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RE:Loyalty vs being robbed (Long Sorry)



Bobby,
    I live Hillsborough County in Florida and in Tampabay area there are many great stores to pick from. This State produces a lot of tropical fish for the hobbyist and this county is the top producer in the state. I am also a night student in Aquaculture at HCC.  Being a student in Aquaculture gets me membership in Florida Tropical Fish Farms Associations, (F.T.F.F.A.) and they have a coop store (40+ miles from home (MFH)) that is near wholesale in prices.  I also go to a couple of stores (30+/20 MFH) for my fish (when needed or something hits me that I must have and try, impulse shopping).  Another store (40 MFH) even stocks plant supplies that the other stores for fish cannot get. The store with plant supplies, is way out of my area and is a small road trip on weekends or if I am in the area I'll stop by.  The store (30 MFH) with great fish is also my connection for wholesale bags of Brine shrimp (BS).  Then there's the local store (20 MFH) that if I am out shopping I'll pick up a few small bags of BS, as a treat for the fish.  They all know that I go to the other stores.  Last weekend I went to the Plant store (40+ MFH) and I haven't been there in a few months and the owner asked how was school and the Army treating me and he used my first name.  When you make yourself and needs known and if they are into making money and keeping repeat sales, they will work with you.  Ask the owner of a store that you like and feel good about going into every time you go there, to look into special orders.  If he says his suppler cannot get it, bring an ad from product that you want and ask him or her to try and contact them to get in a product.  
    We had a problem with suppliers in FL. until last year.  There was only one major supplier seven years ago (when I first moved here) and if they didn't carry it, you didn't get it.  Then another supplier expanded in the past few years that gave two major suppliers.  In this past year's trade show had three major suppliers.  Bottom is getting to know who orders stuff or who the owner is, let them know what you want.  I then tell them that I'll have spread the wealth around.

                    JiM C.

>Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 13:55:04 -0500
>From: "Bobby Joseph" <koonkoon327 at hotmail_com>
>Subject: Loyalty vs being robbed

>Here's a thought.  I live in Houston and I've been to >several aquarium 
>stores in the area.  "Village Tropics" is one store that >carries more of the 
>products talked about on this forum, but they're a bit >pricey.  I've been to 
>several other stores, maybe they don't carry all the things >we talk about, 
>but they're a lot cheaper.   As a consumer, should I >demand lower prices out 
>of Village Tropics?  Should I be a loyal customer that >supports Village 
>Tropics even though I can get the same product for >cheaper elsewhere?  
>Should I not worry about it and just buy things wherever >I find the cheapest 
>price?  I understand that maybe Village Tropics has to >have higher prices 
>because they stock products/fauna/flora that you can't >find anywhere else in 
>the Houston area.  But should I allow myself to be >robbed like that?  I 
>guess what I'm trying to say is do all of ya'll support a >particular fish 
>store no matter what, or do you shop wherever you see >fit?

>i can see everyone laughing at the ya'll.



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