Boxing Day Sales!

[SteveConn]

NOTE BY MODERATOR: These threads have been moved here to continue the discussion.

The "sales" this year are pitiful, just knocking off 10-15% if even that most places I've looked. Anyone find a place that has better deals local or online?

Sure miss Big Als salt sale! Would always buy my salt this time of year.

[Skim]

I guess Big Al's did not have a Salt sale. I tried to tell people not to expect any great sales as the stores are so tight to their margins to stay competitive. If you think its bad now wait tell the new year. Carbon Tax so you know shipping will go up so that means everything will go up and they talking about our Dollar dropping to as low as 55 to 65 cents. This reminds me of last time the Dollar dropped really low and a bunch of Companies took advantage of it to move south. I would not be surprised to see prices on some equipment going up by 20 to 30 %, soon a box Instant Ocean will be $90.00. If these things do happen I think I will closing down the Reef Tank and making it Planted Community Tank, back to some more simpler times.

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

[DKoKoMan]

The "sales" this year are pitiful, just knocking off 10-15% if even that most places I've looked. Anyone find a place that has better deals local or online?

Sure miss Big Als salt sale! Would always buy my salt this time of year.

Big Al's in Edmonton had a salt sale for Boxing Day, bought 3 pails. Strange that it wasn't across the board.

[SteveConn]

Big Als closed down in Calgary a few months back.
I get stores are wanting their profit margins, but there's a fine line between profits and pricing people out and decreasing their overall profits as a result. Too bad we rely so much on US markets, that surely cant be helping.
I've noticed Canreef seems to be quieter now, especially here in Calgary.

[Myka]

I'm moving part of another discussion to this thread...

Continue discussion. :)

[iceman86]

I didn't even bother with boxing day this year. I checked the online stores and they had small sales on stuff you don't always consume, cleaning stuff, filter socks, nets, a couple bucks off already jacked up equipment etc. Nothing enticing to pull the trigger on. I usually load up on my consumables on boxing day, like bulbs, salts, carbon, zeovit, etc. Local sales were OK on live stock but it's the same sales they put out often year round since the hobby took a tumble.

[somafish]

Pisces still had salt for $40 like usual. Buying salt at big als was always a hassle, $50 with a $10 mail in rebate. I know some of the stores didn't get all the livestock they were expecting, because of the cold snap we had before Christmas.
Concept is building me a 70 gallon frag tank, euro top,external overflow, 2 drains 2 returns for a very good price. Got a Bariene tang for $60.

[somafish]

Oh and Wai's has 20% off Zeovit Supplies and carries just about the entire Aquaforest line which is priced like a sale naturally

[DKoKoMan]

Pisces still had salt for $40 like usual. Buying salt at big als was always a hassle, $50 with a $10 mail in rebate. I know some of the stores didn't get all the livestock they were expecting, because of the cold snap we had before Christmas.
Concept is building me a 70 gallon frag tank, euro top,external overflow, 2 drains 2 returns for a very good price. Got a Bariene tang for $60.

True statement... the $10 mail in rebate only applies to 1 pail :neutral:

[DKoKoMan]

Oh and Wai's has 20% off Zeovit Supplies and carries just about the entire Aquaforest line which is priced like a sale naturally

Aquaforest was on sale at the LFS in Edmonton.

[zhasan]

Big Als closed down in Calgary a few months back.
I get stores are wanting their profit margins, but there's a fine line between profits and pricing people out and decreasing their overall profits as a result. Too bad we rely so much on US markets, that surely cant be helping.
I've noticed Canreef seems to be quieter now, especially here in Calgary.

Agree with you on the forum being much quieter. I think it's across the board.

There used to be a lot more activity with folks sharing ideas and updating journals.

[smokinreefer]

I was hoping to save a few dollars on ati bulbs...
Haven't seen them on sale.

[Myka]

The weak Canadian dollar is making margins smaller for retailers. Cost of goods (inc livestock) has gone up about 30% in the last 18 months or so just due to the dollar, and retail pricing certainly hasn't gone up that much. That just means the LFS has less wiggle room to put things on sale. Suppliers haven't been offering many sales this year to the retailers, so that isn't helping either. Despite all this, there are still lots of good deals in the LFS's this week though!

