NYCichlidForum.com

Being new to this board, I tend to be shy about speaking up, but time is runnig out for many of our localized fish stores.

Used to be us "FISH HEADS" could go out on a lazy Saturday afternoon and do the tour of all the local places to shop and find the best price,and selection, but those days are numbered, because in part of the economy and the internet.

This bothers me in the idea that as the number limits than the prices will drive up higher simply because availability has decreased, and those cheap internet prices will skyrocket, and thier shipping will go through the roof, because you won't be able to get it anywhere else.

I'm not a store owner, actually I'm a Ford auto technician, but I'm tired of seeing small buisnesses being buried by big chain stores on one end, and internet dealers on the other.

Soon if you want to go buy an African Cichlid, you will have to get in line with the people buying soft drinks, and cleaning supplies!!!!!

Sit back and remeber how cool it used to be just going to your local guy, (whomever that may be) and just buying a nice fish on impulse, rather than a checklist of questions, of why is this fish so expensive?

As the local stores dry up, than the wholesale suppliers will start to go out of buisness, and that will hurt all of us, as the wholsale industry recieves the majority of all tropical fish imported.
Once that happens, pandoras box is opened and you'll be paying through the nose for cichlids.

Just a few of my thoughts on this topic.
Remember this as well, when your fish start to go belly up, internet guy is'nt going to be to concerned about it, nor the 17 year old kid, making $7 an hour.

Are you saying that if you can buy the same filter on line for $30.00 less than the LFS you buy it from the LFS?

No need to be shy, we appreciate all views, that's what makes it interesting.

I'm not saying that you should put yourself in the poor house, but when as history has proven a commodity has broad open competition, the quality stays high, availability and choices are good, and prices remain reasonable.

Once the field closes up, than the remaing players become money driven, because competition is gone.

I've seen this, I used to be a Channel Home center manager, when depot came in they cut thier prices so low it killed all the local places, than they rased thier pricing, and bought lesser qualtiy merchandise, that they keep on the shelf for about three weeks, and when you need another, they don't have it anymore.

I'm just saying that the internet deals that exist right now, are the way they are to drive you away from local stores, when there are no longer any local stores to buy from, do you think the internet pricing is going to remain the same?

I certainly know the shipping won't!!!!! Talk to any internet dealer on that one, they are taking a beating on it, to get customers, most of these 30 something flat rates are going to inevitabley go up.

If you no longer have a choice or an option open to buy from a local store, you will pay what they ask, to get what you want.

I finally found a cool shop near me. I don't buy any fish from them, but I buy what I can. He can get me 5lb's of NLS a couple dollars cheaper than even the lowest price online and he says he's still makin some money. I buy whatever hardware I can from him if his price is in the ballpark. I also took him some fry and told him if he could sell more to get ahold of me and I'd bring em in and all he has to do is give me a couple bucks for gas. I did however throw in the stipulation that if he were to start selling a bunch of them that we'd work out a good cheap wholesale price for them. I don't anticipate him selling a bunch tho. It's like I told him, I can tell they're good people and I want to see them succeed. I'd rather see local sales go thru him.

That said, I've spent more in the last few orders from Kens' (in January) than I've spent in total at that shop.

Whatta ya do...

vrap393, you made some valid points. Within the last 2-3 years, three fish stores that I used to go to went out of business. One just closed their doors for the final time yesterday. The internet and the poor economy has been their downfall. I buy dry goods on line, but I also support the fish stores that support the fish club I belong to (NJAS). The club runs two trips a year to visit all our supporters. I don't buy fish without seeing them first, so all of my fish come from local fish stores, hobbyists, and breeders that I know.

I always buy my small animal foods and bedding from the lfs rather than the walmart.Ive bought many fish from there as well,good selection of loaches,plecos catfish and the like.Foods another story,I buy that by the kilo from ken or jehmco.But whenever possible I get stuff from the lfs.

well i dont buy that many stuff from stores , but by one store i can stay all the time. Its chinese store here in bklyn and he got awesome knowledge about fish and have some good size fish in store , heatlhy and never had problems with his fish

Alot of fish stores are simply to expensive. Some fish such as peacocks sell in them for $40 to $80 each, Do you really want to pay that for a fish that when you add it to your tank may be beat up and die. Same goes for dry goods, would you spend 13 bucks on a 7 ounce can of food or buy a pound online for the same price. I have a store by me thats sells his fish cheap and his dry goodsat the same price as the online stores. His business is doing well and iwill buy from him. Lets face it most fish stores are rip offs these days. A hobbyest like my self with 20 tanks and 100's of fish couldn't afford to buy in stores so we find other ways.

vrap393, Thats life, Change . It is change or die. I too miss the petstors but also like selling things on line. There are many things that was cool in the old days that are different now. I remember being able to go saltwater fishing with out a lisence. As of 09 that is no more, what aboput the good old days when you could have unprotected sex without worring about getting AIDS. How about when soda was in glass bottles and was made with sugar not corn syrup. What about the good old days when you had a problem you could get a live person on the phone for help instead of pressing 20 buttons and never getting the answer to your problems. So now you just have to make a list of privet people and petstores to do your shopping and talk shop.