Stopped by Tropical Aquarium today...

[scottfarcuz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9172784#post9172784 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Willie_6
You would think this whole thread was about bashing the store. There is not a single person on here that is saying to not to his store.

no its more about the people visiting and then complaining. Seems like an attempt to warn him to keep prices low to me... Just my opinion

People seldom seem to think about both sides of the fence before they complain. They want a better store with lower prices....I'm just saying good luck when you have etailers drop shipping to compete with. Not to mention the other great shops we have in the area.

If you have talked to Hector for more than 5 minutes you know he is reading these threads. You didn't post your complaint about prices to tell others here you did it to tell him. In the end you are either going to get high turnover low priced fish or a high end more expensive reef shop that has the equipment to hold the animals long term. So customers much like yourself will either continue to complain about the price, or the fact that all he has in the store is the fish he got in this week.....See what I'm getting at? He cant win.

 

[MJAnderson]

Since the club uses a public forum for all it's posting, it is impossible for anyone to discuss a store without that person being able to see it. People have always posted opinions about stores, both negative and positive. I'm sure Hector knows that his prices are below what other area retailers have and he also knows he is raising them. It shouldn't come as a shock to him that people notice that as well.

Hector might be able to continue to sell at prices below the norm because of how he does business.

No corals = lower electric costs
fish only = less salt
less skimming = less electricity
Focusing on ordering fish = less inventory
Getting orders once a week = less average inventory
Brunswick = lower rents
Fresh water also = ?

He offers a different experience than SC or AT does. This is his niche. There is no reason he can't be profitable at it. This discussion seems to be more of a "if you are looking for X, go to Y store" and not a bashing. It's a 45 minute drive for me and so is SC. Given the fact that I am fully stocked, I'll go to SC when I need food or something since they have corals and inverts. I'm glad that people on here talk about the stores to save me a trip to a store who's strongpoint is livestock.

 

[scottfarcuz]

I don't see a profitable business plan long term from high turnover low profit fish sales. Like you said once your tank is stocked there is no reason to return to a shop like that, but maybe I am wrong.

It seems to me he wants to work toward a more reef related shop, but that is going to take time and a lot of $$$. Without customers willing to pay normal retail I don't see how he can keep the doors open let alone upgrade the coralife skimmers, or add some live rock.

 

[itZme]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9172450#post9172450 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scottfarcuz
lol...You guys want near wholesale prices, and complain about the rest of the store not improving?

IMO if you have chosen to visit the store are happy with the service, but want to see more selection in other departments then pay the price he is asking without complaining later. Someone has to pay for lighting, filtration, etc for him to make improvements.

Between other retailers, etail, and the yahoo's with a wholesale license trying to make $ selling out of their basement I wouldn't want a dime of my $ tied up in the MO industry.

THE GRAND POO PAH HAS SPOKEN!!! Sounds like somebody has spent too many snow days locked up with their kids. LOL

I believe I was the one who first mentioned the recent trend toward increases in prices. To me the low prices and fish that are eating prepared foods are what brought me to the store. I have to drive an hour to Salty Critter, AT, or Tropical Aquarium so when there is a chance that I may be able to find a deal on a sweet coral and the fish prices are all identical why would I take the time, gas money and effort to go to a store that doesn't offer that chance? I personally like supporting the underdog and hoping for him to win.

None of the previous posts were "bashing" Hector about prices or even "warning" him. An honest review by one person may or may not influence others. It is what it is. Factual, non-emotional, informational. I can count the number of times I have been to Aquatic Tech on one hand because the times that I visited were not great experiences. I have seen others bash Greg but I stay out of it unless it is asking how are the prices. Facts are facts... if a movie review says this movie is 1hr:28 mins or it cost $8 to get in those are facts. If they say the movie was the best flick ever or that the usher there was a jerk those are personal opinions. both of them would help influence my decision to go there.

