Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well Ive spent the last few weeks working at the store, trying to get everything ready for the opening in less then a week. I took theese pics last night, as you can see I still have a ton of work left.

I got most of the boaphile cages moved in yesterday, and I must say they are going to look very nice indeed.

Mickey Hinkle
The Lizard King Reptiles

Lizard King Web Page

I almost hate to admit it, but thoose display case were in a friends shed, and basement for a few years. The ones in the shed had rats living in them, and were full of droppings.

The ones in the basement used to have blackthroat monitors in them, so anyone whos kept monitors knows what they were like.

However nothing a few gallons of bleach couldnt take care of....LMAO.

Mickey

Theese pictures all showed the area of the "supply store".

My concept, and opinions would be appreciated, will be to allow people into the "supply store" for free, but they will have to pay to get into the "live store".

Mickey

This room, and the room in the background will both be "live animal" rooms. People will have to pay a 3$ fee to get into theese rooms. However with ANY purchase the 3$ would go towards it.

My thinking is, due to limited parking, and the VERY EXOTIC nature of the animals in the store (albino boas, ghosts, chameleons, high end geckos,ect) people would be willing to bone up to see the live.

However we have allready had a couple of remarks about "your going to charge to get into a pet shop" and Im starting to worry the plan is flawed.

Any opinions would be great.

Mickey

I really like the "flow" of the set up.

On the wood frame you see to the right will sit approx 30 avt cages. They are black terrarium aquariums, very classy looking. I hope they will match right into the flow of the room.

For the smaller live room I plan to have Daniel from Scales build me a few large custom screen type cages. It should be a very nice looking place when Im done.

I still have 6 other good size rooms plus a few odd ball rooms, so I have plenty of space for backstock, rodents, ect. Its going to be fun.

Mickey Hinkle
The Lizard King Reptiles

http://www.thelizardkingreptiles.com

I wish you luck Mickey, the store looks like it has some good potential.. Regarding the keeping of the high end boas in clear view of the public eye, I don't know if that is the greatest idea. It will allow open knowledge of what you are keeping, and what is worth stealing.. Also the fee to enter the live section is a bad idea imo. I personally would refuse to go to a petshop that "charged admittance".

Good luck.
Later
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Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com
You never experience life until you have kids, then you realize what you should have done rather then what you did do

Yeah, I don't know about the charging....also, you probably wouldn't have any trouble with the snakes in the public eye as long as you had enough insurance coverage for all the expensive stuff if it were to get stolen.....keeping immaculate records of your animals would be required for this. Also, a good idea would be an alarm system, as well as seperate locks on all the cages, and locks for all the seperate rooms...you know? I've been thinking about opening my own pet store as well....let me tell you, it's a scary endeavor. Lots of research to do before I even go any further with my idea though. Your store looks like it would be a great place though. Keep up the good work. GOOD LUCK!

Just wanted to say good luck with everything, and keep in touch
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http://accforum.proboards23.com/

It all looks fantastic. You are going to be living my dream.

The only thing that could be better is you could say this store is in New Orleans and you want some help running it.

=)

Best of luck and keep us updated with the progress.

P.S. - If the enclosures are done professionally, you should charge a $3 fee for the room entry. It's not that much. Plus you can try the fee with "Free Fridays" where you have a daily special/sale, etc. and/or promotions.

The prospects of this all are wonderful.

I am very excited for you.
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-Iman

1.1 Sugar Gliders
2.0 Balls (Spot and Speck)
0.1 Colombian BCI (Belle)
1.0 Colombian Rainbow (Rex)

Loving to Learn
Learning to Help
Helping to Love

That store Is looking good. You are living the dream..
To be honest If I was told there was a fee I wouldn't pay to enter a certain area of a store. I likely would go to another (I like browsing). I think allowing people to see the herps (no charge) would bring more business.

While I understand you points, I think I should address a few things here.

One- As far as other stores go, I am not worried about that. For starters I supply a good number of the local shops, so I know exactly what they have. And I assure you its nothing near what I will carry.

