What are the 100 best saltwater/reef products to stock in an

[Anonymous]

Assumming your store is in NY,you will not need SD sand. We do not have that problem in the North East.

I agree that you will need various lighting systems,additives,powerheads,pumps,foods,skimmers,tanks,stands,sumps..etc. Someone mentioned being specific to beginners or experienced aquarists and I think you need the beginners so you can turn them into the latter. By starting them off right with good equipment and advice you will have customers for life. By giving beginners the better or best equipment will leave them with mre money to spend on livestock because they will not waste money on upgrading or better equipment.

Good luck,

 

[Gatortailale1]

Quality livestock is what will bring in customers. I would promote that you quarantine (QT) your fish 1 week (2 weeks would be better) but at least one week. Keep the QT fish in a separate system and all in one area of the store. Allow customers to put them on hold. If an new customer, you can have them pay first, if a "valued" customer - one who spent 1k or more in store, allow them to hold fish without paying first. Yes the paying will get refund if fish dies before they pick up; but new customers who don't pay, may put something on hold and never come back for it.

I think you should still have a small section of newbie equipment. If you can display a small sized packaged system, you might get more newbies to start. I also think you would only need to stock 1-2 of each of a few of the best skimmers out there. I wouldn't stock just one brand. Give the customer a choice. But I also see little benefit of stocking 10+ of these, unless your supplier can't restock your store w/in a weeks time.

Start a email newsletter to announce weekly specials and new livestock arrivals.

Find a good local Cabinet/Stand/Canopy maker that can make custom built stuff. If you can get them to deliver items w/in 4 weeks time that is a bonus.

Display systems, have several of various sizes and use the equipment you are trying to sell in the store. I like most people like to see the product working before I buy it.

Make a large live rock cure system. Yes you can buy LR online, but a lot of peeps still like to "cherry pick" their rock. Offer FIJI and Florida aqua-cultured.

my $.0000002

 

[esmithiii]

I would talk to some of the smaller equipment manufacturers (like Andy at MyReef Creations) and see if they are willing to consign inventory. That is they give you a few items and when you sell them, you pay the manufacturer and they send you another one. If you ever discontinue the product you simply return it.

I would also sell PC ballasts and bulbs. Those are a big hit with the medium level folks who often frequent LFSs.

Ernie

 

[D-Nak]

I think you need to decide what type of client you want to cater to. Do you want to cater to the beginner who doesn't know that much (and you can make a lot of money off of ;-) ) or do you want to cater to the reef enthusiast who knows that he/she can buy equipment online for a lot less?

Once you decide which route to take, you can then decide which products to stock -- unless you've got a huge warehouse to keep both sets of items (10 boxes of Skilters or an Aqua-C or Euroreef skimmer?) but then it probably wouldn't be very cost effective (rent, electricity, etc.)

Of course, I believe that you should cater to the reef enthusiast and stock the higher end items that they are looking for, and offer them at reasonable prices -- you can even mention that you will meet or beat online prices (tack on shipping to make it fair if you want).

If you don't think it will work, think again -- I have a store in my area that does exactly that and they have developed a reputation of being the premier stores in the area. People are willing to drive many miles if it is worth the effort. I think people end up spending more money there because they develop a loyalty and are willing to recommend the store to others and will even try to get their friends into the reef keeping hobby. In turn, you will have a higher turnover of products and will be able to keep prices low.

Of course, carrying quality livestock and offering good advice helps. And you can do your best to educate the "newbie". Also keeping display tanks in "tip-top" shape will encourage people to come in just to see how things are going. Place all equipment used on the display tanks in view so that people can know what you are using to keep your tanks in good shape -- they will want to buy those items so keep those in stock as well.

I disagree with not stocking chillers. Just like Home Depot carries air conditioners (that are NOT on sale) during the warm months, you should stock maybe one chiller of each of the popular horse powers. That way, on the hottest day of the summer when people come in asking for a chiller because they don't want to wait for the online store of ship it, you'll have plenty of happy customers. One way to beat the online store is to have the hardware in stock.

Bottom line is what you are trying to do is create a store that offers everything -- from quality livestock to high end equipment at mail order prices, and if you offer good advice and do it with a smile (coffee is a good idea too!), you'll have store packed on the weekends because it has become the weekend destination for reefers from all around.

D-Nak

 

[Chucker]

Many good suggestions so far. Some I'll re-emphasize, some may be new.

Livestock- many people like to see exactly what they're getting

Heavy items- cheap for your distributor to bite the shipping cost than the consumer

Emergency items- nothing worse than losing a bulb on an IceCap ballast on a Friday night. Stock VHO replacements, heaters, powerheads, battery-operated air pumps...

Frozen foods- a sure-fire sale every time.

Books- even if you can't stock them with low enough prices to make a sale, have a small library available for folks to browse through

 

[Anonymous]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by esmithiii:
I would talk to some of the smaller equipment manufacturers (like Andy at MyReef Creations) and see if they are willing to consign inventory. <hr></blockquote>

This is a really good point. One of my LFS does this exact thing with the Reef Concepts product line. It is a great way to help mitigate the upfront costs of the items.

 

[JohnD]

Chip,

Besides products you may also want to go in the service business.

You may want to consider a tank setup service with your store. If a newbie buys a system from you, deliver it to their home of office and get it set up.

Once when it is set up, they may be interested in a tank maintenance service. That could be something else you offer.

