Anniversary Sale

Well, today was another new experience for me. Today was the 6 year anniversary of Exotic Aquatics here in Plano, Texas. Part of the reason I am in the DFW area again was to be a part of their 6th anniversary sale. I got to the shop at 8 this morning, priced my items that were left over from yesterday, and buckled in for what I figured was going to be a busy day.

The shop opened at 9, and we had about 3 customers waiting outside for the employees to unlock the door. The shop was well staffed, in fact probably overstaffed to fend off the oncoming horde. Unfortunately, the turn out was pretty weak. I am absolutely sure that the economy had an effect on the turn out, but I was secretly hoping for a giant rush at some point in the day.

I spoke with several customers, helped them with their tank issues, but mostly, wandered aimlessly around the shop, fixating on the livestock every now and then. It was an interesting group of people that were in the shop, from the look-y-loos, to the hardcore hobbyists. The shop was well stocked with a nice array of livestock that the guys had hand picked from LA. I was there along with the Marineland Rep, and the shop's Central Pet rep. The 3 of us had a good laugh and a bit of enlightening industry banter, which helped to pass the time.

When the inevitable customer blitzes' did pepper the day, I got to suit up and help the staff catch and bag fish and coral. It was a nice trip down memory lane, and felt good to get elbow (and sometime armpit) deep in the brine once again. I even sealed the deal on a $300+ light fixture that a customer purchased just so he could buy a couple of anemones!

What did amaze me was the price of the livestock. I don't know if it is because of the Dallas market, or if the guys at the shop can just get a higher mark up because of the clientele, but Jee-Bus! The anniversary event included across the board discounts on Livestock and Dry Goods (35% and 25% respectively) so I don't know if the price was inflated to account for this, but I couldn't believe the price that some people were paying for coral colonies, etc. More power to them! Maybe this is why they have been in business for 6 years, and Don's barely made it to 2!

I finally left the shop at about 5 during a bit of a lull, but I hope that everything went well for the crew. I know that they all had been busting their ass for the last week. They are running the sale again tomorrow, but the deals aren't quite as good. I have tomorrow off, so I am going to relax and take in the marvel that is Dallas, TX! Ill let you know what I find tomorrow!

Cheers~!