How do you react at a LFS?
- Thread starter spanko
- Start date
usc932000
Member
If given the chance, I normally explain to the customer whats deemed to be the proper or correct way, and point them in the direction where they can research the info for themselves (normally here). But i would never tell someone that they are flat out wrong in their approach. Somtimes the unorthodox does work for some and not for others. Some people take advice thats given and others dont. Those that don't not only just pay the cost with money but also the lives of the Animals which is the bad part.
fenrir
Member
I'm not allowed to go into Aquarium Adventure here in Central Ohio. There was an employee selling a guy a 12 Gallon Aqua pod with a yellow tang blue hippo tang and an anemone along with his live rock and live sand. When the employee took the live stock upfront I politely told the customer that all of his live stock will die in that tank and he should check out this forum before taking the plunge. Surprisingly he took my advice and left the store. I was then asked to leave.
This was a couple of years ago, I'm sure I could go back in if I tried.
This was a couple of years ago, I'm sure I could go back in if I tried.
J
jstdv8
Guest
Originally Posted by Cranberry
http:///forum/post/3104652
Depends on the degree of error. If it's going to really hurt the guys tank, I POLITELY interupt and correct. Usually the coffee shooting out of my mouth and me having a choking/coughing attack upon hearing the bad advice turns the conversation to me anyways.
Cranberry,
that is the funniest thing i've read/heard all week. I'm lucky I wasn't drinking anything or it would have flown out my nose for sure
http:///forum/post/3104652
Depends on the degree of error. If it's going to really hurt the guys tank, I POLITELY interupt and correct. Usually the coffee shooting out of my mouth and me having a choking/coughing attack upon hearing the bad advice turns the conversation to me anyways.
Cranberry,
that is the funniest thing i've read/heard all week. I'm lucky I wasn't drinking anything or it would have flown out my nose for sure
saltywaters
New Member
We're new into the hobby, and fortunately we knew the more research you do before stepping foot in the lfs the better! I understand that in my area this is a very niche business and since we don't have any saltwater bodies around it can be hard to gain the knowledge. There are a couple of stores that don't give necessarily "bad" information, but are more out to make a sale than educate the customer.
I can speak from experience, because I have a family owned business myself that is in livestock as well (exotic birds). We aren't out to sell someone more than they need, and definitely won't sell them something more than they can handle. It is absolutely unforgivable for a shop selling livestock to give out bad information that may kill the livestock they sell. Now we love our business and love the animals we keep, so there is more sentimental value with us than at your regular national chain store. What do you expect when they employ 16 year olds for minimum wage? I see all the time that these younger workers are not being trained properly. But how can you blame them? One of the national chains here doesn't carry squat for saltwater. They have maybe 3 or 4 tanks of some damsels and percs, but not really much else. And with the inventories they keep, you can't expect the employees to know everything about everything. I have more respect for someone who admits they do not know the answer than someone that makes it up as he goes.
All in all with my longwinded post, do your own research and don't take everything the lfs says as fact. Mistakes will be made, you just have to learn from them.
I can speak from experience, because I have a family owned business myself that is in livestock as well (exotic birds). We aren't out to sell someone more than they need, and definitely won't sell them something more than they can handle. It is absolutely unforgivable for a shop selling livestock to give out bad information that may kill the livestock they sell. Now we love our business and love the animals we keep, so there is more sentimental value with us than at your regular national chain store. What do you expect when they employ 16 year olds for minimum wage? I see all the time that these younger workers are not being trained properly. But how can you blame them? One of the national chains here doesn't carry squat for saltwater. They have maybe 3 or 4 tanks of some damsels and percs, but not really much else. And with the inventories they keep, you can't expect the employees to know everything about everything. I have more respect for someone who admits they do not know the answer than someone that makes it up as he goes.
All in all with my longwinded post, do your own research and don't take everything the lfs says as fact. Mistakes will be made, you just have to learn from them.
browniebuck
Active Member
Originally Posted by Fenrir
http:///forum/post/3203547
I'm not allowed to go into Aquarium Adventure here in Central Ohio. There was an employee selling a guy a 12 Gallon Aqua pod with a yellow tang blue hippo tang and an anemone along with his live rock and live sand. When the employee took the live stock upfront I politely told the customer that all of his live stock will die in that tank and he should check out this forum before taking the plunge. Surprisingly he took my advice and left the store. I was then asked to leave.
This was a couple of years ago, I'm sure I could go back in if I tried.
I can't afford to go into that place anyway...I have NEVER seen prices as high as theirs for so/so quality livestock. I would have done the same thing that you did, and if they kicked me out...I wasn't going to buy anything there anyway! I would go back and do it again just to drive business away if that is the way that they are going to do business!
