stopped in ILC on sun

[TheGuyFromNJ]

Sundays being my day off I am found at a number of LFS, mainly one in philly (East Coast Aquatics). After leaving philly I stopped in ILC and was thrown back by the prices. It is just poor vendor networking that makes his prices more than everyone else, or does he think he has something no one else has? I bought a frogspawn from ECA larger than a softball for $45, ILC wanted $49 for a walnut sized piece of the same frogspawn. Xenia frags at ECA are $20, ILC are $40+.

I really don't see much of a difference in quality, so what am I missing?

What really got me going was the glue I bought for $9.50 with tax, he would not let me pay by credit till I went over $10.

I don't think I will be visiting ILC anytime in the future, things were so much better with the first owners, IMO.

 

[MikeNapoli]

What really got me going was the glue I bought for $9.50 with tax, he would not let me pay by credit till I went over $10.

That's not legal. His credit card/merchant service contract should state that he's not allowed to have a minimum purchase price. You see this in alot of Chinese restaurants and pizzarias. My family had a minimim $10 sign in our Pizzaria about 6 years ago and we were fined $1200. The fine is probably double or triple by now.

You can't put a minimim on the credit card purchase check here


Sorry you had a bad experience ... maybe give them another try down the road. As for prices .. stores that have alot more overhead need to charge certain prices to maintain the store. That's why smaller stores have lower prices most of the time. At least in this hobby.

 

[shinningballs]

yeah i agree with that regarding their prices i went there to buy coral too saturday and their prices are way high and they dont put prices on their coral they will just throw high prices i think they are selling gold coral ???

 

[TheGuyFromNJ]

On some things I just think they make up a price, your right most things aren't marked so you have to chase someone down and get a price, then the guy disappears.

You think maybe his prices went up because the place on the circle went out?

 

[Hawkeye]

Interesting read mike - thanks...I never knew that!

Old 2001 article on the same topic...
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cc/20010418a.asp

 

[MikeNapoli]

Interesting read mike - thanks...I never knew that!

Old 2001 article on the same topic...
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cc/20010418a.asp

Alot of people don't. I try and tell as many people as I can just so the word gets out there. When I'm at work and someone asks if the price is too low to use a credit card ... I tell them it's illegal to put a minimum and they're always like "really I didn't know that ... I see those signs ever where." So I tell them to tell the people with the signs too.

 

[icecool2]

I was in there on Saturday last week. The owner was walking around with a beer in his hand. He came over to talk to me and I almost passed out from the smell. He must have already housed half a case.

The young guy and asian girl are really nice and very helpful. They are usually there during the week. Haven't bought anything from them since they reopened.

 

[billyr98]

Sundays being my day off I am found at a number of LFS, mainly one in philly (East Coast Aquatics). After leaving philly I stopped in ILC and was thrown back by the prices. It is just poor vendor networking that makes his prices more than everyone else, or does he think he has something no one else has? I bought a frogspawn from ECA larger than a softball for $45, ILC wanted $49 for a walnut sized piece of the same frogspawn. Xenia frags at ECA are $20, ILC are $40+.

I really don't see much of a difference in quality, so what am I missing?

What really got me going was the glue I bought for $9.50 with tax, he would not let me pay by credit till I went over $10.

I don't think I will be visiting ILC anytime in the future, things were so much better with the first owners, IMO.

i am not taking sides here... but ILC always had more expensive frogspawn since they opened, because they bring in aquacultured frogspawn, I am not sure if this is the situation still. But it might be why the price was different.

did you mention the price difference when you were there, that helps sometimes too..

 

[TheGuyFromNJ]

I did mention that his prices are 2X the prices I usually pay, and explained to him that is one of the main reasons I don't frequent his store. I spoke directly to the manager when I was there. He said his prices reflect what he paid plus a profit. He mentioned something about shipping costing so much, but that doesn't explain how other LFS can charge less.

I can only think of a few reasons he might need to charge so much:

1. He needs to make 300% profit.
2. He has poor vendor networking.
3. He is the only one in the area now, so he thinks people will pay what he asks.
4. He thinks we don't know any better.

None of them are a reason I am willing to pay his top dollar prices.

 

[MikeNapoli]

Raising prices can definitely be a turn off ... especially if your not adding something extra like super friendly service or products that other stores don't have.

