WHAT A LOCAL FISH STORE SHOULD BE?
- Thread starter Miles
- Start date
Well i guess i can take a sec here to talk about 2 LFS in my area. They are called D&G Pets and Denizens of the Deep. Denizens has a huge selection of fish, the store is clean, but the people that work there, are really standoffish and pretty strange. Most of the tanks arent planted except for some of their display tanks, and most of their salt water section. However, as far as freshwater fish go, they have quite a selection of both common, and within reason an oddball section. But the people that work there honestly ruin it. That would probably be some of the better advice i could give you. Have a staff that greets you when you walk in, gives you a few minuites, and pulls the standard "do you have any questions about anything at all?" line. D&G has a much smaller selection, but their fish look a little bit healthier, and its a pretty neat atmosphere. Theirwalls are lined with fully planted tanks, and the lighting in the hallways is pretty dim. This gives a really neat effect, that really brings out the coloration in some of the fish. But if you have fully planted display tanks, thats definately a plus, tanks just look great that way. As far as the oddballs go. Have a decent variety, but i wouldent get too crazy. But another thing that i would say is important, Size variety, carry some big guys, and some little guys, D&G carry mostly medium sized fish, and it would be really neat to see a big monster floating around. But I would have to say that customer service is a big thing, have outgoing, friendly people who can answer your questions correctly. have people that will get someone else to help if they cant answer instead " yeah, they'll be fine" when they have no clue. Know what i mean?
There is a "family"lfs down in Medford, Or. that is not large but nicely done, They have a couple display tanks with "drool over" big guys, a few oddballs, and a nice selection of standards, They are friendly and helpful and will special order at a reasonable markup. They also are willing to go over what you want to do even if you are brand new at fishkeeping. I saw one of the gals there start from a bare tank 55g set up and put to gether a decent set up, make a plan on the kinds of fish and plants and when to add them, the whole schmear. She also did not try to sell just thehigher end stuff and gave the buyer some very good advice about set up and ammonia cycling, (a hand out sheet), she even told the buyer she would supply a bacterial culture for the filter when she came in for the first few fish.
Community involvement. Get with local pre-k and kindergarten classes, and donate a small tank and some time every few weeks for maintaining it. Guaranteed to up your business too - "mommy, we have a fish tank at school now and i want one at home" - I've seen it happen to 3 or 4 friends of my daughter - "Julia's daddy bought her a tank...."
As far as the store goes, clean, well lit, no dead fish, no nasty smells. Employees that leave you alone until you want them, and when you want them they are there. Honest answers to questions, even if it is "I don't know." Maybe a internet kiosk so folks can look up fish at fishprofiles.com or similar places.
As far as the store goes, clean, well lit, no dead fish, no nasty smells. Employees that leave you alone until you want them, and when you want them they are there. Honest answers to questions, even if it is "I don't know." Maybe a internet kiosk so folks can look up fish at fishprofiles.com or similar places.
A local pet shop here quarintines (spell?) all their fish before selling them, which is cool because you can have them hold the fish and then see if it makes it through the week.
Something that I have always wanted and have never seen from a pet shop would be the selling of quarintined feeders!!! which would kick @$$
Something that I have always wanted and have never seen from a pet shop would be the selling of quarintined feeders!!! which would kick @$$
,
I had already been toying with the thought of an Aquarium program for public schools. Aquariums teach young people many good traits, including caring for others, understanding timelines, maintenance, and responsability. I was going to put togethor some sort of 'package' deal that I could offer to the school programs. In which the classroom would get a tank, hopefully 29-55gallons, and they would have an in-class maintenance schedule that rotates. It could be based on extra credit insentive, and it would have to be voluntary, as not all children would want to participate (depending on age group).. This could give the teachers the chance to write up a cleaning and feeding schedule, and at the same time educate them on the biology of aquaria, the anatomy of fish, ecosystems, and many other science related projects. I would have a schedule of fish additions, as well as possibly 'teach' my own portion of the class on Aquariology.
In order to spearhead this program, I would create a brochure which entails the benefits and stipulations of the program. In no way would I be profitting from it, but at the same time hopefully there would be a resolve on how to make the aquariology program self-funded. Hopefully I can figure out an appealing way to approach the school and discuss the positive effects my program would have in the classroom.
For advertising, I would leave my business card in the classroom, or hopefully the hallway in which the tank is placed. I would also have a tank sticker with XoticAquatix on it
Any other ideas that someone could add to this?
In order to spearhead this program, I would create a brochure which entails the benefits and stipulations of the program. In no way would I be profitting from it, but at the same time hopefully there would be a resolve on how to make the aquariology program self-funded. Hopefully I can figure out an appealing way to approach the school and discuss the positive effects my program would have in the classroom.
For advertising, I would leave my business card in the classroom, or hopefully the hallway in which the tank is placed. I would also have a tank sticker with XoticAquatix on it
Any other ideas that someone could add to this?
Hey Miles,
PM me if you have specific questions, im currently a kinder/first grade teacher here in NorCal.
Every year we grow out tadpoles, thou one day I hope to get a monster tank in my classroom!!!
PM me if you have specific questions, im currently a kinder/first grade teacher here in NorCal.
Every year we grow out tadpoles, thou one day I hope to get a monster tank in my classroom!!!
Miles;109841; said: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?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
---I don't say it has to be fancy just clean looking a nice looking, making it so people know ur not just for the money but that you also care about the fish.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
---I would rather see oddballs like stingrays and arowanas in my opinion because thats the type of stuff id buy and i would understand if the prices were a bit a higher, because you know your going to be receiving a higher quality fish.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
---Yes it's always nice to be greated, and if definetly think it's cool that they remember your setup and would make me wanna go back for sure if they had good fish. I would rather the employee admit that they don't know then telling me a lie and having me do it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---Yes i would purchase hard goods a my lfs as long as they resonably good prices, yes i would i appreciate it if my lfs spent more time focusing on the hobbyist. Yes the ability to mail order would be very nice!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
---I think the live foods that should be stocked are black worms and feeders although others would be nice. I know that myself i don't feed feeders because i don't trust that the goldfish you by are disease free.
Yes i would pay for alternative fish others then goldfish because they lack some nutrients.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---That was fun
