Really?! Seriously?!

[silver_rose42]

I agree about Petco and their unhealthy stock. Sometimes I'm lucky when I purchase fish from there, and sometimes I'm not. I guess, that's why I drove the few extra miles to Petsmart for my last purchase. Their store was extremely clean and I didn't see 1 deceased fish, (of course I didn't really look because I was in a hurry). But Petco ALWAYS has a few dead fish in various tanks. It's really disturbing, but NOTHING like WalMart!!

I buy some of my fish from Wal-Mart because I take pity on them. Like the pleco I bought this past evening...He's fairly big compared to my other one, and he was in a tank with a bunch of baby plecos. They were pretty much eating him alive. He's missing huge chunks out of his fins, and he looks as though he's been starving. What can I say? I take pity on those, and if they're doomed to pass, at least they passed in a tank away from a tank at Wal-Mart. He's quarantined in my tank, and is getting the appropriate care until his fate is decided.

 

[Homedog98]

My petco is much better then one of the petsmarts I have, and at least one employee actually knows what he's talking about! The fish look great there, but at petsmart the tanks are terrible, so I get supplies at petsmart and fish at petco, cause petco is really expensive.

 

[gkuzel]

Working at PetCo, I'm supposed to stand up for our standards blah blah blah. But I totally agree with you... And it really doesn't take much to work in the aquatic department these days. It's hard to believe what some of my co workers sell. And some of the products they sell. Please don't make harsh on all of us though. Most of us really aren't that stupid. =)

 

[itsgracia]

Not saying all big chain store employees are not knowledgeable. The Petco I'm talking about has one employee that is great! She told me all about cycling without fish and I usually go to her. If she's not there, I don't even try to take advice from the others and I go and ask you guys.

 

[gkuzel]

Good to hear! Thanks for not hating all us retail slaves!

 

[Tim Wheatley]

I just wanted to say that near me, the Petcos seem better than Petsmart. Which only goes to prove that it is a store by store problem, not a particular chain.

 

[dlwn88]

This is what PETA thinks:
Fish in Tanks? No, Thanks! | PETA.org

Apparently it used to be really bad. But they revised it. It said stuff like "fish are doomed to live in plastic bags."

Ugh reading that didn't make me happy at all. Tries to make people like us seem like we run a bunch of unethical fish prisons in our homes. I like how against it they are, yet according to the article if you already have an aquarium they seem fine with it as long as you follow the basic guidelines many of us here follow. They should have kept that part and removed everything else, would have made more sense. Stupid PETA.

 

[Roberz00]

All I can say is P E T A:
People
Eating
Tasty
Animals!

 

[George9]

It kinda makes me feel bad for talking about how bad Petco employees are when there is one right here! Sorry

 

[Homedog98]

Hey, not all of them are bad! The employees at my petco are great!

 

[McLumpy]

I would like to retract anything I said in regards to Petco. I went there today for a few non-living things and walked out w/ an ADF and a bunch of live plants. They certainly turned things around in such a short time frame! I was amazed at how friendly and helpful their employee was too! And... he even made sure to ask me if my tank was cycled before bagging up anything! Good for you, Petco!

 

[mfdrookie516]

IMHO, it's not the individual employees, its the corporate side of it. If I owned a company, I would make sure my employees were trained properly to do their job. Most of these big chain stores don't.

 

[Marconis]

When I go into Petsmart to get something like Prime, I try to hum a song in my head and completely dissociate my ears from anything that could bother be. I have interacted with many customers at Petsmart, and they have appreciated my advice. One employee told me I was stubborn for telling her she was wrong.

At the end of the day, you can't really worry about what other people are buying. If they want to buy it, they will buy it. Let it be and move on, as painful as it may be sometimes. They will eventually, if they are smart, come on a forum and ask for assistance. Look how many people made mistakes in the beginning (myself greatly included) and are now enjoying the hobby...the right way.

I prefer not to shop there only because the odds of interacting with a knowledgeable employee are extremely slim. My Petsmart actually has decent livestock.

 

[siva]

I was in petco a while back listening to a boy convincing his mom to upgrade their betta to a 1 gal tank. They put it in their cart and I noticed it was 29.99. The 10 gal in my cart was also 29.99. I couldn't help but point this out to them, 9 more gals for the same cost and a much happier betta! They didn't want to "bother" with it. **** makes me sad sad sad.

 

[McLumpy]

I was in petco a while back listening to a boy convincing his mom to upgrade their betta to a 1 gal tank. They put it in their cart and I noticed it was 29.99. The 10 gal in my cart was also 29.99. I couldn't help but point this out to them, 9 more gals for the same cost and a much happier betta! They didn't want to "bother" with it. **** makes me sad sad sad.

Wow! It sounds like that kid's mom had more money than time to "bother" w/ the tanks. I would never pay for a smaller tank if a larger tank is the same price.

Please tell me that they didn't also have a Betta in their cart?!

 

[siva]

They already had the betta at home in a bowl so atleast it was getting an upgrade and a light for a little heat I guess

 

[McLumpy]

They already had the betta at home in a bowl so atleast it was getting an upgrade and a light for a little heat I guess

Geez, I completely missed that part in your original post. lol Well, yeah it is an upgrade, but a 10 gallon would have been so much better.

 

[ejaramillo01]

Besides the situation of the Betta, that at least will be transferred from a cup to a 1G tank, $29.99 for a 1G bowl is a crime!!!

 

[severum mama]

PETA does more to setback the public's perception of animal rights than anybody else. They're flat out crazy.

^This.

They are also completely full of crap. They don't save any animals, they don't even have a shelter. They should be ignored.