You'll also need to get experience in marketing, advertising, taxes and everything else that goes along with running any business. There is no worse feeling in the world to some than sitting around an empty retail place knowing you have taxes, rent, telephone, electric, internet, water, food/maintenance expenses all coming due in days as well as interest/payments on whatever loans you jumped into to get going. Maybe you can bred angelfish but once you do, what do you do with them when they aren't selling because the area you're in has already saturated the market with them and now they're approaching full grown, eating, costing you money time and effort to maintain and the first time you don't have everything perfect will be the day someone complains to the animal wardens, game wardens and others. Then there's the greatest thrill of all, dealing with the general public. Some are a delight, others on the other hand will come back in the door with frozen betta in a cup that they left in the car overnight to freeze solid and wanting you to replace it. There's the lady that read the Dear Abbey article and is now screaming at the top of her lungs to everyone who will listen that the place is infested with disease!!!!! The guy who didn't get his blood pressure meds renewed. The lady who will bring you a jar of tap water with zero nitrate and smelling of chlorine to test saying it's out of her tank and she thinks everything is fine. I could go on and on but hopefully you have answers to all these different headaches worked out before you ever sign lease. Joyful plans like what to do with the 1 oscar out of 6 that lived and is now getting to a huge size since no one would buy it when it was small. Don't forget the lady who's been buying bait at the corner gas station and now expects you to blindly guarantee stuff since Pet whatever gives here a two week she claims. Don't forget Bob, the never ever ever ever gonna clean the tank guy who only tops off.
Happy retailing.
LOL in so many ways
I know I shouldn't be laughing but that is so funny and it's all true.
You get good customers and sometimes bad ones. Most of the time they are good, at least the ones that came into the shops I worked at.
Clown Loach Lady
We had a customer buy two small clown loaches and came back a few days later saying they died. We didn't have any issues with ours. I asked her to go home and bring back a water sample and the dead fish so we could check them to try and find out why they died. She returned a few hours later (she only live down the road) with a glass of water that was perfect (almost like tap water) with a slightly raised pH (about 7.6, which is the same as the tap water in the area), 0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. She didn't bring back the bodies though, she came up with some excuse about her hubby throwing them in the trash. I told her to fish them out and she said the rubbish was collected that day. I gave her 2 replacement fish and told her if she had any trouble with them, to bring the bodies back and a separate glass of tank water.
A few days later she returned saying the new fish died. I asked her for a sample of water and the bodies so I could check them for diseases. She didn't bring anything with her so I sent her home to get a sample of water and the bodies. A couple of hours later and she returns with another perfect sample of water and no bodies. Apparently her kids buried them and she didn't want to dig them up. I told her that I needed to see the bodies. She wouldn't bring them in. We still didn't have any issues with our fish in the shop tank and no other customers had been back saying theirs died. The boss came out and asked what was going on. She started telling the boss about the fish apparently dying and how I wasn't going to replace them. I told the boss I had replaced them and asked her both times to bring in a sample of tank water and the dead fish, she wouldn't bring the bodies back. The boss said give her two more so I did. I also told her that if they die, she must bring the bodies back immediately with a separate sample of tank water. She said yeah, no worries, she will bring the bodies back. I reinstated that and said don't let anyone throw them out or bury them, I want the bodies to check for disease. She said yes yes and left with two more fish. I also said if she has any problems with them, she comes back to see me and nobody else because I know the history of the tank.
Low an behold a week later she returns but doesn't talk to me even though she sees me. She goes straight to another worker and tells him she lost some fish she got the other day. He comes into the fishroom and catches out 2 more loaches to replace them. I go out with him and she is standing by the counter. I ask what happened and she says the new loaches died. I asked for a water sample and the bodies. She had brought in a water sample that was absolutely perfect and she hadn't done a water change for 2 weeks, and she fed the fish a lot of food. There was no ammonia, nitrite or nitrate and the tank didn't have many plants in. I asked for the bodies and she ummed and ahhed for a bit before saying they got eaten by the dog. I said you have been told two times before now to bring the bodies in and not let anyone throw them out or bury them, you agreed to that last week. She goes on about how the dog apparently got the bodies when they were on top of the fish tank. I said what sort of dog and she said a small breed of some sort. I said you're not getting anymore fish because as far as I know, you have six healthy clown loaches swimming around already and only paid for two. She says this guy here is going to give me two more. I said no he isn't. I said I told you last week that if you had problems with them you come and see me and you deliberately avoided me when you came in and went to another staff member who didn't know the history. You're not getting any more fish unless you show me some bodies.
She starts kicking up a stink and the boss comes out. He asks what is going on. I tell him and he says it's up to you. I say I'm not giving her anymore fish. As far as I'm concerned, she has 6 healthy loaches at home and we haven't lost any and we haven't had any customers saying they had issues with theirs. She continues going on about how this other guy (my co-worker) is going to give her two replacement fish. I said you were told to see me and only me if you had problems and you agreed to it. Eventually the boss said give her two more so we did. I told her not to come back and said as far as I'm concerned, you have 6 healthy loaches at home and haven't provided any proof otherwise. She left and we never saw her again.
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Male Betta in a Bowl
Another customer we had issues with was a young lady. We got a letter from Consumer Protection about how we allegedly sold a young lady a male Betta and a fish bowl without a filter or heater. The fish supposedly died about a month later and the lady went straight to consumer protection and kicked up a stink. The first we knew about the issue was when we got the letter from Consumer Protection.