Two- Its going to be far more then a "pet shop". We hope to create a fully interative reptile experience...LMAO. We are going to have a online center for customers to price check, reference check, and search for care sheets, ect. Were also going to have a "herp library" that we will allow customers to sit and read in a comfortable area. They can also check out reference material.

Three- The displays will be more like a zoo set up then a pet shop. As such it will require more time and effort for us to care for the animals. As such we hope to cut down on "window shopping" by installing the fee.

Four- Security. As funny as it sounds we hope the "fee" will weed out the undesirables. We are located in a very "urban" location, as such alot of walk in traffic is likely to be bums, crooks, and drug addicts. We hope by installing the fee, we will not allow them into the back room. As such they will not see the "value" that will be in the store, and will not get any ideas to rob the place.

But as I said before, its highly likely the idea will not work. However with what we plan to carry, I would like to hope it would. Wouldnt you rather support a HERP SPECIALTY shop, that cares about its animals, and is knowladegable about its products. If part of supporting that store means you have to pay a "refundable viewing fee" dont you think thats a small price to pay.

Lastly we only have 4 parking spots called out, and are on the bussiest street in the city. As such we hope the fee will free up parking by encouraging people to come when they are serious about spending rather then to "see the free zoo". We also plan to install a feature where as, if you have to park up the street, you will get a reduced or free entrance. That way people see we are serious about trying to free up parking for quick acess to the supply store.

Mickey Hinkle
The Lizard King Reptiles

Well, Regal Reptiles in RI charges 5.00 for entry into the animal viewing areas. Honestly, if you plan on buying, its a bargin cause you dont have to deal with LOTS of people, cause it definitely cuts down on the people that have no intention OF buying, and at the same time, if you do buy, they give your 5.00 back as a credit towards your purchase, so its a win / win situation. So dont stress about the 3.00 youd be charging... its a bargin! GOOD LUCK!!!

Maybe you will be weeding out people who will never buy reptiles, or maybe you will be weeding out potential future buyers who have only been to other petshops that DO NOT charge for entering the animal rooms. How can you honestly say that someone will not buy anything UNLESS they pay a fee. Maybe they will see the fee as a hassle and go somewhere else. I think you will lose more money with charging a fee. Your job, as a retail salesperson, is to have more knowledge, be friendlier, and offer more supplies than your competitors. If you are already putting the customer in the hole $3 before the even see what you have, you may be in for a world of hurt. I take care of 200 exotic pets at a petshop I have been working at for 6 years. We have some rare and expensive animals that people just stop by to see every now and then. All it takes is one of the "window shoppers" to finally spend $2000 in your store where they have been browsing for the last 4 years. It happens ALOT more than you may realize. Don't weed ANYONE out by $$, just use common sense. You can refuse the right to serve anyone. Just my $.02
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Derek Roberts
Sonoran Reptile
sonoranreptile@earthlink.net

One quick idea I had would be to make the entrance fee a monthly or 3 month pass. This way someone can buy the pass and come back as often as they want for that time period. This will encourage the type of window shopping that results in aquiring customers that would normally be on the fence, while keeping out the undesirables. Then if a customer buys an animal within that time period the fee goes towards the animal. This would also encourage those window shoppers to return more often to get the most out of their pass, which might result in a few more sales. I would probably pay the fee no matter what cause you have a damn nice set up there. I wish there was something that elaborate in my area. However, not all your customers will be herp addicts like myself. Of course if you use my idea I expect a lifetime pass! j/k