 

[asonitez]

funny i was down there this weekend and purchased some live stock. Only because the other aquarium store on 73 didn't have much choice. Had i known that philly's stores were cheaper i would have went there instead.

i purchased

1 purple helfrichi fire fish 19.99
3 orange spot damsels 6.99 each
2 tank raised true percs 24.99 each

109 and change.

 

[harlequinreef]

funny i was down there this weekend and purchased some live stock. Only because the other aquarium store on 73 didn't have much choice. Had i known that philly's stores were cheaper i would have went there instead.

i purchased

1 purple helfrichi fire fish 19.99
3 orange spot damsels 6.99 each
2 tank raised true percs 24.99 each

109 and change.

prices are gonna be higher when he realizes that a helfrichi left the store for less than he paid

 

[harlequinreef]

funny i was down there this weekend and purchased some live stock. Only because the other aquarium store on 73 didn't have much choice. Had i known that philly's stores were cheaper i would have went there instead.

i purchased

1 purple helfrichi fire fish 19.99
3 orange spot damsels 6.99 each
2 tank raised true percs 24.99 each

109 and change.

prices are gonna be higher when he realizes that a helfrichi left the store for less than he paid

 

[MikeNapoli]

LOL. I don't think it's a helfrich's. It was probably a common purple firefish.

 

[billyr98]

are we sure it was a helfrichi and not just a purple firefish?

can we see some pictures of the little guy

 

[Carlo]

funny i was down there this weekend and purchased some live stock. Only because the other aquarium store on 73 didn't have much choice. Had i known that philly's stores were cheaper i would have went there instead.

i purchased

1 purple helfrichi fire fish 19.99
3 orange spot damsels 6.99 each
2 tank raised true percs 24.99 each

109 and change.

If it was a helfrichi you got a good bargain for your money. If it was just a normal purple fire fish (99% probable) it was a "normal" price. The damsels were probably about 2-3 dollars over priced and the true perc depending on size were "normal" to only about $5 high.

Chances are depending on the size of the fish you were right in the ball park. These prices certainly aren't 2x-3x what others charge for these fish!

Carlo

 

[Absinthe]

MORE likely is that this guy was selling a purple firefish MARKED as a Helfrichi...to make people think they were getting a deal.

Or he just doesnt know his fish...

Both scenarios are #1 and #2 on my list of possibilities. ;D

 

[Carlo]

Well if that's the case, that would not be good.

BUT atleast the price wasn't jacked up and was within normal pricing on a normal purple fire fish.

Carlo

 

[concept3]

I stopped by there today and saw two Purple firefish in their display tanks. I was in the area for a Market meeting and decided to stop by to see how the place has changed since last year from everyone's posts- here is what I came across:


Some of their fish are marked a teeny bit more than normal- I mean, being one of the only decent stores in that area that has a decent selection, they were a little more than I was accustomed to.

The zero edge open tank is still there. It now houses a ton of LPS and some SPS. What bugged me out today was I asked one of the guys to check and see if I could buy one of the SPS, and if they were willing to sell me a small "almost dead" piece that was in the tank (2X3, with only about 1/3 of it still alive). It looked like a Superman Monti to me, and I HAVE purchased dead and/or dying corals before in an effort to save them, which I have succeeded in the past. He asked one of the owners who then looked at me and said, "hmm, let me see", and then proceeded to tell me that the cause of it looking "white" was because the coral was directly under a halide and it was still alive. I then pointed it out and said that there were no corallites left, and I could see that it had Slow Tissue Necrosis, and he changed the subject by saying "that's actually a superman monti, it's not for sale" and then looked at the associate and said that he was gonna take it home and put it in his tank so he can grow it, and then eventually sell it. He then walked away. (Why was it in the display tank?) I guess it's not really the fact that he didn't wanna sell it, it was more like HOW he addressed my querie.

With that being said, with ruffled feathers, I purchased a "purple firefish" for 24.99 and a sand sifting starfish for my sand bottom (I can see some guys smirking now) since I need it stirred up a bit. Oh, I also bought a 20 pack Boston Aqua farms frag plugs since I ran out for $5.99 (ouch)


Pros: The associates there were kinda nice at least... I think it was the management I had qualms about being not so customer focused.



ain't goin' back anytime soon!

 

[concept3]

well, on a good note I guess- I picked this guy up!