Trying to support LFS, but it's hard sometimes...

[nc208082]

DH-Reef. If you aren't upset that they wouldn't give you the anemone then why are you posting this thread for debate?

Are you just looking for people to agree with You? So far your attacking anyone who views it differently. Perhaps next time don't ask for thoughts.

 

[Jim C]

This is Reef2Reef, let's take a deep breath and calm it down a little everybody.

 

[Velcro]

Definitely some toxicity going on in here

 

[A Toadstool Leather]

So many times I've went in to my lfs and asked if they could order me things. My lfs is very outdated with the times. I get not wanting to stock high end pumps and such, but being able to order them for someone is another thing. They claim the high price items won't sell. You can't sell them if you can't get them either. At one point I offended them but saying "give me one of those cheap $25 dollar powerheads". Well, I use them to mix saltwater. Compared to my vortchs, sorry, they are disposable.

At some point before using bulk chemicals I'd ask them to get me things they could order but didn't stock, such as magnesium. But I quickly got tired of them having to have a big enough order and call me 3 weeks later to let me know my item is finally in. I finally broke down and told them with this last build I have about 5 grand in equipment that I was forced to buy on line. I did buy the glass box from them, as that wouldn't be cheap or easy to ship. That's about it.

I do believe the lfs plays a specific roll in the hobby. I'd think not many would get involved with reefing because of an online vendor. It's the lfs that gets them hooked with that image of thier display when they ask in the door. At the same time if the lfs doesn't keep up with the times they probably won't last with the ever changing on line market.

The last straw was when I was having lps issues because of zero phosphate. Since they are big in planted freshwater I knew they'd stock this. They were out, but she quickly tried to blame my problems on a ph of 7.9 and tried to sell me buffer. I quickly corrected her by saying my ph is lower because of my low alk. The alk is low because my nutrients are undetectable. The best way to smoke my corals would be to add buffer increasing alkalinity under these conditions. What I need is to do is increase p04. Which I did, and it worked.

I'm fairly certain starting out they created me more problems by selling me something I didn't need to correct the problem from the product that they sold me the week before. Then I have to listen to how everyone buys stuff on line from them and how they are hurting after 35 years in business. I buy fish food from them now, that's it. I don't even bother to look in their pest infested tanks, or ask about ordering something that would be a hassle for them to have to look up. The fact that it would cost more or I'd have 3 times the wait is beside the point. I don't get it.

What do you mean by low alk caused by low nutrients? Im curious since I have low po4 too due to a prior diatom bloom.

 

[A Toadstool Leather]

I dont think extras should be free unless the lfs did not see it. They have a right to choose what they want to sell and give away. However the anemone was treated poorly and they should have been more gentle imo.

 

[smokin'reefer]

I think no can see your point DH-reef. There are times I get a little miffed by my lfs. It seems you just wanted to vent.
For the most part my lfs does a good job at what they are there for.

Yes they have sold me things I didn't actually need. Yes they've sold me fish that will outgrow my tank. Yes they don't carry the high end equipment I get convinced I need. One time in particular they where having a sale on fish. It seems like it was a percent off of one fish, so I wanted a pair of clowns that were priced as a pair, but they cut that deal in half and only gave me a percent off of one. No biggy now that it has passed but at the time I was a little irritated.

But, there have been many times they have given me a coral or , I specifically remember the owner giving me a peice of eggcrate for my skimmer to sit on. One of the more major things they have done was when my tank sprung a leak. It was I Saturday I noticed it and by the time I realized a tank breakdown was in order, it was late Saturday night. Sent the owner a text the next morning and asked if he could help expedite the warranty on the tank. This was a Sunday morning and their hours are 2:00 til 4:00 on Sundays. After the owner offered a loaner tank his manager called me within the hour and asked if he needed to open the store for me to pick up the loaner tank. Try and get that service online.

I have worked retail jobs and can't even imagine the battles they must face on people trying to beat them down on price and services on a daily basis. Heck, try and post something for sale here on R2R and see how many people come in with the lowball and then act all upset when you respectfully decline their offer.

All said though I can understand your frustration in this situation. But try and rise above it and remember that everybody is fighting their own battles. I'm sure on another day he might have given the bta to you without a hesitation. That day he might of had to pay some of the hefty bills that keep a brick and mortar store open. I've seen my brother deal with vendors and county regulators and some of the other obstacles to keep a restaurant open. I can't imagine what all a lfs has to deal with daily.

One day you may need a loaner tank or have some other situation arise where he will earn your trust back. Best of luck to you.

 

[Scott.h]

What do you mean by low alk caused by low nutrients? Im curious since I have low po4 too due to a prior diatom bloom.

Low nutrients didn't cause it. I meant because my nutrients were low I kept my alk low also. If your po4 is zero, raise it to at least .01. Think of no3 and po4 as fuel. If you have higher alk and light you are asking the coral to grow but there is no fuel. No3 1-2, po4 .015, alk 7.0 = safe. Nucence Algae in check, corals good color, no burnt tips.

 

[40B Knasty]

Not so sure about that.. I've sold plenty of zoa frags cheap for 20 bucks and when I was taking it out of my tank to pack up I found a nice bounce mushroom or Jawbreaker attached to the bottom or side. needless to say, I dont include that as part of the 20$ zoa frag.

Those 2 I can see in good reason. Still your fault. Don't fault others for what you didn't see. Personally I would say scrape the bounce off. Not a fan.

 

[rock_lobster]

Those 2 I can see in good reason. Still your fault. Don't fault others for what you didn't see. Personally I would say scrape the bounce off. Not a fan.

