Remember "Buy American"? A lot of people said it for a long time, and a lot of people did buy American, but overall it didn't work. American industry is in the pooper. Overall, an industry can't stay profitable with goodwill.
When you support an industry with goodwill, it doesnt help anyone. Its like giving the industry a crutch. I think people's continual yells of "buy american" is a good part of the reason why the american product in general is of such poor quality. Companies are like natural organisms; If theres no selective pressures, they wont evolve. As long as theres no impact in the bottom line, they wont change. The best way to get American products to change, is to stop buying them.
Now... if LFS's had a better web presence, then I think that would help them tremendously. Does the LFS have a computer inventory system? Is there some way to get it on the web so people can see what is in stock? Can they post pictures of their livestock on the web? That will go a long way in helping me to get their business. Does such a system costs $$$, yes, but that's the price of getting and keeping customers these days. Does this turn you into an online store? Not really, it's more like the best of both worlds.
I think this ties into the quote above it. The internet has changed the way commerce works. LFSs just want everything to go back to the way it was. Thats not going to happen. I think web inventories, etc, would DRASTICALLY increase LFS business, especially if I could look online, see a pic of "Super Red Fish3000" and pay for it, and just pick it up the next day.
The LFS that refuse to change in the face of internet commerce will die. Supporting them for the sake of supporting them is postponing the inevitable, and even worse, keeping them from realizing that theyre falling further and further behind their competition, and should be adapting.
Some might counter "But you can call and ask what we have in stock and what the price is". Well, I don't ask for directions when I'm lost, and I never, ever, ever call a store to see what the price is, or if it is in stock. Some will add that I'm an idiot, but I'm sorry, if you want my business you have to cater to the idiot consumer.
Exactly. Plus, 80% of the time I call asking if something is in stock, either the employee says theyre not sure, or its too busy to check, or they go check, and theyre wrong anyways. You can't expect the person answering the phone to know the difference between a lineatus wrasse and a rhomboid wrasse.
Half the time they tell you to come in and see, and that defeats the purpose. If I want a specific fish, I'm wasting my time, gas, and its frustrating.
On whim I'd say that pooled orders from online vendors ahould have no impact on the club, other than saving money for club members. I'd also say that pooled orders from LFS's should have no impact on the club, either positive or negative, other than saving money for club members.
I agree. If I'm going to order somethign online, I'm going to order it online, whether its from a pooled order or not. Pooled orders save me shipping, and thats all. That gives me some extra money to throw at other things, a lot of which is spent local.
What seems interesting to me is that theres so much animosity towards liveaquaria,etc from the people who are all about supporting LFSs, but almost none towards reefdom and everythingreef. Yes, theyre sponsors, but theyre still internet companies that are competing by outpricing the LFS.