I checked in there out of curiosity, to see how it stacked up against All Seasons (mentioned below). First, I’d like to assure you I have no vested interest in either; I’m equally interested in each supplier to find out who has the best selection, staff, prices, etc.
I found T&T was even more out-of-the-way and obscure than All Seasons. Whereas I thought All Seasons looked like a hole in the wall from the outside, the inside is fairly capacious and it’s great to see lots of hydroponic/aquaponic setups all over the store to demonstrate the technology. T&T had none of this. Also, T&T had a much smaller selection, stacked on shelves unattractively with very little organization, and sadly, the same lack of obvious pricing information as All Seasons. Also, the staff at T&T consisted of one guy sitting at a desk playing computer games, whereas All Seasons’ owner will cheerfully greet you and is very helpful/knowledgeable. I’m really leaning towards All Seasons at this point.
One problem I really have with both is lack of signage (describing product sections, indicating what the products are for), and worse, lack of pricing labels on either the shelves or the products. It’s really hard to get an idea of what your entire setup is going to cost, when you can’t walk around the store and tally up prices of components. I don’t know about other people, but I for one am a pretty solitary person and I’d rather not have to engage the staff if I don’t have to. I like them to be around for when I need help, but the more I can do myself, the better. Having to talk to the staff just results in awkward situations when you decide not to buy (or at least not straight away).
Anyhoo, my conclusion is that T&T appears to have the standard supplies, but only if you know what you’re looking for and don’t really mind what it costs (though again, the pricing issue affects All Seasons as well).
Edmonton, Alberta: 2 years ago · View
I checked in there out of curiosity, to see how it stacked up against All Seasons (mentioned below). First, I’d like to assure you I have no vested interest in either; I’m equally interested in each supplier to find out who has the best selection, staff, prices, etc.
I found T&T was even more out-of-the-way and obscure than All Seasons. Whereas I thought All Seasons looked like a hole in the wall from the outside, the inside is fairly capacious and it’s great to see lots of hydroponic/aquaponic setups all over the store to demonstrate the technology. T&T had none of this. Also, T&T had a much smaller selection, stacked on shelves unattractively with very little organization, and sadly, the same lack of obvious pricing information as All Seasons. Also, the staff at T&T consisted of one guy sitting at a desk playing computer games, whereas All Seasons’ owner will cheerfully greet you and is very helpful/knowledgeable. I’m really leaning towards All Seasons at this point.
One problem I really have with both is lack of signage (describing product sections, indicating what the products are for), and worse, lack of pricing labels on either the shelves or the products. It’s really hard to get an idea of what your entire setup is going to cost, when you can’t walk around the store and tally up prices of components. I don’t know about other people, but I for one am a pretty solitary person and I’d rather not have to engage the staff if I don’t have to. I like them to be around for when I need help, but the more I can do myself, the better. Having to talk to the staff just results in awkward situations when you decide not to buy (or at least not straight away).
Anyhoo, my conclusion is that T&T appears to have the standard supplies, but only if you know what you’re looking for and don’t really mind what it costs (though again, the pricing issue affects All Seasons as well).