If there were two identical theaters, the same distance from home showing the same movie and one was friendly and lower priced which would you visit? Myself and others have posted pics of their healthy beautiful fish from Hector's shop. That is not to discourage people from visiting. It is to show that he obviously has a great vendor and has a way with getting them to eat and remain healthy in his care. He also caters to the guys who want something a bit different and hard to find. So he has a niche but as far as the awesome deals I saw when first visiting his store that made it worth the drive, I don't see as many of those anymore. Maybe it is the wholesaler who raised prices but my statement wasn't to the owner it was to the others who may take their hour of driving and gas money to visit the store to only be surprised that the prices are very near what others charge.

My 2 cents.

 

[MJAnderson]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9173185#post9173185 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scottfarcuz
I don't see a profitable business plan long term from high turnover low profit fish sales. .

If you can't see how to make a profit from tight inventories and low margins then don't go into business. It's what made Wal-Mart the largest retailer in the world.

 

[scottfarcuz]

Heh..Wal mart still has a market that hasnt dried up....sadly

 

[scottfarcuz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9173750#post9173750 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by itZme
THE GRAND POO PAH HAS SPOKEN!!! Sounds like somebody has spent too many snow days locked up with their kids. LOL

I believe I was the one who first mentioned the recent trend toward increases in prices. To me the low prices and fish that are eating prepared foods are what brought me to the store. I have to drive an hour to Salty Critter, AT, or Tropical Aquarium so when there is a chance that I may be able to find a deal on a sweet coral and the fish prices are all identical why would I take the time, gas money and effort to go to a store that doesn't offer that chance? I personally like supporting the underdog and hoping for him to win.

None of the previous posts were "bashing" Hector about prices or even "warning" him. An honest review by one person may or may not influence others. It is what it is. Factual, non-emotional, informational. I can count the number of times I have been to Aquatic Tech on one hand because the times that I visited were not great experiences. I have seen others bash Greg but I stay out of it unless it is asking how are the prices. Facts are facts... if a movie review says this movie is 1hr:28 mins or it cost $8 to get in those are facts. If they say the movie was the best flick ever or that the usher there was a jerk those are personal opinions. both of them would help influence my decision to go there.

If there were two identical theaters, the same distance from home showing the same movie and one was friendly and lower priced which would you visit? Myself and others have posted pics of their healthy beautiful fish from Hector's shop. That is not to discourage people from visiting. It is to show that he obviously has a great vendor and has a way with getting them to eat and remain healthy in his care. He also caters to the guys who want something a bit different and hard to find. So he has a niche but as far as the awesome deals I saw when first visiting his store that made it worth the drive, I don't see as many of those anymore. Maybe it is the wholesaler who raised prices but my statement wasn't to the owner it was to the others who may take their hour of driving and gas money to visit the store to only be surprised that the prices are very near what others charge.

My 2 cents.

u wanna root for the underdog and complain about prices? LOL

U want cake also? I maybe just bored enough to bake.....

 

[scottfarcuz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9173750#post9173750 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by itZme
My 2 cents.

That is the easiest 2 cents I've ever seen you part with

For those of you that don't know Kevin is a master debater. :eek1:

 

[scottfarcuz]

Here is a picture of my tank...

Not really. I am just trying to keep up with GSM on post count.

 

[serpentman]

And in this corner.......

I am going to ride this one right on the line. I want my cake and eat it too!

Here is the quandry, Hecter needs to gobble market share with a 'buy' in. Once he's cornered his share, he can slowly elevate pricing. However, in this business and with the limited market segment, I doubt enough share exists to support another store. To make matters worse, low pricing unfortunately cannot be a long term strategy or AT would not still exist. I hate to say it but he is going to have to round out his product offering with hard goods, etc to support residual sales. Furthermore, without a web presence, he is really limiting himself.

 

[cowcio]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9173991#post9173991 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scottfarcuz
Here is a picture of my tank...

Not really. I am just trying to keep up with GSM (4 months, 2500+ posts) on post count.

For some reason, that made me laugh .


How about we leave the business aspect of this to Hector... It seems like he has managed to make more than a few people VERY happy. If he continues this, I have no doubt that he will be successful.

