so... Paid MARS Members get 10-25% off

[mpoletti]

If you haven't noticed there is a diverse range of opinions here on MARS and people have no problem expresing theirs'. To bash a store because of personal opinion in a forum that can be read world wide is not right.

I have had plenty of opportunities to join along the lynchmob and hang different store and MARS members, but why? Does it solve anything?

I have paid my membership to OUR club and I have never even asked for a discount from any store. I paid my membership for the advancement of the club and for the chance to go to the meetings if I choose too.

This forum can get real ugly and can take the theme of different people from time to time. I also know there are regulars who do not post or want to get invloved because of the attitude expressed by small minorities.

Maybe people would be more responsive to our club if the members acted like adults and be grateful for any discount, rather feeling like it is owed becuase we paid money to an outside organization.

Thank you Rob for chiming in.

 

[kevin95695]

When I first found this hodgepodge I pretty freely posted about experiences, good and bad, at local stores. And I still do post. I am realizing more and more we should be very careful in how we choose our words when commenting on stores. I think it fair to share our experiences, but never forget that the impacts of our words could be far reaching. After this thread, I'm considering keeping my card to myself. Very educational debate, but now I'm confused.

 

[Justin74]

Yup. Alot of people use to feel free to express their experiences, and indeed did. Too many people were flamed and skewerd on the internet to ever feel comfortable about doing so again. But how did this thread focus around store bashing? I dont see any bashing here, or am I not reading between the lines?

I think the rhetoric of dont flame a store if they dont give a discount was successfully executed on the second post by Steve, it's kinda sounding like a broken record now.

Personal experiences should always be welcomed and expressed if so desired without ridicule from anyone. Opinions and speculation on the other hand can be detrimental if delivered with no tact.

Maybe people would be more responsive to our club if the members acted like adults and be grateful for any discount, rather feeling like it is owed becuase we paid money to an outside organization.

That would be a very valid and good point, assuming our members dont act like adults. Also assuming that a person doesnt deem the whole bunch bad because of one bad apple. Another flaw in human emotion and behavior. I dont forsee that happening anytime soon. How many times have we read threads, 'this sales guy did bla bla bla, said bla bla bla and because of that the store is crap and Im never going back!!' Ive read it personally a couple times. Now trade sides for a bit, the same can be said with store owners/workers about MARS. In fact it is said.

Speaking of facts do you guys all remember the participants in the "My local fish store complaint of the day?" thread? I do. I could talk about this probably most of the day but I'll pause now.


-Justin

 

[dots]

Your right, the focus of the thread is all over, but I think it brought into the open a lot of issues that possibly need to be discussed further.

Complaining, seems to be the focus of most LFS bashings......and I could see this one going into a complaining mode about a "discount". Granted, I was not trying to jump all over the specific initiator. I just feel motivations of "what can I get out of this" or "Whats in it for me" drive a lot of this type of thread. Its this "complaining" that feeds the whining threads and LFS bashings.........I think it drags the club down a bit more everytime it happens.

I am really looking at a bigger picture, rather than the specific instance and saw this as an opportunity to engage in this discussion, to discover if others feel as I do and possibly promote some change in the attitude and tones here.


My personal focus on anything would be personal responsibility on how we post. Please note, that I am saying "how" rather than "what" because that would be suppression and I doubt any would agree with that.

Because this forum is an unofficial public voice for the club, we should always try to remember and give the benifit of the doubt, and not be quick to "skewer" the LFS, and most importantly remember that there are two sides to every story and perception of that situation. Because of RC user agreements, its a fine line for LFS representatives to tread on this forum and is generally a no win situation for them in a debate. On the same note, people are QUICK to point out a flaw, poor service or a short comming, but rarely see threads that are solely about the good. This combination of the two seems unfair and I can easily see frustration and the potenial for ALOT of animosity between LFS and MARS. We really should find a way to encourage thier participation if they would like without the fear of boycott or harassment, rather as a focus group of consultants.

One recomendation I thought would be fun is select a group of members and go around and give grades like 1-5 fish (instead of stars) on metrics like selection, service etc every quarter and post them on the MARS site. Each of the people write a little review with BOTH pros and cons of each store and recommendations. Kinda like a dinning guide. This way, the LFS can see these and have time to react to them in a fair time frame if the feel. In addition, post them here in individual posts and limit the thread to ONLY those judged metrics and invite the LFS to respond or review them if they like.

But before any, you should ask them if they are at all interested in participating. This way, we are HELPING ourselves by HELPING them create a better store for all, and we all win.

But what I am really concerned about is the relationship in the community with our LFS and establishing and maintaining a lasting productive relationship for all.

 

[Doahh]

I was mostly thinking "wow this sounds really cool...." and than saw the closing deal of a discount (being 14)

 

[Justin74]

I think the problem is more fundamental. Issues will always arise due to the fact that these are two entities with different agendas. Although the two share alot of similarities in subject, the motivations are entirely different.

The two can also coexist harmoniously in theory quite easily, but not when compacted with individual agendas within the two entities. When there is no accountability(key word) for individual actions adverse to that particular entities goals then stereotypes happen.

This could be conceived as pessimistic, but hopefully it sounds realistic.
Us as a collective, are here for a whole plethera of reasons from learning all that can be learned or specialized research, education on techiniques in husbandry, equipment usage, conservation, etc etc.

What are the reasons for lfs owner?Well, there's the obvious, some end there some do share similar ambitions as those in our club, and some are even club members currently.

Again as many similar interests, the motivations are fundamentally different. While both can bend to cater to the others or a mutual interest , it can only be within reason.

So how do we resolve accountability? Do we administratively discipline the membership from someone when they demonstrate lack of scruples? Or does the lfs owner discipline his employee for what was heard over the internet? Seems harsh I know, but this reminds me soo much of that new comercial that's out now...Hu

The human element......

Without sounding like I've thrown my hands up, and am asking everyone to join in, I guess we can just hope for the best?

-Justin

 

[shiveley]

I have to draw exception to the idea that "the LFS discount thing is focused on a little too much, this is an expensive hobby".

I think the discount concept is a two-way street. Club discounts draw concentrated groups of a focused market segment to stores that they might not normaly frequent. So, it's not just about MARS members saving a few bucks, in principle it also of benefit to the vendor as it theoretically draws in customers that might otherwise shop elsewhere. I think that some of the LFS's overlook that aspect sometimes. The money they give up in discounts by participating in the MARS Member Discount program is basically money well spent on advertising. Think about it, where else can they reach such a concentrated group of their customer base? It's not so much of a favor to "us" as it is good business.

I say, "spend where we are most welcome". There are many LFS's to choose from, so why not choose those that support us as we support them?

"MARS members only make up about 10-15% of the average LFS sales daily" REALLY? "Only 10-15%", I'm sorry but 10-15% of any business is still a large amount of business by any stretch of the imagination, especially where small owner/operator shops are concerned. How much do you think a drop of 10-15% in sales would effect their bottom line?