Hi Mickey,
you probably don't know me or who I am but I lived in Omaha for a long time & was involved in the Herp Society for many years & know a lot of the herpers there still. I worked for a pet supply wholesaler & I sold to pet shops in a 6 state area for a long time while I was there. I've seen a ton of them come & go. It was a good experience. The wholesale outfit was owned by the Fish Bowl. I don't know if you remember them, it might have been before your time, but it was an EXTREMELY successfull retail pet shop. I knew the owners well & worked with them closely for years. I learned a lot about success while I was there. Here's my opinion on why I don't think your idea of charging people to see your animals for sale is a good one. These are just my opinions mind you, nothing personal, & I wish you ahead of time the best of luck at your new venture...I wish it was there when I was there in fact...unless I had to pay to see it.
First, I, as an experienced herper, probably have, or have had, as good a collection as you'll ever have at your retail store. Same goes with a lot of folks there. I doubt that you'll have anything worth paying to see frankly, that I havn't seen already anyway. I'd love to be proven wrong though. I was just up at Pete Kahls place. I'll bet he has a little better collection than your going to have there. Did he charge me to see it? Heck no. That's why I spent money with him too, kinda felt obligated in a way. Interesting psycology. The other thing you've got to look at is, as a customer, why would I pay you to give you money? I'm not going to pay you to see if there is anything I want to buy from you. If I am a customer that comes in every week to get feeders lets say (which is what you want), or because I like to hang out at the local herp store( again, what you want), you mean I have to pay you every time just to browse the place? Not gonna happen. A lot of sales happen that way too. Most purchases are impulse purchases in this business. Bottom line is they have to like being in, and coming to your store. It's not the customers fault that you opened in an area that has a lot of drug addicts & undesirables (what, no prostitutes? You got ripped !!!), or that you only have 4 parking spaces. I would question the validity of opening there in the first place, but it sounds to me that you have a lot of cool space there, so it will probably over-ride the fact that you will get undesireables walking in. That's really kind of a fact of life in a retail store if your in an urban setting. Also, man (!) you want to encourage people to come into your store, not discourage them ! When I first heard your idea, I was offended frankly. It kinda got my dander up if you know what I mean, being from there and all. The local herpers ARE NOT the people you want to offend ! You should PAY THEM to come into your store, not the other way around, like every other retail business ! Retailers spend a lot of money getting people to come into their store. That's a sound business decision, trying hard (advertising=paying) to get people to come into your store. I can guarentee you, it will not fly in Omaha, Nebraska. New York, maybe. Omaha, no.
Where abouts in Omaha is your store going to be anyway? Dodge street?
I hope you didn't take any of this personal. I really wish you all the best. I hope you plan to have a lot of hard goods, a good constant supply of all kinds of feeders (get em hooked !), and lots & lots of awesome animals that are kept healthy & spotless all the time. Anything less & you'll most likely fail. I've seen it a million times in the pet business. Most businesses fail either due to improper management or lack of funding - they just simply can't fully supply their operations. Don't fall into that trap !!! Charge the drunks, not the customers ! And certainly not the prostitutes !!!
Just my 2 cents.
Paul Edwards

I have customers that come in the store everyday. I mean EVERYDAY! I can almost set my atch by them as well. I am in charge of the reptile, amphibian, arachnid and bird departments. I cannot tell you how many of our regular feeder customers impulse buy animals. Not impule buying in a bad way as alot are experineced keepers, but they see something they HAVE to have or something their brother HAS to have. If the don't see it, it ain't going to get bought. Customers who are regulars who purchase feeders and supplies will not pay $3 every time they come into the store just to see the animals. Once they have seen them all, the thrill is over....unless thee is something NEW that they want. That is where my job comes in. I tell the folks I know that are into tarantulas that we have new stuff, or someone who likes Aussie pythons about our new baby JCP's that they may not have seen last week. You HAVE to give access to your inventory to everyone free of charge or you WILL miss out on more sales that you can guess. Retail reptiles store might be one of the hardest specialty shop to be successful in. It took our store 3 years to turn a profit and that was 20 years ago when we were the only ones in town! I admire your endeavor, Mickey! I hope all goes well. Derek
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Derek Roberts
Sonoran Reptile
sonoranreptile@earthlink.net

If your competitors are drowning and they aren't charging a fee, then what will happen to you if you do? If you must charge a fee though, have it be for the reptiles you don't want to sell and not for the ones that you want to sell... but,I think that this is what you were getting at, right? Oh and if I'm not mistaken, the reptile shop in my area has weekend get togethers for herp owners/lovers (or anyone interested) at our local park (weather permitting), and also has educational dealy bobs at schools and in their store, etc... and they don't charge anything. It is good advertising for the store though and more people come to watch because it's free. See where this is leading?

Just another 2 cents
MissHisssss

My competitors are drowning in overhead because of the locations they have chosen.

