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I was visiting Fountain Valley California about 3 months ago went into tongs tropical fish. I waited waited and ask for help and salesperson said they be with me soon and I still waited and waited and waited and just left. I have to mention the store so people know what to watch out for. another one in Rancho Cucamonga their name outside of the store is tropical Reef coral and fish the coral and fish is in red neon,on the Google site they're named something different very odd. I've been to many stores in the past 40 years and this store is the worst for customer service I will never step in there again.The one major problem to supporting your local fish store is the store itself. It's hard to be supportive when the one 'good' store in your area has diseased/dead fish, uninterested sales people ect. I recently made a trip to a store here in NYC that everyone raved about and frankly I thought it was terrible. I even inquired about having a tank built and they took my information and never contacted me. So, yeah, its great to be supportive, but it's also complicated.
one fish store in the Inland Empire been around for 30 plus years nice thing about them is they will match internet prices for dry goods this includes protein skimmers Chillers tanks and pumps. Hope you get the picture. very few stores do thatMy family has owned aquarium stores since I was a child (I have never worked in them, only handled the monies side of the business), so I am definitely sensitive to the business side of LFS vs. online retailer/big box stores. I have thought about this a lot, so this is kind of a long one. Whether or not the LFS matters is completely up to you, the customer. When you consider what goes into keeping the doors open, things start to make a lot more sense when we are comparing online retailers vs. the shop down the street.
In the fresh water world, Petco, Petsmart, and to a lesser degree Walmart, all serve as threats to the LFS economy. In the marine world, not so much. It's online retailers that we/they struggle with. Little not-so-secret, the markup on hard goods and equipment is not that high. That's why you don't see blow out 40% off sales every weekend like you do on fish and soft goods. So when we look at all of the "staple" hard goods that people use like Kessils, AI Primes, IM Tanks, Reef Octopus, etc. it becomes very hard for a LFS to stock all of that in the hopes that they will carry exactly what you are looking for when you walk in the door. It's not like they can sell a pair of Kessil's and be good for the day. You paid $800 sure, but they make maybe $100 bucks on that sale. Instead, you will find that many LFS's stock a very small number of these big name brands, and then go big on Chinese/Korean brands that carry larger margins. Consider that prices in a LFS are easily checked online, and aquarium hobbyists are nothing if not patient. If we price too high on an item they absolutely want, the customer will just order on Amazon or from BRS, etc. On top of this, they have a limited "dependable" customer base of the surrounding area, and limited shelf space to take their best guess at what people want. What they do carry, has to priced in such a way to sustain the business (consider rent, AC, electricity, payroll, etc.), and in the event that it does not sell before the next order is put in to the whole seller, we would consider that a loss. What that means is if the item had sold, that shelf space could be cycled with a new product to generate more revenue. By not selling, we don't have that opportunity, so we consider it a loss for the time being. These big online stores like BRS and MarineDepot have solved that problem by utilizing expansive, efficient supply chains, and warehouse space that does not need to meet the same (read: expensive) criteria that a LFS is subject to. The LFS needs to be in a high traffic area, in a part of town that can support the expensive hobby, and then needs to work out local marketing to drive traffic through their doors. This is made easier with social media, sure, but it's not the same as having a fully functioning website where customers can order as soon as they hit the site. So right off the bat, we see that hard goods and aquariums themselves are not going to keep a LFS open and running.
