ATTN: LFS employees
- Thread starter littlefish72
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glassbox-design
New member
i'm being serious...i thought she was joking. well partially serious it must have been larger than a 1 gallon, but that emperor seriously would not have fit through the opening.
that woman is extremely intelligent and eventually came back and ended up being a long term costumer and set up a reef. she actually apologized to me, she was so embarassed!
that woman is extremely intelligent and eventually came back and ended up being a long term costumer and set up a reef. she actually apologized to me, she was so embarassed!
kathainbowen
New member
The Diabetic Story**
So, one day, we're getting slammed, to the point that it never dies down. About 6 hours into my shift, I'm crashing and need a break to get some food and off my feet. My coworker, Kim, opts to "man" the fish room for me, making sure to inform clients that she can "bag, tag, and sell fish" but can't answer any questions.
However, while I'm at lunch, Kim has a strange visitor, who brings her 4 bala sharks in a pitcher, demanding a trade. She asks me, and I reiterate our policy. You MUST call the day you wish to bring fish in for a trade, or else no trade, no credit, no bargaining, nothing. The gentleman did not call, so there will be no credit. He gets mad, and yells at her, again, demanding credit. Hoping to keep from losing a client, she comes back and asks me to assess a credit for him. But, as I go out, the man is gone.
Assuming that the man has just gotten annoyed and left (which does happen when we tell people that credit is at our discretion), I bag the fish to float and go back to lunch. Suddenly, I hear a commotion, and it's Kim with the man.
So, I go out to see what all the fuss is about. The bala sharks are in terrible shape (ripped fins with white, fuzzy edges, and obvious speckling of ich. Even someone who doesn't know fish could see they were ill). He still demands a trade. I give him $3 credit for his balas (which is following our math of 1/2 retail, but I based it off of a much smaller size of balas, to account for the poor quality of fish). I quietly inform Kim of this and return to lunch.
I come back, and Kim's attempting to wrangle some clown loaches from the display tank. I tell her no, since she's already ruining an aquascape that was over 9 months old, and point of the larger clown loaches with better coloring (that would have been cheaper since we got that batch at a steal), six tanks down.
But, oh, the man is back. "Those ain't the fish I wanted. I wanted four of those!"
"I'm sorry sir, but the only fish for sale in the tank with the discus are the discus. The other fish in there, we have in other tanks and are for display and dither purposes only. It she keeps at it, she's going to ruin and established planted tank. However, the clown loaches in this tank are larger and have much better coloration in the red on their tail, see?"
He nods and says angrily, "Fine!"
So, Kim bags them up and takes the man up front to ring him up. But, then, there's a big dispute at the register. She comes back with the bag, and is staring at the tank she took the clown loaches from. They are $12.99, but they're 4-4.5" or larger and with exquisite coloring. She looks confused, so I ask her what's going on.
Kim: "He says these fish are supposed to be free."
Me: "No, he only got $12 in credit. Those fish cost $13 a piece. Do the math."
Kim: "I did."
Me: "So...?"
Kim: *sheepish* "I told him I'd look into it."
I laugh, knowing she's just done this to placate him, since Kim has never made a mistake with pricing. She goes back up front and tries to finish the transaction. But, now, the man is coming back to the fish room.
Man: "I cannot believe how you are trying to rip me off!"
Me: "I'm sorry?"
Man: "And this is ruining my health! I'm a diabetic and you're making me walk back and forth all this way. I can't! You're going to kill me, and it's going to be on your head!"
Me: *mentally recognizing that he could walk just fine when he thought he was getting what he wanted, and remembering my great aunt* "I'm sorry sir, but I don't understand. What's wrong?"
Man: "I brought you four fish. I'm getting four fish!"
Me: "Yes, but these fish don't cost the same amount."
Man: "But you're making me walk back and forth. My diabetes is killing me, and it's because of you. All I want is these four fish."
Me: "Yes, but you can't just trade one fish for one fish. If it worked that way, I'd breed guppies and trade them for show quality discus. I assessed credit for your bala sharks to come off of your clown loaches."
Man: "You're and that girl ripping me off."
Me: "No. I'm not even supposed to be giving you credit right now, since you didn't follow our policy. Kim is doing you a huge favor by giving you credit even though we should not. I assessed $3 per fish since your fish are in poor health."
Man: "But bigger ones cost more!"
Me: "But sick ones don't cost anything. They just sap our resources or die. And, even still, we don't sell large bala sharks for $26."
