reason for that being that some fish if labeled correctly the hobby might never see them. The other point I made is the reason walmart can undercut so many smaller stores. If you have gotten the impression my wife and I are selling equiptment as well as our fish then you are wrong. We only sell fishand the fish we were selling we did just like wholesalers do and gave large orders a discount. This is the way business is done I am sorry if you are offended.
 
SePPii said:
I have never ordered online. Don't plan on it. I think it's dumb to pay $60 more for a fish you're already payin a lot of money for in most cases. I always look within a couple hours of my house an if no one has anything I want I just don't buy it. I would rather
Give my business to local mom and pop shops that can get what I want than spend a fortune on shipping.... Ok my online rant is over hope I didn't offend anyone , just my opinion though.


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Seppi, most mom-N-pop stores can't get everything you want.
If you're honest wit yourself I'm 100% sure you've done things and spent money on things just as bonehead and as dumb as you consider paying shipping for fish to be. Everyone isn't interested in growing fry out and most mom-n-pop stores can't house some of the rarer species in the larger sizes. And shipping isn't that expensive if you purchase from an excellent packer and are educated in all the resources that insure safe arrival at a minimal cost. Most small to medium and even larger species of fish do not have to be shipped overnight. But doing overnight does offer a guarantee in most cases. How many LFS's offer a gurantee?
Most mom/pop places also have no clue about their stock's history and health, unless they breed them themselves. A fish can look as healthy as an ox in a LFS. But once exposed to travel and environmental stressors, they can succumb to any number of maladies.
 
I think we have filled a small niche for that here we breed our own fish and do have a lot of uncommon species. At one point we were over run with festea Now it seems to be fenestratus. Sometimes you think something will catch on and your dead wrong one thing does hold true if they are expensive they will die or never breed.
I don't think the lfs understand the overhead we have with 85 tanks full of fish. This all happened in 4 short years so maybe we don't have 1000000 dollars in inventory but with our smaller market it evens out. What needs to happen all around the board is that everybody realize no one place can supply everything. Our goal was to supply them with fish not normally seen and that had not spent a day or two in travell. No matter what we will still enjoy our hobby and see where the road will take us. We have our small following and they need filters food and what not and we send them to the lfs. The lfs should also remeber once you have someone in the door they're bound to look around and maybe buy more than what they came for. Maybe I'm wrong but I know it happens to me more than I like.
 
I do what is best for me. Not what's best for the mom and pop store. If they can't keep up with the changing tide they drown. Times change, people change. Being able to find that rare fish priced right and sent to your door is remarkable. There are plenty of small time online vendors doing ok.
They can capture a huge market online if capable.

It only makes sense really. A big company that buys millions of items from a wholesaler or manufacturer will get them much cheaper. Which only benefits us. Because then we pay less. They pass on the shipping discounts they receive for the mass.


I think it all evens out in the end..... just not for the mom and pop shop. I myself proudly buy just about everything on the Internet, and in turn have saved thousands.






Edit: I guess the real reason I don't buy from lfs is they never have the rare fish I want. It wouldn't pay for them to stock the rare stuff. Their market is way to small for that. Also the fish food is way overpriced, and always out of stock. No bulk discounts either.

Internet purchases are generally tax free also, if purchased out of state. Big savings there as well.

And convienant as hell.

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Catfishracer said:
I do what is best for me. Not what's best for the mom and pop store. If they can't keep up with the changing tide they drown. Times change, people change. Being able to find that rare fish priced right and sent to your door is remarkable. There are plenty of small time online vendors doing ok.
They can capture a huge market online if capable.

It only makes sense really. A big company that buys millions of items from a wholesaler or manufacturer will get them much cheaper. Which only benefits us. Because then we pay less. They pass on the shipping discounts they receive for the mass.


I think it all evens out in the end..... just not for the mom and pop shop. I myself proudly buy just about everything on the Internet, and in turn have saved thousands.






Edit: I guess the real reason I don't buy from lfs is they never have the rare fish I want. It wouldn't pay for them to stock the rare stuff. Their market is way to small for that. Also the fish food is way overpriced, and always out of stock. No bulk discounts either.

Internet purchases are generally tax free also, if purchased out of state. Big savings there as well.

And convienant as hell.

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How did you get into the hobby? Did you see fish online or did you go to a LFS? People with your attitude are the reason many local fish stores are out of business. I will always support local fish stores, even if it costs a little more. I happen to enjoy viewing tropical fish live. You never know what you are going to find.
 
joe jaskot said:
How did you get into the hobby? Did you see fish online or did you go to a LFS? People with your attitude are the reason many local fish stores are out of business. I will always support local fish stores, even if it costs a little more. I happen to enjoy viewing tropical fish live. You never know what you are going to find.
Click to expand...

Interesting reply and I try to support the few LFS that are left in this town but when it comes to livestock they rarely have what Im into when I want it.That leaves me with two options..go online or out of state(thank god for New Jersey lol).It's admirable to support local stores and it feels good when doing so but customer satisfaction comes first.


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