The boss gave me the letter and I called the lady. She said she had bought the Betta from a tall young guy with short black hair (possibly my co-worker because I had brown hair and it was long and the other young guy that worked there had medium length black hair). She goes on about how she was told the Betta could live in the bowl (the bowl was about 18 inches diameter x 7-8 inches high and was big enough for a Betta) without a filter and heater and it would supposedly be fine. We are in a warm part of the country and you don't need heaters for 6-8 months of the year. We did sell Bettas and bowls and did tell people they could keep them in a bowl without a heater during the warmer weather. However, in winter they would need a heater. Most people were fine with this because it meant they didn't have to outlay for a heater at the start if they bought the fish in spring or summer. And if the aquarium/ bowl was for a kid who was just starting fish keeping, and they might not stick at it, then there was less money wasted if the person decided not to keep fish after a few months. We also said Bettas can be kept without filters if they are in a large enough container and there are live plants in it, and they do regular water changes. We also gave out a care pamphlet with every bowl or aquarium we sold and we had different pamphlets for different fish.
She agrees to come to the shop the following day and I was going to give her a new fish. She comes in and I meet her and she says she is here to pick up a Betta we killed. I try to reassure her she will be given a replacement fish but first I wanted to see if she could point out the staff member that sold her the fish. All three of us guys were there and apparently the person who sold her the fish and bowl wasn't any of us.
I got a care pamphlet for her on looking after a fish bowl and one for keeping a Betta. She says she doesn't want to buy anything and I said these are free. We give them to anyone who buys a new aquarium or fish bowl. I said you should have gotten a copy when you got the fish and bowl because we give them away to new customers. She said she never got any pamphlets. I gave her the pamphlets and she says she knows how to keep fish and she just wants her Betta.
I take her into the fish room and she picks out a fish. I put it on the counter and grab a couple of plastic bags to fill with water from the plant tanks so she can rinse the bowl out and refill it with clean dechlorinated water and put the fish straight into it. We used the water from the plant tanks to fill the Betta containers. She said the guy didn't do that last time. I said are you sure you got the fish from us and she went nuts. She said I'm not stupid, I know where I got the fish from. I said we always provide enough water to set up a bowl straight away and we provide care pamphlets. And the only three guys (besides the boss who was older and had short blonde hair) that work here, are here now and according to you none of us sold you the fish. She does her nut again and I just say look, here are the pamphlets and the fish. I will carry the water out to the car for you (it was in a couple of bags, about 4-5 litres in each). She carried the fish out. I put the bags on the back seat of her car and she hops in the driver's seat and gives me this evil look as if I'm not fuplie stupid, and then drives off. We never saw her again.
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Mr Spitty
There was another customer that came in but he wasn't rude or anything, however he did stutter and he spat a lot when he spoke. He had a crush on one of the female staff members and she was gay and would take off out the back whenever she saw him coming. He was a nice enough guy but he needed to get help with his speech because it was pretty gross. We spent most of our time telling him the lady staff member wasn't in today even though she was hiding out the back. It went on for about 6 months before he stopped coming in. I don't know why or what happened after that but it was a relief not being spat on whilst talking to someone.
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Rats
For the most part the customers were good and I enjoyed chatting with them. Some knew a lot, others knew nothing about fish keeping, and some thought they knew a lot and other people's ideas were to be ignored. That's fine, I just gave them the info and if they want to use it they can, if they don't that is up to them. Most people loved getting information about looking after and setting up aquariums or keeping birds or animals.
Rats were a good one to show to customers. Parents would come in with their kids looking at mice and rats. We used to say rats were cleaner and better pets because they weren't as small as mice and used litter trays. Mice just dribble urine everywhere they go and poop where they stand. Rats use a litter tray and if they don't have one they try to poop in the same area. The parents would have these weird expressions on their face and say rats are gross. We would take a rat out of the cage and hold it. The kids would be patting them and the parents would slowly poke them and then pat them. After about 5 minutes handling the rats they had changed their minds about them.
I had a mum & dad come in with two kids and showed them rats. Within a couple of minutes the mum had one on each shoulder and another running up and down her arm. The kids had one each and they were trying to show them to the dad who was back-peddling as fast as he could to get away from them. It was hilarious. It was normally the mums that hated rats but this guy wasn't interested in them at all.
Speaking of rats, we had a couple more parents come in with their kids to look at pets. They got interested in the rats and the mum goes how do you sex them? I turn the rat around and lift its tail. She goes are those his balls, they are huge. Then she goes to her hubby, look at the size of those. I'm trying not to wet myself laughing and most of the other staff heard it and were lolling at the counter. Other customers heard it and were giggling too.
Ferrets
Ferrets were another pet people looked at and thought were nasty. We explained the difference between pet ferrets that got handled each day vs ferrets used for hunting rabbits and other small animals. Ferrets only come into breeding condition a couple of times a year and they couple and hook up for hours when they breed. This lady comes in and sees the ferrets together and says "oh how lovely they are cuddled up together". We explain they are mating and she says how long have they been going. We say about six hours so far. She goes "OMG what a lucky girl", and she said it pretty loud. So you get some bad customers but most are good and some are great.