Man: "I wish! Then I'd get a fair trade instead of you women trying to kill me."
Me: ".... no.... then you'd be ripping us off more than you are already attempting. I can't sell your fish, so they're worth more dead to me than alive. But we're giving you credit fixed at $3, you can take it or leave it. Otherwise, I have other customers to see."
Man: "Then I want my fish back. I'm not having you steal them."
Me: "By all means. They're already floated for 15 minutes, I've just been to... busy to release them. But I have to be helping other people now."
**I have nothing against diabetics. My great aunt Gladys has diabetes and is a highly able-bodied woman. She opted to get a 3rd story apartment in a building without elevators in South Florida to avoid ants and tropical storm related flooding. I just found it really amusing that a person who was able bodied just two to three minutes earlier suddenly has crippling diabetes.
So, one day, we're getting slammed, to the point that it never dies down. About 6 hours into my shift, I'm crashing and need a break to get some food and off my feet. My coworker, Kim, opts to "man" the fish room for me, making sure to inform clients that she can "bag, tag, and sell fish" but can't answer any questions.
However, while I'm at lunch, Kim has a strange visitor, who brings her 4 bala sharks in a pitcher, demanding a trade. She asks me, and I reiterate our policy. You MUST call the day you wish to bring fish in for a trade, or else no trade, no credit, no bargaining, nothing. The gentleman did not call, so there will be no credit. He gets mad, and yells at her, again, demanding credit. Hoping to keep from losing a client, she comes back and asks me to assess a credit for him. But, as I go out, the man is gone.
Assuming that the man has just gotten annoyed and left (which does happen when we tell people that credit is at our discretion), I bag the fish to float and go back to lunch. Suddenly, I hear a commotion, and it's Kim with the man.
So, I go out to see what all the fuss is about. The bala sharks are in terrible shape (ripped fins with white, fuzzy edges, and obvious speckling of ich. Even someone who doesn't know fish could see they were ill). He still demands a trade. I give him $3 credit for his balas (which is following our math of 1/2 retail, but I based it off of a much smaller size of balas, to account for the poor quality of fish). I quietly inform Kim of this and return to lunch.
I come back, and Kim's attempting to wrangle some clown loaches from the display tank. I tell her no, since she's already ruining an aquascape that was over 9 months old, and point of the larger clown loaches with better coloring (that would have been cheaper since we got that batch at a steal), six tanks down.
But, oh, the man is back. "Those ain't the fish I wanted. I wanted four of those!"
"I'm sorry sir, but the only fish for sale in the tank with the discus are the discus. The other fish in there, we have in other tanks and are for display and dither purposes only. It she keeps at it, she's going to ruin and established planted tank. However, the clown loaches in this tank are larger and have much better coloration in the red on their tail, see?"
He nods and says angrily, "Fine!"
So, Kim bags them up and takes the man up front to ring him up. But, then, there's a big dispute at the register. She comes back with the bag, and is staring at the tank she took the clown loaches from. They are $12.99, but they're 4-4.5" or larger and with exquisite coloring. She looks confused, so I ask her what's going on.
Kim: "He says these fish are supposed to be free."
Me: "No, he only got $12 in credit. Those fish cost $13 a piece. Do the math."
Kim: "I did."
Me: "So...?"
Kim: *sheepish* "I told him I'd look into it."
I laugh, knowing she's just done this to placate him, since Kim has never made a mistake with pricing. She goes back up front and tries to finish the transaction. But, now, the man is coming back to the fish room.
Man: "I cannot believe how you are trying to rip me off!"
Me: "I'm sorry?"
Man: "And this is ruining my health! I'm a diabetic and you're making me walk back and forth all this way. I can't! You're going to kill me, and it's going to be on your head!"
Me: *mentally recognizing that he could walk just fine when he thought he was getting what he wanted, and remembering my great aunt* "I'm sorry sir, but I don't understand. What's wrong?"
Man: "I brought you four fish. I'm getting four fish!"
Me: "Yes, but these fish don't cost the same amount."
Man: "But you're making me walk back and forth. My diabetes is killing me, and it's because of you. All I want is these four fish."
Me: "Yes, but you can't just trade one fish for one fish. If it worked that way, I'd breed guppies and trade them for show quality discus. I assessed credit for your bala sharks to come off of your clown loaches."
Man: "You're and that girl ripping me off."
