LFS: “Local Fish Shop” Or “Lying For Sales?!” Is Your Store Legit?

[GMaquarium]

I think its a totally fitting topic and angle for a web forum. Lfs are bad, they will sell you anything you want. Give you bad advice, and trick you. I would assume not too many legit shops are sponsoring this site. I would assume that shop owners and employees spend their time giving people advice at their shops. Not here on message boards. I would assume that many shops don't promote over priced, over hyped and under sized frags. So why would the shops be a good thing for people on the websites.

 

[AZDesertRat]

In the 80's and 90's the Phoenix area saw a large number of LFS come and go. A very few of those that were honest and really cared about the hobby and their customers are still in business today. I always give my LFS first shot at anything I purchase, surprisingly at times they are able to come very close to online prices including shipping on many items they don't normally carry in the store so I do as much business as economically possible with them. On the flip side they understand when something is priced out of reach, they unfortunately are at the mercy of their wholesaler who really controls the prices in the area.

It would help the situation if the wholesalers and vendors didn't compete against their retail outlets, this is bad for business but happens every day. We all shop for the best pricing but we often forget the service aspect and the fact the LFS has something we need on his shelf at 5:00 on a Saturday afternoon. Its a tough business.

 

[carriej]

In my honest opinion, it doesn't matter where you go. Sometimes, even if they know the knowledge themselves they will try to get you to spend needless money on your part. (This is any business, not just LFS) How many times as a woman that I've been sold over-expensive mechanical or car parts (as a woman) only to have my husband hunt them down later... It's generally the nature of the beast. Regardless of what we want an LFS for - they have ONE mission... To make money. No money, no business. Sure, it's nice and refreshing when there is an LFS that does tend to care about your tank and says flat out not to buy something, or to suggest something else, but that is not generally the norm.

Also, as a person with an "undrilled" tank I took a bit of offense as well.... :neutral: That seems to be more of a personal opinion than a fact.

 

[revhtree]

For the record, I do not write these articles and some you will agree with and some you will not agree with. This article is doing it's job.

 

[Eienna]

I think its a totally fitting topic and angle for a web forum. Lfs are bad, they will sell you anything you want. Give you bad advice, and trick you. I would assume not too many legit shops are sponsoring this site. I would assume that shop owners and employees spend their time giving people advice at their shops. Not here on message boards. I would assume that many shops don't promote over priced, over hyped and under sized frags. So why would the shops be a good thing for people on the websites.

You say LFS are bad because they will "sell you anything you want." I think that's more true of the online stores, don't you? An online store would sell you a tiger shark, no questions asked. Anyone with a credit card can purchase anything they care to. A good LFS will at least inquire whether you have the resources to care for it.

 

[glb]

Some lfs stores will sell you anything, others know what they're doing. I think it wise to make a lfs earn your trust. Great article.

 

[revhtree]

You say LFS are bad because they will "sell you anything you want." I think that's more true of the online stores, don't you? An online store would sell you a tiger shark, no questions asked. Anyone with a credit card can purchase anything they care to. A good LFS will at least inquire whether you have the resources to care for it.

I think he was being sarcastic. I think.

 

[zohhh6]

Test 3 and 4 would cause me to ask about the credentials of the author. Has he/she ever run a successful LFS? This article seems to have an agenda. Just because an LFS groups frags at a generic price point does not mean they don't know what they are selling. It could be based on simple inventory logistics and pricing items to move? Remember the LFS is a business and must be run that way. It is the responsibility of the owner to run it in a way that keeps it profitable and sustainable. I happen to be an author and my name goes on everything I write. Whoever wrote this should be willing to provide their credentials otherwise they run the risk of setting bad expectations. In some ways, its not so different from the expectations given to the uneducated public by popular TV shows related to the hobby that appear to install and populate brand new tanks in a single day. But there was no shortage of "serious hobbyist" lining up to take photos at the most recent trade event for serious reef hobbyist. I wonder how many of those hobbyist get presented with the "well I saw them do it on TV" when the customer is told "no you cannot install and fully stock your new tank in 1 day."

As a consumer, you should seek out the best LFS and support them and stay away from the bad ones, but if you have never run an LFS you should not jump to conclusions or set blanket expectations on how they should be run and and services they should be able to offer.

 

[revhtree]

Test 3 and 4 would cause me to ask about the credentials of the author. Has he/she ever run a successful LFS? This article seems to have an agenda. Just because an LFS groups frags at a generic price point does not mean they don't know what they are selling. It could be based on simple inventory logistics and pricing items to move? Remember the LFS is a business and must be run that way. It is the responsibility of the owner to run it in a way that keeps it profitable and sustainable. I happen to be an author and my name goes on everything I write. Whoever wrote this should be willing to provide their credentials otherwise they run the risk of setting bad expectations. In some ways, its not so different from the expectations given to the uneducated public by popular TV shows related to the hobby that appear to install and populate brand new tanks in a single day. But there was no shortage of "serious hobbyist" lining up to take photos at the most recent trade event for serious reef hobbyist. I wonder how many of those hobbyist get presented with the "well I saw them do it on TV" when the customer is told "no you cannot install and fully stock your new tank in 1 day."

As a consumer, you should seek out the best LFS and support them and stay away from the bad ones, but if you have never run an LFS you should not jump to conclusions or set blanket expectations on how they should be run and and services they should be able to offer.

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[eliramos]

i drive a half hour to my trusted lfs
and its worth the gas every time i get quality advice and their selection is amazing both wet and dry goods!

if your lfs sucks look around the good ones are out there just find them before they are all gone!

