Calgary store reviews

[jorjef]

This was nice to read and to put my mind at ease, conclusion for me is the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.. or border. Granted it's the slow season and the coral selection could be slim right now.

Being from Regina and having no desire for frags I'm always struggling to find the next must have LPS. for my tank. There is only one local shop in my mind but they are a newer shop and is having it's own issues getting good coral suppliers. Bayside in Saskatoon on the other hand always has something to tempt me when it comes to corals. They really are first class shop in every way from product to personal. Where does this put me in my search? I guess not making a road trip to Cow town anytime soon and continuing to scour in interweb and road trips to Saskatoon...

[globaldesigns]

I didn't realize there was a new store in Calgary... Cool, I will have to check out RW soon.

We still need a store in the south, don't know why everything needs to be in the deep north of the city.

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

I didn't realize there was a new store in Calgary... Cool, I will have to check out RW soon.

We still need a store in the south, don't know why everything needs to be in the deep north of the city.

Rent. When you've got overhead as high as an aquarium/pet store has, you really can't afford to pay the square footage costs of retail space in the 'nicer' parts of town. Big Al's and Pisces are where they are because there's not really any comparable warehouse style retail space in the south - the cheaper warehouses in the south are mostly light industrial and no one shops there (except for maybe granite countertops and floor tile). Also, the fact that Wai's, Ocean Creation, Pisces, and Big Al's are all within a 10 minute drive of each other in light traffic actually probably helps their business rather than hurts it. It's no real surprise that each of the stores seems to specialize in something different.

[Magma]

Originally Posted by asylumdown

Rent. When you've got overhead as high as an aquarium/pet store has, you really can't afford to pay the square footage costs of retail space in the 'nicer' parts of town. Big Al's and Pisces are where they are because there's not really any comparable warehouse style retail space in the south - the cheaper warehouses in the south are mostly light industrial and no one shops there (except for maybe granite countertops and floor tile). Also, the fact that Wai's, Ocean Creation, Pisces, and Big Al's are all within a 10 minute drive of each other in light traffic actually probably helps their business rather than hurts it. It's no real surprise that each of the stores seems to specialize in something different.

I have to agree on the driving, on a good day I plan it out and start at golds then head over to Wais and Oceans, before hitting up big als, Pisces and reef wonderland on my way home. Start to finish it takes about an hour depending on how long I stop at each place and with a newborn who only sleeps for 3-4hrs at a time its nice to be able to hit all the stops and be home before the screaming starts.

Once concept is back open I will be able add that one the list and hopefully keep it within the 1-2hr mark.

[kien]

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

.. don't know why everything needs to be in the deep north of the city.

It's better on our wallets this way.

[globaldesigns]

Originally Posted by kien

It's better on our wallets this way.

I was going to do it, but didn't feel the economy and population in Calgary could handle another store.

Drives me crazy that I have to drive such distances for supplies... Oh well, that is why I have gone back to buying many things online. Cheaper when you consider free shipping, I save on my time and gas.

[kien]

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

I was going to do it, but didn't feel the economy and population in Calgary could handle another store.

Apparently it can :-)

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

I was going to do it, but didn't feel the economy and population in Calgary could handle another store.

Drives me crazy that I have to drive such distances for supplies... Oh well, that is why I have gone back to buying many things online. Cheaper when you consider free shipping, I save on my time and gas.

Calgary has carried 7 salt water stores in the past, so it's possible. I think if you're strategic about where you locate yourself, how big your store is, and how much overhead you allow yourself to carry you can be profitable in a competitive market.

And where are you finding all this free shipping? I'm getting fleeced on shipping! I have actually found myself wishing the US won the war of 1812 a few times when I'm paying 30% of the price of the item in shipping fees, often 100% of the item if it's coming from the US.

And it could be worse, you could live in Foremost and have a salt water tank. 8 hour round trip for salt.

[MitchM]

I think Ian's review was fairly balanced. I appreciate him posting it.

Us hobbyists aren't the only ones that keep salt water tanks, I think there's a large commercial demand (office setups) and we just had some major flooding where offices were without power for long enough to wipe out their setups.
I'll bet there's a pretty good demand for all things saltwater right now.
Hopefully that translates into an increase in inventory all around.
The maintenance companies are probably pretty busy and LFS location doesn't matter to them. Service and supply does.
When I make a trip into Calgary (1 1/2 hour drive one way) I don't have enough time to visit all the stores, so if someone has something in stock, I'll buy it if I need it. I'll go to places where I think there's a good chance they'll have something in stock.
Some online places won't ship to a PO box and a trip to the airport to pick up something live is a major deal for me.
I wonder how many maintenance companies there are in Calgary?

[Simons]

Riverfront is another source. Though, their marine section is limited and some of their tanks do not look very healthy. Last Sat of each month all Marine stock is 30% off, and a good source for blood worms, shrimp etc.