Wow...what a lively thread, some good points being brought up here and while there are conflicting points of view, no one is actually in the wrong.This is what a forum is all about. OK...here's my 2 pennies.......At one time I had a part time job in one of the best little "saltwater only" fish stores in my area. Nothing fancy, just a couple of guys who loved the hobby and wanted to share their ideas and knowledge with others. Helped me out tremendously when I was starting out in salt, I probably would have given up on the marine part of the hobby if I hadn't accidentally run across this shop, these guys were the best. Anyway, as has been suggested in a previous entry, they decided that the best way to run their shop would be to question people on their tanks, fish, experience, etc. They did water samples, made housecalls, boarded fish and sometimes whole aquariums while customers went on vacation, they even helped other wannabe lfs owners with setting up their own shops. Just the ultimate in customer service, IMO. Other than what you bought from a competitor, they pretty well knew their customers tanks as well as the customers did themselves. Problem is, this takes time! I know that there were times it would not be unusual for one of them to be with the same customer for up to 2 hours, sometimes longer depending on the issue. While this was going on there would be other customers in the store browsing, waiting for their turn to pick their brain. Now one customer is only going to spend a finite amount of money, so you have invested a lot of time and only gotten back a small amount of money. The ones who are waiting to be helped and all the staff is busy will end up going elsewhere to a store where they can just plunk down their cash, point to the fish they want and be on their way home. As has been stated, this is not the responsible way to buy (or sell), but hey, my grass needs mowed and I gotta get back home! So the problem is, although it is in the best interests of both the hobbyist and the animals being kept by the hobbyist to sit down and work with each customer on an individual basis to find out all you can about where your livestock is going to and whether it will survive once it gets there, from a business standpoint you won't be able to make it if you do this. These guys went out of business. Now when I say "business standpoint", it would be nice if you could separate a fish store from a grocery store, but bottom line is you've got to make a profit to keep the doors open in either case.( Hey...what if you could classify a fish store as not-for-profit...)
OK, I apologize for rambling on, I have a tendency to get carried away with some of these things as some of you who have PMed me know, but there really is a lot to running a shop, more than what the average hobbyist realizes, and while I sympathize with the feelings of the under 18s who feel victimized and persecuted by this rule, you just have to put yourself in the place of the shop owner who has been "stung" one too many times by the irresponsible kids and you can see where this rule is coming from. Try not to take it personal, you know the rule is not meant to discourage the "good" customers, no business person wants to run off their customers, but evidently there has been a bad experience (or more likely several bad experiences), put yourself in the owner's position, something has to be done. Help him to stay in business, a good shop is hard to find.
I should carry a card to the store saying what fish I have in what tanks, a fish license 
But I can't drive, or ride my bike to any of my LFS's because they are all atleast 5 or so miles away and blocked off by highways. I always have my dad with me, and by the time I get to 'fish buying age', all the stores will know me! 
