First shift working at my LPS

[Blinky]

Just thought I'd share :D
I had my first shift tonight, it was pretty interesting. I've never been on this side of the table before, I have new respect (not that I didn't have any before, now I just have more) for LFS/LPS employees.
The store is nice, the staff are great and I think working there part-time is going to be fun once I get the hang of things (it's one thing catching a fish in your own tank, and another all together to catch one specific platy in a tank of 100, bag it and answer 20 questions while you're doing it).
One co-worker told me tonight that I'd get some bizarre questions, and to be prepared for people saying things like 'I don't have to change the water, I have a filter', but I still got some questions that were straight out of left field - one man asked about painted glass fish. I told him they're actually injected, and the store didn't have any, and he said he knew about the injecting. He didn't want to purchase any painted fish, he seemed to think the 'painting' was a service LFSs provided to owners with 'boring' fish. :eek:
Another person hoped I could identify a parasite in their tank, but 'it's small and whitish' just isn't enough to go on ;)
I was told a lady once came into the store and asked for something to clean her fish, as it was starting to 'look dirty' (I'm guessing it was a goldfish with changes in colouration, developing some black flecks). She literally wanted a product, something to rub her fish with!
The funniest thing I saw was a bunch of teenagers trying to catch a fish out of the koi pond - I couldn't believe it when I saw them with the net in the water!
With so many people asking so many questions, I'm sure I'll be repeating 'check out aquariacentral.com' a lot from now on :D

[ashdavid]

hmmmmm.... Interesting. lol :laugh: . Blinky I was wondering if you could paint my dovii red and then when I get bored with that colour, could you sell me some steelwool and some paint remover so as I can return it to normal.(Just kidding).
Seriously, learn all you can and use the staff discount to its fullest.

[Blinky]

*Laff* who told you my plan, are you psychic? The pay's not terriffic, but the opportunity for learning is amazing, and the discount doesn't hurt ;)
I forgot to mention the lady who insisted she wanted 3 clown loaches for her 20g - I convinced her that with the 2 corys and 3 swords she was adding to her already full tank, she had enough and really wouldn't be able to house 3 fish that would reach 12" long. Then, while I was bagging her fish, she had another employee net 3 more swords for her, but at least she left the clowns in the store! :rolleyes:

[ashdavid]

Sell up!!! You missed a perfect chance to sell her a 55g to go! Lol :duh:

[Blinky]

Okay, quit reading my mind, it's scary!
I thought of that, believe me, but she had her mind made up that she was going to get the clowns and bring them back when they got too big. The best thing I could do was convince her that this wasn't a really great solution, maybe she should wait until she had a larger tank.

[iamchris]

Man that's tough...I don't know how I could politely convince a customer that what they were doing wasn't the brightest idea...

[ashdavid]

Ahhh... If only my lfs staff were that thoughtful. Sorry about reading your mind! Nasty habit :Angel:
You can only do your best to advise people on the choices they make, ultimately if the customer wants what they want then all you can do is serve their needs politely and agree to disagree(disagree to yourself of course).Its a shame, but if you know what you are talking and have good knowledge about what you are selling ,then nine times out of ten you will succeed in helping someone to make the right choice. I dont know how many times I told people that if you choose this product you will end up being sorry, so then a few weeks or months later they come back and say they want the product I suggested to them in the first place. The ones that dont come back are either to ashamed and go somewhere else to buy what I suggested or they are just plain stubborn(sometimes I was wrong I have to add,very rarely although).Then the people who bought what I suggested from another store come back and ask me for advise on other products and become loyal customers(not in all cases I have to admit)I was in retail for 7 years and by the fifth year I thought I had seen it all , boy was I wrong , People never cease to surprise you.

[tbone]

quote
I was told a lady once came into the store and asked for something to clean her fish, as it was starting to 'look dirty' (I'm guessing it was a goldfish with changes in colouration, developing some black flecks). She literally wanted a product, something to rub her fish with!

people like this should have their picture taken and be refused service. Like they do for people passing bad checks, and their picture shown to other LFS's

LOL

[cloud]

'painting' was a service LFSs provided to owners with 'boring' fish. :eek:
LOL!!... Gives me an idea though. Where that tub of emulsion?

Blinky, good story, I reckon you should start up a blog so you can tell the tales of all the half bakes customers you enounter. :)

[Swimfins]

But please Miss I want the pretty red one, no not that one, no not that one, no not that one, no not that one......
Why is my fish at home lying upside down on the bottom of the aquarium?
Is he sleeping?

I'd like 8 tiger barbs and that cute red betta please.

I'll take 6 bala sharks please, :joke: cause you know I have a big tank!

Have fun Blinky!

[catemu]

Well, I was wondering when we were gonna hear from you and your new job Blinky. :clap: :clap: Hope you learn lots! Of course one of these days you're gonna get home :rant: :rant: about the customers and then you're gonna feel :sick: (OMG) but hey! :dance2: well, if one of this days you'll get a little guy asking you a Zillion questions and then he wants you to bag him one single Guppy male from the Gazillion that the PJ's has in display in that tank on the front, that's gonna be me... :laugh: ;) And you're gonna have fun trying to get it while my daughter will be pointing and telling you that you got the wrong one for about 10 minutes... etc... Anyways, congratulations again, enjoy your job, I know I would.

[reiverix]

'I don't have to change the water, I have a filter'
:duh: