Saddest thing..

[OrchidMiss]

Is TSM even open? I am actually heading down that way in about 15 minutes. The website is under construction. would love to see what they gots.

Re-opening in the Spring.
They did some remodeling online and in the store. Plus, you will be allowed inside again.
Not just curbside.

 

[Rmckoy]

It may well end up too expensive...however lots of people nowdays seem to love debt. Or are at least oblivious to it... buy, buy, buy!

I don’t know about loving debt .
I can honestly say everything I have is paid for

I was always told if you have to ask how much something is , you can’t afford it or don’t need it .

 

[CanuckReefer]

I don’t know about loving debt .
I can honestly say everything I have is paid for

I was always told if you have to ask how much something is , you can’t afford it or don’t need it .

Yes YOU, we agree, some others well..... I'll be curious over the coming years when money isn't so cheap anymore,how many keep going and racking it up. The temptation for latest and greatest is often too much for some....

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Yes YOU, we agree, some others well..... I'll be curious over the coming years when money isn't so cheap anymore,how many keep going and racking it up. The temptation for latest and greatest is often too much for some....

Coming years... It's here now. Not as severe as it can be, but I also think it's gonna be ugly before it gets better.

 

[fish farmer]

Some people already know everything .
Imagine where society will be in 20 years from now .

if the op can’t offer advice on a fish , we all have a idea where things will end .
This post leads me to a question I was thinking of posting .
Regarding the cost of livestock increasing .
will this hobby be too expensive for the majority of society ?

will only the filthy rich be able to afford to buy that one fish and one coral frag ?
IMO these families making impulse purchases because Someone wants it . Or has a sense of entitlement that it’s owed to them . if that said fish dies along with the other 20 families seen in that store weekly .
Multiply that by every lfs and imaging the livestock loss …
I wonder why a yellow tang is hard to find and not a $20 fish .
I wonder why there are no more $30 colonies of corals .

I read awhile ago . why reef keeping is different comparing .
if you buy a dog , it dies … you go back and buy another for the same out come .
Why is that not acceptable but with fish and corals it’s normal

I don't think it will become an exclusive rich hobby that frugal people can't enjoy UNLESS all that is available are spendy corals and fish.

Coral and fish for the masses are mushrooms and palys with a pair of small fish in a 20 gallon tank, pretty much what petco should sell.

It's kinda like owning a boat, "break out another thousand" doesn't apply to a used canoe.

 

[Lavey29]

We dont really know what the outcome was though. The kid may have gone home with a goldfish and been perfectly happy.

 

[Kodski]

I had what I'm going to call a semi similar encounter at my LFS a few weeks ago. Luckily it was an entirely different outcome.

I was talking with the owner of my LFS as we have become pretty well acquainted, when a mother and two younger children had came in and started to look around. The owner, obviously asked if there was something that he could help them with. The mother started asking questions about snails, how much they were, what type was the best, ect. Usually a pretty normal questions for someone looking to add a few snails to their tank but the questions were really vague. So the owner asked, how big of an aquarium do you have? That's when the mother informed him that they were just looking to start a small tank because the daughter wanted a snail.

Long story short, the owner of my LFS quickly and simply explained the basic fundamentals of cycling a tank, why we cycle a tank, and then proceeded to explain that if she was simply after a snail, its going to cost a lot more than just a snail and some salt to keep it alive. He said, he can't sell her a snail, but he would gladly help them get everything they need to get setup to keep a snail and possibly a few small fish. The mother was very understanding and quite clearly in shock that a snail would cost a few hundred dollars when it was all said and done. LOL she said that they have a lot of learning to do before they commit to such a large decision.

Now that is how I can only hope every conversation of the uninformed would go. Unfortunately though, do to our society's need of instant gratification, I picture most of these conversations going the route of OP's encounter. I do know though, that the owner of my LFS will never sell a fish or coral to a customer without knowing their tank setup. To him it doesn't matter if people think of him as an A** or rude, or arrogant. That's just one of the many reasons I will always support him. Not for his love of the hobby, but for his love of the animals that we keep for our amusement. I will admit that sometimes I don't agree with him, but his 40+ years of experience with the ocean and 30+ years of studying the ocean on an academic level remind me that I'm new to this hobby compared to him and whether or not I like what he is saying, he is saying those things for a reason. He's a professional, I will always heed his word over those like the team at BRS or some of our fellow members here. I just wish more people would see it like that when shopping at their LFS, whether they are new to the hobby or not.

