Salty Critter

S

stevestank

New member
Hey everyone.

I was a Salty Critter virgin until Saturday. Scott made the trip with me. I went up there to buy a clam and a scraper. I walked out with no clam, a scraper, and several hundred dollars worth of stuff. Dan at the store was a great resource. He took the time to walk around with me and answered my questions. I'm normally the pain in the arse customer when it comes to questions. Dan was a walking aquarist encyclopedia who fielded the questions with a smile. I figured I'd make the trip worth it since I drove up from Akron. Now that I made the trip, I'd like to go again soon. Much better selection than any LFS around Akron. That's for certain. Prices were fair. The service, selection, and wide variety of dry goods are what will entice me to make the drive again. If anyone from Akron is looking to make the trek on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon, let me know. We can share the gas expense.

Steve
 
Not from Ohio (Anymore but lived in Dayton) but can also say Dan is one of the best sellers I have also dealt with. I needed something from GEO that he sells and he made the online and email process smooth as glass and was more than helpful. Sent me a invoice to pay and I had it in a few days and even apologized when it got delayed a few days.

You guys are lucky to have a place like Salty locally. Cant get close to that service in hardly any of the places around here.
 
They didn't have any of the medium size blue clams I seek. They had some huge clams but not the color or size I'd like.
 
Dan, Shawn and the bunch have been very good to deal with and are why I drive 1hr 15mins even when I don't need anything.

On another note, I have been adding up my receipts and it looks like I may have bought a small car there. Hmm, I don't remember buying a car. Better burns these before the wife finds them....
 
I was thinking maybe Dan could find a supply of disappearing ink for printing receipts. It could dissolve after about 30 mins and save lots of our relationships :lol:
 
If he could just rotate the name that is used on the credit cards receipts, that would be a big help. Something with "home improvement" or "auto parts" so it looked like I was spending the money on something house related.
 
Am I the only one who's ever had a bad experience there? We drove all the way up last winter from the Akron area and it really wasn't worth the trip. To be quite honest, we were ignored until I asked a question, was answered rudely and then he moved on. Very, very put out that my daughter needed to use the bathroom etc. I was so looking forward to the trip and was very disappointed. Seriously, I've been treated better at PetsMart.
 
Thats really surprising. Were there other customers there? I have been in there when its packed. They do try to help everyone so they may have been a bit rushed.

IMO, they are a great store. I'm not makign excuses. However whoever you spoke with may just have been having a bad day. I will say your experience is atypical.
 
To be honest I have a bad experience every time I go...They have all these sweet corals and equipment...All I have is a budget...Not much of one at that :(
 
i thought it was a great place, it started getting packed after being there an hour but they were rushing around trying to help everyone but i was always being asked if i had any questions and got a really good experience from everyone there, i ended up picking up one of the monster gigas clams there, two pretty decent sizes of LR that was already cured and multiple colors of coraline algae and were perfect for me to finish off the touches to my tank, actually i plan on going back next weekend to buy more stuff
 
I was hoping that it was more of an atypical experience. I was shocked to be quite honest because I had heard such good things.

To Dan's credit, I did get an apology from him in a PM which is above and beyond especially because I don't even know if it was him since I have no clue what he looks like :) Seriously though, thank you Dan!
 
Are you sure you were at the right store???? Seriously, though...I would say yes you are probably the only person I have ever heard say they had a bad experience at the Salty Critter.

I have a hard time believing that it is even possible. Dan and Shawn have got to be two of the nicest people I have met let alone LFS operators... and the other workers are just as nice and knowledgable in my opinion. The remark about PetSmart r'u'serious??? This is a store that rivals any around, we are lucky to have such a fine establishment within a short drive to most of us.

If you really had a problem at the store you should have spoken or called or emailed Dan or Shawn about it... the fact that it happened LAST WINTER and you are now posting about it seems a little odd to me. This forum is not the place to start bashing a store that has the reputation and support of 99.9% of the people that have ever walked into it...

We are all entitled to our opinion... I guess that just leaves more of the great corals, fish, and supplies for the rest of us.... but I am sure you can get all of the same stuff from PetSmart...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9237178#post9237178 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lawdog
Are you sure you were at the right store???? Seriously, though...I would say yes you are probably the only person I have ever heard say they had a bad experience at the Salty Critter.

I have a hard time believing that it is even possible. Dan and Shawn have got to be two of the nicest people I have met let alone LFS operators... and the other workers are just as nice and knowledgable in my opinion. The remark about PetSmart r'u'serious??? This is a store that rivals any around, we are lucky to have such a fine establishment within a short drive to most of us.

If you really had a problem at the store you should have spoken or called or emailed Dan or Shawn about it... the fact that it happened LAST WINTER and you are now posting about it seems a little odd to me. This forum is not the place to start bashing a store that has the reputation and support of 99.9% of the people that have ever walked into it...

We are all entitled to our opinion... I guess that just leaves more of the great corals, fish, and supplies for the rest of us.... but I am sure you can get all of the same stuff from PetSmart...
Click to expand...

Ouch! Please don't accuse me of lying. I would have absolutely nothing to gain by doing that. I am not bashing Dan by any means, as I said, I don't even know if it was him that day. If I truly had a bone to pick, I would have posted about it the day it happened and I wouldn't have posted about his apology. Honestly, I am very glad it was an atypical experience. We all know how lacking this area is in quality LFS.

I'm sorry that my post hit a nerve with you but it was never my intention to bash SC or Dan but rather to find out if what happened to me was unusual.
 
Great products, great service, excellent livestock, good reputation = a crowd of Aquarists looking for all the above. Use a bit of introspection. Dan and company do what they can to serve their customers and keep an excellent inventory at fair prices. From time to time an aquarist might show up when inventory is relatively picked over and the staff is busy. You may have hit the store at that time. I've called for Dan on a few occasions just to find out he is at the airport expertly transporting livestock, acclimating, etc... I suppose if I were to model a business after a LFS, I would take a very close look at The Salty Critter. I would certainly turn away from PetSmart. That's for certain. With that said, I agree with lawdog. Even if you did have a good experience at PetSmart and a not so good shopping experience at the Critter... Pass along your accolades to PetSmart and voice your opion to the Critter directly. Again, I'm from Akron. If anyone is looking to make the trek to Salty Critter... PM me. I'd like to ride along.
 
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