worst store ever.

[couchpotato300]

i went 2 pet showcase in tyrone. by far the worst fish store i have ever been in. i walked in and its all dark. the fish selection is horrible. the coral selection is worse. prices are ridiculous.

and last but not least i was there for atleast 20 minutes and not a single word was said to me.. i dont even no if the guy knew i was there. it was horrible.

i wouldnt recomend this store to anyone for anything.

 

[etoh_is_good]

i could understand how you could think that the store is bad. definately not the best place for getting coral. the fish are a little expensive, but they are healthy. scott is usually there and is generally knowledgeable and helpful. if i had to support a local lfs, i would rather go to petshowcase than petco.

if your looking for good deals on coral or fish, you have to stay on the board and wait for people getting rid of stuff. or you can always ask. arc people have tons of good beginner stuff available for good prices.

ps i'm 5 min away from petshowcase if you ever needed some help with your tank.

 

[jeff_mcphail]

Seems to me that there are many opinons both good and bad about several if not all the local fish stores in the area. I am kinda tired of hearing people complain about and bash a store because of their one off beat experience.
If you wanted to be talked to so bad then maybe you should have made an effort to engage in conversation. Local fish stores require a lot of work and upkeep and usually only have one or two employees working at a time. so I can understand if you just walked in looked around like you never had seen a fish before and didn't get offerd the farm.

Why do some of you fellow reefers feel the need to bash a LFS at the drop of a chromis? How about a little constructive critisim insted. We are adults here are we not? The owner of that store was once an customer and enthusiest in the hobby just like the rest of us. I think some of you should all sit back and think a little before you go and bash the LFS's online and ruin it for the rest of us.

These LFS bashing post are childish and immiture. If you don't have something nice ,helpful or constructive to say then you should just keep your mouth shut.

 

[gwhiz]

couchpotato300;179675 wrote: i went 2 pet showcase in tyrone. by far the worst fish store i have ever been in.

Perhaps it's because it's not a fish store, it's a PET Store (hence the name) that also carries some fish stuff. I know that you're bud's with the guys at Sea Stars, but it doesn't gain anything to bash a business out of the blue.

 

[jeff_mcphail]

Bump.

 

[harleyguy]

Jeff.mcphail;179732 wrote: Seems to me that there are many opinons both good and bad about several if not all the local fish stores in the area. I am kinda tired of hearing people complain about and bash a store because of their one off beat experience.
If you wanted to be talked to so bad then maybe you should have made an effort to engage in conversation. Local fish stores require a lot of work and upkeep and usually only have one or two employees working at a time. so I can understand if you just walked in looked around like you never had seen a fish before and didn't get offerd the farm.

Why do some of you fellow reefers feel the need to bash a LFS at the drop of a chromis? How about a little constructive critisim insted. We are adults here are we not? The owner of that store was once an customer and enthusiest in the hobby just like the rest of us. I think some of you should all sit back and think a little before you go and bash the LFS's online and ruin it for the rest of us.

These LFS bashing post are childish and immiture. If you don't have something nice ,helpful or constructive to say then you should just keep your mouth shut.

<span style="color: black;">I completely agree with you, but I for one want to know the good the bad and the ugly about fish stores (or pet stores that carry fish). I live a long way from everything and it helps me to know where to go and where not to go. With that said, bashing for the sake of bashing is wrong, but if there is a legitimate problem than that should be posted so everyone can know and if the store is great that should also be posted. </span>
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
<span style="color: black;">After all that, I would highly recommend everyone stay well clear of The Pet Store (I think that is what it's actually called) in Gainesville if you are looking for fish. It is a pet store, not a fish store, but they have attempted to keep both salt and fresh water fish there for many years. The problem with the store is they simply don't take care of their systems. They are completely over run with every kind of algae you can imagine and every time I go in there are several dead fish and the fish that are still alive...don't look so good. I'm not bashing, I'm just informing the uninformed, but don't take my word for it, go check it out for yourselves. With that said, I do stop in there from time to time to get the random dry good that I don't feel like driving to Atlanta for. The store does have a fair selection of dry goods, and if you’re looking for something that hasn't been sold for years you just might find it there.</span>

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Sounds like the majoritty of pet stores to me. Not enough expertise in aquatic care. But I certainly wouldnt go to a Bird store for fish information. There are many staores that specialize, and they seem to be the best bet for quality.

I once went to a pet store that actually had dead rabbits in cages. You thought dead fish were bad. Like amberjack said, I was out in like 20 seconds.

