Big Al's - Now a BIG RIP OFF?

[chrisaggie]

As long as they have the statement ("Low price guarantee") on the window and all their bags they give out they are required to by law. Not doing so is false advertising. I would talk to the manager on duty if you have a problem there.

 

[chrisaggie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8291465#post8291465 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Speckled Grouper
I asked again last week and was told no pricematching! In addition they wanted $ 40.00 for a zoarock with 4 polyps on it and $ 60.00 for a monti cap frag the size of my pinky......
I did get 3 peppermint shrimp for $ 9.99, but to me they look suspiciously like camel shrimp. Time will tell.
They do give the 10% discount for FMAS members though.

Can you clarify...I think they were refering to pricematching their website, right? If they advertise "low price guarantee" I belief they must stick to their guarantee...probably price matching local stores.

 

[Speckled Grouper]

Right Chris, their's and any other website. As far as matching local stores, how would that work? I highly doubt that they would believe me if I told them "I saw this item at so and so for x $, will you match it?" And if I bring a receipt from another store to proof it, then I bought it already and don't need them to pricematch anymore......Am I missing something here?

 

[chrisaggie]

I believe if you tell them a lower price they are required to call the other store if they wish to. I will do a little searching on Florida Laws and see if we can get to the bottom of this.

 

[Kogo]

i believe they only match printed prices of retail (non online) stores.

 

[Speckled Grouper]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8292019#post8292019 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kogo
i believe they only match printed prices of retail (non online) stores.

Which, as far as I know, doesn't exist - Clever!

 

[CraigG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8289130#post8289130 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by KING OF THE REEF
i think that most stores just hire kids who know squat. I know for a fact that this is the case a t a local stor ein jupiter (wont make the name known, but the stores initials are PR lol). they are the msot rude people ever. as far as barrier reef, i have never had a problem with them, they have always been helpful to me and my firends. but i havent really bought anything from them.

From the first time we went to Barrier, and still do today, we deal with usually the same 2 or 3 people every time. They have hired a lot of younger guys, and I usually acknowledge them and say hi, but I save my questions and such for the people that I know have the answers.

 

[Kogo]

petco, petsmart, and pet supermarket publish flyers.

 

[Speckled Grouper]

I don't shop at Petco, but for the few little things I buy at Petsmart and Pet Supermarket, they in return cheerfully match Big Al's online prices....

 

[Kogo]

they just earned some of my buisness

 

[Abengochea]

went to Big Als last night, and when I asked why they dont have the same prices that they have online they just told me the online store is a warehouse and dont house millions of dollars worth of fish. So keeping them in the store incurrs costs that the warehouse doesnt

 

[Ryanqk]

Im sorry, do they keep them in suspended animation in there warehouses or is there some other reason it costs less to keep them in the warehouse aquarium as opposed to the store one? Sounds like a jip to justify higher prices for what you can see and buy on the spot.

 

[KING OF THE REEF]

I have also emailed bigals, but i keep getting no reply. I think that not only is big als a rip off, but they should be shut down completely

 

[jessp]

does big al's online store sell livestock? from seeing the articles i always got the impression that they where dry goods only. if they are drygoods only then yes it is much cheaper to keep a warehouse of non perishables running.

the lights and maintenance of keeping livestock is much more expensive. however they do charge for these items and that is where the price of the livestock should take into account the cost of maintenance.

just my opinion not personal experience.
but they should match online prices w/ store prices if they are affiliated.

 

[newreefbishop]

It sone thing to mark up live stock that I understand...but to marck up everything else over 40% versus the online variant makes no sense. THe thing that truly concerns me is that they do not have any "line in the sand" to distinguish between the online store and the actual store. Now if they said online that this was internet pricing only I believe that is legal, but when they clearly do not mark it...that my friend could fall in the catagory of false advertising.

I personally think we should boycott em....but that may be my militant side. I dont believe in supporting a store that takes advantage of people in that way. I email then on friday and they sent me an email in the afternoon stating that it would be turned over to the store for further review.

I will check in the morning to see what happens.