Now we look at the live stock. What ultimately gets people in the door. What the LFS has going for it, is the customer gains immediate satisfaction once they purchase their livestock from the LFS. No waiting, no hoping it arrives healthy, no having to take off from work. This is a good thing, because livestock is how a LFS makes money. Ever notice how Neon Tetra's and Clown Fish can vary wildly in price from one store to the next? They all come from a handful of distributors, let's establish that now. So why the arbitrary pricing? Because the LFS has to get ahead somewhere. We sell Neon Tetra's 5 for $5, always have and always will (assuming wholesale price allows), while the store near my house sells them for $2.99 each! My family is relying on selling a BUNCH of this staple fish that bring you in the door to consider our more profitable fish, and then reordering them twice a week (along with mollies, guppies, marine CUC, etc), while the store near my house has low walk in volume so must price them higher to account for what we talked about before, the expected loss. Factors to consider here are cost to feed, house, medicate, cost of dead fish, etc. Nothing unexpected or out of the ordinary. Just important to note that if we buy a fish for $.50 and sell for $1.00 we don't make $.50 profit, there is the overhead monster to be paid my friends. Corals however are a different story. Typically what makes a store "famous" in a city is the coral selection, and this is where things get expensive for us local guys. On paper, the dollars spent on coral tank setup, maintenance, and ops makes me crazy. Special lights, constantly pulling consumables off of the shelf for store use, medicating and "fixing" corals that arrive sick... the list goes on. If we look at this from a purely financial perspective, selling corals for the first maybe 3-4 months is a zero sum game. The cost of getting those tanks up and cycled to a point where they can support healthy corals is absolutely frustrating. So when I see that WWC is expanding, I know they are doing really well (And I am happy for them don't get me wrong! They have great stuff). So we have the coral tanks up, and we have secured some nice pieces to sell. Customers come and buy, money is flowing, things are going quite well. It's the 12th and already we hit our monthly break even point. But... a few customers are coming back saying the corals died a few days after buying them. Like almost all stores, we have a no refund policy on corals and certain fish (I imagine we all know why), but these people dropped a few hundred each so we can't just point to the sign and be done. We have to (and usually enjoy) coaching on nutrient management, flow, lighting, etc. However something every LFS owner shares is the frustration with a customer who insist that everything in his/her tank is perfect. You know what, it probably is, but this specific tang or acro just didn't like the .0001 salinity change it went through. Maybe you didn't drip acclimate long enough. Maybe you have a coral polyp stuck in a weird place that is releasing toxins... who knows. We as the owner have to figure out a way to soothe the customer, so that they do not walk out blasting us on social media. This is where things get frustrating very quickly. After everything you just read, it is very hard to tell someone, "Hey, I'll refund you the $500 for the coral that was healthy and thriving when it left my store." This is also where it is important to keep me, the finance guy, out of the store. If there is one thing I wish everyone could understand, it's that nobody opens a LFS for Ferrari buying profit. It's just not a good idea. These are hobbyists behind the counter. Passionate, invested, well-versed hobbyists just like you. They found a way to do what they love for a living. That's it. End of story. We cannot treat the LFS like a Walmart or Target where we expect the owner to make it right financially every time we have a problem. Opening a huge operation like BRS is an entirely different story. Those guys are in it to win it (as they should be, I love BRS and shop there myself from time to time).
You see, the big guys have the buying power to secure shipping rights to things like bulk heads, pumps, lights, etc. That means that every bulk head that comes onto US shores from let's say China, somebody in the industry is managing that supply chain and making money off of it. Furthermore, once/if they have enough selling volume, they can extend distribution deals to companies like Innovate Marine to showcase their tanks on the website, things like that. What I am saying is we go from a moms and pops every sale is a basic transaction LFS, to a big boy let's get into the economics side of maximizing profits large operation. I think Corey from Aquarium Co-Op is a very interesting study into the finances of being successful in the aquarium hobby. He went from small LFS to major online retailer and talks about the journey very openly.
This a bit of me just recording my internal dialogue, but there is a point to it. The local LFS is only as important as you want it to be. You can buy EVERYTHING online, and probably get it cheaper while you are at it. What you gain at the LFS is the ability to put your hands and eyes on everything you buy, as well as the opportunity to pick someones brain (assuming you can trust your LFS). Consider the day to day challenges the LFS faces to keep the lights on, and then consider what your purchase means to that shop owner. I recently made a large African cichlid purchase at my LFS and the guy let slip, "People have been window shopping all afternoon, I knew someone would come save the day." He was immediately embarrassed I think, but the guy works very hard and is profoundly honest in his advice so I didn't mind the statement. His passion for the hobby is what fuels so much of what we enjoy and his willingness to spend time with people he knows will not buy a thing is exactly what we need. So from one hobbyist to another, we truly and absolutely appreciate your business. If you are looking at something on Amazon, its worth asking if we can get it for the same price at the very least, and if you buy eeeeverything else online... please come check out our livestock!
