In Living Color trip

[wds21921]

I decided today to take the ride up to check out In Living Color located in Marlton New Jersey.
The trip started out fine and it was a little tough to find being as the numerical addresses go back in forth in a few areas before you actually get to it.
In some of the posts on another website I saw they were open until 9pm on Saturdays. Excellent I thought.
When I arrived at 5:45 pm the lights were off and the doors were locked. To the best of my sight there wasn't a soul in there.
On there door was a sign that read NEW SUMMER HOURS.
Ugh, an hour and a half later and a quarter tank of gas round trip for this? The hours were listed as Saturday 10am-6pm. Granted it was 15 mins to closing time but it said 6pm not 5:45 pm or earlier.

I'd like to give them a good review but I can't to be honest. It was a wasted trip and wasted money. I could have called ahead of time but most businesses stick to there posted time schedules. I wasn't too happy about arriving there and seeing they had a NEW set of hours for the summer months.
I'll bite my tongue on this one and not review it at all in fairness.

I can say though it will be a while before I go back.

[kaptken]

sorry to hear about the wasted trip. with the cost of fuel these days i call ahead to not only see if they are open but if they have what i might be looking for. it's saved me some bogus trips.

[JerseyReef]

wds21921 - IMO, you didn't miss much. I live within walking distance and I check them out from time to time, just to see if the tank conditions have improved, they haven't.

The livestock tanks are always coated with blue/green algae and cyno. Nearly every trip, I'm come across a floater or one close to it.

The only kudos they should get is from the unique SPS/Clam tanks they have up front, but that's about it.

I don't know if they read this forum, but here's some advice:


Increase the flow/turnover rate in the livestock tanks. The water is nearly stagnate!
Improve the filtration of the livestock tanks
Remove the floaters when they occur. If you want to sell fish, floaters are big turnoff to any customer.
Carry more dry goods and carry stuff people want!

[wds21921]

Yes Ken, that probably would have been the best solution in hindsight but I expect a business to be open when they're scheduled to be open. They were closed earlier than even there SUMMER HOURS schedule stated.
They've lost my business for a while at least. I'll go to a store that's open when they say there going to be open. As a consumer, it's there job to cater to me (within reason). I don't ask for anything over and above what someone else might, just simple courtesy.

[wds21921]

Thanks Mike, I'm not into the clams so much so that nice part isn't an incentive for me.

You've reaffirmed my trip elsewhere too. :)

[MadTownMax]

ouch - sorry to hear it

No consolation trip to aquarium center on blackwood pike? (about 20-30 mins away) :(

[wds21921]

Perhaps later Nick.

Locally (or at least semi-locally), the diversity seems to be spreading out in some of the stores :).

Even better is Nano who has given me an awsome source to get some incredible zoas.