 

[scottfarcuz]

I almost gave up at wal mart but Jeff seems to know the score. :thumbsup:

You are only going to flip so many fish through a ~700g system with a CSS before you need to make some improvements to keep people coming in the door. He is not only trying to make a living selling you fish he is trying to build a store. He cant give the profit away feed his family and build a store that keeps return business.

Wal mart or not a loss is a loss.....

 

[scottfarcuz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9174134#post9174134 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cowcio
How about we leave the business aspect of this to Hector... It seems like he has managed to make more than a few people VERY happy. If he continues this, I have no doubt that he will be successful.

I agree. I doubt having 2 threads now in this section with complaints about the store, or its prices has helped the bottom line. I don't think I've done anything but defend him. Just pointing out to people complaining. If the price is what drove you to the store then maybe mention it to him rather than mention it on the open forum first, and hope it gets back to him. What else was to be gained?

I've bad mouthed AT before becaue IMO its a miserable store with horrid service and insane prices. I hate to see people waste their gas going. Was that the intention of others mentioning Hectors rising prices? Seems to me it either had to be to see business not come in his door, or hope it gets back to him and prices go back down? Taking it to him in private would have likely cut into the bottom line less. IF it is the "underdog" you are rooting for.

 

[scottfarcuz]

BTW cowico...Nice edit on my quote

 

[scottfarcuz]

Im starting to worry that Kevin is busy working on photoshop after I made that master debater comment...Sorry Kev. I really will bake you a cake if you want.....some kalk/skimmate frosting and everything.



<---2084 with this one

Alien looks a little too shocked doesnt he? I find that suspicious


EDIT: shew!!! it must be a she. The pink fingernails would atleast make me think so.

 

[itZme]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9174176#post9174176 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scottfarcuz
I agree. I doubt having 2 threads now in this section with complaints about the store, or its prices has helped the bottom line. I don't think I've done anything but defend him. Just pointing out to people complaining. If the price is what drove you to the store then maybe mention it to him rather than mention it on the open forum first, and hope it gets back to him. What else was to be gained?

I've bad mouthed AT before becaue IMO its a miserable store with horrid service and insane prices. I hate to see people waste their gas going. Was that the intention of others mentioning Hectors rising prices? Seems to me it either had to be to see business not come in his door, or hope it gets back to him and prices go back down? Taking it to him in private would have likely cut into the bottom line less. IF it is the "underdog" you are rooting for.

Sorry, I made my post and then left for a while or i would've responded sooner.

Your "bad mouthing" sounds more like bashing IMO. I have not seen anyone "complaining" about prices yet. I have seen myself mention that the initial SUPER DEALS that everyone posted have crept up a few dollars lately. I never said that was a bad or good thing for anyone. I do agree that I am a thrifty person and I use that attribute as part of my review of the store. I am not out to cost him anything. I like having another store to choose from but when it comes down to it I hope that Dan, Greg and Hector ALL know that I will buy the livestock AND dry goods wherever they are cheapest AND MOST CONVENIENT to me. If I have to drive an hour to get a fish I would like to be able to buy a box of salt for $40 like at Salty Critter and maybe browse the corals too. If I am just looking for a fish I would probably call around and head to the lowest priced store (within reason considering health of livestock)

So far, Hector has won the battle of pricing that keeps me headed there. If I want to buy a Flame hawk, Hector has them for $39 while they are $49 at Salty Critter. If I want to buy salt while I am out (or an impeller or something) I would consider the total cost of the trip before deciding. I would order from online livestock suppliers but I like to see the item and watch its behaviors and eating habits before dropping $20-$100. I would like to give my pets the best chance at survival. Hector wins that battle also since the only other place that has fed fish for me was Phishy Business. I suppose I could just ask Dan if I could watch it eat but I always feel that I am costing him money by taking him away from customers with deep pockets. Hector wins that round also since I have not been to his store where he hasn't been able to spend a few minutes just BS'ing.