[kyl]

I think most of the stores do the best they can considering almost every manufacturer seems to be running MAP requirements to sell their goods these days.

[GQsmooth]

Even the online Canadian retailers like JL and reefsupplies didn't have any blowout deals on equipment or supplies. Very sad as I was hoping to find some amazing deals.

[duncangweller]

I dropped the ball fairly substantially thinking JL would discount ATI fixtures the same as they did on black Friday.....They didn't!

[smokinreefer]

I think most of the stores do the best they can considering almost every manufacturer seems to be running MAP requirements to sell their goods these days.

Completely understand, but consumers have always been used to getting some deals on Boxing Day.

Even the online Canadian retailers like JL and reefsupplies didn't have any blowout deals on equipment or supplies. Very sad as I was hoping to find some amazing deals.

Agreed. I was hoping to get a few things at even 10% off.

I dropped the ball fairly substantially thinking JL would discount ATI fixtures the same as they did on black Friday.....They didn't!

Oh man, I hear you. I saw the prices then and expected the same for Boxing Day as well.

Having said that, I am fully prepared to give my LFSs a good chunk of change when I set up my tank. The same stores that have served me well since I started the hobby, they deserve our support or they'll disappear.

[DKoKoMan]

I agree with the loyalty to the solid LFS that have been there through thick and thin. Most of the time they will be comparable or offer something close to online price and maybe throw in extras with your purchase.

[RobsReefRoom]

i thought pisces did a good job this year being stocked and having almost everything in the fish section at least 25% off

golds also did a good job with there buy one regular priced fish or coral and your next for 50% off (happening all week he said)

Wais, great selection, but rarely do i see deals on coral so that was a bummer on boxing day

concepts, small selection on fish and corals, but amazing prices, and i picked up a couple rare items i would not have got at other stores, good deals on boxing day too i thought

also ordered from marine experence online, they had good sales on corals but half of the site was sold out by the time i got to pick what i wanted

calgary for me was a sold 9/10 i think, i put in the effort and went to everystore and tried to buy something from everyone.

[Myka]

calgary for me was a sold 9/10 i think, i put in the effort and went to everystore and tried to buy something from everyone.

That's great! I think the best deals are usually in-store rather than online. :)

[ramasule]

I agree with the loyalty to the solid LFS that have been there through thick and thin. Most of the time they will be comparable or offer something close to online price and maybe throw in extras with your purchase.


Which LFS is selling AF now?

[Reef Pilot]

Well, I did my part with a large online order to J&L. Prices weren't that great, but I needed to stock up on supplies. I usually order something from Reef Supplies out east, but not this year, as I just didn't see anything I need, for a good price there.

I think in general Boxing Day sales were not that great this year. Lower loonie hurts, and probably Black Friday is gaining. I am sure retailers are struggling to make a decent profit.

And with the high cost of our equipment, supplies, corals and fish, I think our hobby may be losing some appeal, too. Plus the economy may be affecting many as well, and spending priorities need to shift. And that will probably not get better here in Canada the next couple years.

[DKoKoMan]

Which LFS is selling AF now?

Aquarium Illusions.

[Coasting]

J&L did 25% off all livestock. Pretty damn good id say and way better then 0% off livestock.
I waited a few months for more fish knowing this was around the corner.
Plus if they die i dont feel as bad ;)

Most other stuff was 15% or so and i was going to buy cerrain things regardless of them being on sale or not. So even if i only saved a few cents on the $3 fish net Im happy about it. :)

[DKoKoMan]

J&L did 25% off all livestock. Pretty damn good id say and way better then 0% off livestock.
I waited a few months for more fish knowing this was around the corner.
Plus if they die i dont feel as bad ;)

Most other stuff was 15% or so and i was going to buy cerrain things regardless of them being on sale or not. So even if i only saved a few cents on the $3 fish net Im happy about it. :)

I agree, anything is better then paying the everyday regular price :mrgreen:

[zhasan]

I made a major purchase this Boxing Day. Certainly the higher amount I've ever spent in this hobby in one day.

