thats being generious.. most LFS are min wage just like the box store and the employs generly know how to clean glass and stock shelves. granted there are some knowlagable people working in both.

I shop at big box stores if I can get the same thing for a cheeper price over the LFS, other wise its mail order as I believe the onus is on us to know what we want and how to select quality.

and for the record there are many LFS that will sell the same way as mentiond originaly. I have been to some very good LFS and watched people walk out the door with a new tank and rock and fish. there bottom line is the same.. there in it to make money other wise they won't be there.

Steve

you are right, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that at all.

I'm a total newb to this hobby and I've relied on all the stores for information (big and small). Yes, I have taken some bad advise, but most i have talked to have been helpful and knowledgable and if they didn't know, one guy actually gave me the manager's business card to call later. I didn't start looking for forums or websites until I started having a problem with my corals. With the assistance of people on the forums, I was able to go into any of these stores, knowing what i needed and walk away from what I didn't. I've been able to figure out what stores have what, the prices and convenience - I make the choice where I want to go. That said, regardless of knowledge, customer service goes a long way - one NE store I've been in twice looking at new pumps. They have theirs locked up. I browsed the area for some time, looking at a number of things. Went to check out the fish, the corals, everything. In there for an hour, not one person approached me to see if I needed a hand, had questions, nothing. Thought, maybe just an off day, went back a week later, exact same thing and there was no one else in the store, so it wasn't like they were busy, other than gossiping at the front till. That alone is the reason I won't go back. I went somewhere else, dropped a few hundred dollars on the pump and then when I had problems, went back in and the guy spent another 1/2 hour with me to get it straightened out.

I wish we had researched before we started, but it seems like this is the way a lot of people start out. Point is now I'm learning and using a number of resources, websites, forums, books and sometimes even the employee in the lfs.