# kudos for one LFS employee



## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Was in a local LFS today, to exchange a shrimp that died. While waiting, one of the fish room guys was trying hard to explain to a customer that his fish were dying due to high nitrite levels, and that his tank was not yet cycled.

He then advised the customer not to buy any more fish today and to leave those he already had to finish the cycle. I gather there were too many fish for the tank size involved.

It was just on closing time, and I kind of butted in a bit. I suggested that the customer might like to join us here, and explained the cycle a bit more than the employee had time to do. I ended up offering some used media to get the nitrites down for the sake of the fish. The customer seemed like a nice guy, just not experienced. He seemed to be going on the advice of the guy he bought his used tank and equipment from, as to what he should be doing.

So I say, Kudos to a LFS employee who tried very hard to do the right thing and save a few fish from an unfortunate end. The employees may not all know as much as they should, but this one, I think, really went out of his way to provide information, though I am not sure his bosses would have appreciated him telling the customer not to buy more fish for awhile.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

what some don't understand is that telling someone not to spend money now can make them spend more in the future. Give good service, make the customer happy and they will continue the hobby and keep coming back to the store. So many people get frustrated and give up the hobby before they learn the basics when if they had a little help, they could continue in the hobby and spend more money.


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

Given that this is a good story, could you name the store?

I don't think anyone is going to get in trouble for good advice.


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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

J_T said:


> Given that this is a good story, could you name the store?
> 
> I don't think anyone is going to get in trouble for good advice.


I agree. So many people bash a LFS so why not name this one?
--
Paul


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Big Al's Mississauga.

I have always subscribed to the idea that if you do right by customers from the start you'll get more business in the end.. which is why it's sad that more employees don't give this kind of advice to newbies.. if they did, be fewer newbies mad at the store that told them stocking the tank the day they set it up is ok just to sell more fish today... but end up losing the customer because the fish die.


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

Well, good on the employee! I hope the wheels of the big box store doesn't ruin this very honest staff member!


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## box1992 (May 17, 2013)

I was thinking it would be big als in mississauga. That is the place I always go to, and whenever I go to buy some fish, they ask about my tank, and what I have in it. Making sure that the fish they sell me would be fine it the tank. That was the reason I kept going back, because they cared for their fish


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

J_T said:


> Well, good on the employee! I hope the wheels of the big box store doesn't ruin this very honest staff member!


To be absolutely honest, I've heard just as much good advice at big box stores (my "local" one is BA Scarborough) as I have at smaller "mom-and-pop" shops.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I find it depends a lot on the employee.. and that's directly the result of who does the hiring. 

You get those who genuinely care about both the welfare of the fish and the overall experience for the customer, like the one I posted about. But you also get those who don't care, and what's possibly worse are those who simply don't possess enough accurate knowledge to offer good advice. 

Sadly, accurate knowledge is not always a requirement to work in some stores.


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## dock (Sep 6, 2011)

Agree! it really depends on the employee. I saw this employee at one of the BAs stores near closing, slammed the door on each fish tank so hard, bang! bang! bang! I was like wth are you doing, of course, I didn't approach him but I gave him that look, he eventually closed more gently. 

On another occasion, I was ready to buy some 20 fish from another store, but when the employee got to his tank and saw some dead fish, he advised me not to buy today. He close up the tank and said he would treat the entire tank. I took his advice.


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## xriddler (Feb 16, 2012)

It's a hit and miss at Big als. Some Employees if they are having a good day will care some just give bad advice or just doesnt care at all. I over heard a customer buying discus and told the employee he was going to mix them with other cichlids. Employee in turn said yea it should be fine.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

My point exactly. Depends on the employee. This one might not have known it's a bad idea.. or indeed, might not have given a toot. I think it's a shame that they don't put more emphasis on knowledge of the hobby when they hire. 
But there are still some really good ones out there, which is why I posted this thread.. they deserve recognition for the fact they are trying to do the right thing.


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