ATTN: LFS employees
- Thread starter littlefish72
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jkhudson
New member
I have "customer" story for you. When I want to add something to my tank I research it so I know what to look for and to know whether or not it's a good idea. I walked into a store looking for an anemone for my tank. I saw several small BTA in a tank. I asked the employee about them since they looked to be in distress. She said they were fine but I passed on them. Curious, I got on RC and asked about their condition. I was told by several people that they were about to croak. I went back in that store a few days later. THe anemones were ON SALE! When I said something to the owner I was told, not politely, to mind my own business. Not that I was wrong, just to mind my own business. We have a club policy not to"shop bash" on RC but I still said something to several members offline. I was told that ethics was a word that shop had a problem with.
WorldNation
New member
wow, this thread is still going?
DheereCrossing
New member
Based on the Top 10 topic for next month's Reefkeeping, this is the perfect thread to solicit.
littlefish72
Member
^ that would be so awesome
Labman48076
New member
well 867 post now counting mine and 68271 views i'd say she is a contender.
ok. Witnessed at local Petco:
"Can I have that yellow tang in my FW tank w/ mollies and guppies?"
Emp: "Yellow tangs can be slowly acclimated to live in FW, so yes."
Me to petco guy:
"is that a toadstool leather?" (it was 1" in diameter)
"No, that's a carpet anemone."
"You have 15 watts of light over it, why isn't it dead?"
"It's been here 3 days now, its doing great. Do you want it or what?"
LFS: "That rose anemone will be fine for your 55g tank, as long as your SG is 1.023. They really like their water at 1.023."
"OK what to feed it? (I'm a major noob at this juncture)"
"only rotifers. It will grow mostly from your 120w of PC lighting."
LFS: "That stingray will be ok in your 55g, just make it a lagoon in the middle of your rocks."
ugh.
Keep this thread going, its really awesome and only good can come from these stories. Like the one customer that wanted holes poked in the bag of fish to help them breathe...
"Can I have that yellow tang in my FW tank w/ mollies and guppies?"
Emp: "Yellow tangs can be slowly acclimated to live in FW, so yes."
Me to petco guy:
"is that a toadstool leather?" (it was 1" in diameter)
"No, that's a carpet anemone."
"You have 15 watts of light over it, why isn't it dead?"
"It's been here 3 days now, its doing great. Do you want it or what?"
LFS: "That rose anemone will be fine for your 55g tank, as long as your SG is 1.023. They really like their water at 1.023."
"OK what to feed it? (I'm a major noob at this juncture)"
"only rotifers. It will grow mostly from your 120w of PC lighting."
LFS: "That stingray will be ok in your 55g, just make it a lagoon in the middle of your rocks."
ugh.
Keep this thread going, its really awesome and only good can come from these stories. Like the one customer that wanted holes poked in the bag of fish to help them breathe...
D to the P
New member
This happens to me a lot.
Customer: I need a part for my filter, can you help me?
Me: Sure, what brand filter?
Customer: I dunno.
Me: Did you get it here?
Customer: I don't remember.
Me: Was it an aquaclear, a penguin, whisper, aqueon...any of those names sound familiar?
Customer: Oh...uh, I can't remember what it's called.
Me: Does it have a bio wheel?
Customer: What?
(I eventually just walk them down the filter isle and show them all the filters we have)
Me: Any of these look familiar?
Customer: I'm not sure
Me: Well then there's really nothing I can do for you. I suggest you figure out what it is you have before you ask for things for it.
Customer: I need a part for my filter, can you help me?
Me: Sure, what brand filter?
Customer: I dunno.
Me: Did you get it here?
Customer: I don't remember.
Me: Was it an aquaclear, a penguin, whisper, aqueon...any of those names sound familiar?
Customer: Oh...uh, I can't remember what it's called.
Me: Does it have a bio wheel?
Customer: What?
(I eventually just walk them down the filter isle and show them all the filters we have)
Me: Any of these look familiar?
Customer: I'm not sure
Me: Well then there's really nothing I can do for you. I suggest you figure out what it is you have before you ask for things for it.
D to the P
New member
One of my favorite things for customers to say anymore is
"I want to set up a salt water tank, but I don't want to spend a lot of money, and I don't want a lot of maintenance."
