peoples thoughts and opinions on calgary lfs???

[kien]

1. My favourite LFS in town is nice because it has great livestock and tanks. However, I find it terrible for stocking equipment like pumps, lights, skimmers, reactors, controllers, etc.

2. My second favourite is nice because the prices on everything are quite reasonable. However, they do not tend to have a large selection of livestock (fish and/or corals). They do seem to have a decent selection of hardware though and misc dry goods though.

3. My third favourite store has a nicely balanced selection of livestock and dry goods but is the most expensive of the three stores. Price could be better but hey, if I want that scoly or need that pump ill buy it.

4. As for the rest of the traditional stores, I will visit them for their MASSIVE selection of dried goods and for their convenient, consistent and predictable store hours. Again, prices are on the high side but hey, if I need a bucket of salt or a heater at 8:45pm on a week day I know where to go.

5. There are some "non-traditional" stores in the city and they are great on the wallet but not so great for impulse shoppers like me. LOL. With these stores you have to plan out and schedule your visit. This is fine but some of us have chaotic schedules that change hourly. Sometimes my visits to the LFS happens during a miraculous hour that suddenly appears in my weekend when the rest of my family decides they want to take a nap. Or the opposite can happen. I can plan to go visit a store at a particular time only to have that time taken away from me at the last minute. Anyway, I digress..

I'll just finish off by saying that my former favourite LFS (before it shut down) in my opinion and while not perfect, had the best combination of factors that makes a great LFS for me.




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[fishoholic]

Originally Posted by reefwars

why not im on a roll...



price!!!!


i hate not knowing the darn prices of stuff..

i hate even more when a price is just thrown off the top of someones head...and more than likely is different the next day lol

seriously...mark the prices!!

100% agree. I know of one store in Calgary that in particular is really bad for that. It really ****es me off! Especially when he tells one person he doesn't know that it's an $80 coral and 10min's later tells someone he knows it's $40 for the same coral. I know people who are frequent buyers and are close to the owners get discounts and ok fine, but usually the owner will give 10-20% off, not come up with a totally different price all together! To consistently quote totally different prices to different people (that sometimes are almost half the price or less of what he quoted one person to the next) is frustrating and annoying and IMO no way to run a business. Prices should be shown (and yes sometimes depending on how much shipment prices cost the prices will change) but regardless they should be written on the tanks for everyone to see and not be some sort of secret.

[Coralgurl]

Originally Posted by fishoholic

100% agree. I know of one store in Calgary that in particular is really bad for that. It really ****es me off! Especially when he tells one person he doesn't know that it's an $80 coral and 10min's later tells someone he knows it's $40 for the same coral. I know people who are frequent buyers and are close to the owners get discounts and ok fine, but usually the owner will give 10-20% off, not come up with a totally different price all together! To consistently quote totally different prices to different people (that sometimes are almost half the price or less of what he quoted one person to the next) is frustrating and annoying and IMO no way to run a business. Prices should be shown (and yes sometimes depending on how much shipment prices cost the prices will change) but regardless they should be written on the tanks for everyone to see and not be some sort of secret.

This is what irritates me the most. If you work at a buddy relationship with the stores, they will offer you better pricing. This is not fair as I don't always have time. I'd like to walk in and see pricing. Store owners and staff can be busy with others and I would like to be able to price out my interests on my own.

I do think we have a great selection of stores here run by great people and appreciate their time when I do stop in. I wish more offered more frags, it's hard to buy an $80 coral only to have it not work out in your tank, a smaller piece at lower cost is easier to cope with.

[Reef_Geek]

I'm not sure that it's the 'buddies' that get the better prices, I have tested several different stores for consistencies on their price quotes. What I like to do often, just like everyone else, is ask, 'how much is that?' and I often don't buy because either the price point isn't a great deal, or I don't really want it that bad, or I'm not on my way home. Anyway, I ask several different staff, sometimes a week or two go by in between I re-test the price of something... if it's still around maybe the shopkeeper wants it out his door. The finding has been pretty consistent.

Having said that, there is room to negotiate. What you can negotiate and get for how much depends. There are 3 variables to negotiating according to Herb Cohen: time, information, power.

Time--who ever has more time wins. For example, you know a fish has been in the store for quite some time, you like it, but only want it if it's a good deal. Week after week, it's still there and each time you ask about it but are prepared to walk away from the deal if the price isn't right. In time, shopkeeper will think about his price vs ongoing maintenance & risk of fish getting sick. Conversely, a fish at a good price that you don't buy but someone else will buy in a heartbeat... you don't have time, buy it if it's a fair price.

Info--know the fair market value of goods... otherwise you'll be taken advantage of. Know what you're buying and its frequency of availability or likelihood of coming up again for sale, know where to get stuff used/fragged online...

Power--shopkeeper is in position to offer things, get you things, give you advice, provide you with a friendly ongoing place of getting cool stuff, keep him happy and don't blow this relationship. Conversely, you are in position to choose another offer, to bring your money, to drop $X today if the deal is right vs $Y if not, to tell your friends, to choose to come back, to walk away and wait for a better deal etc.

[reefwars]

i can say without a doubt they do their prices better for people they know then new comers to their store...they all do but the big box ones.

imo price should be a solid thing decided when the item was put up for sale)

[Reef_Geek]

having worked in a LFS for a decade...

"people they know" should be replaced with "customers with strong prospects of continued spending power"

so it's not really unfair, but it's volume-adjusted pricing.

If the people they know became reluctant to make further purchases and have reached their point of diminishing returns (tank full, not up sizing or getting another tank, have everything they need, just comes in and tries to beat down prices on the few things they need)... then I suspect the degree of discounts offered will likely change.

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by reefwars

i can say without a doubt they do their prices better for people they know then new comers to their store...they all do but the big box ones.

imo price should be a solid thing decided when the item was put up for sale)

Asked the gent in one local shop how much a single head of ricordia cost. $80! I said "Oh," turned around, and walked out. I won't be back. I don't need a "buddy discount." I just want to be treated fairly and not exploited.

If he had stretched the cost a little bit I may still have shopped in his store, as it was very pretty. Not $80 pretty, though.

[Proteus]

Personally I shop at two stores. I have given these stores 95% of my bussinuss and never asked for a discount but have bartered with them. I ussually get a fair price and even discount for multiple purchases. This is what kept me coming back along with great staff. Even though I don't buy fish anymore I check in regularly to see what frags or hardware is avalible.

[Proteus]

Originally Posted by Enigma

Asked the gent in one local shop how much a single head of ricordia cost. $80! I said "Oh," turned around, and walked out. I won't be back. I don't need a "buddy discount." I just want to be treated fairly and not exploited.

If he had stretched the cost a little bit I may still have shopped in his store, as it was very pretty. Not $80 pretty, though.

I've seen ultra rica at 90$. It could have been a fair price but u could always barter

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by reefwars

i can say without a doubt they do their prices better for people they know then new comers to their store...they all do but the big box ones.

imo price should be a solid thing decided when the item was put up for sale)

Big box ones do too But only on the livestock.