Me: "No. I'm not even supposed to be giving you credit right now, since you didn't follow our policy. Kim is doing you a huge favor by giving you credit even though we should not. I assessed $3 per fish since your fish are in poor health."
Man: "But bigger ones cost more!"
Me: "But sick ones don't cost anything. They just sap our resources or die. And, even still, we don't sell large bala sharks for $26."
Man: "I wish! Then I'd get a fair trade instead of you women trying to kill me."
Me: ".... no.... then you'd be ripping us off more than you are already attempting. I can't sell your fish, so they're worth more dead to me than alive. But we're giving you credit fixed at $3, you can take it or leave it. Otherwise, I have other customers to see."
Man: "Then I want my fish back. I'm not having you steal them."
Me: "By all means. They're already floated for 15 minutes, I've just been to... busy to release them. But I have to be helping other people now."
**I have nothing against diabetics. My great aunt Gladys has diabetes and is a highly able-bodied woman. She opted to get a 3rd story apartment in a building without elevators in South Florida to avoid ants and tropical storm related flooding. I just found it really amusing that a person who was able bodied just two to three minutes earlier suddenly has crippling diabetes.
melev
Well-known member
Amazing. And that was for some stupid* freshwater stuff. 
<i>** I have nothing against freshwater animals other than the fact that they are about as interesting to me as staring at my concrete driveway. And I only do that when I want to avoid tripping over my own feet. 'cause if I did that, I'd be stupid too. </i>
<i>** I have nothing against freshwater animals other than the fact that they are about as interesting to me as staring at my concrete driveway. And I only do that when I want to avoid tripping over my own feet. 'cause if I did that, I'd be stupid too. </i>
yellowwatchmen
In Memoriam
yes, keep them coming!
LobsterOfJustice
Recovering Detritophobe
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10569616#post10569616 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Amazing. And that was for some stupid* freshwater stuff.
<i>** I have nothing against freshwater animals other than the fact that they are about as interesting to me as staring at my concrete driveway. And I only do that when I want to avoid tripping over my own feet. 'cause if I did that, I'd be stupid too. </i>
LOL! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
kathainbowen
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10569616#post10569616 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Amazing. And that was for some stupid* freshwater stuff.
<i>** I have nothing against freshwater animals other than the fact that they are about as interesting to me as staring at my concrete driveway. And I only do that when I want to avoid tripping over my own feet. 'cause if I did that, I'd be stupid too. </i>
:lmao:
Sorry, I have to make disclaimers like that because, sometimes, what I say gets taken really out of context. Like, my mum gets mad at me when I refer to a friend of mine as "Cripple Mike," despite the fact that he insisted I call him that (he has spina bifida and seems to be pretty proud of it... to each his own, I guess)
I was checking out a LFS in the area for the first time. I'm looking at their corals on display and listen to a conversation. A guy had a 200 gal tank and a few days ago, he bought a stingray from this LFS. The LFS employee is talking to him about what else he can put in with the stingray and during the conversation, she asks him how long as the tank been established. He answered 2 weeks! LFS employee took a deep breath, then asked him to bring the stingray back to the store before it died and then explained how to cycle the tank and having to wait 1-2months before adding fish.
Sports Girl
In Memoriam
I overheard this conversation today as I was in my LFS picking up a couple chromis to supplement my school and some halimeda:
A gentlemen comes in and the owner of the store (who was helping me) asks him if he needs some help.
Man: "Is this a fish?"
Owner: "That's an anemone."
Man: "So is it a fish?"
Owner: "No, it's an invertebrate."
Man: "Is it a plant?"
The owner, at this point, realizes what he's dealing with and brings the conversation down to this man's level by telling him that the anemone is like both a plant and a fish, but is neither. Somehow the man understands. We shared an understanding smile as he rang me up.
A gentlemen comes in and the owner of the store (who was helping me) asks him if he needs some help.
Man: "Is this a fish?"
Owner: "That's an anemone."
Man: "So is it a fish?"
Owner: "No, it's an invertebrate."
Man: "Is it a plant?"
The owner, at this point, realizes what he's dealing with and brings the conversation down to this man's level by telling him that the anemone is like both a plant and a fish, but is neither. Somehow the man understands. We shared an understanding smile as he rang me up.
Here's a common one I get on a pretty regular basis:
Customer (pointing to an acro or some other high light item): I want some of these.
Me: Ok well what kind of lighting do you use over the tank?
