Need to get some ideas for inventory of my friend's LFS...

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1tankneverenuff

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Mar 4, 2005
Messages
74
Location
Jacksonville, FL
Hey everyone! One of my friend's, who I work for part-time, would like me to gather up as much information as possible on what you all (the customer) feel is the best equipment and also fish. We have a retailer convention to attend soon and before we go we'd like to see what people REALLY want. This includes medicines, test kits, filters, heaters, and all the accessories included in having a successful tank(s). Also, feel free to list what, in your opinion, are the most popular fish for the home aquarium. This includes salwater and freshwater. Basically, what do you all wish your LFS would carry or what they do carry that you can't live with out. You guys don't have to reply if you don't want, but it would really help us out and our customers. We're located in Jacksonville, FL and have a new website in the works...www.fishbowlaquariums.com.

Thanks again everyone for your time!

*NOTE - Moderators, this is not an attempt to spam this forum in any way. Please, do not delete my post. Thank you.
 
I can't live with out the lies my LFS tells customers about how they can have anemones and all the tangs they want in that little 32G hex tank with the NO florescent that comes with. I can't live without the ridiculously high prices acting as if the internet is some how inaccessable to everyone or broken in the city we live in. I can't live without the dead fish that were obviously dump 'acclimated' into the tanks. I can't live with out completely biased advice of a sells turd that smells money caring only about moving the junk out that no one wants and doing so at the expense of some n00b who doesn't know better. I can't..well you get the point. Obviously factitious, however I hope if you really are putting together a new fish store you will treat your customers, no matter how much they may deserve otherwise, like they have a shred of sense about them. Honestly, if my LFS 'd00dz' were palatable, I would probably not mind paying the extra money locally. Personally I feel that I should help support local business. Its the low lifes out for a buck that drive folks like me to do all shopping nearly exclusively on the 'net. One should consider if they can compete with the www before entering into such a venture..Maybe a nice online store front would suite you better? A good business plan with all the proper analysis takes care of that I suppose...

Anyway..

GL.
 
PC said:
I can't live with out the lies my LFS tells customers about how they can have anemones and all the tangs they want in that little 32G hex tank with the NO florescent that comes with. I can't live without the ridiculously high prices acting as if the internet is some how inaccessable to everyone or broken in the city we live in. I can't live without the dead fish that were obviously dump 'acclimated' into the tanks. I can't live with out completely biased advice of a sells turd that smells money caring only about moving the junk out that no one wants and doing so at the expense of some n00b who doesn't know better. I can't..well you get the point. Obviously factitious, however I hope if you really are putting together a new fish store you will treat your customers, no matter how much they may deserve otherwise, like they have a shred of sense about them. Honestly, if my LFS 'd00dz' were palatable, I would probably not mind paying the extra money locally. Personally I feel that I should help support local business. Its the low lifes out for a buck that drive folks like me to do all shopping nearly exclusively on the 'net. One should consider if they can compete with the www before entering into such a venture..Maybe a nice online store front would suite you better? A good business plan with all the proper analysis takes care of that I suppose...

Anyway..

GL.

This is EXACTLY what I'm talking about. We've been open for only a couple of years and have to compete against other LFS in the city that already have the established name and location. But, EVERYTHING you just posted is EXACTLY how those LFS work...if they even consider themselves to be a decent LFS. All false and full of lies. Most don't even care about the fish and just want to get rich you know? We're far from that. I'm no genius, but I would never make up information about fish just to make a sale. We base ourselves off of having the best customer service and so far we seem to be doing a pretty good job. But, like I said, we're competing against already established LFS who have the overhead and capabilites to order whatever the hell they want. Minus the fact that our location isn't necessarily in the center of town. And as for the website, that's our new frontier. Going to be testing some online merchandising, and first starting off with our main focus of wet/dry filtration systems. But, like you said, if an LFS has decent prices, excellent customer service, knowledgeable employees, and a clean store...then paying the extra couple of dollars is worth it.
 
well since you metions wet/dry's my lfs carries these, www.proclearaquatics.com, they are very well built and have a lifetime warranty. their skimmers are also quality products and their prices are very cheap. but as for my favorite skimmers i should say euroreefs or the aquac ev, maxi jets for power heads (stay in stock with the filter sponges and replacement suction cups), mag drive/quiet one/ and eheim for submersible pumps rio is also a good cheaper brand (dont know much about external), my lfs sells all-glass aquariums at a very low price with the stand included, won brothers titanum heaters are very very good, i dont know too much about sumps or fuges as i find that most people make their own, i hear that hagen and salifert are the best testing kits on the maket, kent marine makes good supplements and i use prime reef for fish food, coralife has good lighting u.its and great customer service, also bio spira by the creators of Istant ocean is good for setting a tank up and cycling it. the swcd is also a nice unit to have if you want the effect of waves and i like oceanic salt but IO makes good salt also. and if your gonna sell live rock that is cured do your customers a favor and at least keep damsels in there so that way the rock grows the right kind of bacteria for new tanks to establish with.