 

[ericmcj31]

CP3000--
I don't know your relations with the owner of Sea Stars-but I do like to see the threads-good or bad-I don't neccesarily think you were bashing, but rather letting us know what happened when you went in. I, too, think that we shouldn't "bash" a place, but I would like to know a place before I make a hike to ATL area to visit them; just MO--but good points that Pet Showcase is a PET store--generally you do see lower quality fish in a pet store than in a store specializing in fish-

 

[couchpotato300]

ericmcj31;179994 wrote: CP3000--
I don't know your relations with the owner of Sea Stars-but I do like to see the threads-good or bad-I don't neccesarily think you were bashing, but rather letting us know what happened when you went in. I, too, think that we shouldn't "bash" a place, but I would like to know a place before I make a hike to ATL area to visit them; just MO--but good points that Pet Showcase is a PET store--generally you do see lower quality fish in a pet store than in a store specializing in fish-

yes your right. i wasnt trying to bash them. i was just putting my opinion. i mean i dont like walking into a store and it being dimly lite. there were several dead fish in 1 tank. mass algae growth on the glass. seemed like no one took care of it. im not trying to bash it just my honest opinion.

 

[ericmcj31]

good point, acros--I've found that to be true here in town--but it's like getting plants at home depot--they're great if you get 'em right when they get off the truck-a week later-good luck with them

 

[jtshack]

Harleyguy;179978 wrote: <span style="color: black;">After all that, I would highly recommend everyone stay well clear of The Pet Store (I think that is what it's actually called) in Gainesville if you are looking for fish. </span>

Harleyguy;179978 wrote: The problem with the store is they simply don't take care of their systems. They are completely over run with every kind of algae you can imagine and every time I go in there are several dead fish and the fish that are still alive...don't look so good.

The store you're referring to in Gainesville is Pet Super Mart/Village Pets. Unless you're looking to add a challenge to your tank, I wouldn't buy anything out of there. If you just adore aptasia, ick, and every known problem algae or nuisance pest known to the hobby, then this is your store. :mad2: I don't base this on one or two visits, but many visits over a long period of time (roughly 9 years - we kept hoping that it would get better). I have friends who actually stepped in to help him clean the store up when the health inspector shut them down for sheer filth. :sick: If you come back to them after having a problem with a purchase, Ken (the owner) can get quite nasty and will tell you in no uncertain terms just how stupid you are. The store stinks :yuk: (more than any pet store should regardless of what type animals they sell), a majority of the advice is bad, and the customer service is horrid. (Ken's assistant is better than Ken, but only marginally.) It's just not a place I would recommend to anyone, particularly a newbie. Not a good way to start the hobby.

Amberjack;179980 wrote: If the store was that bad, how could you stand to stay 20 minutes? I couldn't.

Trust me...19 of those minutes were probably staring in awe at just how bad a pet store could be and STILL be open to the public.

 

[jtshack]

acroporas;180016 wrote:

Admittedly you need to know what your doing because you can't trust a word they say, and you must bring the livestock home the day they get it because it wont live very long in their care. But those crappy stores will occasionally get in some really cool livestock and when they do, they usually don't appreciate what they have and let it go really cheap...

ericmcj31;180038 wrote: --they're great if you get 'em right when they get off the truck-a week later-good luck with them

For this particular store, they would need to be in the same bag they were shipped in. Eric's right - gotta be straight off the truck. If they touch the water running in his system, I wouldn't trust it. Ken and his assistant (I can't recall his name this morning to save my life - it'll come to me later) have both been in SW for a l-o-n-g time and they're no fools when it comes to what livestock is worth. How they can do it for so long and still be so bad at it is a mystery to me...

 

[lukestimp]

If you wanted to be talked to so bad then maybe you should have made an effort to engage in conversation.

This comment is absolutly Ludicris! No Customer should actually have to start a conversation to get helped. The Simple Hello! How are you doing? Can I help you with anything should be the first words out of any employees mouth at any place of business fish store or not. That's what's known as Customer Service.

Local fish stores require a lot of work and up keep and usually only have one or two employees working at a time. so I can understand if you just walked in looked around like you never had seen a fish before and didn't get offerd the farm.

You have to be joking right? How much effort does it really take to maintain a clean and healthy store? Most of the reefers on here spend approximately 15 mins -30 mins a day on the upkeep of there tank. Granted a LFS may have many more tanks than the reefers in the ARC but they also have at least 8 hours a day 6 days a week to maintain the place (Isn't that there JOB anyways). If you are so overrun with business that you cannot possibly keep up with the tasks you need to accomplish than you should be bringing in enough revenue to hire another employee for that purpose alone!