The location I chose, while not upscale is far from ghetto. However it is near alot of "college bars" and a large number of apartments, ect, that are low end on the rent side. However it directly in the path of the "high end" customers who will be driving towards downtown.

My competitors are paying two to three times as much just in overhead in there stores, and most do not have nearly the drive by traffic that I do.

Also none of them are herp friendly or knowladgeable for that matter. Alot of them spend soo much on overhead they cannot risk buying anything out of the ordinary, as most of the employees cannot care for herps to begin with.

Beyond that most are infested with mites. As such no one with a clue about herps buys from any of the local stores.

Well opening day is less then a week away, and I guess time will tell if the idea flies or not.

Mickey

The location I chose, while not upscale is far from ghetto. However it is near alot of "college bars" and a large number of apartments, ect, that are low end on the rent side. However it directly in the path of the "high end" customers who will be driving towards downtown.

"My competitors are paying two to three times as much just in overhead in there stores, and most do not have nearly the drive by traffic that I do.

Also none of them are herp friendly or knowladgeable for that matter. Alot of them spend soo much on overhead they cannot risk buying anything out of the ordinary, as most of the employees cannot care for herps to begin with.

Beyond that most are infested with mites. As such no one with a clue about herps buys from any of the local stores.

Well opening day is less then a week away, and I guess time will tell if the idea flies or not."

These are all selling points that should help with your competitors. THIS is how you get into the retail business. Be smarter, cleaner, and just plain better in every aspect you can. Don't do something negative(like charging to see what is for sale) among so many positives. Like anything in life, most people remember the negatives. Derek
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Derek Roberts
Sonoran Reptile
sonoranreptile@earthlink.net

I will try and respond to all the points here so I dont flood out the forum.

First I am not offended at all by anyones opinions, thats why I asked.

While I agree I "should" have gotten a place with a bigger lot, or better neighborhood, lets be realistic. I have 7 competitors in town who are doing it that way, and failing. They pay SOO much for overhead and employees that they are drowning in their own fat.

Paul, yes I am on aprox 50th and Dodge, so you know the kind of traffic Im talking about.

While I agree I will not have the most exotic stuff around, I do have more exotic stuff then all the other shops. I also have far more exotic stuff then most of the people in town. That being said there is always the exeption. And your example of Pete Kahl, while a great one, is a bit different, and yes Im sure he has WAY more then I could imagine.

Stuart the museum idea is right up the alley of where Im trying to go with this. Maybe when I get everything set up some more people will see what Im getting at. My main shop area will have all the "walk in customer" animals right out for everyone to see free. Also the feeders, supplies, ect will be free to get access to. As such the "pet shop" portion of the store will be lacking nothing in comparison the any shop in the area. However the added bonus is the "other rooms" and people will have to pay to see them. However as stated before ANY 3$ purchase would go towards addmission. And it will likely be 3$ per car, not person. And any car NOT PARKED in the lot will be discounted or comped.

Also a few points I left out.

Herp Society members automaticly get free access PERIOD.

Everyone in the beggining will get free access by signing up to a mailing list (a way for me to get id's and info).

I was robbed before in this town, badly, and I dont want it to happen again. As such I am very paranoid.

Now to Randy saying its not a good idea to keep the stuff at the shop. Well I have to question that one also. My wife and I will be working full time at the shop. As such keeping the animals at my house would set them up for easy stealing from here. Also with the measure Ive taken at the store, it will be far more secure then my house is. All the windows at the shop are barred on the inside. The door is barred. There are two sets of alarms to the building outer and inner. I will be installing a LARGE number if cameras in the joint, going to the internet for myself to watch when at home, and the building in concrete blocks. All of this leads me to feel that they are safer from a "theft standpoint" then at home.

That all being said, now you have me questioning the logic, and I may have to free it up. But that was something I figured from the beggining. When discussing it with other shops, we figured the best route would be to announce it from the beggining, and then not require it if nothing else. As if we had opened, and then one day said "OK NOW YOU HAVE TO PAY" people would really get mad. Who knows.

Mickey Hinkle
The Lizard King Reptiles

I just have three things to say. 1. The fee idea is stupid. 2. You should have gotten a place with a bigger parking lot. And, 3. What makes you think that charging a fee will keep out the crooks, drug addicts and all the other people you don't want in your store? They'd have more money than you're average joe has to blow on browsing.