C: A white and a Blue one....
*sigh*
This one still blows my mind and if anyone can correct me please do.
Woman: I need some African Chi-chi food
Me:African Cichlid food? We have a few different ki.....
her: No African chi-chis!
Me (showing her how it's spelled on the package): Cichlids? Like this?
Her: No CHI-CHIS!
Me taking her to African tank: Do they look like these? African Cichlids?
Her: You know nothing about fish
Do any of you know what an african chi-chi is?? Just to be on the safe side i researched it and didnt find anything...?
And for the record I am officially an anti-clownist. Until the world stops calling every clown Nemo i refuse to add one to my tank. And I work with college students....
Customer (pointing to an acro or some other high light item): I want some of these.
Me: Ok well what kind of lighting do you use over the tank?
C: A white and a Blue one....
*sigh*
This one still blows my mind and if anyone can correct me please do.
Woman: I need some African Chi-chi food
Me:African Cichlid food? We have a few different ki.....
her: No African chi-chis!
Me (showing her how it's spelled on the package): Cichlids? Like this?
Her: No CHI-CHIS!
Me taking her to African tank: Do they look like these? African Cichlids?
Her: You know nothing about fish
Do any of you know what an african chi-chi is?? Just to be on the safe side i researched it and didnt find anything...?
And for the record I am officially an anti-clownist. Until the world stops calling every clown Nemo i refuse to add one to my tank. And I work with college students....
kathainbowen
New member
We had a small clownfish in a 75G coral stock tank. He was small and runty, and his cohorts were beating him up. I felt bad for him and decided to make him our fish (as opposed to a for-sale fish) by moving him into a tank where only coral was for sale. Just him, five chromis, a watchman goby, and a monster peppermint shrimp to reign over a packed coral tank.
Well, this was the biggest mistake I have EVER made. Something about teeny-tiny, sickly clownfish is apparently much more desireable that large, healthy clownfish. Or, perhaps it was just the fact that, with all the coral packed into the tank, there was no easily removing him without risking damaging all the coral.
Gent: I'd like a clownfish.
Me: Sure, you're in luck! We just got an awesome shipment from ProAquatix last week of maroons, clarkiis, ocellaris, and pink skunk clowns. *points to the pink skunks* These are my favorites right now. They arrived at a really good size and in awesome shape, and they've been eating like pigs ever since.
Gent: *eyeroll* No, those aren't clownfish.
Me: Sure they are! They're from the same genus as clownfish! And they host in anemones.
Gent: Well, they don't look like clownfish to me. *points to the reef tank* I want that one, the Nemo-looking one.
Me: Well, I'm very sorry sir, but none of the fish in that tank are for sale. We have some very nice ocellaris clownfish over there. *points to another tank*
Gent: I don't want those. I want that one.
Me: I already told you, that one's not for sale. There's no way we could ever easily get it out of there without tearing apart the whole tank.
It erupts into a fifteen minute argument about why the fish is not for sale. The same week ProAquatix arrived, so did ERI and another coral-only shipment. The stock tanks, and especially the coral tanks, are loaded with stuff. I had tried earlier in the week after another couple asked for the teeny clown, and no amount of trying to do it amid all the corals worked. I came back ten minutes later to find he's conned Ron to try to get it out.... and it all ends in one statement that still has me facepalming to this day.
Me: I'm very sorry sir, but you must be confused. Ron and I are not a divorced couple, and you are not our child. So, I hate to tell you this, but you can't try to play one of us off the other. And, if one of us says no, guess what? It goes for both of us, pal. And, I said *same growling voice I use on misbehaving puppies and horses* NO!
Well, this was the biggest mistake I have EVER made. Something about teeny-tiny, sickly clownfish is apparently much more desireable that large, healthy clownfish. Or, perhaps it was just the fact that, with all the coral packed into the tank, there was no easily removing him without risking damaging all the coral.
Gent: I'd like a clownfish.
Me: Sure, you're in luck! We just got an awesome shipment from ProAquatix last week of maroons, clarkiis, ocellaris, and pink skunk clowns. *points to the pink skunks* These are my favorites right now. They arrived at a really good size and in awesome shape, and they've been eating like pigs ever since.
Gent: *eyeroll* No, those aren't clownfish.
Me: Sure they are! They're from the same genus as clownfish! And they host in anemones.
Gent: Well, they don't look like clownfish to me. *points to the reef tank* I want that one, the Nemo-looking one.
