Dumb things you've overheard customers say at the LFS
- Thread starter TANGBOY5000
- Start date
slave-of-rock
New member
:lol:, i know what you mean, some people... fish arent a pet that you, well pet haa
moosejac
New member
A thread like this is a great way for people who are in the same line of work to vent frustrations and have a chuckle or two at the same time. At my shop, we actually have a running list of funny things customers have said over the years, and its not simply there to make fun of people, but is just another thing to get you through the day sometimes. Those of you who are so quick to judge others for laughing at what customers say sometimes obviously have never worked at a retail level before, or you would know exactly what we are talking about....
Some of my favorites:
Cust: Will this coral live in my tank?
Me: What kind of lighting do you have?
C: a 50/50 and an all white one.
M: But are they just standard flour's?
C: No, they are the special coral kind.
C: Do you guys have any African childs?
M: I'm sorry....what?
C: African childs...the fish...
M: Ohhh, you mean cichlid
C: No, I think their called "childs"
C: Um, yeah, I bought this at another store (zebra danio), and it died, and they said it had a 7 day guarantee...will you replace it?
Customer who had purchased a moon light...
C: The moon light isn't working...is it because it only works at night? (it being day time when he called...)
C: (FRANTIC) I just got home, and my oscar must have jumped out onto the floor, and he's not moving... Should I give him mouth to mouth? (Honest to God, that one is true...)
And of course....
How many are in a dozen?
Some of my favorites:
Cust: Will this coral live in my tank?
Me: What kind of lighting do you have?
C: a 50/50 and an all white one.
M: But are they just standard flour's?
C: No, they are the special coral kind.
C: Do you guys have any African childs?
M: I'm sorry....what?
C: African childs...the fish...
M: Ohhh, you mean cichlid
C: No, I think their called "childs"
C: Um, yeah, I bought this at another store (zebra danio), and it died, and they said it had a 7 day guarantee...will you replace it?
Customer who had purchased a moon light...
C: The moon light isn't working...is it because it only works at night? (it being day time when he called...)
C: (FRANTIC) I just got home, and my oscar must have jumped out onto the floor, and he's not moving... Should I give him mouth to mouth? (Honest to God, that one is true...)
And of course....
How many are in a dozen?
acropora1981
New member
It's amazing how similarly people deal with frustrations in the same field, we too had a list in the office of weird, wacky or just plain dumb things that customers had said over the years. I remember the owner ripping it down at one point because he thought it would promote bad customer service among the reps. I think if anything, it served to keep us from getting anoyed quicker...which can happen fast in this business ...
"can I have THAT cardinal tetra? No no, THAT one."
"can I have THAT cardinal tetra? No no, THAT one."
petergillett
New member
The LFS could obviously see that he had no idea.... who's the dumb one? The man, or the LFS that still "made the sale"?Timebomb88 said:
petergillett
New member
I bet a lot of people on this site didn't know the difference (as in where fish came from) before they took any great interest.KeLusth said:
Not sure whether this is different in the US, but the term "tropical fish" is used as a broad label for all warm water fish in the UK, but most tropical fish owners are warm freshwater. I think the term "tropical" is confusing to many. As we live in such a mild climate, when we refer to the tropics, we are usually going somewhere warm (Caribbean, Far East etc) on holiday, implying the beach, and hence sea. Natural deduction - this must be where tropical fish come from.
KDodds
New member
petergillett said:
That was really my point relating the Trevally story as well... pretty much no one has a tank large enough to support the numbers being imported. So why still sell them? Other fish are sellable in their place, so why carry them as stock at all? In the defense of some stores, you order one thing and get two different ones sometimes. So, unless a store is consistently stocking problem species, it may not be their fault it's in the tank and they may, although it sounds horrible, actually be somewhat glad to be rid of a certain species, even if they know it's not going to survive. Sort of cutting your losses and not delaying the inevitable.
TANGBOY5000
Premium Member
Once you've worked fish retail for awhile you start to develop a sixth sense about what people are actually talking about. When you ask what size their tank is and they says it's a big one, guaranteed it's 55 or under. Big tank people know what size their tank is to the microliter, hehehe. If you already have the feeling that you have to ask someone if they have a saltwater tank, and they say that they do, and you still have that feeling, go ahead and ask them if they have a water softner. 9 times out of 10 they are freshwater folks and think that softner salt is what you are talking about when you say "saltwater". Sorry other 1 out of 10 guy, I had to ask and I'm not insulting your intelligence by doing so.
petergillett
New member
I don't think that 1/10 guy is going to be that insulted if they are genuinely dedicated to keeping a reef. The one that is insulted will be the one that has got the right setup by going out and spending loads of money but doesn't care about correct treatment or compatibility. ie. "when it dies I'll just buy another one to replace it"TANGBOY5000 said:
New test before customers can buy a fish, they drink out of 2 glasses, one with freshwater, the other with salt.
