WHAT A LOCAL FISH STORE SHOULD BE?

[Miles]

Let's Chat.

Heres the deal~ XoticAquatix is going to be opening our doors to the public. The market for a quality fish store here in this town is wide open. I could use the advice of MFK to try to meet the needs of the hobbyist! I will break it down into subjects and you could all give your advice and opinions, on what you think would make 'the ideal' fish store.

Presentation-
*How important does the physical and cosmetic looks of the store mean to you?
*Even if the store is not fancy, but has a clean appearance, does it still sit well in your book?
*If the tanks have an awesome presentation, ie: fully planted display tanks for every tank, then would that outweigh any thoughts of negativety about the phsycal presentation of the store?

Fish Selection & Pricing-
*What kind of fish are you looking for? The oddballs and rare fish, or maybe you like to see a variety of common fish so you have a wide selection.
*Is it impressive to see that fish sections are seperated by Bio-tope and water paramaters (Soft water vs Hard water)?
*Do you often finding yourself not purchasing a 'rarer' fish from a LFS, because it is too expensive?
*Do you expect to see slightly higher prices from a LFS, but better quality fish?
*Would it be enticing to find a LFS which carries similiar prices to a corprorate pet store, but has the quality and knowledge to go along with each species?

Knowledge & Customer Service-
*Being greeted is often nice, but it dosn't mean you will always get help, nor proper advice. Do you expect a LFS to have 'above average' customer service?
*Would it be a positive thing if the LFS employee begins to ask you questions about the fish you keep, the tank you have, and get a 'general idea' of what level of fishkeeping you are at?
*If the LFS employees remember your current set-up and tankmates every time you enter the store, does that make becoming a repeat customer more viable?
*Would it help to have the LFS employee show you references which back their statements and 'education' of fish, basically a 'go-to-guy' if you have any questions or problems.
*Does the thought of a LFS employee admitting 'I don't know' to you scare you, or let you know that they are honest? Would it be a big bonus if they were to write down the situation in question, and 'research' the topic for you?

Hard Goods & Supplies-
*Do you purchase your hard goods (ie: filtration, pumps, lighting) from a Local Fish Store or do you purchase it at a much lower value from a major corporation?
*Do you expect a LFS to have higher prices on hard goods then a chain store?
*Would you be more appreciative if your LFS spent less time trying to compete with corporations, and more time focusing on the special needs of the dedicated hobbyist?
*Do you expect a 'LFS' to have a wider variety of hard goods and supplies, or would it not be a big differential because most people purchase their supplies 'elsewhere' anyways?
*Would the ability to mail-order supplies directly from the LFS at a lower cost than the local chain store, be appealing to you? ie: We reccomend some products, then call BigAl's for you!

Live Foods & Specialty Foods-
*Most serious hobbyist would appreciate a wide selection of Live Foods, which ones do you think are most needed? (Black Worms, Ghost Shrimp, Feeders, Fry Foods, Red Wigglers)
*Do you think majority of people don't feed live foods because they are not commonly available, or they simply do not know they exist?
*Quarantined Live Feeder Fish(Molly,Guppy,Rosey), other then Goldfish, could be a big bonus to predatory fish keepers.. Would you be willing to pay a little extra for an alternative to goldfish?



Ok let's hear it, I will add more as we go along in the discussion!
Hopefully we all know how to use the [QUOTE ] function

 

[Mourinho18]

im just gonna answer in the quote if thats fine. Hope it doesnt get to confusing. First off, def. nice posting this up to see what we would be looking for man.

Let's Chat.

Heres the deal~ XoticAquatix is going to be opening our doors to the public. The market for a quality fish store here in this town is wide open. I could use the advice of MFK to try to meet the needs of the hobbyist! I will break it down into subjects and you could all give your advice and opinions, on what you think would make 'the ideal' fish store.

Presentation-
*How important does the physical and cosmetic looks of the store mean to you? (I would say as long as it looks clean its fine with me)
*Even if the store is not fancy, but has a clean appearance, does it still sit well in your book? (yep)
*If the tanks have an awesome presentation, ie: fully planted display tanks for every tank, then would that outweigh any thoughts of negativety about the phsycal presentation of the store? (absolutely, although wouldnt it be tough to have every single tank look like a display tank?)

