I have been "cruising" a couple of the local Lfs stores for 15 yrs.
QUALITY over quantity I think is the key, for me anyway. I can wait for nice corals and fish to come in or ask to be called if they get it in.
you can have several types of corals and plenty to buy but, if they are all brown, stressed gaping and being stung by aptasia in the tanks. no matter how low you price em I aint buyin em.
There is one store I will look at fish but I pass by the coral tanks. it stresses ME out. I'd love to get in there and fix what is easily fixable. it shows a lack of care for these animals and knowledge in reef keeping.
I know aptasia can be a never ending problem but in a fish store is there really any excuse (to that degree) when you have access to all kinds of stock that eat them?
Ethics! I have reconsidered going to (or buying from stores) that carry animals that get HUGE and know darn well it won't live to half its size but will charge 2 g's for it. (a Wobegong shark!) There has to be some kind of responsibility here.
Dry goods that are not expired. was a little shocked by the amount at one store. and up to 4 yrs past the date.
Prices would be nice but I find it gives an oportunity to ask about their opinion on what is in their tanks, what they just got in, and often they point out something I have missed.
I also appreciate Honesty! there is one store that I am rather fond of despite their ups and downs at times. I find him the most Honest. I will keep going back.
If you can not stay in business by being honest about your equipment and why you do or don't stock it some of the problems with it or the company policies that sell it then I don't want to buy from you.
Cleanliness would be nice but cement floors with high traffic and water spillage is very hard to keep clean and after all I'm not buying fish from your floor. I would rather have dirty floors and clean tanks.
Tanks on the floor are Not appealing, nor safe for the fish. a few times I thought I was going to have a stingray in my lap while I looked at a tank above it.
Live rock tanks are a different story. it is nice to have it accessable and allows you to see a good portion of it in a glass tank. makes picking easier and you can see the condition it is in. Maybe not on the floor but waist height?