Because I know as soon as I start walking them through the supplies and they see the prices that they'll immediately change their mind and just set up a 10 gallon freshwater tank.
"I want to set up a salt water tank, but I don't want to spend a lot of money, and I don't want a lot of maintenance."
Because I know as soon as I start walking them through the supplies and they see the prices that they'll immediately change their mind and just set up a 10 gallon freshwater tank.
blakemeadows
New member
I got asked by a guy if she could put "nemo" in a tank with his goldfish the other day... and it wasn't even a kid it was a 40 year old guy
darkdruid
New member
I had a guy walked into the store and proceeded to pick out 17 various saltwater fish. I made it a point to tell him that was alot of fish to add to a tank at one time and started asking him questions about his tank. He looked me in the eye and told me to shut up and bag his fish, he wasn't stupid, he knew what he was doing. That royally ticked me off but I kept quiet and bagged them anyway. Sometimes there is justice in this life afterall though. He brought all 17 of them back dead the next day, he had put them in a freshwater tank. He got very irate and stormed out of the store when I refused to give him a refund and told him, after all, you aren't stupid, you knew what you were doing.
Reefski's
Active member
that is not justice for the fish. that is very sad.
what could you have done differently so the fish didn't die?
i don't have an answer. i have been offered a job at my LFS but i couldn't do it. i would probably not sell a lot of stuff and get fired.
maybe i would refuse to sell them the fish until they told me in detail about their system. make them prove they weren't stupid.
your store made that one sale but probably lost that customer forever.
what could you have done differently so the fish didn't die?
i don't have an answer. i have been offered a job at my LFS but i couldn't do it. i would probably not sell a lot of stuff and get fired.
maybe i would refuse to sell them the fish until they told me in detail about their system. make them prove they weren't stupid.
your store made that one sale but probably lost that customer forever.
darkdruid
New member
Unless you own the store, you can't refuse to sell someone a fish. Besides, since he refused to tell me anything about his tank, how was I to know where the fish were going? I tried and was told to shut up and just bag the fish. Working retail you learn in a hurry, 90% of the world are idiots and I'm not too sure about the other 10%
Everyones Hero
New member
You can try to help someone by asking questions but in the end it's on them. If they want to waste money & learn lessons the hard way then that's the way things are.
Turning customers away might not take food out of the mouths of the hourly employees, but it takes it away from the owners.
Reefski's
Active member
i am a business owner.
that approach is very short sighted.
it may lose a sale now but in the long run your store will become known by it's reputation.
i turned down a $60,000 job a few months ago because the contractor wanted me to do it against the manufacturers specs. i refused and i lost that job to someone who was willing to do it that way.
besides the fish suffering and dieing the owner will suffer too in the long run.
i had a friend who was a lieutenant in the army. he had done something wrong and got called into his bosses office. his superior told him this little story that has stuck with me.
he told him, "you can build ten bridges but they won't call you a bridge builder, suck one c*** and you know what they will be calling you."
the point is negative news travels much farther than good news.
it's not just about the money. the money will come those who maintain their integrity and honesty.
you CAN make a difference but it may not be the easy road to follow. if i was the store owner i would not want to sell that person any fish.
from time to time i sell some of my Koi and i won't sell them to someone until i am sure they won't go to a pond that is too small, too overstocked, and the person doesn't know how to maintain a healthy system.
Carl
that approach is very short sighted.
it may lose a sale now but in the long run your store will become known by it's reputation.
i turned down a $60,000 job a few months ago because the contractor wanted me to do it against the manufacturers specs. i refused and i lost that job to someone who was willing to do it that way.
besides the fish suffering and dieing the owner will suffer too in the long run.
i had a friend who was a lieutenant in the army. he had done something wrong and got called into his bosses office. his superior told him this little story that has stuck with me.
he told him, "you can build ten bridges but they won't call you a bridge builder, suck one c*** and you know what they will be calling you."
the point is negative news travels much farther than good news.
it's not just about the money. the money will come those who maintain their integrity and honesty.
you CAN make a difference but it may not be the easy road to follow. if i was the store owner i would not want to sell that person any fish.
from time to time i sell some of my Koi and i won't sell them to someone until i am sure they won't go to a pond that is too small, too overstocked, and the person doesn't know how to maintain a healthy system.
Carl
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