Side note: I want to enforce that I am not attacking big sites like BRS, Marine Depot, and Aquarim Co-op. Those guys have great customer service, return policies, and selection. We are however all fishing from the same pond, so while we may not be directly going at each other, business is business. I wish those guys the best.
one fish store in the Inland Empire been around for 30 plus years nice thing about them is they will match internet prices for dry goods this includes protein skimmers Chillers tanks and pumps. Hope you get the picture. very few stores do thatMy family has owned aquarium stores since I was a child (I have never worked in them, only handled the monies side of the business), so I am definitely sensitive to the business side of LFS vs. online retailer/big box stores. I have thought about this a lot, so this is kind of a long one. Whether or not the LFS matters is completely up to you, the customer. When you consider what goes into keeping the doors open, things start to make a lot more sense when we are comparing online retailers vs. the shop down the street.
In the fresh water world, Petco, Petsmart, and to a lesser degree Walmart, all serve as threats to the LFS economy. In the marine world, not so much. It's online retailers that we/they struggle with. Little not-so-secret, the markup on hard goods and equipment is not that high. That's why you don't see blow out 40% off sales every weekend like you do on fish and soft goods. So when we look at all of the "staple" hard goods that people use like Kessils, AI Primes, IM Tanks, Reef Octopus, etc. it becomes very hard for a LFS to stock all of that in the hopes that they will carry exactly what you are looking for when you walk in the door. It's not like they can sell a pair of Kessil's and be good for the day. You paid $800 sure, but they make maybe $100 bucks on that sale. Instead, you will find that many LFS's stock a very small number of these big name brands, and then go big on Chinese/Korean brands that carry larger margins. Consider that prices in a LFS are easily checked online, and aquarium hobbyists are nothing if not patient. If we price too high on an item they absolutely want, the customer will just order on Amazon or from BRS, etc. On top of this, they have a limited "dependable" customer base of the surrounding area, and limited shelf space to take their best guess at what people want. What they do carry, has to priced in such a way to sustain the business (consider rent, AC, electricity, payroll, etc.), and in the event that it does not sell before the next order is put in to the whole seller, we would consider that a loss. What that means is if the item had sold, that shelf space could be cycled with a new product to generate more revenue. By not selling, we don't have that opportunity, so we consider it a loss for the time being. These big online stores like BRS and MarineDepot have solved that problem by utilizing expansive, efficient supply chains, and warehouse space that does not need to meet the same (read: expensive) criteria that a LFS is subject to. The LFS needs to be in a high traffic area, in a part of town that can support the expensive hobby, and then needs to work out local marketing to drive traffic through their doors. This is made easier with social media, sure, but it's not the same as having a fully functioning website where customers can order as soon as they hit the site. So right off the bat, we see that hard goods and aquariums themselves are not going to keep a LFS open and running.
