Fraggin Frags.

[EDGRAY]

Nice ill be looking into that epoxy cause i got one and it was not used to me when handling it ... it melted in water so thank good i was fragging in a bucket not in main tank or that could cause some serious troubles in my tank...

 

[proraptor]

Very good point... all they have to do at your LFS is tell you that it is reef safe and charge you three times the worth of the product.

Jesse

Thats how it works with most stuff....Try and think outside the box and look for alternatives to what your LFS sells....Ive saved a ton of money

 

[JeffDubya]

ll they have to do at your LFS is tell you that it is reef safe and charge you three times the worth of the product.

Honestly, I don't think that's quite fair. Your LFS may not even carry the "real" brand, let alone something similar that works the same way. They buy product through distributor catalogs, and no retail shop can carry one of everything. If they sold thousands of dollars worth, you might have a point. But this is really probably a niche item for them, and they make VERY LITTLE money on it.

So, why would they go out of their way to discover another product that costs you less and makes them far less money?

No offense, they gotta keep the doors open. That costs real money, and not pennies. So if you can find something that works better, spread the word, but don't necessarily slam the LFS.

My LFS (both of them) aren't great. But if not for them, I would not be back into this hobby. Often times I really feel like they make bad recommendations and don't know what they are talking about. But if something with our tank goes bad - fast - and the sh*t hits the fan someday, I think the LFS is the first place we will turn for help, because they are there, available, and usually willing to at least try and help.

Of course, if they aren't there, we can't turn to them.

So just be careful about this kind of comment. It really implies an intent for the LFS to screw their customers. Now I am not saying there aren't a few who would, but in most cases it really is not fair. In this case, the epoxy is marketed and sold by an aquarium supplier, with a STANDARD markup by the retailer. Doesn't matter what it is, it's 50%. Employee costs are about 30%, taxes 5%, overhead 5% leaving a paltry 10% profit.

If you want to be peeved, you should probably vent at the distributor.

Yeah... I am a small business owner. Not a LFS owner, but it's all the same.

 

[djconn]

Well said Jeff :shock:

 

[skipm]

You also bring up a point that I have mentioned in the past to members of our reefclub and that is when you have a pump go out at 9 pm on a saturday night it is not an online vendor that will be able to help you get back online and running before you start loosing livestock , its the LFS that can help out there. I have 2 favorite LFS and one of them lists an emergency number right on their front window in case something happens and the other store owner has given me not only the stores private line thats is always answered but his home and cell numbers as well. It does cost alot more to run a retail store than it does to run a warehouse like alot of the online vendors are running. IMO its worth spending a little more at the LFS where you can also get questions answered and advice on how to accomplish your goal with a project, these services are not available from most online vendors. I do buy some things from the online vendors but I also buy alot from my favorite LFS because I want to maintain a good relationship with them and I want to keep them in business so that I can keep visiting them in the future.

 

[JeffDubya]

I am an avid scuba diver and I see this type of debate all the time. Of course, then it's an LDS not an LFS

With that debate, the answer is an easy one. You can buy all your gear online, but where are you going to buy your AIR when the LDS goes belly up from lack of sales?

There is stuff I will buy online, there is stuff I will buy local. I try to never get local advice and then buy elsewhere for a buck or two difference, and I always give local the opportunity first if there is a conflict.

 

[reefer73]

If you don't support your LFS/LDS, Walmart is going to take over the world. Like Jeff, I am an avid diver, and living in Southern California we don't have a shortage of dive shops. Sadly many of them have had to close their doors becasue of Online retailers. Now I'm not saying that online retailers are evil, but having a local shop that is willing to accomodate your needs at odd hours is worth the extra couple of dollars that you would save online. Crap, I have to go back to work. I'll finish my point later...
-Mike

 

[TimSchmidt]

I think some people have just gotten a bad taste in their mouth with the way SOME LFS treat customers. I personally have a LFS that is ok but I wouldn't follow their advice as they said I have too much light for most corals. (80w orbital fixture on a 10g AGA) But they do have a nice selection of fish and corals for decent prices.

 

[JeffDubya]

Here is a commonality I have found in certain types of shops: bike shops, dive shops and fish stores. If you can find a good one it is locally owned by an enthusiats/hobbyist/aquarist who isn't trying to get rich, who got into it mainly because he/she had a passion for what they enjoy.

Unfortunately, a lot of these folks don't have much business sense so they don't stick around too long.