Fish Selection & Pricing-
*What kind of fish are you looking for? The oddballs and rare fish, or maybe you like to see a variety of common fish so you have a wide selection. (I always love seeing the rarer fish but its still nice seeing common fish, besides, most people only buy the common fish to begin with)
*Is it impressive to see that fish sections are seperated by Bio-tope and water paramaters (Soft water vs Hard water)? (absolutely)
*Do you often finding yourself not purchasing a 'rarer' fish from a LFS, because it is too expensive? (definetely)
*Do you expect to see slightly higher prices from a LFS, but better quality fish? (definetely expect to see better quality and higher prices, lower quality and lower prices from places like petco and petsmart are expected)
*Would it be enticing to find a LFS which carries similiar prices to a corprorate pet store, but has the quality and knowledge to go along with each species? (oh man, what I would give for one of those around me)

Knowledge & Customer Service-
*Being greeted is often nice, but it dosn't mean you will always get help, nor proper advice. Do you expect a LFS to have 'above average' customer service?(i expect them to be somewhat knowledgeable with all the fish they sell otherwise, why would you sell something you know nothing about)

*Would it be a positive thing if the LFS employee begins to ask you questions about the fish you keep, the tank you have, and get a 'general idea' of what level of fishkeeping you are at? ( I think so, this kind of talking leads to small talk which in turn creates friendships and bonds)

*If the LFS employees remember your current set-up and tankmates every time you enter the store, does that make becoming a repeat customer more viable? (absolutely)

*Would it help to have the LFS employee show you references which back their statements and 'education' of fish, basically a 'go-to-guy' if you have any questions or problems. (If they seem knowledgeable, I wouldnt have any problems taking their opinion unless they suggest we use a secondary source)

*Does the thought of a LFS employee admitting 'I don't know' to you scare you, or let you know that they are honest? Would it be a big bonus if they were to write down the situation in question, and 'research' the topic for you? (lets me know they are honest, absolutely, but then again, i could do the research myself)

Hard Goods & Supplies-
*Do you purchase your hard goods (ie: filtration, pumps, lighting) from a Local Fish Store or do you purchase it at a much lower value from a major corporation? (to expensive at lfs so i purchase my stuff online mostly)

*Do you expect a LFS to have higher prices on hard goods then a chain store? (yes)

*Would you be more appreciative if your LFS spent less time trying to compete with corporations, and more time focusing on the special needs of the dedicated hobbyist? (its nearly impossible to compete with corporations)

*Do you expect a 'LFS' to have a wider variety of hard goods and supplies, or would it not be a big differential because most people purchase their supplies 'elsewhere' anyways? (second part of the question, unless i could find better prices among lfs. aquaclear 500 retails for something ridiculous like $90, when i can get 2 for the same price with shipping online)

*Would the ability to mail-order supplies directly from the LFS at a lower cost than the local chain store, be appealing to you? ie: We reccomend some products, then call BigAl's for you! (yes)

Live Foods & Specialty Foods-
*Most serious hobbyist would appreciate a wide selection of Live Foods, which ones do you think are most needed? (Black Worms, Ghost Shrimp, Feeders, Fry Foods, Red Wigglers) (dont trust lfs with feeders, so this would rock)

*Do you think majority of people don't feed live foods because they are not commonly available, or they simply do not know they exist? (more costly)

*Quarantined Live Feeder Fish(Molly,Guppy,Rosey), other then Goldfish, could be a big bonus to predatory fish keepers.. Would you be willing to pay a little extra for an alternative to goldfish? (probably)



Ok let's hear it, I will add more as we go along in the discussion!
Hopefully we all know how to use the [QUOTE ] function

 

[Mourinho18]

just looked it over, and dont think i did a very good job of differentiating from the questions and my answers, sorry about that

 

[Miles]

Good Answers! Thanks for the Input!