The kids in a store is another issue. I have brought my 3 kids with me to all the LFS and at Slaty Critter and Aquatic Tech I have to say "follow me and don NOT touch ANYTHING" at Tropical Aquarium I say "go ahead and have fun but only play with ONE of the toys at a time"

This is one HUGE thing that I like about his store. If I go to a big box pet shop they usually entertain themselves looking at kittens or puppies. My kids roll their eyes when I say we are headed to SC but if i say TA they perk up and get a bit excited. HUGE difference in my attitude about buying when I am there too. I might actually be able to browse and relax which is worth more to me than corals at times I could even be persuaded to pry a dollar out of my cobweb-covered wallet :lol:

If I need light fixtures, pendants, T5 bulbs, MH bulbs, salt, corals, cleanup crew, impellers, reflectors etc... I head to SC without a thought. If I need a fish or some food and nothing else I would head to TA... Not saying the guy doesn't deserve to make a buck but if all fish prices are equal then I would go somewhere with the opportunity to find something else for my reef tank. I HOPE he makes it more reef related but after speaking with him at length he stated how he does maintenance and installs and he has an extensive freshwater selection compared to any other store I have seen. He also stated that he never even has time to check out RC sonce he is so busy so the whole "wanting him to see the threat" idea is just silly.

All-in-all Don't take things so personally. Go outside and have a drink or two. Get away from the kids and YES I would like some cake but not if it taste like smoke :lol: or skimmate icing.

Speaking of CHEAP people, I have heard of several occasions where people took a printout of the online prices to PetSmart to get the salt pricematched even though they don't frequent the store for any other reason. Dan carries the salt at darn-near cost but some of us go elsewhere just to save a few dollars for a bucket of Instant Ocean.

I have never done this but it seems to be common in the hobby.
I don't think I am THAT cheap (but I know someone who does :lol: )

 

[scottfarcuz]

Mention/Complain call it what you like. I doubt mentioning higher prices caused a stampede to the guys store. I understand an unbiased review, but it is a new store. He has to invest in upgrades, pay bills , and make a living somehow. You gotta admit there isn't much positive on that review you posted on page 1.

I bash AT because the store, and service is bad. I've told them in person, and hope it does keep people from wasting the time to drive to it. I also hope it gets back to them and they make improvements.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9174176#post9174176 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scottfarcuz
Just pointing out to people complaining. If the price is what drove you to the store then maybe mention it to him rather than mention it on the open forum first, and hope it gets back to him. What else was to be gained?

 

[Kreeger1]

Pull my finger

had to say something
Erik

 

[itZme]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9176088#post9176088 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scottfarcuz
Mention/Complain call it what you like. You gotta admit there isn't much positive on that review you posted on page 1.

He has very nice fish and the prices are pretty low

Sounds like a positive thing to me.

The thing I like about the store is that he shows every fish eating at the store before selling it to you. I was there when he got a new leaf fish to eat krill for the first time... it was pretty neat.

Positive?

They get shipments of fish on Tuesdays and they do not order huge amounts of them so by around Saturday and Sunday things are getting pretty bare. Check them out on a Wednesday or Thursday.

Sounds like me encouraging people to visit.

He has a few tanks with some corals but the lighting isn't optimal and I think his setup is still not matured enough to stock many corals successfully. I do think he will continue to add to the store until it is reefer friendly someday.

positive thinking here.

When you are trying to find the store look for a school and he is in a plaza directly across from it.

Directing people to find his store easily not avoid it.

Did you read those things as negative or was it the mention of the prices creeping up a bit that made you read the entire thing in a negative manner? I think it was mostly positive with a single mention of ONE possible negative. The prices are still below other stores in the area and possibly half off the prices of several places.

 

[Fdfiremedic]

Ok I didn't think this would continue on this much. How funny!!!!!! But I gotta say my peace I guess. So here it is!!! Without these fish stores around none of us would be able to have this as a hobbyas easily. To me each store brings something to the table and each store has some areas to work on. I didnt see this thread as anyone bashing just some people speaking Opinions which is why reef central exists and is full of on here(Peoples opinions).
I think we need to support these stores equally so we ALL can share this hobby for quite some time. I think we are our own worst enemies on here sometimes. Let the store owners run the stores the way they want to or open your own and give me a new place to shop as well. Thanks!!!!!!