I hope you all are doing great and so are your tanks.
I'd first ask you to imagine something. Imagine that you are entering a LFS. The moment you open the door, you don't smell anything... no bad smells at all. All the aisles are so wide that 3 people can walk together at the same time. All the tanks are so clean that they can make your tanks at home look unclean. All the fish go through a compulsory 2 weeks period of quarantine. Prices are very reasonable. From live food to driftwood to the best of the best livestock... Everything is available there. The staff is very knowledgeable.
Sounds unreal, right? I know it does.
But my visit to Neptune's Tropical Fish Store changed the image of a typical LFS that I had before. . All the things that I asked you to imagine were there in this LFS. It was like a dream LFS.
The store was amazingly clean and free of ANY foul smells. I usually avoid going directly to the tanks. I like to start from the billing counter. I notice if the people working there greet to me or not. In this shop, I heard 5 "Hello" at the same time. A person walked to me immediately and started talking to me. I told him that I am here to talk to you guys and want to take some photos. Then he introduced me to the manger (who is also the owner). Later in the discussion the owner told me that it's a well-planned strategy. One person's job is just to welcome people, make them feel comfortable by talking at their knowledge level and then taking them to the specific part of the shop according to their interest. I was absolutely amazed at their customer reception skills.
This store started in 1987 when the owner's house couldn't hold any more tanks. She herself is a great hobbyist. She told me that I sell things that I like to use with my tanks. Before stocking any equipment or food, she tries it herself first and then decide if they'd like to sell it or not!
I usually carry some newspaper, a micro fiber cloth and a small spray bottle filled with 1:10 mixture of vinegar and water to clean the tanks before taking pictures. I had to use it in every store that I have been to but in this one. In this LFS, all the tanks were already so clean. In all the other stores I would stand in a corner as a customer would walk into the aisle because there is just not enough space. In this LFS, I could keep shooting unless someone wanted to see the tank I was photographing. Aisles are at least three to four feet wide.
They were more than happy to let me take photos in their store. Here are some photos that came out well. I am not very good with the names of saltwater fishes so please chime in if you know names of the fishes.
A very interesting piece of aquarium decor:
It''s the ony store in Denver that desn't keep TFH but Amazonas and Coral.
Let me know which photos you liked the most!
I have added some photos to the free wallpaper section on my website. Please check them out here: http://www.playsofrays.com/-/galleries/free-downloads
-Sumer.