The owner of that store was once an customer and enthusiest in the hobby just like the rest of us. I think some of you should all sit back and think a little before you go and bash the LFS's online and ruin it for the rest of us.

You are correct in stating that the owner was probably once a customer and enthusiest in the hobby just like the rest of us. So do you believe that when they were the customer they actually enjoyed shopping in a place of business that gave absolutely no Customer service and was of this poor quality. I think not, Maybe they should be the one's who sit back and think a little about what they would want if they were the customer again!

These LFS bashing post are childish and immiture. If you don't have something nice ,helpful or constructive to say then you should just keep your mouth shut.

Bash -To criticize (another) harshly, accusatorially, or threateningly.
Without Critisism were would we be today?


I'm usually not one to get involved in these conversations, I read for the pure laugh at how people bicker back and forth but this post was absolutely ridiculos and I felt as though my .02 was warranted.

 

[liverock27]

15-20 minutes per tank times the number of tanks in a lfs can add up. You also have to think of the back end. You see what they have on the shelves and in the tank, but you don't see how long it takes to place an order to stock the order and to wait on each individual custer. Think about how long it takes you to make up a new batch of saltwater and than think about how many more gallons the lfs is having to make per day for all of us who are too lazy to make our own. Or how long it takes to acclimate a new fish or coral to your system.
I agree with you that a lfs should be clean and well kept, but to assume it is an easy job is putting down those people who run/work at the stores. I would like to see you do Josh's job at SWC one day and than post about how easy it is.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

And thats without cleaning bird cages, feeding rabbits, etc etc etc. I think people seriously underestimate whow difficult it is to actually own and operate a store like this. The problem, is more often than not, they bite off more than they can chew.

 

[red tailed trigger]

It would be nice to have a "fish/aquatic" store across the street or near them.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Red Tailed Trigger;180162 wrote: It would be nice to have a "fish/aquatic" store across the street or near them.

Me too. I have to drive at least an hour and a half to get to any of our sponsors. Or I can go to the local store, that has the very appealing name "PETS", and wade through pet skunks, budgies, and hairless rodents, to see that sweet domino damsel they just got in.

 

[lukestimp]

Exactly They Bite off more than they can chew. I totally understand that they have alot of work to do to keep a store up, I'm not denying that at all. But you also have to remember that is there JOB... I'm willing to bet you that if you asked the thread starter what the employees of this paticular store were doing at the time he was there. More than likely there was one or more with there thumbs you know where.

I frequently stop by a LFS that is a sponser of this site, In fact It's Nemo Fish. From the moment you walk in the door you are greeted and asked is there anything you can be helped with. I don't know the owners and have actually never even purchased anything from them yet, they just simply understand Customer Service. I also believe that it is undeniable that their tanks are almost always in EXCELLENT Condition. So Quality does not have to be sacrificed for Customer Service.

As for Josh's job at SWC, I haven't been there yet but from what I hear on these forums those guys really know how to run a store. There hard work at keeping things up and the excellent Customer service they offer is great which should raise the standard for other places like this.

 

[etoh_is_good]

did you ever stop to think that petshowcase is using the macroalgae for good purposes? scott would probably tell you why it was there if you asked. personally, i think he's using the little holding tanks with macroalgae for a fuge. the coral and fish don't seem to mind. there is a mandarin goby in the coral tank that is fat and happy. there's also a powder blue tang. i didn't see the watanabe angel, the last time i was there, but it was there a long time. scott know what he's doing with the hard fish, so don't you think he should get a break if the store as well lite as you would like. i think the store is relaxing after coming in from the bright outdoors.

etoh

 

[daitheflu20]

I'm in agreement with the few on here that appreciate other people's horror stories when it comes to LFSs. There isn't anything more discouraging than trusting a fish store with your money who isn't being honest or resonable. This hobby is expensive enough and if it weren't for the honest, helpful stores, I would have quit years ago. As far as maintenance goes, if a store can't afford, doesn't have the time, or lacks the tools to properly maintain their tanks, they don't need to be in the business of selling them. I'm sure if someone came on these boards and said 'I'd like to start a salt water tank but I can't afford the right equipment, don't have the time to maintain it, and lack the knowledge one needs to give salt water fish proper care', everyone on these boards would say, 'you need a new hobby!!!' LFSs need to be held to an even higher standard in my opinion as they make a profit off of us in exchange for their help.

Jeff.mcphail;179921 wrote: Bump.

Why did you bump this thread if you're so against it?! Please tell me you weren't trying to get some sort of attention to help your cause here.