Going to get rich!

[ctrlfreq]

people love the convenience of internet banking, but when it really comes down to it, 90% of the customers would still like to go into the branch for most banking functions.

I think that's a bit apple-and-orange-ish, since banking is a service, whereas pet stores are in to providing goods. A better comparison may be one of online music stores vs. their physical counterparts, which are largely non-existent these days. When the option is available to browse and locate the best product at the best price, while in your underwear, the majority of people will choose to do that.

[Gloryhound]

In all honesty I think a combination of the two is what it will take. Also you don't have to pay a lot extra for a store front. You just have to be careful when selecting the real estate you plan to call home and make sure it is zoned correctly. I went directly to RDR and picked up our double het for VPI snow. Loved the person to person interaction. While Ralph does not have a store front, I enjoyed the ability to walk around and see the facilities he has and . Also it was great just meeting him in person. Online I was a little miffed as he doesn't come across as well as he does in person. As my job moves sends me here and there I hope to have the chance to meet other breeders in person as well. One guy I really want to meet in person in Michael Cole. He has been a big help and I would love to actually put an actual person with all the help he has given us!

Also a store front doesn't have to be a full blown pet store or reptile store even for that matter. Just a place that allows people to come in and see!

[dsirkle]

The real competition to businesses whether they be storefront or Internet as I see it are the shows or expo's offering lower end pricing, no shipping costs, low overhead, and often no sales tax. Store owners often seem to have a plan that they will sell a customer a reptile, some type of glass tank and accessories and then continue a relationship with the customer by supplying them food. All that stuff can be obtained at a show for half the cost or less which most customers soon figure out. The overhead of operating a store makes it impossible to match or beat show prices. I am not trying to be negative but I think that it would be a very rough row to hoe to shepherd a retail store through the first 3 years particularly as we seem to be headed into a recession. I think that anyone starting a store had better go into it with eyes wide open.

[Colin Vestrand]

I think that's a bit apple-and-orange-ish, since banking is a service, whereas pet stores are in to providing goods.

an excellent point...
as an employee of one of the largest banks in the US though, i gotta say, we treat everything as retail. it's kind of an in between... we are not nearly as much of a 'service' industry as say, a plumbing company or cell phone provider... something like that.
either way, i guess my point is that there will always be stores and my thought is that reptiles will always be interesting enough that people would rather see them in person than online. once they're in the door, the rest is up to you as the owner.

[Ben_Renick]

I'd say go for it and good luck if you decide to!

Granted it always costs a lot of money to start up any business, but if you balance your time, money, and effort properly you can succeed on a budget.

I'd say there will always be a need for retail. If you can carry the right products, animals, services, and find a good location with a nice customer base around the area, I think you should be absolutly fine.

But I can agree with most others that it's a tough operation to pull off with still offering low pricing with the overhead of owning a retail shop. But I think it would just depend on what you are carrying and breeding on your own (breeding mice and rats is a great + for a pet store, even for pets and not just food). There are many other things aside from exotic reptiles, such as Aquatics, Small Animals, Dogs, Cats, etc.

I can tell you there are millions of people that spend unimaginable amounts of money on their pets, especially in the dog and cat area.

Anyways, good luck!

[littleindiangirl]

Unfortunately, don't most pet stores rely on selling goods over animals to pay the bills so to speak?

[nevohraalnavnoj]

A fellow herper, an ex-pet store owner, said he was always torn between his $300+ electricity bill and selling a snake to some total dufus who he knew wouldn't take good care of it. I think as a business you'd have to take the sale, but I think that's one advantage to having a lower overhead...you can not make the sale and you're okay.

JonV

[joepythons]

A fellow herper, an ex-pet store owner, said he was always torn between his $300+ electricity bill and selling a snake to some total dufus who he knew wouldn't take good care of it. I think as a business you'd have to take the sale, but I think that's one advantage to having a lower overhead...you can not make the sale and you're okay.

JonV

I know a couple that has a pet store and refuses to sell certain snakes(those that get large) to anyone with kids.They barely eat and struggle to pay the bills each month because of it.So if you love to eat and pay your bills you basicly have to make the sale when it comes about.

[Sputnik]

Pet stores don't really make much off of reptiles, but they do off of reptile supplies and feeders.

[JoshJP7]

Over my past experiences with pet stores I have to say if you want to stay in business you MUST have knowledge on ALL the animals you sell... Too many stores try to sell everyone who buys a snake a 100$ glass tank to make money when they know(or shouldnt know) that a plasict rubbermaid tub is probably the best fit for the snake. Know what the animals really need to survive and only sell that.

I think more customers will support your store if you display the image that you're not out there to make money(which we obviously know isnt true), you're out there to give the animals great homes and great lives. Ive been to too many stores where the owners dont care when the animal they sold you last week died. Its even better when you realize over time the reason your animal died is bc the person selling it told you BS on the care to get you to buy other crap you didnt need!