I was hoping for a little better deals on some stuff but didn't seem to be the case this Boxing Day. With that said, I think this is the case all around.

Even if you take electronics for example, I didn't find any jaw dropping deals in any of the flyers. Part of it also has to do with the need. I wasn't looking to buy any electronics so I wasn't convinced that anything out there was a good deal... however, I think if I was in the market for a tv this Boxing Day, i would've convinced myself for something to be a good deal.

While I was a little disappointed with LFS Boxing Day sales, I also feel for the LFS owners as the economy is having an impact on their business as well and they're out there to make money so we shouldn't be expecting the stars and the moon from them. Hopefully the economy will turn around and it'll be a thriving hobby all over again.

[squamishbc]

I didn't find the online sales that grand, bought a few things on J & L's website though.

I have no local fish store, and no longer drive, so I wasn't able to venture into the city to check the local stores out.

[Trigger Man]

I hear about the low dollar and margins being an issue affecting sales, however as I was an owner in the retail sector for a decade, I believe one should still reward their customers on a few occasions a year. That being said, the first year we had a store open we ran boxing day sales similar to how the US does black Friday sales. However we noticed all of our competitors running very low discounts and typically only on multiple item buys. What we learned is customers were going to spend their christmas money and budgeted boxing day monies regardless of whether the items were on sale during boxing week. So like most typical retail outlets in Canada, we curbed our discounts and made more profit that way (as well as near 80% of gift cards get used during Boxing week). We did however make sure to bring in a few loss leaders that we would have negotiated a great price on with the manufacturer months prior. A store can run pretty good sales a couple of times a year, however why would they if they believe their customers will be buying the items regardless of the sell price.
I went boxing day shopping at the lfs's as well, and like other customers, I bought all the items I was holding off on until boxing day, even though 90% of the items were not on sale.

[Jakegr]

And with the high cost of our equipment, supplies, corals and fish, I think our hobby may be losing some appeal, too. Plus the economy may be affecting many as well, and spending priorities need to shift. And that will probably not get better here in Canada the next couple years.

I think that is pretty much it... this hobby keeps getting more and more expensive, while the amount of gratification coming out of it stays constant. Equipment manufacturers keep replacing less expensive older models with more expensive newer ones, and then complain about consumers flocking to inexpensive Chinese brands of similar quality.

Retailers are probably just doing what they need to do to stay in business, but I've also noticed livestock prices have risen quite a bit in the last year, despite a fairly constant dollar. A 25% off livestock boxing week sale right now just means I'm able to buy the same fish I did last year at the same price.

[warriorcookie]

I'd say my LFS (Bayside) had a pretty spectacular sale. Better than any of the online guys. 20% off all fish and inverts, some of the frages were 50% off the rest were up to 30% off depending on how many you bought. I bought a $150 rock flower nem for $100 and got a $70 rock flower nem for free. I got a wack of Aquaforest for 10% off. Wish I had more to spend....

Oh, and some crazy giveaways too!

[warriorcookie]

I think that is pretty much it... this hobby keeps getting more and more expensive, while the amount of gratification coming out of it stays constant. Equipment manufacturers keep replacing less expensive older models with more expensive newer ones, and then complain about consumers flocking to inexpensive Chinese brands of similar quality.

Retailers are probably just doing what they need to do to stay in business, but I've also noticed livestock prices have risen quite a bit in the last year, despite a fairly constant dollar. A 25% off livestock boxing week sale right now just means I'm able to buy the same fish I did last year at the same price.

While I agree with your point overall, most of the local prices haven't gone up 25%. I track of most of my purchases, and I've noticed some of my livestock are worth a bit more but only 10-15%. Some of the entry level fish are the same or even cheaper (Firefish, bluethoat trigger, Ocellaris...) I also noticed the sticker price of the Salifert kits are waaay cheaper now too.
I'm speaking only locally, btw. I haven't kept an eye on the online prices as close.