Good Point on the cost of live foods.. Perhaps if the LFS was purchasing them in bulk already to feed their own fish, it could lower the cost of live foods to the customer?

Ie: We buy live black worms in 100lb increments, when most LFS buy them in 2 lb increments, thus lowering the price a great amount. We only buy this amount of Black worms because we import stingrays and other rare fish that have a specialty dietary requirement. This helps us pay for the bulk orders of black worms, and in turn lowers the price for the customers!! Awesome, no?

 

[BGG]

My answers appear in bold behind the question.

Presentation-
*How important does the physical and cosmetic looks of the store mean to you? Not very important if there is quality (and rare/ususual) stock.
*Even if the store is not fancy, but has a clean appearance, does it still sit well in your book? Again, depends on stock.
*If the tanks have an awesome presentation, ie: fully planted display tanks for every tank, then would that outweigh any thoughts of negativety about the phsycal presentation of the store? If the fish look healthy, yes.

Fish Selection & Pricing-
*What kind of fish are you looking for? The oddballs and rare fish, or maybe you like to see a variety of common fish so you have a wide selection. Oddballs and rarities. If I see more than 50% or so of fish that can be bought at chain pet stores there's a good chance I won't visit again unless something really stands out.
*Is it impressive to see that fish sections are seperated by Bio-tope and water paramaters (Soft water vs Hard water)?
*Do you often finding yourself not purchasing a 'rarer' fish from a LFS, because it is too expensive? Yes... too many times buying fish online rather thanat a lfs is cheaper even with shipping thrown in.
*Do you expect to see slightly higher prices from a LFS, but better quality fish? No. Generally, I expect to see much lower-quality fish in a lfs than online, but slightly better than a corporate pet shop.
*Would it be enticing to find a LFS which carries similiar prices to a corprorate pet store, but has the quality and knowledge to go along with each species? Depends on stock. But, I rarely buy ANYTHING from the chains so price from them can't really be compared to that of the fish that I look for.

Knowledge & Customer Service-
*Being greeted is often nice, but it dosn't mean you will always get help, nor proper advice. Do you expect a LFS to have 'above average' customer service? Yes.
*Would it be a positive thing if the LFS employee begins to ask you questions about the fish you keep, the tank you have, and get a 'general idea' of what level of fishkeeping you are at? Yes.
*If the LFS employees remember your current set-up and tankmates every time you enter the store, does that make becoming a repeat customer more viable? Yes.
*Would it help to have the LFS employee show you references which back their statements and 'education' of fish, basically a 'go-to-guy' if you have any questions or problems. If the references are reliable (i.e. a scientific article, a book with mostly correct information, or even online).
*Does the thought of a LFS employee admitting 'I don't know' to you scare you, or let you know that they are honest? Would it be a big bonus if they were to write down the situation in question, and 'research' the topic for you? Yes.

Hard Goods & Supplies-
*Do you purchase your hard goods (ie: filtration, pumps, lighting) from a Local Fish Store or do you purchase it at a much lower value from a major corporation? Depends on whether or not the lfs has the product that I'm looking for. If yes, then I'll buy it from a lfs and if no I'll look elsewhere.
*Do you expect a LFS to have higher prices on hard goods then a chain store? Varies with the lfs.
*Would you be more appreciative if your LFS spent less time trying to compete with corporations, and more time focusing on the special needs of the dedicated hobbyist? Yes. They're bound to lose when competing with corporations.
*Do you expect a 'LFS' to have a wider variety of hard goods and supplies, or would it not be a big differential because most people purchase their supplies 'elsewhere' anyways? The scenario you list below sounds good to me... but it would be good to have some items constantly in-stock, such as live (worms and ghost shrimp as well as feeder fish... buying these from corporations always scares me) and frozen foods.
*Would the ability to mail-order supplies directly from the LFS at a lower cost than the local chain store, be appealing to you? ie: We reccomend some products, then call BigAl's for you! As I said above, this sounds like a good idea to me.

Live Foods & Specialty Foods-
*Most serious hobbyist would appreciate a wide selection of Live Foods, which ones do you think are most needed? (Black Worms, Ghost Shrimp, Feeders, Fry Foods, Red Wigglers) Live blackworms, ghost shrimp and healthy feeders would have to top my list. But of all those... probably black worms. Red wrigglers would be another good one, and also a small amount of fry foods... but good selection of feeder fish, including small sized ones. Tropical feeders would also be nice, such as guppies... not goldfish.
*Do you think majority of people don't feed live foods because they are not commonly available, or they simply do not know they exist? Perhaps both combined with price.
*Quarantined Live Feeder Fish(Molly,Guppy,Rosey), other then Goldfish, could be a big bonus to predatory fish keepers.. Would you be willing to pay a little extra for an alternative to goldfish? Woah! I missed this part the first time I read through, LOL... we think alike. Yes, I would pay a little extra for goldfish AND rosie alternatives.

 

[fishnthings]

Good Answers! Thanks for the Input!

Good Point on the cost of live foods.. Perhaps if the LFS was purchasing them in bulk already to feed their own fish, it could lower the cost of live foods to the customer?

Ie: We buy live black worms in 100lb increments, when most LFS buy them in 2 lb increments, thus lowering the price a great amount. We only buy this amount of Black worms because we import stingrays and other rare fish that have a specialty dietary requirement. This helps us pay for the bulk orders of black worms, and in turn lowers the price for the customers!! Awesome, no?

AWESOME, YES, no lfs around here has blackworms, or rays on top of that! and i guess benifca said it but all live food is so expensive, especially around here, 20 cents for one rosie red....aghhhh

 

[BGG]

Oh yeah, and more technologically advanced dry goods would probably warrant a return from me too, LOL... like those submersible airpumps. I've yet to see one in a lfs but I've seen them online for about a year, and they don't cost much more than a regular air pump, not to mention they are silent and work pretty well. A large supply of natural driftwood, live plants, inverts, and "natural hiding places" such as driftwood siliconed together or PVC pipes with natural-looking rocks glued onto the outside to hide it would be AWESOME as well.

 

[Kieranuk]

I would say if you always have the shop clean it makes people think 'If they look after the shop like this this must be caring for this fish well'. Also yeah I think you should stock quite alot of oddballs/rare fish as if your the only place around which does that people will travel to come to your store. Also I think you should stock the more normal stuff as some people prefer it. Also a really good think to do is to but laminated labels on each tank with a small picture of the fish and what size it grows to, what conditions, temprement etc. Also a special caring tip on the end of it would be good e.g 'For this plec you will need bog wood in the tank for it to eat' or 'Careful this fish is a jumper so keep your lid tightly closed'. I think the tanks should be clean but not be too fancy. You could also put a list of care instruction's on your counter which say how to climitase the fish when they get it home.

 

[Mourinho18]

Good Answers! Thanks for the Input!

Good Point on the cost of live foods.. Perhaps if the LFS was purchasing them in bulk already to feed their own fish, it could lower the cost of live foods to the customer?

Ie: We buy live black worms in 100lb increments, when most LFS buy them in 2 lb increments, thus lowering the price a great amount. We only buy this amount of Black worms because we import stingrays and other rare fish that have a specialty dietary requirement. This helps us pay for the bulk orders of black worms, and in turn lowers the price for the customers!! Awesome, no?

very nice

 

[WckedMidas]

i say devide the store in three sections. one section with your comon everyday verity the next section have the oddballs. then a salt section if you plan on carrying salt fish.

I go to some ghetto arse fish stores for simply the fact they get the oddball stuff i dont see anywhere else.
I also like buying my pellets in bulk and the closet store to me has not the largest verity of fish but has a decent amount of oddballs carrys bulk foods buy it buy the pound dirt cheap i love it my fish do to.

He carrys black worms and stuff.


One thing i want in a store is a store that will take your info and type of fish your looking for . either specialorder it if its availble at the time for you . or to take the info if fish not availible and contact you when they see it availble. The ghetto store has called me numerus times about fish i asked about and it helps keep me comeing back.

Bad section of town crappy looking store floors rotten but the section and customer service keepmecomeing back