Me: Well, I'm very sorry sir, but none of the fish in that tank are for sale. We have some very nice ocellaris clownfish over there. *points to another tank*
Gent: I don't want those. I want that one.
Me: I already told you, that one's not for sale. There's no way we could ever easily get it out of there without tearing apart the whole tank.
It erupts into a fifteen minute argument about why the fish is not for sale. The same week ProAquatix arrived, so did ERI and another coral-only shipment. The stock tanks, and especially the coral tanks, are loaded with stuff. I had tried earlier in the week after another couple asked for the teeny clown, and no amount of trying to do it amid all the corals worked. I came back ten minutes later to find he's conned Ron to try to get it out.... and it all ends in one statement that still has me facepalming to this day.
Me: I'm very sorry sir, but you must be confused. Ron and I are not a divorced couple, and you are not our child. So, I hate to tell you this, but you can't try to play one of us off the other. And, if one of us says no, guess what? It goes for both of us, pal. And, I said *same growling voice I use on misbehaving puppies and horses* NO!
This happened before I started working at a LFS in a store that at the time was a high end salt only shop.
It was mid summer, late July/early August and a 90degree+ day, I was in the shop looking at fish and a guy comes in looking for the owner wanting to get a refund on a fish hed bought that morning that had "died before he got it home". He held up a large bag full of fish soup to show the owner. Upon further questioning he described how he'd left the store headed home and realized he needed something from the grocery so he'd stopped off for a few mins then gone home. He forgot the fish in its bag in the trunk of his car for over 3 hrs. He had boiled an eight inch plus, full adult colored Imperator Angel fish that he had spent $300 on and he wanted the store to refund his money.
It was mid summer, late July/early August and a 90degree+ day, I was in the shop looking at fish and a guy comes in looking for the owner wanting to get a refund on a fish hed bought that morning that had "died before he got it home". He held up a large bag full of fish soup to show the owner. Upon further questioning he described how he'd left the store headed home and realized he needed something from the grocery so he'd stopped off for a few mins then gone home. He forgot the fish in its bag in the trunk of his car for over 3 hrs. He had boiled an eight inch plus, full adult colored Imperator Angel fish that he had spent $300 on and he wanted the store to refund his money.
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A.T.T.R
Active member
and reasons like that are exactly why the lfs i work at have NO RETURNS on fish
its so much easier to point to a policy when you know its there fault and to tell a customer who legitimitly lost a fish that youll make an exeption for them then it is to say ok we refund fish but only if.......
its so much easier to point to a policy when you know its there fault and to tell a customer who legitimitly lost a fish that youll make an exeption for them then it is to say ok we refund fish but only if.......
KurtsReef
Premium Member
These are funny, worth reading the thread.
Some of the stories of people calling thinking the shop is something other than a pet store would help if the name of the shop were included as I have known several that could be fish markets versus pet shops/reef stores.
As much fun as it is to laugh at the ignorance of some people as related to reef keeping, we were all there at one point ...stupid people (asking is another fish in same tank is saltwater) well, thats a different story all together
Some of the stories of people calling thinking the shop is something other than a pet store would help if the name of the shop were included as I have known several that could be fish markets versus pet shops/reef stores.
As much fun as it is to laugh at the ignorance of some people as related to reef keeping, we were all there at one point ...stupid people (asking is another fish in same tank is saltwater) well, thats a different story all together
kathainbowen
New member
I completely forgot about the octopus. I special ordered a bimac for a good client of ours and had it in a critter cage in our reef tank until he could come and pick it up a day or so later. This same tank has a section filled with corals.
Client: Is that an octopus?
Me: Yes it is! Isn't he awesome?
Client: He sure is. Man, I've never seen me of these alive before. He's suh-weet. If he for sale?
Me: No, I'm sorry. This was a special order for another person. But, if you're really interested, I can tag one onto our order next week for you.
Cllient: Aw, yeah! He's gonna look so friggin' killer with my oscars.
....
*shaking head*
Client: Is that an octopus?
Me: Yes it is! Isn't he awesome?
Client: He sure is. Man, I've never seen me of these alive before. He's suh-weet. If he for sale?
Me: No, I'm sorry. This was a special order for another person. But, if you're really interested, I can tag one onto our order next week for you.
Cllient: Aw, yeah! He's gonna look so friggin' killer with my oscars.
....
*shaking head*
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