"Dealing" with LFS?

[darkdep]

Moral question...is it inappropriate to try to "deal" with fish stores?

Here's my situation:  A certain LFS has a couple of fish that I want.  Those fish are retailing for $30 each.  They have been at the store for months and months; they are not moving.  I'd like to pick them up but the price is a bit high for me...I'd like to go to the manager and basically say that I'll take them off his hands for a better price and see if he goes for it.

However, I don't know if this is appropriate or not.  May be a dumb question, but I don't know if I'm taking advantage of them or not.  Really, I just see two fish that I want that nobody else wants, and I am willing to pay a certain ceiling for them...

[sylvain]

Not a dumb question at all, I do it all the time. It's only normal that we try to save money, and especially if the fishes have been there for a while, the manager is most likely to get rid of them to make room for another species. A fish that does not sell, is expensive to keep for a store. give it a try

[Shouganai]

I don't see the harm in trying.  But if its SP Merivale.. good luck!  Sometimes logic just isn't the case with them.  MANY times when I was working, people would offer to take expensive fish that had been sitting in the store for AGES, for a cheaper price, and were even buying a fair bit of dry goods.. but still mgmt would not budge on the price.. often times this would continue until the fish just died of disease/stress/whatever. And fish are a LOT more expensive now than they were.

[mseguin]

Give it your best shot, but talk to management, not to the peons, Nothing frustrates me more than someone who tries to push for a better deal to me, when I tell him repeatedly I can't. I'll just tell you to talk to the manager.

[darkdep]

I don't want to mention the store out of respect, and today I did talk to one of the regular staff who told me to come back to speak to the manager (which I said I gladly would and didn't harrass him).  

Ok, thanks folks.  Just didn't want to seem like a weirdo

[Mettle]

Give it your best shot, but talk to management, not to the peons, Nothing frustrates me more than someone who tries to push for a better deal to me, when I tell him repeatedly I can't. I'll just tell you to talk to the manager.

Yeup. Also my advice. People try to haggle with me all the time and I simply don't have the authority to change marked prices. That has to go through management.

From my experience getting the better price all depends on the store, the fish in question and who the manager is.

[kennyman]

Would that be a certian Mbuna at your favorite lfs Dark? If so give me a shout.

[aidensmomma2000]

Ive done this, had 15% knocked off and sometime nothing. I agree, it all depnds on the store, management, and how long the fish are!

[Iceman]

There is no reason why people can't haggle out a price. As long as you are being reasonable. Awhile back, The Bay had Henckels on sale for 10% off. I said, usually you have 20% off. Any chance I could get that now? If not I'll just wait for the next sale. Answer. Well since you'll get for that price later I'll give it to you now.

If the sales people, not "peon", says I can't do that, respectfully ask to speak to a higher authority.