Question about your LFS

Next time find a guy that knows nothing about fish and slowley take him over to the Piranha tank and tell him to use his hands this time!!!!
 
I work at an LFS...well, sorta, it's Pet Supplies Plus but I'm that 'resident fish expert' and we sell plenty fish. Some tips for getting the right kind of help and staying on the right side of the employees (maybe make this a sticky, hehe.)

1) Look around before you ask for help, especially if the employees are busy, (like at a general pet store, i.e. Pet Supplies Plus or those other two that start with P...can't remember.) When you simply look around and the employee can only watch you for 10 minutes and they have other things to do, it's obviously annoying. If they ask you if you need help, you can tell them you will in a few minutes.

2) Be interested in what they tell you about the fish or things that you should get for the fish. Otherwise, you give off the feeling that you don't care about your fish and if it lives or dies. Even ask if there are any special foods or what the LFS feeds - even if you already know.

3) Make a point to stop by even when you don't want to buy any fish. This way the employees get to know you. There are about 10 regulars I know by name. They ALWAYS get the heads up on new products or fish and I always give them the most care. Their "1 dozen feederfish" are actually more like 16. They get a lot of discounts on supplies as well.

4) Don't expect the greatest customer service if there are 3 people waiting in line behind you. It just works that way.

I've been catching fish all my life, so I move the net pretty swifly through the water and catch the fish in a few seconds. For the slower ones, I just put the net in the tank and lift up from under the fish.
 
I watched a Petsmart employee do the chase in a large tank with a small net for a skunk Loach. Pretty ugly. I made the tactful suggestion that she use two nets but she then made a lucky swipe (either that or the fish was getting tired) and got one.
 
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i must admit tacking fish out of a tank isn't easy at the best of times, i usually get tired before the fish! However i think people should be careful no matter how long it takes, would you go and whack a dog with a plank of wood to get it in its kennel?? My LFS had my fish out of the tank before i had time to blink just one swish of the net and the fish are in.
 
I recall that the particular fish store had a bunch of clownfish in little cups in these tanks which were all dead with the exception of one

anyway, none of my new arrivals have died yet and seem fairly healthy in spit of the obviously stressing move.

I dont like to think of myself taking fish out with my hands because they are slippery little devils that flop around

There are lots of employees there, but I honestly don't think most know much personally. They do not tell me anything about the fish I am about to purchase, unless someone asks, in which they consult a "database" or something that they refer to.

I bought the fish yesterday, and the person was trying to get me to buy food and stuff for more sales.

Luckily, I research the fish I purchase fairly extensively before I go out and buy them (learned that the hard way ie: serpae+guppy=dead guppy)
 
hey

i have went to the lfs with my brother a couple of times and the way some of the employees get the fish is aweful. but is ture you should find an employee that looks like they like thier job and ask them to help you if they are not busy.
 
Originally posted by jacblades
yes i agree, some fish you should not touch with your hands but i dont have any of those fragile types.

THe main fish you need to be careful about are the ones with poison barbs.
 
The goldfish breeders do that because goldfish have a weird tendency to get caught on nets. Very strange actually.
 
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