Lfs Can They Survive?

[iairj84]

It's amazing how cheap you can get fish from that site... You would have to be a serious fish store to get those kinds of numbers though.

 

[thegnu]

Privately owned shops mark up fish by around 3x the purchase price. They can get away with this because most of the fish are locally bred, so they live. That doesn't leave much money for payroll, benefits, or advertising.

Chain shops can order from places like http/grandaquatic.com/ They have a 7 case minimum, so you are ordering anywhere from several hundred to several thousand fish, for pennies per fish. When you add in shipping & certification you get platys for around 18 cents, small angels for 40 cents, and so on. If they have to replace a dead fish they don't care, they mark up the sale 6 to 8 times the purchase price. More return for the money invested means more available funds for advertising.

From there the parallels are similar to McDonald's. Keep pushing the product in the consumer's face through ads, and they get it in their head that it must be good. They sell the equivalent of an aquatic's Happy Meal. Quick, cheap junk, with the assurance that through advertising that you will be back next week for more.

agreed. but their burgers are tasty, especially that round green thing in the middle

 

[archamfr]

Privately owned shops mark up fish by around 3x the purchase price. They can get away with this because most of the fish are locally bred, so they live. That doesn't leave much money for payroll, benefits, or advertising.

Chain shops can order from places like http/grandaquatic.com/ They have a 7 case minimum, so you are ordering anywhere from several hundred to several thousand fish, for pennies per fish. When you add in shipping & certification you get platys for around 18 cents, small angels for 40 cents, and so on. If they have to replace a dead fish they don't care, they mark up the sale 6 to 8 times the purchase price. More return for the money invested means more available funds for advertising.

From there the parallels are similar to McDonald's. Keep pushing the product in the consumer's face through ads, and they get it in their head that it must be good. They sell the equivalent of an aquatic's Happy Meal. Quick, cheap junk, with the assurance that through advertising that you will be back next week for more.

agreed. but their burgers are tasty, especially that round green thing in the middle

i hate that dam thing lol.
my lfs seems to be doing pretty good foritself. recently employed a few more people too help out. probably because its the only real fish shop for quite sum distance. there are a couple of garden centres that do sum fish but... u know..

 

[vinylman]

My LFS of choice is a general pet shop, so has a better chance of surviving (I suppose) than just a FS. The thing is, the guy that runs the fish section knows his stuff. He's kept various tanks for thirty years, he asks customers the right questions, he goes looking for quality stock (even goes to fish auctions). He prefers to buy/trade fish with customers who breed their own, as he knows that the quality is better than most wholesalers. The quality of staff and their knowledge is EVERYTHING.
I recently bought a Tetratec EX700 external filter from the shop. It cost me £80. I could have bought it online for nearer £55, but I didn't. Why?. Because in the three years since I set up my freshwater tank, I've relied on him implicitly for any advice, reassurance and encouragement that what I'm doing is right or wrong. And he's never put me wrong. Not once. I realise I may just be lucky in finding a shop where the person I deal with is experienced and knowledgeable, but the bottom line with any aquatic shop is basically healthy stock and trustworthy advice, and I know I can get it there any time. The extra £25 I paid for the filter has been worth every penny of it, several times over.

 

[kewskills]

i know nothing about business, however i live just outside north london and there are 4 really good lfs within 7 miles of me they have been there for years and appear to be always busy. i hope it stays that way

 

[iairj84]

My LFS of choice is a general pet shop, so has a better chance of surviving (I suppose) than just a FS. The thing is, the guy that runs the fish section knows his stuff. He's kept various tanks for thirty years, he asks customers the right questions, he goes looking for quality stock (even goes to fish auctions). He prefers to buy/trade fish with customers who breed their own, as he knows that the quality is better than most wholesalers. The quality of staff and their knowledge is EVERYTHING.
I recently bought a Tetratec EX700 external filter from the shop. It cost me £80. I could have bought it online for nearer £55, but I didn't. Why?. Because in the three years since I set up my freshwater tank, I've relied on him implicitly for any advice, reassurance and encouragement that what I'm doing is right or wrong. And he's never put me wrong. Not once. I realise I may just be lucky in finding a shop where the person I deal with is experienced and knowledgeable, but the bottom line with any aquatic shop is basically healthy stock and trustworthy advice, and I know I can get it there any time. The extra £25 I paid for the filter has been worth every penny of it, several times over.

That's a really good point on it being worth it to spend a few more dollars. If you can afford it it's worth it. The fish stores around here hike up equipment prices more than two times over so it makes it tough on a college student although I buy all the things I can afford to there.... The knowledge you've gained though is worth the money