Ever year, just before the black friday and cyber monday deals, we make a plea to the greater aquarium community to do something for their local reef scene and support their local fish stores. A few years ago we started the #LFSsaturday hash tag but we think there’s potential to go beyond a simple online movement and turn ‘small business Saturday’ into a global holiday at least within the greater aquarium world.
There’s already plenty of reef and fish people who regularly see each other on weekend visits to the aquarium store but what if we took this a step further and made a point to see each other one day every year? We can’t think of a better time than small business Saturday to purposefully go around to all of our local aquarium retailers and show them how much it means to have them in our communities.
Every year we’ve made it our personal mission to do this in the greater Denver area but this year we’re challenging reefers and aquarists all over the world to do the same for their towns and cities. Online vendors have an undeniable role in our acquisition of aquarium gear and livestock but that’s precisely what Cyber Monday is for; let the brick and mortar stores benefit from your patronage this Black Friday and Small Business LFS Saturday.
As we discussed in our latest Session of Reef Therapy, even the average stores or mostly freshwater retail shops can have some quality reef life, aquarium gear, or overgrown fish and corals that have been traded in – sometimes the pricing of frags at a freshwater-focused aquarium store can be much more in line with their wholesale cost since they pay little to no attention to online trends or current market hype. We understand that not every market has a bevy or even a few quality retail aquarium stores, but just like a reef tank, all stores wax and wane in quality, ownership and staffing turns over, and you’ll never know if a once-lamentable establishment has turned over a new leaf unless you stop by and check it out.
Many stores are already stocked up on all the reefing goodies you want to add to your reef tank this winter
You’d also be forgiven for giving in to the fear of missing out over all the big deals being advertised on every virtual aquarium corner but this ain’t the 2010s and the manufacturer discounts being offered to online vendors might be more visible in your browser tab, but deep price cuts on your favorite tanks, lights, and pumps are also available to your local fish stores. Furthermore, if you buy discounted gear at your LFS on Friday or Saturday you won’t have to pay shipping, you’ll get it immediately without worrying about holiday shopping & shipping delays, and you won’t have to worry about any possible damage – instant gratification!
We’ve seen promotions for retail aquarium stores all around the country that are already fully stocked on valuable gear from Sicce, Aquavitro, EcoTech, AquaIllumination, Kessil, Neptune Systems, Red Sea, MaxSpect and all the pricey devices that will enjoy generous once-a-year price cuts. If you’re the impatient type, or don’t want to risk any shipping delays and you want to do something great for your local shops please help us in celebrating #LFSSaturday and we look forward to seeing everyone out in the real world this weekend!
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