 

[kevchev515]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

You may want to consider a tank setup service with your store. If a newbie buys a system from you, deliver it to their home of office and get it set up.

The LFS does have that exact service. But i don't know if they would want to do an upkeep service. The lfs is really busy, most of the time. They are even open on Sundays!!!

 

[dgasmd]

"Find a good local Cabinet/Stand/Canopy maker that can make custom built stuff. If you can get them to deliver items w/in 4 weeks time that is a bonus."

This is a terrific idea. It blows my mind that ina hobbie where MH is so popular needing canopies that should be 8-10 inch from the water, there is not one company that makes proper canopies for tanks. Even Oceanic or All-Glass don't make a canopy you can actually use with MH. It is a shame. They sell you the nice tank that is reef ready and with a beautiful matching stand but with a crappy lighting or a useless matching canopy at best. I wished my local store would ahve the number of a guy to hook me up with to make me a wonderful canopy. Not all of us are master DIY'ers.

 

[pghflame]

Salt

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for asking!

Good stuff so far.

Not really and item, but have a seating area, near the books is good. Not just for reefers to sit and read and talk but a great place for spouses and such to sit while the addicts get their fix. A person who can sit down will hang out longer and the reefer will have more time to hopefully see something they want to buy.

Also, if you have the space, you might want to consider stocking some big ticket items (lights, fixtures, skimmers and such) at prices competitive to MO prices, and know that you won't be making any money on them - or just 10% but let people know this. I would gladly buy something from the LFS at a little more cost than MO to be able to get it that day, and usually I leave the store with more than I came for. People want it today, and if you can give it to them you win.

Like others said, if you have a great selection of parts and pieces and bulbs people will know you are the place to go.

RR

 

[SPC]

If you could hire the girl from Deuce Bigalow "I'll take one of those sea snails, the one on the bottom", I would imagine sales would stay up. At least the sitting area Righty mentioned would stay full

.
Steve

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I must say a HUUUUGE "thank you" to everyone that responded. A lot of what you posted I had already planned on, but there were a lot of suggestions that I'm planning on using once we get going.

As far as general set-up, I would like to have a few chairs next to the book rack that people can chill out in, and a coffee-machine is my quest as well, as long as we can keep it out of reach of the kids that customers bring in.

With tanks, we currently have 7 total. One 125-gallon show tank in the front of the store, one 65-gallon coral tank, and four 30-gallon tanks for all our fish. Frankly, the setup sucks, but I make it work. One of the reasons they brought me on board (along with setting up the in-store computer inventory system) was to have someone dedicated to running an expanded saltwater section.

The new section, given the space in the store, will consist of :

6 coral tanks (all 50 gallon breeders), broken down as such : 1 metal halide tank, 3 VHO tanks, and 2 power compact tanks.

15 ten gallon tanks, turned sideways to fit them down one side of the aisle, for smaller fish like damsels, gobies, etc.

5 thirty gallon tanks for mid-sized fish like dwarf angels and such

4 fifty-five gallon tanks for larger fish like triggers, lions, etc.

And finally, 4 fifty five gallon tanks, dedicated to the following : two for live rock, one for live sand/bristleworms/pods/etc, and one for caulerpa.

The 55's will be upgraded to 75's if we have the room on either side of the one aisle.

There will be a large book rack, with room for about 100 books.

On the top of the aisle with all the tanks will be all the dry goods...ESV, Selcon, skimmers, etc, etc.

We already stock oolitic sand and some of the other products mentioned here, but the suggestions are appreciated nonetheless.

Education and service are my main goals. I've already stood my ground on mandarins, gonipora, etc., as well as denying an already excellent customer a shark because the tank they were to put it in was far too small.

With this website as my guide, I shall try and make the best saltwater section I possibly can.

Thanks for the help, everyone.

Peace,

Chip

[ April 04, 2002: Message edited by: marillion ]</p>

 

[edburhop]

A good selection of reasonably priced REEF READY tanks and stands. And I agree about getting a local guy to make stands/hoods. I would also have some good Metal halide hoods made.

Everyone elses suggestions are fantastic. Wish we had a store like that here.

I think people are willing to pay more to the LFS if it is within reason. For example. I am looking for a skimmer, say a turboflotor multi. Online it is $209. Throw in shipping and you are up to $225. I would be more than willing to pay around $240-250 to my LFS. However, he is trying to sell for $325. I call that Gouging. Screw him.

I realize that you need to keep the LFS around for fresh foods, etc.

Oh yea, get a large container and start a live sand pit. Buy Southdown and fill it up. Seed with test kits from IPSF and Inland and any local reefers sand you can get. Sell this for a reasonable price per pound and you will have people beating down your door.

I have to drive 45 minutes to the nearest DECENT LFS, and I do about twice a month.
The one down the street, I almost never buy anything from anymore.

 

[Mouse]

And what about the topless cashier i asked for, hmmmmm. Im not coming unless you get the topless cashier.

 

[Anonymous]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Mouse:
<strong>

and a topless cashier, man would you get the dollaz in

</strong><hr></blockquote>


...unless the topless cashier is named Tony!!

 

[Gatortailale1]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by marillion:
[QB]And finally, 4 fifty five gallon tanks, dedicated to the following : two for live rock, ... QB]<hr></blockquote>

I think IMO that you would be better off getting a large rubbermaid tank or big farm water tank to put rock in. If you or customers rummage around in a tank with rock, and someone drops the rock, over time the glass will um, well you know the rest of the story.