As for fish i just name my favorite... obviously all the clowns are on there, the achilles tang, chevron tang, blue tang, purple tang, powder blue tang, green/ spotted mandarin, lawnmower blenny, scooter blenny, rainfordss goby(court jester goby), yellow watchman goby, six line wrasse, coral beauty, flame angel, emperor angel, koran angel, majestic angel, yellow headed jawfish, pink spotted goby, lionfishes, niger trigger, picasso trigger, clown trigger, huma huma trigger, bursa trigger, blue jaw trigger, sea betta, purple and red firefish, neon blue goby, clown goby, pinnitus batfish, moorish idol, tassle filefish, most of the puffers, white cheek tang, black ribbon eel.... ill let ya know if i remember any more :roll:
 
Nice live rock, as many tank raised fish as you can get, shrimp gobies (more than just watchmans), blue/green chromis, hardiest tangs - include bristle tooths (algae eaters), smaller sand sifting fish, neon blue goby - pairs if possible, blennies, wrasses, lionfishes, angels triggers, and goby varieties.

Good variety of vitamin enriched foods, garlic, better testing kits, coral fragging tools (bridal veils, snippers, small plug rocks, etc), QT tank ensembles (shows you care IMO), meds, neat tools for drip acclimating, vacuuming, those new non-sinkable algea clips, and other tools that folks could really use to make the hobby easier.
 
as far as making money goes......
clownfish
clownfish
clownfish
clownfish
clownfish

I'd get a bunch of nano cubes as well for people who want a cheap alternative to a big tank.

Kent products ROCK.

Really you can have any brand of skimmers or lights or whatever just make sure you have some.

and besides that, just make it like a regular store with normal stuff.

Oh and remember, you don't make as much money selling things to people who already have tanks as you do the people who are trying to set them up.

Basically this is how you make money off a fish store....... you make money off of people who make a huge impulse buy, don't do any research, then have something die, and realize they want the tank, but don't want the work. That's where you make money, servicing tanks....... The markup on stuff inn the store will more than likely be 100% on live goods (fish coral) and 50% on dry goods. that's usually how it works in everyones LFSs, I know because I get everything at wholesale.


Just remember these few things ...........
Nemo
Nemo
Nemo
Nemo
Nemo
Nemo

and

Servicing tanks

that's all you need to know.

That and you need a really nice showtank.


Now to stop playing business man and be a responsible reefer.......
Sell only the best dry goods possible,
Teach all your customers how to build their own sump,
Try to get everyone the best possible deal for everyone!!!!!

So don't spend a bunch of time on trying to make a good name for yourself with the local reefers, they already have tanks and don't spend much money anyways.
(can anyone tell I got into it with one of those nerds the other day?)


Oh, I wish my local fish store fragged stuff and sold little pieces of stuff instead of big clusters of the same thing...... they would make more money that way anyways.......
 
The best way to get an edge over other shops is to offer unmatched customer service. That includes being honest and offering the best and most educated advice to the consumer. I will drive farther to a LFS if they treat me well, know what they are talking about and have nice looking tanks. As for livestock and dry goods...Know ALL of your products. Offer a good selection and nice variety. One more thing...did I mention how important good old customer service is?... :wink:
 
I have to say that what I like is a lfs that can actually tell me the truth about my problems. Naturally, I do not really have this at my lfs.

I would suggest that you have people that work for you who are willing to do the research and learn about marine tanks, not just sell stuff. Keep the store tanks clean and make sure you never sell fish that are not eating or are sick.

I would suggest keeping a really strong varity of clean up crew crabs, snails and fish in one area. My lfs has a very limited selection on the clean up crews, thus I am having to order them online. Also I would like it if they would carry LR rubble!

I love my lfs, dont get me wrong. It is the only one in this area that I would dare to shop at. I just get frustrated because they do not know their stuff and do not have as much of a selection as I would like.

I could not live with out the following things that my lfs provides for me:
RO Water
Salt
Turbo Snails (they die so often, so I am always having to relpace them)
Frozen food
Mag-Floats
Mexican Red Legged Hermit Crabs (they eat cyno bacteria)
Uncured LR at a discounted rate!!! :p
 
Customer service is the way to beat all others out, I hate dealing with poor attitudes and high prices. I persoanlly dont mind helping out lfs's by paying higher prices but when you add lies and misinformation count me out.
 
Don't try to oversell.. The LFS here would sell 50 fish to put in a 29g tank... If you don't make an extra buck, to save a fish DO it!
 