Now we look at the live stock. What ultimately gets people in the door. What the LFS has going for it, is the customer gains immediate satisfaction once they purchase their livestock from the LFS. No waiting, no hoping it arrives healthy, no having to take off from work. This is a good thing, because livestock is how a LFS makes money. Ever notice how Neon Tetra's and Clown Fish can vary wildly in price from one store to the next? They all come from a handful of distributors, let's establish that now. So why the arbitrary pricing? Because the LFS has to get ahead somewhere. We sell Neon Tetra's 5 for $5, always have and always will (assuming wholesale price allows), while the store near my house sells them for $2.99 each! My family is relying on selling a BUNCH of this staple fish that bring you in the door to consider our more profitable fish, and then reordering them twice a week (along with mollies, guppies, marine CUC, etc), while the store near my house has low walk in volume so must price them higher to account for what we talked about before, the expected loss. Factors to consider here are cost to feed, house, medicate, cost of dead fish, etc. Nothing unexpected or out of the ordinary. Just important to note that if we buy a fish for $.50 and sell for $1.00 we don't make $.50 profit, there is the overhead monster to be paid my friends. Corals however are a different story. Typically what makes a store "famous" in a city is the coral selection, and this is where things get expensive for us local guys. On paper, the dollars spent on coral tank setup, maintenance, and ops makes me crazy. Special lights, constantly pulling consumables off of the shelf for store use, medicating and "fixing" corals that arrive sick... the list goes on. If we look at this from a purely financial perspective, selling corals for the first maybe 3-4 months is a zero sum game. The cost of getting those tanks up and cycled to a point where they can support healthy corals is absolutely frustrating. So when I see that WWC is expanding, I know they are doing really well (And I am happy for them don't get me wrong! They have great stuff). So we have the coral tanks up, and we have secured some nice pieces to sell. Customers come and buy, money is flowing, things are going quite well. It's the 12th and already we hit our monthly break even point. But... a few customers are coming back saying the corals died a few days after buying them. Like almost all stores, we have a no refund policy on corals and certain fish (I imagine we all know why), but these people dropped a few hundred each so we can't just point to the sign and be done. We have to (and usually enjoy) coaching on nutrient management, flow, lighting, etc. However something every LFS owner shares is the frustration with a customer who insist that everything in his/her tank is perfect. You know what, it probably is, but this specific tang or acro just didn't like the .0001 salinity change it went through. Maybe you didn't drip acclimate long enough. Maybe you have a coral polyp stuck in a weird place that is releasing toxins... who knows. We as the owner have to figure out a way to soothe the customer, so that they do not walk out blasting us on social media. This is where things get frustrating very quickly. After everything you just read, it is very hard to tell someone, "Hey, I'll refund you the $500 for the coral that was healthy and thriving when it left my store." This is also where it is important to keep me, the finance guy, out of the store. If there is one thing I wish everyone could understand, it's that nobody opens a LFS for Ferrari buying profit. It's just not a good idea. These are hobbyists behind the counter. Passionate, invested, well-versed hobbyists just like you. They found a way to do what they love for a living. That's it. End of story. We cannot treat the LFS like a Walmart or Target where we expect the owner to make it right financially every time we have a problem. Opening a huge operation like BRS is an entirely different story. Those guys are in it to win it (as they should be, I love BRS and shop there myself from time to time).
You see, the big guys have the buying power to secure shipping rights to things like bulk heads, pumps, lights, etc. That means that every bulk head that comes onto US shores from let's say China, somebody in the industry is managing that supply chain and making money off of it. Furthermore, once/if they have enough selling volume, they can extend distribution deals to companies like Innovate Marine to showcase their tanks on the website, things like that. What I am saying is we go from a moms and pops every sale is a basic transaction LFS, to a big boy let's get into the economics side of maximizing profits large operation. I think Corey from Aquarium Co-Op is a very interesting study into the finances of being successful in the aquarium hobby. He went from small LFS to major online retailer and talks about the journey very openly.
This a bit of me just recording my internal dialogue, but there is a point to it. The local LFS is only as important as you want it to be. You can buy EVERYTHING online, and probably get it cheaper while you are at it. What you gain at the LFS is the ability to put your hands and eyes on everything you buy, as well as the opportunity to pick someones brain (assuming you can trust your LFS). Consider the day to day challenges the LFS faces to keep the lights on, and then consider what your purchase means to that shop owner. I recently made a large African cichlid purchase at my LFS and the guy let slip, "People have been window shopping all afternoon, I knew someone would come save the day." He was immediately embarrassed I think, but the guy works very hard and is profoundly honest in his advice so I didn't mind the statement. His passion for the hobby is what fuels so much of what we enjoy and his willingness to spend time with people he knows will not buy a thing is exactly what we need. So from one hobbyist to another, we truly and absolutely appreciate your business. If you are looking at something on Amazon, its worth asking if we can get it for the same price at the very least, and if you buy eeeeverything else online... please come check out our livestock!
Side note: I want to enforce that I am not attacking big sites like BRS, Marine Depot, and Aquarim Co-op. Those guys have great customer service, return policies, and selection. We are however all fishing from the same pond, so while we may not be directly going at each other, business is business. I wish those guys the best.