General Question for Austin Reefers

[pickle311]

to be honest, no matter what you carry I'll still do the vast majority of my shopping online. With the overhead, it will be impossible for you to beat online prices. Plus with buying online, you don't have to pay taxes most of the time. As for frags, I prefer to get mine from local reefers. What you may charge $35-40 for, I can probably get from someone else for $10-15.
But on a more positive note, that still leaves supplies and fish. I like to buy all of my supplies and fish locally for obvious reasons. I don't want to pay shipping on a heavy bucket of salt, and I don't mind paying more for a fish that I can see and be able to tell that it's healthy.
Good luck in whatever you decide.

[thedude]

Haha Note *I am not opening a new store*

I'm thinking of improving an old one and just looking for what you, the educated general public, want to see more of.

[Crab Rangoon]

A lot of times, we retailers will order something from our wholesaler (and it is listed as being available) but when we get the order, some other store got the fish and it was dropped from our shipment. About 20% of the stuff I order either does not come in or dies in transit. That is why I will not sell anything until I have had it for a week. Buying a fish or coral that is still in the bag is a very big gamble.

I agree, I really wanted to note these things in this thread, but I didn't wanna be the only one, I'm glad you spoke up. We, being in Texas, get the shaft! I can honestly say that even my own personal orders (as well as the weekly special orders we enter for customers) usually never make it our way. What you have to understand is how the whole-salers work. They are in California, or in Florida, or some coastal state, where other aquatic stores are aplenty as well. They send out their weekly availability lists on Monday, meaning by the time we send our order in, and they are ready to pack it up on Tuesday, at the earliest, their locals have had their first dibs. I didn't claim it unfair, its very much first come first serve, and being all the way out here, we just can't be first. I was in charge of making the salt order for our store just over a week ago, and about 2/3 of what I ordered came in. Things were altered, substitutions were made aplenty, and we have no control over that. On another note, we've also had plenty of cases in which Johnny (comes in once a week) has been asking for a Radiata Lion for months, thinking we never pull through with ordering one, when in reality, since he didn't pre-pay for it, Bobby (comes in every day) see's the Radiata on delivery day, and snatches it up. I'm not trying to toot my stores horn and say please come unload special orders onto us, but for our most reliable customers, we have many a time made special orders pull through. Dry goods as well, chances are, if you just ask for it, we might lose track of it, but if you pay for it up front, and make it an official order, it will be here Tuesday or Friday, whichever day is closest to when you ordered.