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Originally Posted by saltcreep
I have a can of gasoline and I'm not afraid to throw it on the fire  ...just kidding.
Many times the LFS is compared to the MO operation. Even stores in one city are compared to stores in another. Neither is a fair comparison. Every store has it's own business structure, complete with different operating costs and supply chains. Yes they do have to make a profit to stay in business. One thing to keep in mind...Vancouver has the lowest prices in the hobby in North America!
I hear all too often from the LFS owner that they get tired of people entering the store and taking a great deal of their time asking questions and then going and buying wherever it is cheapest. It works both ways. Many people want the "expertise" and advise of the LFS but often don't want to pay for it. Yes I do agree...this "expertise" and advise is sadly lacking in many LFS. |
I see your point and I deal with this on a regular basis in my line of work. BUT ME, MYself...And...I Don't even talk to people in LFS anymore. WHY? Well because I have no need for their expertise because I rarely find any of that. It's seems that most of what they speak of is BS or outdated knowledge. Now I don't refer to all the LFS in Calgary but of the ones I have visited. The closest LFS to me Disgusts me every time I walk in. All the fish I have purchased from this store have survived and are doing great. Heck my last fish was purchased from there but.....I said as few words as possible and got asked as little as possible.
"Can I get that Naso tang please?"
"Sure, which one would you like?"
"The fat healthy one please!
"
"Here you go"
Cashier asks
"Phone number please?"
"Thanks, see Ya"
Now I knew what I wanted in this case but I would have very much enjoyed hearing something along the lines of this for a conversation with the fish room guy.
"Can I get the Naso tang please?"
"Sure but first, what size of tank are you putting it in?"
" Well it's going in my 230g tank"
"That's great sir, I wanted to make sure the fish would have sufficient room as you probably already know that Naso tangs get very large and need large tanks!"
If I owned a fish store I can 100% guarantee ANYONE that my staff would volunteer this type of information. All my current staff (not in the fish industry) are trained to ASSUME that the customer doesn't know specifics that he/she needs to know. I have Lost many "spur of the moment" sales because I was HONEST with my customers and Validated their purchase with my shop. These customers almost always return to buy the "product they truly needed" and do it over and over again because they now respect that we are looking out for their wants and needs.
PHEW. This thread drains my energy reading it.
