I've been looking at some of the reviews in some states that I might be visiting in the next few months. I noticed that a lot of reviews rated the LFS with a 10. This got me thinking, "What makes a LFS worthy a 10?"
To me, rateing a store with a 10 means that in many major areas the store is in a class by itself. It's a rateing that shouldn't be given lightly. I personally feel that the number of stores that would rate a 10 would be less than 1 or 2%. Over the years, now about 40, I must have seen a couple of hunderd LFS. Most were good, some were excellent, but only a few were outstanding, even by the standards of the time. I feel a store that gets a 10 should be one that I would go out of my way to visit, one of those "you have got to see it" kind of places.
Here is what I believe makes an outstanding store worthy of a 10.
The livestock must be of top quality. It also should be extensive in several areas, but need not include all areas. If you visit the store, you should expect to see livestock that you seldom see, not necessarly rare and expensive, but beyond your everyday "run of the mill" livestock.
The equipment offerend should be able to support any of the livestock the store sells and span the range from low end to high end. Obviously no store can carry everything or have a complete inventory in stock, but a person, be they a biginner or advanced, should be able to go into the store and purchase the aquarium system needed to correctly maintain any of the livestock the store sells. There should also be a selection of books, and it's not a bad idea to recommend them to new people.
The entire staff of people working in the store, not just the owner, manager, or "salt water guy" should be knowlegable about the livestock and equipment they sell. Again, no one can know it all, but they should know enough about it to advise you on it. The advice that is given should be correct and complete. If something isn't going to work for you, they should tell you. If livestock you plan on buying has some unusual reguirements, they should warn you about them. The staff should also be polite, and when necessary be willing to explain the same thing over and over again.
The store itself should be well lighted, clean, and look like the sort of place you'd want to visit. It never hurts to have a tank or two set up to demonstrate what can be done.
I don't think there are very many stores that can live up to all this. It's very difficult. Sometimes just by being good in one area makes it harder to be good in another. For example, the store has to be large to carry a large amount of livestock and equipment. Yet to do that, they need more people, and may be forced to have people not as knowlegable as they should be.
One last thought on some of the reviews I have read. A description like "great livestock" or "great prices", or "has everything" doesn't tell anyone else much about the store. If possible, I belive it would help to qualify and/or quantify. For example, "extesive selection of SW fish and live coral" or "prices somewhat below average" tells everone a lot more.