 

[Tylermacdonald15]

I don't like my LFS. They will tell you anything you want to hear to get a fish in a bag and sent home with you. I see this at a lot of stores and it isn't right. But what drives me more crazy is when I they try to sell sickly fish. I was in a LFS once and the owner was trying to sell two terrible looking morish idols to someone that just started there first saltwater tank. First off a morish idol is an expert only fish that's hard to keep, but to try to sell a sick one to a inexperienced person is just wrong. The one store that I really like and will drive 4 hours to go to is World wide corals. Other than that I've really switch to completely online purchases from live aquaria, they always send healthy fish and with the 15 day guarantee it's the best place to buy fish and coral IMO.

 

[Railcar79]

I only bought some hermits and an emerald crab from my lfs. Seeing tanks full of bubble algae and apistasia no way I would buy corals or rock, and the tanks with more dead fish than live, no thanks. Having a 55, they wanted to sell me a pair of powder blues, some gobies (even though I am getting a mandarin), even offered me a good deal on a shark egg

 

[Eienna]

Oh yeah, didn't you know? Eggs fit in anything. It's what hatches out that you have to worry about, lol.

 

[xrayjeeper83]

I love my LFS. He takes the time to understand your tank and abilities and will only sell you something if he thinks you and your tank are up for it.

He is straight up and completely honest, almost to a fault. I have watched him lose sales cause he didn't think the fish would live.

 

[Chameleon]

I find it hard to support my LFS not because I dont feel they know their stuff, but in reality I dont need all that many things for my reef. I've got all the fish that I want to really add to my tank. Corals it will have to be something truly special for me to add to my tank and my LFS doesn't do much high end sticks. Things I do need are 2 part constituents and salt both of which I buy very infrequently only once a year or so. They just started carrying ATI bulbs so I guess now I can get those, but most of my lighting is diy led which they of course dont carry. Really there isn't too much my tank needs anymore so its very hard to support them.

Sometimes I feel like the best supporters of LFS are the people who cant keep a fish or coral alive and keep going back for more. I want to support my LFS but really only come across the things I want/need livestock wise from fellow reefers. Dry good wise I really dont have many needs anymore until dies or breaks, but most of my equipment seems to last pretty good.

 

[Zero Nitrates]

My LFS is great! I might be wrong but the owner of my LFS is only trying to help people with advice, just like people do in this forum. People generally have good intentions with their advice.
Have fun reefing!

 

[Kimberlee]

I personally think in any situation there are 2 sides, sometimes the other side has no ethics and there's the problem. Some time you get a good LFS and after a year or 2 of being open the owner starts feeling those growing pains that we all have at some point in life over something. They get into the business for the reasons I am trying to I.E. their sick of watching industry people run the hobby into the ground w/ bad business and feel they can make it change. Wild ideas I know but the intention is there. Well they grow, and start to get hit w/ all the problems that hit all small stores, and than they also get hit w/ ****** customers who only half the time may be in the right, the other half they just don't want to accept that the hobby is not your average hobby and maybe they are not cut out for it. But if you respect the ethics of business than you try to make everyone happy any way. So I can understand how even the good LFS can fall into the bad list, because we as customers are not looking at the issues they stare in the face every day. Order losses, rent for the building, refunding no matter what and other such day to day things in the running of a store. I volunteered at a LFS in my area and watched this guy receive an order completely fungus infested. He than turned around and sold these fish left and right. When the customers came back because the fish died, he proceeded to blame them and their bad husbandry, which was not the problem. I still believe though that is not how most our LFS run shop, they are just lumped in w/ jack a moes like that, and are miss labeled as bad. Most are trying to make the buck in a responsible way.

 

[vetteguy53081]

We should be able to TRUST ALL sources in this hobby as No one wins when there is loss or disaster with our systems. Trust equals customer retention, future sales and reputation in the community.

 

[AquaAngel]

I think I get about 70% truth from my LFS. Some of the other 30% is a lack of knowledge and some is their take on 'bending' the typical rules found on places like this site. I have left there a very happy customer most of the time, but a few times I have sworn that I'd never go back. But it must be hard for a LFS to find a middle ground between all of the factors they deal with.

 

[mcarroll]

[...]and than they also get hit w/ ****** customers who[...]

Even though it was a small minority, it was amazing to me how many dirt bag customers a LFS can see. Everything from thieves to incessant hagglers. The ones who come in with expectations and ego and then get miffed when you tell them a fish or coral is too big/small/mean/nice for their tank or that they already have too many animals are great too. Lots and lots of those.

I think this thread/article should be re-titled: "What You Don't Know Can't Hurt You!!! (Right?): An Online Fish Store Promo"

Even the calls in this thread for LFS's to quarantine their fish are questionable in my experience. I bet the only experience anyone who's mentioned this has with QT is at home, and I bet almost no one has even that. QT must be some kind of magic bullet, right? Yeah, sure. It's not apples-to-apples in the first place to be able to make a comparison between online and and local shopping. The complainers here really, truly just don't know what they are complaining about. Then they try to compare that with some online experience at what is probably one of the best online establishments in the world which they've specifically chosen....also not apples-to-apples, but one's cheaper and you don't have to meet or get to know anyone when you shop there so obviously they are honest and perfect so there's nothing wrong with comparing them.

-Matt

P.S. Anyone else here generally a fan of things local wherever possible vs things imported or online? Speak up, especially about why!