Advice Please

Oh, and plan for floods. IME, they are inevitable in a fish store. Plan displays and counters with this in mind, so it's easier for you to clean up and recover from quickly.

And, shop around for insurance. Don't go with the cheapest policy you can find. It pays to have some quality protection, in the end.
 
i was in a pet store the other day and a woman was asking an employee about breeding bettas and he was giving her completely wrong answers! (she was incredibly misinformed to begin with). i asked another employee to net some shrimp for me and one jumped out onto the floor. she glanced at the floor, didnt see it and said, "oh well" and went on to the next thing. i searched the floor and finally found the shrimp. i put him back in the tank.
your employees can easily break your store! make sure they are well informed and make sure they like you! be fair to them because if you arent-they take it out on the customers. trust me-ive had many mean and unfair bosses that in turn, made me be rude and apathetic to customers. (i have never worked in a pet store before though):)
 
Don't carry any betta container under 5 gallons. That p's me off more than anything, ALL the fish stores I have ever seen have those tiny little betta containers that just continue to perpetuate the myth that bettas are fine in a cup of water. Even the good fish stores around here have them and it just makes me doubt them. I don't think any reputable store should sell them.

And definitely educate your employees, they don't have to come into the biz knowing it all, just make sure they have the desire and capacity to learn.
 
All great comments. Price my lfs sells a ac 500 for 119.95 come on thats just too much profet. I realize your not going to internet prices but fairly close. They have a stack of 10 gal tanks and not one single hood in the store. But the main point is be honest and they will come.Also good luck ;)
 
Originally posted by 750t
All great comments. Price my lfs sells a ac 500 for 119.95 come on thats just too much profet. I realize your not going to internet prices but fairly close. They have a stack of 10 gal tanks and not one single hood in the store. But the main point is be honest and they will come.Also good luck ;)
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Internet sites often sell equipment like filters for less than an lfs can buy them for. I bought a Fluval 204 straight from Hagen at wholesale price for $6 more than I could have bought it for at Fosters & Smith.

The lfs has to keep the lights on. They're not making 200% profit on your filter and laughing maniacally in a back room while they count your money and add it to stacks of cash. ;)

Tom
 
Well, actually, that particular example sounds pretty ridiculous. I can't imagine the genius who'd pay it. Maybe its one of the few things he can make a good profit on...or he's just gouging his customers.
 
What I meant by my comments about displays and whatnot is a matter of initial impression.
I can tell right away if I am going to buy something from a store by its look.
If I see tanks that are poorly maintained and dead fish, then why would i want a fish from here.
OR!
If I only see fish in tanks for sale, do I know if they actually can care for fish properly?
If I see a display tank or two, rife with plants and fish living happily, then I KNOW they can care for fish and dont just sell them, so quality is more or less assured.

You only have one first impression, lol
 
I agree about the display tanks suggested previously, but I've got idea to add to it that could be neat. What if you had a couple displays, with one labelled specifically as "good fish for beginners." So many people walk into a store and want to buy neons the first time through...

This way you could show off a nice community tank of easy care fish and save yourself and employees a little time answering the same questions.

Accurate labels and good knowledgeable salespeople, who ask what you already have in the tank, are always important. When I was a little kid I bought some cichlids, that weren't labelled as such, which promptly killed my tiger barbs... I stopped keeping fish for a long time (about ten years) after that because it didn't seem fun any more!
 
Have some good books! so many stores have the crappy TFH or whatever "guides." A good book is defintely necessary for fishkeeping.

You might want to have some pamplets or something people can take home and get the basics from when they buy a fish or a tank.

Stateside the mega (evil) chain Petco does well by having a 15 day return for FW fishies. As you yourself said, you can't beat Internet prices. However, you can tell the customers (and follow through) with good advice and help when they need it - that is worth more than a few bucks saved on the Net. Make it clear that that is what the customer is getting by coming to your store.

I agree with the comment about the bettas - keep them in some better way than in those crappy cups.
 
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