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?
nice storefront is all thats needed something that's very "Hey come one in"
*Even if the store is not fancy, but has a clean appearance, does it still sit well in your book?
Clean is a must! If a store is dirty then I won't come back that to me says the fish keeping is suspect if they can't keep the floor clean.
*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?
Show tanks are great, But they all can't be planted you need a variety to show people what they can do SHOW them the options. Do a Planted, Fake plants, Bare Bottom, Sand. No plants (driftwood and rock) Let them see the possiblitities
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 are great but not the same oddball all the time. Change them up so one day someone will come in and see something and not buy it go home and decide they should have bought it b/c they have NEVER seen anyone else have them. BUT when they come back it's not there so They ask and keep comming back till you have it again. (this happened to me with some bubble bee gobies. and I'm still waiting) Nice commons are a must you need to keep the "average" fish keeper happy too. Remeber We MFKers are a different breed.
*Is it impressive to see that fish sections are seperated by Bio-tope and water paramaters (Soft water vs Hard water)?
Hard vs. Soft water is nice to know but I like seeing fish aranged by place of origin. like Asia, Afica, South america.
*Do you often finding yourself not purchasing a 'rarer' fish from a LFS, because it is too expensive?
No, If it's rare and I know it i'll pay what they want if it's something I know I can't just go anywhere and get. I might try to haggle a bit but I won't complain to much
*Do you expect to see slightly higher prices from a LFS, but better quality fish?
I would pay higher prices Slightly higher if the fishes quality of life in the store was better then other stores. Then I would feel better about taking the fish home and not having to worry about any illness it may have.
*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?
I would pay more to have better knowledge of what fish I am going to buy.
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, It's great talking to people who know there fish. Or are at least helpful in pointing you to the info that will help if they don't know
*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 they remeber some of the better customers it's nice b/c then you dont' allways have to explain what direction your going with in your tanks.
*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.
YES,
*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?
I don't know. is fine or i'm not sure i'll find someone who does. That's allways nice. if they research something for you it would be sweet for them to hav access to the internet at the LFS so they can look while you shop and find you when they have some info.
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?
Anything that's heavy or bulky I get from a LFS (lights, tops, tanks) small stuff like heaters, filters, media I usually get online the prices are just to low to pass.
*Do you expect a LFS to have higher prices on hard goods then a chain store?
No, I Would pay more for fish at a nice store but I want to be able to price shop any supplies.
*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?
The dedicated hobbyist is not the mojority. You should compete with the big chain stores but have Quality FISH that are above what anyone else around you carries
*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?
No wide variety needed. sell a good brand that's not HIGH end that people can trust but have the ablitiy the get the HIGH or low end items if someone wants them.
*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!
That would be sweet b/c then you would not have to do the leg work and get your CC number out of the internet lol.
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)
Something else would be earthworms.
*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?
They may not know the benifits.
*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?
QT mollies would be nice but how do you prove to me that they are QT.
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
and the ever loving rtc