Since everyone else answered all the other common complaints about a LFS... I would like to say... Education!!!!

I would have loved to have seen like a full scale vinyl wall hanging layout of a complete tank/pumps/sump etc. Most often when you are new to all of this and you ask a LFS what you need to do it right - it is so overwhelming. They start spouting words like "chiller, skimmer, heaters, sump, refugium, macro, tank, stand canopy, metal halide, vho, power compant, t5,"... well - you get the point. :D

Having a drawing of a full setup with like an arrow pointing to each individual item (return pump, refugium, overflows, etc with arrows showing water flow) Then have an "ask about details" on each point and have a price list well layed out and be able to explain the differences in design, warranty, effects, long term, etc. Then have product scales layed out on paper and give HONEST opinions on what they should purchase given the application. I hope all of this makes sense. :)

Example
Skimmer
low cost low function low warranty period 15.00
med cost medium function 1 year warranty 45.00
high room for growth, etc " "" '" "" 200.00
luxory 500.00
 
liquidreamer said:
Since everyone else answered all the other common complaints about a LFS... I would like to say... Education!!!!

I would have loved to have seen like a full scale vinyl wall hanging layout of a complete tank/pumps/sump etc. Most often when you are new to all of this and you ask a LFS what you need to do it right - it is so overwhelming. They start spouting words like "chiller, skimmer, heaters, sump, refugium, macro, tank, stand canopy, metal halide, vho, power compant, t5,"... well - you get the point. :D

Having a drawing of a full setup with like an arrow pointing to each individual item (return pump, refugium, overflows, etc with arrows showing water flow) Then have an "ask about details" on each point and have a price list well layed out and be able to explain the differences in design, warranty, effects, long term, etc. Then have product scales layed out on paper and give HONEST opinions on what they should purchase given the application. I hope all of this makes sense. :)

Example
Skimmer
low cost low function low warranty period 15.00
med cost medium function 1 year warranty 45.00
high room for growth, etc " "" '" "" 200.00
luxory 500.00


I have to agree whole heartedly with the above statement. If more LFS's did this sort of thing, it would definitely contribute to the growth of the marine fish industry, which could in turn, lead to more people propagating corals and breeding fish, which would ineviditably lead to lower prices for all of us!!

Just be educated so you can educate others correctly, and above all be honest. It's not the one-timers coming into your store that are going to make you money, it's the repeat customers that that will. :wink:
 
also left out is have a good variety of aquarium books on hand and for sale... also have common pvc piping and clear hoses of assorted diameters for the pumps you sell. and whatever you sell in the store have accessories and replacement parts for them all
 
I dont know if someone else has mentioned this. But here is my ideas. I think that apperance and current stock is the biggest things. Have a shop that is super nice looking playing some great toons, and people will enjoy to be in there.....the more they are in there, the better chance of them giving you $$$.

I have looked for some quality books before at Barnes & Noble, but mostly they just have "starter books".

Refugiums seems to be big. Have a tank set up with one to show custumers what it is and most importantly if you can afford it have some IN STOCK. It is very distracting when a LFS says they "can get it" instead of just being able to get it right then and then.

I can go on with more but I need to go. Hope this helps!!
 
Yeah BDawg... glad you saw my point. :D I had the same exact thoughts going though my head that you followed up with Also supermarvin makes some excellent points... I LOVE going to this one LFS because they have an upbeat/electronic but not overly irritating music lineup always going. Sometimes even some alternative which fits the scene perfectly for this hobby... and people are all walking around checking out stuff and pointing with girlfriends/kids/etc. Its great stuff. I almost want to start helping and giving advice/opinions myself because the atmosphere is so great. "Where's the applications again?" hehe j/j But really - if the people there weren't so grumpy and they educated a little more and had the plumbing in stock, it would rock!
 
Excellent, excellent, nothing but excellent replies from all of you. Actually, I didn't even expect this much of a response. Alot of you hit key points that have often run through my mind and have been brought up with my boss. I definitely feel customer service is where we stand above most in our area. Although I'm not a genius when it comes to ALL things related to aquaria, I help the best I can with a smile and a nice greeting. I know more about freshwater than saltwater, but I'm learning every day. My boss is the genius when it comes to marine. Books, replacements, maintenance, clean store, friendly atmosphere, and no false information or lies just to sell a product or fish are key players in a successful LFS, and if we aren't there yet then I try and discuss it with those who know what it takes or what it would take to get there. Unlike other LFS around town, myself and my boss both love fish. I mean, look at my name...it says it all! I would really like to thank those of you who have already responded. You've helped me in such a great way I couldn't ask for more. I'll be completing my list of products and fish by the end of the weekend(before our next convention)...so keep all these great recommendations and advice coming!

Thanks again everyone, this post is awesome!
 
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