bigalsonline.ca is NOT Big Al's website.

[magnosis]

You should maybe contact the head office about this?
BA needs to notify Google of the bad url. I have zero authority to request a fix.

- Google "Big Als Canada"
- First result is a Google Maps rich snippet pointing to bigalscanada.ca which is NOT the official site.

[charlie]

Big Al`s have changed their name for quite sometime now, I think this was to to reflect that they are now a pet store as opposed to an aquatic store.
http://www.bigalspets.ca/

[lucius]

Just to add that the specials you find on http://www.bigalspets.ca/ are only available online.  The store fronts will not price match.  The VIP program points are separate as well.

[magnosis]

Just to add that the specials you find on http://www.bigalspets.ca/ are only available online.  The store fronts will not price match.  The VIP program points are separate as well.

Oh that's good to know, I wasn't aware.

So, in order to know what I'll find in the store (and the price), either drive there or call first?

[magnosis]

Big Al`s have changed their name for quite sometime now, I think this was to to reflect that they are now a pet store as opposed to an aquatic store.
http://www.bigalspets.ca/

Thanks for the heads-up

I still think BA should contact Google and request a change as this could result in lost business for them. They may be able to fix it from Google Analytics as well (if they are signed up)

[lucius]

Oh that's good to know, I wasn't aware.

So, in order to know what I'll find in the store (and the price), either drive there or call first?

For the most part, prices seem to be the same but in-store stock varies.

A perfect example is last weekend during the Black Friday sales they had Fluval canisters for sale starting at $99.  I've never seen Fluval canisters in the store so I asked the person behind the cash.  The Fluval canisters needed to be ordered and that person said that they didn't have pricing.  When I got home, I checked online and it seemed that the smallest Fluval was on sale for $99 and the rest were the same price.  They also had Current HO T5 lamps in the flyer and I've never seen those in the store either.  I couldn't find those online as well so I'm not sure how they were selling them.

[Mike L]

 Don't know weather this matters but last year I went into one of the Big Als in Ottawa and had them price match a Marineland double bright, Ehiem canister pads and several other items offered by a Canadian online store. The light was 40% off what they sell it for. I got the points, the 3 year warranty on the light at the reduced price and only had to pay what I would have paid for shipping which was $10.  This past summer I needed a new heater and the store price matched there online store no questions asked.

[Mark]

I have ordered several times from Big Als online and have received free shipping, fast delivery and when ordering carbon got a discount on a box of six.  If they have nothing to do with the store front chain that is amazing, they even do the rewards point thingy.

[flyingpancake]

This is the Ottawa East store


http://www.bigalscanada.com/Stores/Specials/Fish/Fishspecials_OttawaEast.html

[exv152]

The online store and the franchizes are all competing businesses with separate ownership. Which is why you can't return items to other stores (I think in Ottawa you might because it's the same partners), and you can't use your VIP points card in Toronto for example.  If I have the choice between the online BA or the store front, I would opt for the store front just to help keep them around in the community.

[lucius]

This past summer I needed a new heater and the store price matched there online store no questions asked.

That's weird.  When I started my 90 gallon last summer, the Fluval 406 (can you tell I'm partial to Fluval  ) was on sale online.  I went to Big Al's east and I was told that they can't price match so I ended up buying online.  Mind you, this is the same person I talked to this past weekend and also the same person that sent me to Big Al's west because they couldn't put together the 90 gallon set up I wanted.  Funny thing is that my 90 gallon set up was delivered from Big Al's east.