Buying dry goods at LFS's

[capntom]

I don't know if this is off topic but, I just got back from a pet shop near my house and it is unreal the prices he charges for his products. I needed a refill for my tap water filter,he charged 32.00 for the refill. I drove past Petco($19.99) and Petsmart(19.95) to visit his store. I'm trying to keep the money local, I feel that without these stores the hobby would crash, but come on, he most likely made at least $15 on such a small item. How can anyone justlfy these costs, considering today's economy,and the fact that we can just point and click and save money and have more.BTW he charges 8.99 for live rock and 5.99 for base rock. When i looked at it, i couldn't tell the difference. He was also charging $275.00 for a 2x65 compact that anybody can get for under a hundred bucks.Maybe ot's me, but i cannot justify making any other purchases from this store, and it's his loss, most likely i'll spend close to 3 grand to finish my 140 considering it's sitting empty on it's stand , and none of that money is going to him. I'm i right or wrong concerning this issue? :? :(

[malofish]

That's crazy!!! The only way I would go across town is to save money!!! I can absorb a dollar or two to see familiar faces and talk to the same people who willing to help out. I'm sure that there's another way to save money and keep it locally, try a new shop!

[wkopplin]

I have found that some stores do try to keep their prices reasonable, but quite a few do not. CB Pets has always been very close to internet prices for the things I have purchased there. Sure they are a couple bucks more from time to time, but they are never far off or unreasonable. Not to mention, if I have a problem with something, I have a live person to talk to about it. I buy most of my dry goods from CB Pets and do compare them to the internet. They are always close.

I have had this same conversation with Richard at CB and he really tries to be competitive on his prices. Stores that gouge us on dry goods should be avoided, but the ones that are fair should be supported. It is unfortunate that a couple of LFS can give all of the stores a bad name when it comes to dry goods.

[capntom]

Didn't see the vendor forum, me newbie :o

[MikeP]

I will support local businesses but some of the markups are HUUUGGEEE. You have to realize it may seem insane but retailers have to make up margin on some things even if it seems insane to us - these stores have lots of expenses to cover in addition to just paying for product. Also realize this, your local fish store does not likely buy in bulk or have nearly the purchasing power of say Petco / Petsmart. Internet stores have even less overhead and can undercut even the national chains.