NOW, do you have a SW tank?
NOW, do you have a SW tank?
acropora1981
New member
this could get heated in here... more funny!
m.hudzinski
New member
Peter, I think you are barking up the wrong tree with your posts on this thread. None of these people are providing poor customer service in their respective shops, and the vast majority of LFS do a great job of helping out newbies.
The fish and corals in our hobby range from thirty dollars into the thousands, and anyone who is willing to throw down that kind of money without knowing what they are buying has no right to be angry when they have bad results. It is not the responsibility of the store to make sure the customer knows what they are doing if the customer doesn't take time to ask and learn.
If the customer is being purposefully misled for profit, than we have a problem.
The fish and corals in our hobby range from thirty dollars into the thousands, and anyone who is willing to throw down that kind of money without knowing what they are buying has no right to be angry when they have bad results. It is not the responsibility of the store to make sure the customer knows what they are doing if the customer doesn't take time to ask and learn.
If the customer is being purposefully misled for profit, than we have a problem.
scooters reef
New member
Having been involved in the hobby since a child I used to frequently get irritated when questioned by an LFS employee. However, when in the Navy I had a part-time job at an LFS to support my hobby and now have much more sympathy when I visit a store. However, I still usually try to formulate an answer in my head in advance that will quickly get the point across that I really DO have saltwater. But, it's sometimes entertaining.
I like to see the looks on their faces when I ask them to bag up a freshwater angel right after I convinced them I have saltwater and they bagged up a yellow tang
When working for that LFS, had a customer come in that stated he didn't need any assistance and was just browsing. After about 20 minutes he stated that he wanted a yellow tang. When questioned about his tank, he responded only with "I've been keeping fish for well over 20 years and know what salt is. I don't need to be grilled!" The owner stepped in and said to bag it up.
The next morning, the man was back at the counter talking another owner. (The son, who was actually the fish expert of the family). The tang was dead and wrapped in newspaper. It was explained that there was no guarantee on the saltwater fish. After the man got angry he was told that since it had been less than 24 hours they would make an exception and give him store credit if he brought in a water sample and everything looked ok. The man demanded to know what they would test for. When the owner mentioned "salinity" the man again got offended. He said "I've been keeping fish for over 20 years, and I know what salt is !!! I put a whole two teaspoons a gallon in when I set up the tank !"
LOL, the owner still gave him store credit on the condition it only be spent on freshwater fish or a book on marine tanks.
I like to see the looks on their faces when I ask them to bag up a freshwater angel right after I convinced them I have saltwater and they bagged up a yellow tang
When working for that LFS, had a customer come in that stated he didn't need any assistance and was just browsing. After about 20 minutes he stated that he wanted a yellow tang. When questioned about his tank, he responded only with "I've been keeping fish for well over 20 years and know what salt is. I don't need to be grilled!" The owner stepped in and said to bag it up.
The next morning, the man was back at the counter talking another owner. (The son, who was actually the fish expert of the family). The tang was dead and wrapped in newspaper. It was explained that there was no guarantee on the saltwater fish. After the man got angry he was told that since it had been less than 24 hours they would make an exception and give him store credit if he brought in a water sample and everything looked ok. The man demanded to know what they would test for. When the owner mentioned "salinity" the man again got offended. He said "I've been keeping fish for over 20 years, and I know what salt is !!! I put a whole two teaspoons a gallon in when I set up the tank !"
LOL, the owner still gave him store credit on the condition it only be spent on freshwater fish or a book on marine tanks.
scooters reef
New member
Oh, was also in a LFS not too long ago. There was a couple looking at a mandarin. The LFS was actually going into a whole lot of detail on the proper care and diet. I was wandering and didn't hear the whole thing, but it sure sounded like everything was covered. The customers stated the tank has been running for over three years and they had lots of rock. While the employee was gone to get the bag, the husband asked "How many rocks are we up now since we converted to saltwater at Christmas?" Wife responded "I think we are up to four, including the purple one we got last week."
I quietly informed the employee there was a slight problem I don't know the final outcome, as I was heading out the door.
I quietly informed the employee there was a slight problem
I don't know the final outcome, as I was heading out the door.Timebomb88
New member
petergillett said:
I would say the man buying it. The LFS owner was at least giving him a few basics, like how to feed it, and some other things, I forgot. Remember, this was 2-3 days after he lost all of his fish. Maybe the LFS is kinda to blame also, but it's the closest one here. The other closest one is a 45-50 minute drive away.
davidryder
Claris or Elliot?
festus said:
this is one of the few genuinely funny posts!
