Ideal pet store

["Jorge Quintana" <Quintana at law_com>]

As to what i want in a fish store... same thing i want in all retail 
stores: low prices, good selection and competent staff. LFS face lots 
of challenges, warehouse stores, internet competition etc., etc. but 
there biggest challenge is their own shortsightedness... I have the 
worst LFS so i've often thought of what I want...

In addition to what has been said on this topic so far, there are 
some easy things that a LFS can do to build a relationship with it's 
customers. Be responsive. If someone wants something, special order 
it. I can't even get my LFS to get some SAE, after a year and a half 
of waiting, I ordered them online.  A simple idea, breed and sell 
Daphnia or other live foods. Repeat business, I imagine, would be 
vital to a LFS. If every friday you sell live foods, you get traffic 
in your store and people always find something else they "need".  I 
wish my LFS would sponsor a local aquarium society. All they have to 
do is organize it and provide space. It would be a captive audience 
that they could sell to. A special oreder for 20 customers is better 
than a special order for one. 

Remember those commercials that said "An educated consumer is our 
best customer?" I wish my LFS would develop that mentality. I just 
set up my first high tech plant. I've probably have spent $400+ on 
lights, CO2, plants, fish, a filter, fertilizers, etc., etc. How much 
did my LFS get from that? 3.99 for one amazon sword, the rest of it I 
spent online...

So, what do I want from a LFS? A relationship. If they treat me 
right, earn my loyalty, I won't mind paying a little more... 

And as an aside... I use to work at an animal shelter so I don't shop 
at pet stores that also sell dogs and cats...



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