R h — Jul 26, 2013
I really wanted to be able to write a positive review of Aquarium Pets, but my first (and last) visit merits a warning, not a reco…
I really wanted to be able to write a positive review of Aquarium Pets, but my first (and last) visit merits a warning, not a recommendation. In the spirit of "buying local," to support small businesses in town, I came to this store after deciding to reestablish my aquarium.
I quickly observed the signs of a business failing to big-box competitors; Inflated prices, rude staff, sub par products and lack of cleanliness standards.
Since the owner was very obnoxiously following my every move throughout the overcrowded and narrow walkways of the store without offering any assistance, I took the opportunity of the awkwardness to ask for suggestions. Each of my questions were met with disdain and condescension.
I was surprised to find the interior of the store to be larger than expected, but was overwhelmed by the excessive amount of product packed into the store. Everything in the store shows visible signs of being extremely old and is priced 30 to 40% higher than competitors. This is well beyond the expected markup a small business would need when not purchasing in bulk quantities from suppliers.
As the name suggests, Aquarium Pets does have a large number of fish in the store but the variety of species is very limited. All of the tanks are very dirty and the fish appear to be in questionable health. It is probably for this reason that the fish are the most reasonably priced items in the store, but no health guarantee is offered to consumers. Again, unlike most competitors.
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I really wanted to be able to write a positive review of Aquarium Pets, but my first (and last) visit merits a warning, not a recommendation. In the spirit of "buying local," to support small businesses in town, I came to this store after deciding to reestablish my aquarium.
I quickly observed the…
I really wanted to be able to write a positive review of Aquarium Pets, but my first (and last) visit merits a warning, not a recommendation. In the spirit of "buying local," to support small businesses in town, I came to this store after deciding to reestablish my aquarium.
I quickly observed the signs of a business failing to big-box competitors; Inflated prices, rude staff, sub par products and lack of cleanliness standards.
Since the owner was very obnoxiously following my every move throughout the overcrowded and narrow walkways of the store without offering any assistance, I took the opportunity of the awkwardness to ask for suggestions. Each of my questions were met with disdain and condescension.
I was surprised to find the interior of the store to be larger than expected, but was overwhelmed by the excessive amount of product packed into the store. Everything in the store shows visible signs of being extremely old and is priced 30 to 40% higher than competitors. This is well beyond the expected markup a small business would need when not purchasing in bulk quantities from suppliers.
As the name suggests, Aquarium Pets does have a large number of fish in the store but the variety of species is very limited. All of the tanks are very dirty and the fish appear to be in questionable health. It is probably for this reason that the fish are the most reasonably priced items in the store, but no health guarantee is offered to consumers. Again, unlike most competitors.
Read more
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