Poll: How often do you visit your LFS?

[JaimeAdams]

Cool thanks. So DD is best to buy from ?

Not to derail the thread, but lots of people like DD.


I go to the LFS 6 days a week. I'm off on Mondays

 

[AdamNC]

Used to be weekly for ro/di but since I got an ro/di system, the only time I go there now is for livestock. I checked off quarterly. Anything else I can order online and save the 30 min drive/gas.

 

[Rakie]

I'm a firm advocate in moving past the LFS. There are two good shops I'm aware of, everything else in my area is gray area at best -- And in so cal, I've got 10x more LFS within 10 miles of my house than most anybody posting here.

When the guy at the LFS tells new people stuff like -- "Oh you have algae? Just take out your rocks and scrub them under hot tap water" or "No, that flame angle will be very happy in your 10 gallon tank for life" you don't have much respect for ANY lfs. Because 9/10 of them are just like that, only to varying degrees.

 

[Myk Verified Sponsor]

Not all LFS are created equal.

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

Every saltwater/coral LFS in my town of Torrance, outside of Los Angeles, has shut down over the last several years. There's a couple very small mom n pop stores but they are mainly freshwater. Outside of that, I have to drive 15-25 miles to get to a decent reefing LFS but even they are all shells of their former selves and their selection is all pretty dismal. One may have decent fish, but no coral. One may have coral, but no fish. Or their prices are insane. There is no one-stop-shop for me any longer. I've actually been doing most of my shopping online after a very long time of being against it and trying to support LFS but LFS owners can't seem to help themselves.

 

[Myk Verified Sponsor]

It is a tough business and not for everyone. LFS have to work harder and do more for the customer to survive. I have noticed it has become extraordinarily difficult to find good employees these days. We are fortunate to have a lot of kids to help and run as a family business. We also have a great staff of service techs.

 

[Noahs Home Zoo]

I don't have one. Both went out of business. thats the trend where I live. I have to drive 30 miles east or west to find a lfs.

I feel your pain. Our local one closed 2 years ago after petco came in. Its a little over an hour to the nearest one.

 

[skiergd011013]

I feel your pain. Our local one closed 2 years ago after petco came in. Its a little over an hour to the nearest one.

we have a petco, and a bensons. I do not count either of those as a fish store. It sucks, i pretty much grew up at our lfs. The same lady worked there for 18 years. It went under last year. She didnt know what to do. She didnt own it, but she ran it and was there every day.

 

[Pittsford_Pets]

Every two days, I work there and get crickets for my reptiles

 

[B-ridge]

If I had one close to me I would go weekly. Unfortunately the closet one for me is over a hour away.

 

[Dsnakes]

Sadly I selected never, since mine closed last summer. I used to stop by 2-3 days a week on my way home from work. Small place without much selection, but I enjoyed the place.

 

[Shep]

To be honest I only stop there for the fun of it. I do 99% of my shopping online for both livestock and drygoods

 

[JC Slater]

I live in Sacramento and must be really fortunate and that I have 3 with in 10-15 mins from my house (on the way home from work) and then 3 others 30-45 mins away. I frequent the 3 local ones often. None of them has ever steered me wrong or try and sell me something I didn’t need or want. Some are better than others and so each serves a purpose for me.

 

[Goldmund]

I used to have a pretty decent LFS less than a mile from my house, and I was in there probably 2-3x a week. They ended up going out of business, and now the nearest good store is about an hour away. I hit them up probably every other month or so.

 

[AlexDm]

I live near 5 great Fish stores 2 are only 5 mins away from me and other 3 are 30 mins away each different direction I go to the close 2 1-2 a week and at least once a month to the other 3

 

[Sealion]

My LFS is about a 1/4 mile from me. Makes it super easy to go over there and find something that just has to come home.

 

[LadyMac]

I try to go every few weeks even though they have very few things in their stock, and it’s hard to catch them when they get new in.

 

[Doubbler]

My lfs is way overpriced, and they have a very bad reputation for being ridiculously expensive. I get all my stuff on line.

 

[ZachsZoo]

I have one about 10 min away and even though they're only open 3 days a week I usually stop by 1-2 times a week

 

[Miss_Bangarang]

I live in the country so "local" to me is 30 miles away. Frequent 3 stores between 30 - 50 miles away, but still go at least 2 - 3 times a month. Not so bad, I have to run out anyway to get groceries, hardware, clothing, whatever the case may be, so I just make a day trip out of all the stops I have. Part of the reason why I got a car which gets 41~ mpg.