Any more, the only time that I buy locally is when I am looking for one or two fish that wouldn't make ordering on-line worth while. The only place that I really trusted in NE Ohio closed at the end of the year.
http:///forum/post/3203547
I'm not allowed to go into Aquarium Adventure here in Central Ohio. There was an employee selling a guy a 12 Gallon Aqua pod with a yellow tang blue hippo tang and an anemone along with his live rock and live sand. When the employee took the live stock upfront I politely told the customer that all of his live stock will die in that tank and he should check out this forum before taking the plunge. Surprisingly he took my advice and left the store. I was then asked to leave.
This was a couple of years ago, I'm sure I could go back in if I tried.
I can't afford to go into that place anyway...I have NEVER seen prices as high as theirs for so/so quality livestock. I would have done the same thing that you did, and if they kicked me out...I wasn't going to buy anything there anyway! I would go back and do it again just to drive business away if that is the way that they are going to do business!
Any more, the only time that I buy locally is when I am looking for one or two fish that wouldn't make ordering on-line worth while. The only place that I really trusted in NE Ohio closed at the end of the year.
fitbmxdude989
Member
yea i know how that goes im not allowed to go into the ***** in hanover because i told a customer that what the guy was selling him would end up dieing in his tank, now im banned(some bad language was involved...lol)
mony97
Member
I am by no means an expert but, have had to politly help twice at a certain LFS that I will no longer go to.
The first time a younger person was working and was trying to help a customer pick out some fish for his 30g tank and did not know what a Blue Hippo Tang was, but assured the gentleman that it would be a great addition, she than asked me if I knew what the fish was, I politely answered with the correct name (Blue Hippo Tang) and then added that his 30 would be well under-suited for this fish. He didnt buy it..
The next time was the same young person working and when a customer asked a question instead of helping or trying to answer she simply pointed to me and told the customer to ask me... I got lucky and knew the answer so it worked out well I guess? If only the young person knew how INEXPERIENCED I consider myself in comparison to most of you
The first time a younger person was working and was trying to help a customer pick out some fish for his 30g tank and did not know what a Blue Hippo Tang was, but assured the gentleman that it would be a great addition, she than asked me if I knew what the fish was, I politely answered with the correct name (Blue Hippo Tang) and then added that his 30 would be well under-suited for this fish. He didnt buy it..
The next time was the same young person working and when a customer asked a question instead of helping or trying to answer she simply pointed to me and told the customer to ask me... I got lucky and knew the answer so it worked out well I guess? If only the young person knew how INEXPERIENCED I consider myself in comparison to most of you
kingpin8771
Member
Ive only been doing this for about 6 years and what i hate about going to the fish store is a employee giving the wrong info on a fish or coral to someone who dont know better and it could put the fish or coral in danger.And i have to step in to prvent a bad problem for the person buying the item.just recently i was at a fish store and i over heard a employee tell the customer who was new to the hobby that he didnot need to cycle the tank before putting fish in it.Thats nuts.I mostly pissoff the salesmen but u just cant let things like that happen.And thats not the first time its happened.Thats one of many.
R
rcreations
Guest
I never heard any of my LFS employees give horrible advice, bad enough for me to interrupt. It's just the usual stuff like suggesting to cycle a tank using damsels or to put a tang in a 55 gal tank. For stuff like this I don't bother to correct the LFS guys.
kingpin8771
Member
Originally Posted by RCreations
http:///forum/post/3224806
I never heard any of my LFS employees give horrible advice, bad enough for me to interrupt. It's just the usual stuff like suggesting to cycle a tank using damsels or to put a tang in a 55 gal tank. For stuff like this I don't bother to correct the LFS guys.
Ive went to fish stores that the person running the fish department didnt know anything about fish.granted they are the mass chain stores i think we know who im talking about.but that dont make it any less agervating.
http:///forum/post/3224806
I never heard any of my LFS employees give horrible advice, bad enough for me to interrupt. It's just the usual stuff like suggesting to cycle a tank using damsels or to put a tang in a 55 gal tank. For stuff like this I don't bother to correct the LFS guys.
Ive went to fish stores that the person running the fish department didnt know anything about fish.granted they are the mass chain stores i think we know who im talking about.but that dont make it any less agervating.
pezenfuego
Active Member
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/3225108
I'm pretty tactful on "suggesting" an alternate point of view. The owners of the LFSs around here all know me and when I forward a different opinion the employees usually stop what they are doing and listen.
That's cool!
