Boring?! Hey, I'm one of the guys that makes up those names! I know what you mean though with pronunciation and similar names. I have trouble communicating with my research colleagues because we pronounce names a little differently (and my Aussie accent doesn't help). And I also sometimes (okay often) get very similar names mixed up - mind you, I have a few more to remember than most aquarists. It would be ideal if sensible common names were also included.
One problem though is that the stores are only using the names provided by their suppliers. Sometimes stores will attempt to update names if they see errors (I try to help out the stores in my area if ever I see problems), but usually they just take whatever name is given. I have seen some real screwups where names have been even from the wrong family. Worse for the customer, I have frequently seen names that apply to different species with entirely different requirements. (An example just from this week was the name of brackish water species applied to a fish that requires soft, acidic water.)
My boss has been encouraging me to set up an online course in fish identification that could help train (and certify) LFS staff and other interested people in identification of aquarium fishes. I'm not sure quite how to tackle this, given the huge diversity of fish kept in the hobby (often including new species), but I guess this could be handled by offering different modules (e.g., basic to advanced; emphasis on different families). I would be interested to see how much interest there might be in this.
Tony