 

[pdavies]

The average size of a Big Al's in Canada is 3,000 to 5,000 square feet, not 19000. Also a much larger mix of freshwater fish ( much higher profit margin than SW fish) in the other stores. They're not having to maintain a "Rainforest Cafe" in addition to their compliment of livestock. It's all in the overhead. I've been in the store when it was an empty and customerless, and yet I could count over a dozen employees in the store. That all costs money, much, much more than the other stores incur. So for the Canadian shops matching online pricing is a much easier feat than this huge leviathan that bleeds money by the hundreds of gallons a day.

The Big Al's/ Living Color hybrid is outside the business plan that made Big Al's a success and I have serious doubts about how much longer the current franchise owner is going to keep on shelling it out.

 

[Ludwigia73]

I got the same email back, saying they'd forward it to the current store owners, but to date no reply (big surprise.) I also gave them the address of this thread, saying how south floridians are participating in a huge discussion, and I'd really recommend they read it and do something about their prices.
The Living Color "partnership" is not even a partnership. It's similar to what I do when I don't have something my customer needs. I take all their information, research what I can do for them, even with my competition, and talk to that company. I usually negotiate 20% off the rental prices, then tack it back on and rent it to my customer. My customer knows what I'm doing for him, and on occasion they go to my competition for that item next time, but I have alot of repeat business because I go the extra mile. They display Living Color's tanks, and can special order pretty much anything. They get a nice little commission from each tank they sell. The only thing it costs them is floor space. We used to love those kinds of sales at Radio Shack. The Sprint Cellular Phones were one of those. We didn't pay for a phone until we sold it. It's similar to pure profit. The phone might have sold for $200, but it's cost was $100. Instead of having a hit of $1000 every time we got in a shipment, we only paid for them as we sold them. If they took too long to sell, and the new models came out, Sprint would give us better pricing (maybe $100 for that same phone) but only hit us for $50. Cool way to do business. The question is, could that space in the store have been better utilized? Maybe for a little children's playroom so the little anklebiters wouldn't tear past you bouncing an aquaclear like a basketball? Or using a seaclone like a javelin? Or gnawing on a Living Color fake coral?

 

[newreefbishop]

Still no response from corp....Im just going to take my business elsewhere.....

 

[Tigger240]

what and you think those tanks that they run pay for themselfs? i never knew they price matched to their online prices but why should they really? i mean they have to pay shipping, and if you add shipping costs onto items, they come out pretty even, but also you have to include the price of getting the item now, instead of ordering and having to wait 3 days to get the item in, ect ect ect. why wharehouses can give wharehouse price is because there is little employees filling huge amounts of orders, and thats it. no customer service, mimimal lighting, prob no a/c or heating, i mean cmon, if you had a store and if you sold stuff at whare house price, youd prob have no money to pay rent either.

- Just because a business is large doesnt mean they can give the best pricing, can you imagine the rent on 19000 sq ft? its got to be a lot. Do you have any idea on how much overhead there is at that store? 250,000 dollars? 500,000 dollars? more? you get the idea. There store is really cool and has alot, and if you know your getting ripped on something, then go elsewhere for it. i do agree though they should be more competitive with the locals on pricing, but i see no reason as to why they should match their wholesale counterpart on price w/o shipping costs.

 

[itz frank]

When i see Big Al's these days i just smile and wave. I've found the personal service of Coral Reef, Jawz.net, etc. to be much more helpful. There's a store on 163rd st and 15thav called The fish collection. It's a struggle of a fish store but the help and advice I've been given there is priceless. I don't usually even buy anything there anymore, I just go there and Tito -- yes tito -- will sit and talk to you about absolutely anything you have to ask and will give you great advice based on personal experience. Doesn't ever try to sell my anything either. I think smaller fish stores are the best way to go since it doesn't take 40 people to run them at a time. Big Al's has to hire so many workers to keep the store running and at that rate you have to hire people who don't know much about it. Take it into perspective, I don't think Chris or Rogger would work there for 7$/hour or so. Get my point? But either way, I haven't had much success with them either and will never make the 40 minute commute there again.