No ones fault........ coral move.. no one is faulting anyone either. not sure where you are getting that from the scenario.

 

[Maddlesrain]

I think the point of this thread isn't to gripe about not receiving free items (because no one expects to receive anything free in any circumstance when out shopping), but that there are certain little things that shouldn't be haggled over.

I agree that if there's an animal of high value attached to (and out of view) on a rock labeled as being inhabited by something else then the store has the entitlement to remove said animal. However, I also think that there are a lot of instances where most LFS will simply grab the rock you asked for and let you get all the goodies on it because they really aren't losing anything by letting you have those few extra creatures.

To add to this, both LFS I go to have employees / owners that know me fairly well as I've been going there for several years. I don't ask for anything free, but there are many times that they'll simply go out of their way to grab me extra crabs or bits of corals when I'm there purchasing another item. I by no means expect them to give anything to me, and am always very grateful to receive these extra little gifts and it makes the whole experience rather fun (although it was already - I am someone who loves fish stores more than going to the mall haha)

Offering to sell you something after scraping it harshly off the rock probably wasn't the best sales pitch for sure, but luckily anemones are really resilient animals, especially the BTAs. I got mine from a fellow hobbiest that had to scrape its foot off his rockwork with a credit card, it went through my powerhead, got caught on a sharp bit of rock and ripped a hole in itself, and I've accidentally low-key ripped its foot down the middle. The anemone has always came back.... like the terminator. Lol

Asking the shop owner if that's the store policy wouldn't hurt. You can shop with this new awareness if they confirm that the employee was in the right or will talk with them and let them know it's ok to let some little things slide. Either way, you can maybe help build a relationship with the people at the shop and clear up the negative feelings surrounding the misunderstanding / experience.

 

[40B Knasty]

That's the thing. He wasn't asking for anything free. He wanted the mushroom rock colony. There just so happen to be a BT there. Owner is like hmm.. Let me take that and damage it. Then try to sell it off for $15.
@rock_lobster anemones move.. But let's not get into the technicals of it all. Corals reproduce elsewhere. Owners fault for not seeing it.
Bottom line if you have morals. Ya get what his point was.
If it was a piece of aiptasia which is an anemone. Do you really think the owner is going to say, "hey wait! Let me have that anemone. Unless you want it for $15."
He is going to say to himself,"great! Now I can lead him on to buying aiptasia x and all these other snake oils."
Moral of the story.. You are looking at value and so was the owner. Not the morals a person should have.

 

[DH-Reef]

DH-Reef. If you aren't upset that they wouldn't give you the anemone then why are you posting this thread for debate?

Are you just looking for people to agree with You? So far your attacking anyone who views it differently. Perhaps next time don't ask for thoughts.

Haven't attacked anyone, but like I said, I'm not going to let people mischacterize me, "you're just mad that you didn't get a freeby". If anything, I'd say that I was the one attacked, but I don't usually cry like that...I just set the record straight.

I was curious if others had experienced similar situations, so I made a thread. Personally, it will change the way that I spend my money at that LFS, but I respect the opinions of those that think it's what the LFS should have done.

Hey, I'm new here, just thought I'd share an experience and maybe have a conversation about. If nothing else, I was able to identify a few of accounts.

 

[nc208082]

To clear something up could you please say how much this small green mushroom was?

 

[DH-Reef]

To clear something up could you please say how much this small green mushroom was?

The mushroom rock was approximately 4 inches in length and had 4 mushrooms on the rock, it was $80.

 

[nc208082]

They should have given it to you at that price.

 

[leahfiish]

Regardless of whether the employee should have taken the anemone off the rock or not, I don't think it's fair to say that they mangled it just to avoid giving it to you for free. You seem so desperate to avoid "mischracterising" yourself that you are throwing the employee completely under the bus. And yeah, maybe they deserve a little flak or it, and maybe it was poor judgment on their part, but I just feel like you are jumping the gun on what was probably an honest accident on their part.

 

[Scott.h]

The mushroom rock was approximately 4 inches in length and had 4 mushrooms on the rock, it was $80.

Dang. I guess I need to start fragging my mushrooms. That's a lot even with a nem. The fact they probably killed it only makes it worse.

 

[xjiang7]

The LFS in our town takes coral trade in for credits. I have been sending a lot of frags and accumulated a lot of credits only occasionally used for feeders. I guess that's one way to support...

 

[ciscomania]

Possibly the most pointless thread on r2r and
this just makes me mad. Are you kidding me what kind of entitlement umbrella do you live under?

If you think this is the most pointless thread on r2r, you need to read more threads, and if just reading my statement made you mad, then you should be seeking anger management therapy.
I live under entitlement umbrella when you spend $350 on a mushroom rock, you should just throw in the couple snails that were on the rock. Repeat customers are the only way a lfs can survive so throwing in snails that cost less than $1 would be the smarter business strategy.

 

[DH-Reef]

Regardless of whether the employee should have taken the anemone off the rock or not, I don't think it's fair to say that they mangled it just to avoid giving it to you for free. You seem so desperate to avoid "mischracterising" yourself that you are throwing the employee completely under the bus. And yeah, maybe they deserve a little flak or it, and maybe it was poor judgment on their part, but I just feel like you are jumping the gun on what was probably an honest accident on their part.

I never said that he mangled it on purpose, I said I was surprised at the lengths that they would go. Removing an anemone that small seemed risky to me and 5 minutes later, that risk played out and my surprise turned to being a little irked. Desperate? That's hilarious.