Just my 2 cents...
MissHisssss

it seems like you are offering a bit more than just a pet shop. i would think the fee should not be a problem as it is only a small fee and for it they are not seeing normal animals from a pet shop but rather more exotic animals such as one would see at a reptile zoo as well as access to all the information and such. i believe that it would work out as they charge to get into pet expos and such. something to think about might be like a childrens fee or something because a place like that might be nice for people in the city such as a babysitter to take their kids to.

I haven't read what others said in their replies BUT I would be willing to bet that other serious boa keepers would NOT argue a $3 fee simply based on the fact that they know the hard work and efforts put into keeping reptiles.

HOWEVER, I think you will loose out overall b/c MOST people make impulse purchases. The whole reptile business is based on impulse purchases which is why herp shows have become so popular (& crowded). Herp show sponsors usually charge the fees to cover rent or liability insurance or whatever costs are involved (I simply don't know).

I could understand if you an educational institution or a nature center or conservation facility, fine, then charge a fee, BUT & this is strickly my opinion, I would allow people in there for FREE b/c you will have an opportunity to appeal to more consumers that way. I would fear that most would see it as nothing else than pure greed for profit. Heck, I would pay $3, but I am seriously into herps. If I brought ANY of my friends or family into your store, I'd be going solo into that back room since they wouldn't pay it.

It may limit you to serious herpers only -or- who knows. I would recommend some type of sign stating "Donations Accepted" and give the donors a way to personalize the experience by allowing them to sponser breeder animals that are not for sale OR by placing a plaque or sign on the wall indicating a varying degree or level depending on the amount a donation. I think you would get more money in the long run this way and people would be more sympathetic to the cause (& cost) of keeping exotic animals.

Good luck with whatever you decide and the store looks VERY nice!
-Jason

(ps...one more thing...I would be sure to have some sort of sign in system for people entering the back room so that you can have a record in case there is ever theft or "shrinkage" (the term used in retail).

ALSO....one more thing...you could even have a monthly raffle & offer customers a chance to buy a ticket (for whatever price you set) and give away a free animal or some supplies each month.

It would entice repeat business since people may want to know what is going to be raffled off in upcoming months...

Ok, this time I'm done..no more ideas...peace, jason
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www.members.aol.com/northeastsnakes

Everyone is thinking Pet "Store" if you opened as a "Museum" people would expect to pay a fee to enter. So the museum happens to sell merchandise they rarely dont. Check out how much it would cost to get a museum license. You also would be more exempt from laws if you are museum status. Any how. Keep the stuff thats not for sale and spectacular in the museum section. Keep the babies for sale out in the store part. If you want to make money you can then start bussing classes from school in for tours and demonstrations. Say a charge of $200 per class. See if you could sign up tours for 2 classes a day. Youd be set. Just my thoughts. I ve kicked around the museum thing for a while and still have it in mind. Of course I m thinking Albino and Luecistic gators, giant white retics, incredible enclosures, stuff like that. Well good luck! And congrats to you! Hope you do really well.

I like the idea about doing demo's for kids. You could even make some sort of summer herp "learning' program for kids interested in learning whats involved with herpetology & husbandry. For a fee, parents could drop their kids off for a hands-on educational experience & you could help with caring for your collection AND you would be appealing to future customers and maybe even part time employees when they're working age. I don't know what insurance would be involved but it could be fun, especially if you know (&can teach) a lot of stuff about herps....I always love sharing knowledge of herps with interested kids.

I guess my point is simply this...its easy to charge a flat fee BUT you have an opportunity to work with herps for a living so why not make it fun and THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX when it comes to covering costs/expenses involved in business operations.

just my 2cents again.
-jason
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www.members.aol.com/northeastsnakes

In your area, it might be the ticket. You can modify as you go-it's your store. My only thought is, generally speaking, the type of person who would spend top dollar for a designer snake might be less inclined to patronize an establishment in the area you describe. Unless you can hook them with a really good website first, which you mentioned. Keep that website current.