peoples thoughts and opinions on calgary lfs???

reefwars · #1 10-22-2012, 08:09 PM

ok some more lol

what about kids....people like to bring their kids to the stores and see all the pretty things , whats some of the good things or concerns parents may have when doing the family trip to the store??

kien · #2 10-22-2012, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reefwars

ok some more lol

what about kids....people like to bring their kids to the stores and see all the pretty things , whats some of the things or concerns parents may have when doing the family trip to the store??

SHARKS! And lots of them! Kids love sharks! Bonus points for sharks with lasers, but not required. Just a nice to have.

reefwars · #3 10-22-2012, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kien

SHARKS! And lots of them! Kids love sharks! Bonus points for sharks with lasers, but not required. Just a nice to have.

we all know that any sharks with lasers are snatched up as soon as they arrive....they make great pets lol

Reef_Geek · #4 10-22-2012, 08:14 PM

10 years in a LFS, actually I've seen far too many parents when they're not really into the hobby themselves, but wanted something that their kids can look at. Not a big customer segment, and not typically long lived hobbyists either. Hobbyists with kids... you're either a hobbyist who happens to have kids, or you're not a hobbyist and stay that way. It's too bad.

can I suggest... BATfishMAN?

Enigma · #5 10-22-2012, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reefwars

ok some more lol

what about kids....people like to bring their kids to the stores and see all the pretty things , whats some of the things or concerns parents may have when doing the family trip to the store??

It may not be that people like to bring their children to the store, but are required to. There are plenty of times when hubby is working on the weekend, and I have to bring #2 son with me if I want to go.

Basically, open tanks on the floors (especially with things like stingrays in them) and exposed plumbing, valves, and switches are a big no-no if curious children could be in the store.

kien · #6 10-22-2012, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enigma

Basically, open tanks on the floors (especially with things like stingrays in them) and exposed plumbing, valves, and switches are a big no-no if curious children could be in the store.

This is a VERY, VERY, good point. There is nothing more annoying than to try and shop while at the same time having to watch that your kid doesn't burn or electrocute himself on that metal halide that's sitting on the floor over the salt water tank with salt water on the floor.

Reef_Geek · #7 10-22-2012, 08:19 PM

My LFS in Halifax used to have gravel by the cup for fish bowl customers... so we had them on buckets on the sales floor. Kids loved it... mixing colours with each other. Of course... who had to clean up? Not BATfishMAN that's for sure, the lowly PetShop boy #3.

Enigma · #8 10-22-2012, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kien

This is a VERY, VERY, good point. There is nothing more annoying than to try and shop while at the same time having to watch that your kid doesn't burn or electrocute himself on that metal halide that's sitting on the floor over the salt water tank with salt water on the floor.

I never even really thought about the lights! One more thing to worry about.

The only place I could take my little guy was Red Coral. Red Coral was so safe and roomy (with the exception of the live rock tank). It was very easy to browse the livestock and keep an eye on my son at the same time. I even let him wander around the store a little bit: so he could have a look at what he found interesting (under my watchful eye, of course). I have tried to take him into a couple of other places, but it was just far too risky to stay in the stores for any length of time.

Reef_Geek · #9 10-22-2012, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reefwars

ok some more lol

what about kids....people like to bring their kids to the stores and see all the pretty things , whats some of the good things or concerns parents may have when doing the family trip to the store??

I see you're probably probing for a LFS on ideas for change. That was always top of mind for a LFS... how are we going to get more customers? Can we increase the hobby?

The question is more fundamental than this... idealism thinking. First, improve competitiveness and soundness of business model, have good control of operational costs, find the balance of fair market price and customer market size/propensity to spend. Next, so long as there's earnings, don't get complacent and pocket the profit, return and re-invest back into the business for growth. How to grow? Cultivate and entice new entry hobbyists by having the right offerings (small tanks, lower price point fish & corals), and need to spend to communicate your offers. Go to the mall and set up a kiosk/cart with mini reef complete sets, go to the university student building and set up a table with affordable mini set ups, make a website that is informative and instills curiosity for people to come see your shop, print flyers with coupons (free goldfish coupon sells a lot of fish bowls) and give out locally... etc. And when the customers come to your shop, don't disappoint with insult pricing, lack of fit of products to customers, shop cleanliness. etc

Zoaelite · #10 10-22-2012, 08:52 PM

Slightly off topic but has anyone noticed a general increase in the price of live goods throughout Calgary after RC shut down?

Things that would cost $40-$60 are hitting $70+ at the moment.
Maybe its just me, maybe costs are getting more expensive? Even what I would consider the least expensive store in Calgary seems to have higher prices than usual.

A decreased supply with steady demand would theoretically yield a price increase, have our LFS picked up on this?