 

[flashsmith]

Pretty much any LFS around me would sell a dead fish to a blind kid if they thought they could get away with it. We all love R2R live sales right? I've filled my tanks to capacity from them but at the end of the day as long as they get sales I'm pretty sure they aren't too concerned about where their corals are going. If that were the case they wouldn't be in business very long. I own a lawn/irrigation business. I have a college degree in Turf grass management. I ran high end Golf Courses and sports turf management for 26 years. So I know what I'm doing. But nobody wants to take advice from their "lawn guy". They feel I'm below them. So I never offer it. We do what we need to do and leave. The sad truth these days is nobody wants to hear straight talk. They would rather be lied to if it feels good to them. People believe what they want to believe and there's no changing that. No matter how much factual information you give them. More than likely it just triggers them.lol

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Pretty much any LFS around me would sell a dead fish to a blind kid if they thought they could get away with it. We all love R2R live sales right? I've filled my tanks to capacity from them but at the end of the day as long as they get sales I'm pretty sure they aren't too concerned about where their corals are going. If that were the case they wouldn't be in business very long. I own a lawn/irrigation business. I have a college degree in Turf grass management. I ran high end Golf Courses and sports turf management for 26 years. So I know what I'm doing. But nobody wants to take advice from their "lawn guy". They feel I'm below them. So I never offer it. We do what we need to do and leave. The sad truth these days is nobody wants to hear straight talk. They would rather be lied to if it feels good to them. People believe what they want to believe and there's no changing that. No matter how much factual information you give them. More than likely it just triggers them.lol

 

[GlassMunky]

That store is VERY HIT OR MISS.
they are my local spot only 10 minutes away, and I rarely buy anything other than salt or frozen food from them. Their selection has dropped tremendously in the past couple years to the point that BRS or Amazon are better options.

While I can’t speak to this occasion as I wasn’t there, I HAVE seen them turn down a sale of a saltwater fish to someone who was also buying a tank and rock and everything same day.

On the other hand, I’ve also seen them yell at a customer for asking that the store owner not let his dog wonder free in the shop because it scared her child, he told her to leave the store.

so their care for customers is pretty open to interpretation I guess????

 

[Ben Pedersen]

Yes YOU, we agree, some others well..... I'll be curious over the coming years when money isn't so cheap anymore,how many keep going and racking it up. The temptation for latest and greatest is often too much for some....

I think people are viewing it as a money making scheme... almost like crypto currency..

 

[damsels are not mean]

I thought about working at an LFS a while ago but I was discouraged by this exact sort of stuff.

 

[Rmckoy]

Why am I trying to remember what movie or show that’s from ?
Why did I laugh ?

 

[NS Mike D]

it's easy to come off condescending in this hobby, which will turn off most nubies, and who among us hasn't had some level of trial and error with impulse purchases. I can see "wait on the fish" as being inconsistent with the bombardment of images of new tanks fully stocked and expectations.

It's up to the LFS to handle and educate their customers at the end of the day, establishing expectations and setting them up for success.

Sometimes it's a fine line deciding whether to help a customer when we visit a LFS or staying out of the proprietor's way. I'm sure I offered advice to shoppers who didn't want it. I can't help myself with unsolicited advice - too many times it's a good conversation and they express appreciation. But, I have to remember that I bought a tank, salt, live rock and fish all in the same day at a petco not knowing any better and it worked out. If someone told me I couldn't add fish right away I don't think I would be enjoying my tank right now as I type this, and instead left empty handed.

I guess that is why I don't get upset with ignorant customers, but I do judge the LFSif they engage in bad practices.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Why am I trying to remember what movie or show that’s from ?
Why did I laugh ?

Give you a hint:

 

[teach204]

So you’re telling me there’s a chance..that he will figure it out. lol I’ve only seen it about 20 times and it never gets old.

I am one that likes to sit back and wait to see how the store handles it. For me, it is very telling. I’m also that parent that told my child “NO” or “you’ll have to wait.” Heck, I’m that mom that was like “hey..your fish is dead” rather than replacing it. Life lessons are good. Just my two cents.

 

[Rmckoy]

So you’re telling me there’s a chance..that he will figure it out. lol I’ve only seen it about 20 times and it never gets old.

I am one that likes to sit back and wait to see how the store handles it. For me, it is very telling. I’m also that parent that told my child “NO” or “you’ll have to wait.” Heck, I’m that mom that was like “hey..your fish is dead” rather than replacing it. Life lessons are good. Just my two cents.

Similar .
nothing was handed down or gifted without earning it .