I was selling two fish to an LFS last week and one happened to be an ocellaris clown fish. I had been to this place a couple times and one of the employees seemed competent and their tanks looked pretty good. I didn't hesitate to sell the fish. The employee said "Oh cool a real one!" I said, "Yes, that's a real fish???" I'm a smart alec. The employee went on to ask me if I knew that there was such a thing as a fake clown fish. I said something along the lines of, "No there isn't, that's an ocellaris." The employee said, "Yeah, I know this one's real." Does she think there are robotic surrogate fish swimming around? I think she took the whole false percula thing a little too far.
http:///forum/post/3225108
I'm pretty tactful on "suggesting" an alternate point of view. The owners of the LFSs around here all know me and when I forward a different opinion the employees usually stop what they are doing and listen.
That's cool!
I was selling two fish to an LFS last week and one happened to be an ocellaris clown fish. I had been to this place a couple times and one of the employees seemed competent and their tanks looked pretty good. I didn't hesitate to sell the fish. The employee said "Oh cool a real one!" I said, "Yes, that's a real fish???" I'm a smart alec. The employee went on to ask me if I knew that there was such a thing as a fake clown fish. I said something along the lines of, "No there isn't, that's an ocellaris." The employee said, "Yeah, I know this one's real." Does she think there are robotic surrogate fish swimming around? I think she took the whole false percula thing a little too far.
bang guy
Moderator
I've snagged someone like that recently as well and you know how I feel about it. A tank of Clownfish was labeled "Percula" and he asked my if I thought they were "Real" or "Fake" Percula. I just said "neither, they are simply mislabeled Clownfish, it should read 'Ocellaris'". "Oh, so they're fake." He didn't get it this time, I'll work on him again later.
stdreb27
Active Member
Originally Posted by mony97
http:///forum/post/3223126
I am by no means an expert but, have had to politly help twice at a certain LFS that I will no longer go to.
The first time a younger person was working and was trying to help a customer pick out some fish for his 30g tank and did not know what a Blue Hippo Tang was, but assured the gentleman that it would be a great addition, she than asked me if I knew what the fish was, I politely answered with the correct name (Blue Hippo Tang) and then added that his 30 would be well under-suited for this fish. He didnt buy it..
The next time was the same young person working and when a customer asked a question instead of helping or trying to answer she simply pointed to me and told the customer to ask me... I got lucky and knew the answer so it worked out well I guess? If only the young person knew how INEXPERIENCED I consider myself in comparison to most of you
Hey at least he or she knows when she doesn't know...
Originally Posted by PEZenfuego
http:///forum/post/3226276
That's cool!
I was selling two fish to an LFS last week and one happened to be an ocellaris clown fish. I had been to this place a couple times and one of the employees seemed competent and their tanks looked pretty good. I didn't hesitate to sell the fish. The employee said "Oh cool a real one!" I said, "Yes, that's a real fish???" I'm a smart alec. The employee went on to ask me if I knew that there was such a thing as a fake clown fish. I said something along the lines of, "No there isn't, that's an ocellaris." The employee said, "Yeah, I know this one's real." Does she think there are robotic surrogate fish swimming around? I think she took the whole false percula thing a little too far.
The Ocellaris is the false perc. Did you at least get percula pricing for your real clownfish?
http:///forum/post/3223126
I am by no means an expert but, have had to politly help twice at a certain LFS that I will no longer go to.
The first time a younger person was working and was trying to help a customer pick out some fish for his 30g tank and did not know what a Blue Hippo Tang was, but assured the gentleman that it would be a great addition, she than asked me if I knew what the fish was, I politely answered with the correct name (Blue Hippo Tang) and then added that his 30 would be well under-suited for this fish. He didnt buy it..
The next time was the same young person working and when a customer asked a question instead of helping or trying to answer she simply pointed to me and told the customer to ask me... I got lucky and knew the answer so it worked out well I guess? If only the young person knew how INEXPERIENCED I consider myself in comparison to most of you
Hey at least he or she knows when she doesn't know...
Originally Posted by PEZenfuego
http:///forum/post/3226276
That's cool!
I was selling two fish to an LFS last week and one happened to be an ocellaris clown fish. I had been to this place a couple times and one of the employees seemed competent and their tanks looked pretty good. I didn't hesitate to sell the fish. The employee said "Oh cool a real one!" I said, "Yes, that's a real fish???" I'm a smart alec. The employee went on to ask me if I knew that there was such a thing as a fake clown fish. I said something along the lines of, "No there isn't, that's an ocellaris." The employee said, "Yeah, I know this one's real." Does she think there are robotic surrogate fish swimming around? I think she took the whole false percula thing a little too far.
The Ocellaris is the false perc. Did you at least get percula pricing for your real clownfish?