LFS in Normal??
- Thread starter torchstang05
- Start date
Michelle L
New member
Really. We may as well all give up and keep goldfish. :fish1:
AslanTheKing
New member
I have to say that the last place I expected to buy my first fish is the place I bought my first fish. Charlie's in Pekin isn't beating down the doors with rare and unusual fish, but they do have some good livestork. I bought my Yellow Watchman Goby from them five days ago. He's doing great. They currently have a Kole Tang who's looking pretty good. Three RBTA's. At least one sizeable Panther Grouper. Several other fish that, while not rare, are in good health and seem to be fairing well.
I have a Green Clown Goby due to come in at Fishin Times on Friday. I've had my doubts about FT, but little is left if I don't want to spend an additional $10-$20 per purchase in driving money.
TMR was a great option. A lot of things went wrong, but you gotta give them credit. They tried something so incredibly ambitious. I fear that their ambition may have been their undoing however. I consistently saw them make deals with folks regardless of whether or not the persons in question were members of their discount club. Worse still, I saw any number of folks who absolutely expected that super deal or they wouldn't buy. I made the choice to support them and tried to help get them some capital in the classically worst season of business for sw aquarium stores. I may end up paying the price for that choice before all is said and done. I'd probably play it a little differently if I had to do it over again, but I nonetheless would have bought from TMR with little haggling to support having that ambitious a shop, rather than worry about whether or not this online shop had their price beat by a few bucks after shipping.
My prayers are with those guys. They need them now. They'll need them for some time to come. They'll especially need them until such time as I get my stuff. ;-) Patient, kind, but painfully persistent, I am.
Peace
Kevin
I have a Green Clown Goby due to come in at Fishin Times on Friday. I've had my doubts about FT, but little is left if I don't want to spend an additional $10-$20 per purchase in driving money.
TMR was a great option. A lot of things went wrong, but you gotta give them credit. They tried something so incredibly ambitious. I fear that their ambition may have been their undoing however. I consistently saw them make deals with folks regardless of whether or not the persons in question were members of their discount club. Worse still, I saw any number of folks who absolutely expected that super deal or they wouldn't buy. I made the choice to support them and tried to help get them some capital in the classically worst season of business for sw aquarium stores. I may end up paying the price for that choice before all is said and done. I'd probably play it a little differently if I had to do it over again, but I nonetheless would have bought from TMR with little haggling to support having that ambitious a shop, rather than worry about whether or not this online shop had their price beat by a few bucks after shipping.
My prayers are with those guys. They need them now. They'll need them for some time to come. They'll especially need them until such time as I get my stuff. ;-) Patient, kind, but painfully persistent, I am.
Peace
Kevin
AslanTheKing
New member
What I saw was not just that. What I saw was "I'll give you $x for a "fill in the fish". No mention of "Hey, Liveaquaria has that fish for $x." So, if they agreed to match online pricing for folks, then that's their business. On many occasions though, I never heard a website mentioned, just an offer to buy an animal for a many times greatly reduced price.
Peace
Kevin
Peace
Kevin
Sloeber
Active member
does it really matter?
guy was a businessman. he should know his margins. if the offer was not worthy of the sale, he merely has to say "no." if he sold the fish/coral/pump at a price below his cost because the customer negotiated a good price, now its the customers fault for him going out of business?
guy was a businessman. he should know his margins. if the offer was not worthy of the sale, he merely has to say "no." if he sold the fish/coral/pump at a price below his cost because the customer negotiated a good price, now its the customers fault for him going out of business?
torchstang05
New member
You cant say its the customers fault because how does the customer know what he bought the item for??
The customer was just getting the best deal he could!!
On another topic so where are these fish stores located at??
The customer was just getting the best deal he could!!
On another topic so where are these fish stores located at??
AslanTheKing
New member
Agreed, Henry and torch. That being said, supporting local stores means supporting them. Yes, it'd be great to get phenomenal deals on anything and everything. I do my best to get the best prices like anyone else. I also know that for folks to stay in business and provide me with good services locally, I pay a bit more for a variety of reasons.
Is it the customer's fault that TMR went out of business? Of course not. Did the customers support TMR from the standpoint of helping a new business get fully established? In many cases, no. I do not seek to establish blame. Most likely, TMR failed due to a host of reasons ranging from location to business practices to whatever. I do hope that as a community of consumers that we don't miss the lesson for us in TMR's demise. Specifically, I hope that should anyone else choose to be so ambitious that we help them get established by not focusing exclusively on where the lowest price is and getting it. The business has to do their part to make it. We can help in at least a small way if we choose to do so.
Peace
Kevin
Is it the customer's fault that TMR went out of business? Of course not. Did the customers support TMR from the standpoint of helping a new business get fully established? In many cases, no. I do not seek to establish blame. Most likely, TMR failed due to a host of reasons ranging from location to business practices to whatever. I do hope that as a community of consumers that we don't miss the lesson for us in TMR's demise. Specifically, I hope that should anyone else choose to be so ambitious that we help them get established by not focusing exclusively on where the lowest price is and getting it. The business has to do their part to make it. We can help in at least a small way if we choose to do so.
Peace
Kevin
I agree on Charlies in Pekin. The have been around a long time and their stock is always great. Not a good place to get equipment, Super Pets in Peoria is better for that, but a great place to get livestock. They recieve shipments on Friday morning, so I try to check them on Friday afternoon if I am looking for something.
Michelle L
New member
Kevin, you said it perfectly.
Squabbling over a small amount of money is what some people seem to do best, and in the end it hurts us all. It doesn't necessarily cause the failure of a business, but it certainly contributes to it.
Squabbling over a small amount of money is what some people seem to do best, and in the end it hurts us all. It doesn't necessarily cause the failure of a business, but it certainly contributes to it.
Last edited:
LegoZ81
New member
Some of us that small amount of money does matter, it's not a if i can't get my way i just won't buy it here and go home pouting. It's more a if i can't get that price I just can't get it at all for now. Should the people that fit this group have tanks? maybe not but we (at least i) do (honestly maybe it was a mistake). I am not saying this was the reasoning behind all of the bartering that was going on or not, but that was at least my reason.
I never went in to buy a fish on pricematch, did not get my way then went online or else where to get the fish afterwards.
If Guy did not seem so willing to pricematch I would not have asked.
I did at Guy's request send him a list of equipment and the prices I found it for, to see if he could do better. Factored in to all of the equipment prices was shipping, he said he couldn't, so yes in that instance i did go ahead and get things online.
Michelle L
New member
Trust me, I know what it is to need every buck I can get. My husband is in nursing school full time. We live on my income alone, and do you think that secretaries make a ton of money? No. But I know that if I can support a local business as opposed to big box stores or online stores, I will.
Sloeber
Active member
when i open my business i will make sure to inform all local customers that it is their duty to buy from me. not because of my knowledge, good service, or because i offer great products at great prices, but merely because i exist near you.
100% disagree. i'll spend my money where i receive the best service, products, knowledge, an price. and when that local store to you closes, you should thank me for doing my small part as an educated consumer to ensure the places that do not offer such opportunities to the consumer close up shop and move out of the way for those that do.
someday TMR will be replaced. if they cannot improve upon what TMR did, they'll meet the same fate.
100% disagree. i'll spend my money where i receive the best service, products, knowledge, an price. and when that local store to you closes, you should thank me for doing my small part as an educated consumer to ensure the places that do not offer such opportunities to the consumer close up shop and move out of the way for those that do.
someday TMR will be replaced. if they cannot improve upon what TMR did, they'll meet the same fate.
