Lfs

[orange shark]

Hi all,

Well i've finished school now and in serious need of money, so I was thinking yesterday that I should see if there are any jobs going at my lfs. I intended to go in sometime and apply face to face but when I woke up this morning I decided to ring up to see if they had any vacancies, so i rung up and it turns out theyve got a vacancy and im going in to talk with them about it tommorow, which im quite happy about. But after reading some threads about lfs staff who don't know what they're doing im a bit worried. What if they ask me to just sell a fish instead of filling the customer in with relevant information (cycling, tank size etc.?) I really don't know what I would do if they asked me to just sell, any advice?

Thanks, orange shark

 

[tenke56]

Just going from a retail stand point, if they want you to sell fish, they would want you to have a lot of knowledge about the product. If you are able to give people accurate and reliable information, they will keep on coming back to the store. I would not be worried. If they "just want to sell fish", then they are stupid. You can get more repeat business by providing proper info. Who knows, you might be able to train a few of their people and turn it into a good store.

 

[bare bottom]

If it were me I would tell the customers everything i knew to help them. If the customer goes away happy you will start to get a client list of people who trust you and ask to speak to you and probably will spend more money.

you never know if the other staff don't know much you can pass on your wisdom.

At the end of the day would you be happy working there if all they wanted was to sell. I know i wouldn't.

up to you - Godd Luck!

 

[Faythee]

I would think that they make more $$$ on products than the fish. With the knowledge you have, you will be able to show them what they need to have healthy fish, other than walking out with a bowl and a fish in a bag. Go fer it.

 

[geo7x]

Just tell customers what you know and the staff can correct you if needs be. Half the time each member of staff in an lfs gives a different opinion anyway.

The most debatable issue would be starting up a tank. Seeing as fishless cycling with ammonia is not known of by many people and it is not the textbook way of starting up a tank (probably as ammonia is pretty nasty stuff) I would recommend to customers that they start of with a couple of hardy fish, do regular water changes and keep testing the water. Even better would be to also recommend one of the 'cycle' products that you may be selling in store, most don't work however some are better than others at giving a kick-start. It's not ideal but provided they do it right there shouldn't be any problems.

As for fish compatibility and sizes, just say what you know, everyone has a different opinion so the staff aren't gonna shoot you over it. I'm sure if you went to your boss/manager and said "what would you recommend to someone asked .... because I just wanna make sure that we all give the same advice and don't say different things" they would be pleased that you asked. You'll pick it up as you go along they won't expect you to be perfect right from the word go, imagine some of the numpties they get as empoyees you'll be a nice surprise to them.

I've never worked in an lfs but that's what I would do.

 

[gaz gun man]

1) its a 'general' store, ie Pets At home. They dont expect much knowledge and just want you to sell
2) its a dedicated store, that relies on accurate, knowledgeable staff for its business to survive.

If its number 1, then are you happy to work there knowing your advice wont be appreciated, either by customers or the bosses. If not, then you'll have to find something else.

 

[Colin_T]

Ask the boss and workers what the store policy is about selling fish to anyone and about setting up a tank, ie: fishless cycling or fishy cycling. Then go from there. Most shops aren't too fussed but some only suggest fishy cycling so the customer has fish in their tank straight away. Others will recommend fishless cycling for tanks with alkaline water, (marine or rift lake cichlid tanks). Some will tell the customer about both ways of cycling and let the customer choose. However if they choose fishless cycling you have to be able to sell them some ammonia or fish tank starter from your shop. If you tell customers to go to the chemist to buy ammonia the boss will probably have a chat to you about long term career prospects.

Once the customer chooses a fish ask what other fish they have and how long the tank has been running for. If the fish they choose is incompatible with their current stock then tell them that there will be issues and compatibility problems. If it is a newish tank (less than 1 month old) then suggest they bring some water in to be tested before buying any more fish. Also ask how often they do water changes and gravel cleans. If they say once a year then suggest the fish like to have small partial water changes and it can improve their colour and health. Then you can show them a gravel cleaner and maybe demonstrate how it works. Often the customer will buy a gravel cleaner and do more water changes on their tank.
You can also ask what they are feeding their fish and suggest adding frozen or live foods a couple of times a week to break up the monotony of a dry flake food diet. Say the fish will be healthier and show better colour and might even breed more readily if fed a varied diet.

If you spend a few minutes with each customer then they feel like they are getting good service, and if you can sell each customer a bit of frozen food or a gravel cleaner, then the boss will be happy. It's a compromise, don't force the customer to buy anything but do encourage them to feed their fish well and maintain their tank on a regular basis.
Good customer service will bring back many customers and help the business thrive. And if you are unsure about something tell the customer that and go find some help from one of the other workers.
Never sell sick fish, if a fish has whitespot or mouth fungus don’t sell it to the customer. Tell them the fish has a problem and point out the problem so they know what it is. Then offer an alternative fish or suggest they come back in a few days when the fish is better.

 

[modaz]

Hi all,

Well i've finished school now and in serious need of money, so I was thinking yesterday that I should see if there are any jobs going at my lfs. I intended to go in sometime and apply face to face but when I woke up this morning I decided to ring up to see if they had any vacancies, so i rung up and it turns out theyve got a vacancy and im going in to talk with them about it tommorow, which im quite happy about. But after reading some threads about lfs staff who don't know what they're doing im a bit worried. What if they ask me to just sell a fish instead of filling the customer in with relevant information (cycling, tank size etc.?) I really don't know what I would do if they asked me to just sell, any advice?

Thanks, orange shark

just go into the shop and give them all the info you already know, if you know what your talking about and they know that your right then you will get the job, talk to them like you have known them awhile b/c at the end of the day you will both have the same interests so there will be lots to talk about, remember to smile and wear something blue someone once told me and ive never been rejected for a job since ask them anything possible that you can think of, always have a question or 2 saved for when they ask you if you have any questions for them, most people who ask questions get the job, those who dont get forgotten very quickly. if they offer you a drink of coffee or tea except it if you dont drink either ask for water instead, its part of your social skills, most people who refuse the drink tend to find it hard approaching customers and making the first move, i learnt these things on an interviewing course with a major company some time back. a good thing also is if they take you around the shop pick something out and ask them if they sell many of them, if they say yes then say " im not surprised it's an excellent product" if they say no say "oh i'll get them sold for you" that one is the biggest secret to winning a job, it works everytime as it shows so much to the person who is interviewing. the fact that you called them to ask for a job has given you the biggest head start so good luck for tomorrow. dont worry about what they may ask you to do and not to do as this will show in your face and they will latch on to it immediately, go in with an open mind and enjoy the experience, and one last thing if the staff look miserable dont have the job, happy staff means nice manager, unhappy means tough times ahead. oh and when they ask you when you could start if you got the job say "yesturday" lmao thats always a good one

 

[orange shark]

Thanks everyone

I'll get back to you and tell you how it went

 

[shelaghfishface]

GOOD LUCK WITH THE INTERVEIW xxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[orange shark]

i got the job

thanks all

 

[schooly20]

Congrats!!!

 

[adamgreen240]

great news, congratulations!!

 

[kpintheshed]

congrats how is it going?

 

[geo7x]

Congratulations, don't worry you'll do fine, just enjoy!

Let us know how your first days go