How to Improve Big Pet Store Chains

[Finntastic]

Ok, I read through this thread and I've got to say, I would love to do what you are doing thing fish. You are and inspiration. Maybe when I get a job I can do what you are doing to the two local Petco's and three local Petsmart's in and around Greensboro.

 

[thing fish]

ive had some good opportunities to advise people on their tanks. one thing that i am noticing is that many/most of the people coming in are running tanks of 10 gallons or less, and wanting fish that are completely unrealistic.

a guy came in the other day wanting a pleco for his 2.5 gallon betta tank to control the algae he was seeing. i managed to talk him out of that and sold him a snail. also told him to get the tank away from the window.

honestly, there are a lot of times talking to a customer where i cringe. i have had to sell a few fish i did not want to sell, but only did so after advising against it with reasons why.

the fact is, some people just do not want to listen. they want what they want and good advice just goes in one ear and out the other.

as far as the tank maintenance at the store, i am pleased. they actually keep up with it...30-40% water changes each week.

however, the betta cups are changed out once a week. that really ought to be increased. i would like to see that go to 2x/week very soon. when i changed out their cups last week, i tested the water in them. i had to use test strips as that is all the bob's will allow at the moment, and found their water was at 1 ppm of ammonia. the problem is that they have waaaay too many bettas. they dont even order them. there is no control over how many they receive. they have around 200 at any given time. changing them all out takes a while.

 

[Finntastic]

ive had some good opportunities to advise people on their tanks. one thing that i am noticing is that many/most of the people coming in are running tanks of 10 gallons or less, and wanting fish that are completely unrealistic.

a guy came in the other day wanting a pleco for his 2.5 gallon betta tank to control the algae he was seeing. i managed to talk him out of that and sold him a snail. also told him to get the tank away from the window.

honestly, there are a lot of times talking to a customer where i cringe. i have had to sell a few fish i did not want to sell, but only did so after advising against it with reasons why.

the fact is, some people just do not want to listen. they want what they want and good advice just goes in one ear and out the other.

as far as the tank maintenance at the store, i am pleased. they actually keep up with it...30-40% water changes each week.

however, the betta cups are changed out once a week. that really ought to be increased. i would like to see that go to 2x/week very soon. when i changed out their cups last week, i tested the water in them. i had to use test strips as that is all the bob's will allow at the moment, and found their water was at 1 ppm of ammonia. the problem is that they have waaaay too many bettas. they dont even order them. there is no control over how many they receive. they have around 200 at any given time. changing them all out takes a while.

Ugh, I hate when I'm at ***** or ******and hear people asking for cichlids to go in there neon tetra tank, or people asking for Oscars for a 10g. I am glad you are cleaning out the Betta bowls, could you ask the manager to lower the order down a little? Little thing's can make a huge difference. A Betta petition might work, on change.org.

 

[thing fish]

the people at the store do not order the bettas. they are just randomly shipped in from corporate.

 

[ImACoolguy]

the people at the store do not order the bettas. they are just randomly shipped in from corporate.

Somehow I find that hard to believe. Someone somewhere is keeping track of how many you get shipped in. That's a disorganized business if it's random.


Caleb

 

[thing fish]

i did ask the manager why they kept so many bettas in stock and was told that they do not order them and that they are just shipped to the store. sure, somebody somewhere must be tracking sales and shipments...but who that is, i have no idea.

 

[ImACoolguy]

i did ask the manager why they kept so many bettas in stock and was told that they do not order them and that they are just shipped to the store. sure, somebody somewhere must be tracking sales and shipments...but who that is, i have no idea.

Just one of those that is out of your control.


Caleb

 

[Brookster123]

I'd be willing to bet it has something to do with bulk buy discounts or some quota that was put in place with the seller. It's probably cheaper to have the loss vs. Less numbers on the order.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[coralbandit]

honestly, there are a lot of times talking to a customer where i cringe.

the fact is, some people just do not want to listen. they want what they want and good advice just goes in one ear and out the other.

Welcome to America and dealing with customers(most are grossly under educated about what they are doing{especially with their money!})?
If you actually offer valid intelligent info some may say your aggressive or think you know it all?
Some really don't want to know and when they fail , they will be off to the next "adventure".
Good luck with those humans!!
Brookster nailed why they show up!
even if 500 out 1000 die the price is still cheaper(shipping $$$$folks....)to kill em!

 

[thing fish]

yeah, that makes a lot of sense about shipping in bulk and being more profitable despite the dead loss. that really sucks, though. the company is always talking about the animals coming first, but at least with aquatics, that is not always the case.

what is funny is that i do not give a crap about making money for the store. i only want to give what i think is good advice. i really enjoy talking about fish with customers, telling them about cycling, etc. some of them actually listen.

 

[coralbandit]

yeah, that makes a lot of sense about shipping in bulk and being more profitable despite the dead loss. that really sucks, though. the company is always talking about the animals coming first, but at least with aquatics, that is not always the case.

what is funny is that i do not give a crap about making money for the store. i only want to give what i think is good advice. i really enjoy talking about fish with customers, telling them about cycling, etc. some of them actually listen.

There are good people!
This site is full of them.
And the occasional "spammer" can get under anyones skin(as with belligerent customers) and seemingly overpower the good.
Doing the right thing is always #1(no if ands or buts).

I can't speak to animals first ,
we all need to remember that many of these fish are produced just for sale.(by people)
They are not taken from the wild and people get paid to do this.....
JOBS!
I am not happy with any loss,
but put this thought(a notion and belief) in your mind;
That if we just put back more then we take,we are not the problem.
This drives me to breed fish!
Things go wrong all the time,it is what you do about it that matters.
If you can not convince someone to follow proper procedure it is no fault of yours.
TRUE COLORS SHINE THE BRIGHTEST!
I do appreciate your quest!
Don't let them get you down.

FYI it is all about the money.
Nobody trades gold stars in for food!
Balance and (proper) persuasion.
then you can rule!!!

 

[PoppaRyno]

There are good people!
This site is full of them.
And the occasional "spammer" can get under anyones skin(as with belligerent customers) and seemingly overpower the good.
Doing the right thing is always #1(no if ands or buts).

I can't speak to animals first ,
we all need to remember that many of these fish are produced just for sale.(by people)
They are not taken from the wild and people get paid to do this.....
JOBS!
I am not happy with any loss,
but put this thought(a notion and belief) in your mind;
That if we just put back more then we take,we are not the problem.
This drives me to breed fish!
Things go wrong all the time,it is what you do about it that matters.
If you can not convince someone to follow proper procedure it is no fault of yours.
TRUE COLORS SHINE THE BRIGHTEST!
I do appreciate your quest!
Don't let them get you down.

FYI it is all about the money.
Nobody trades gold stars in for food!
Balance and (proper) persuasion.
then you can rule!!!

Here,here, +1, incredibally well put coral. Golf clap, sir, golf clap.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Finntastic]

There are good people!
This site is full of them.
And the occasional "spammer" can get under anyones skin(as with belligerent customers) and seemingly overpower the good.
Doing the right thing is always #1(no if ands or buts).

I can't speak to animals first ,
we all need to remember that many of these fish are produced just for sale.(by people)
They are not taken from the wild and people get paid to do this.....
JOBS!
I am not happy with any loss,
but put this thought(a notion and belief) in your mind;
That if we just put back more then we take,we are not the problem.
This drives me to breed fish!
Things go wrong all the time,it is what you do about it that matters.
If you can not convince someone to follow proper procedure it is no fault of yours.
TRUE COLORS SHINE THE BRIGHTEST!
I do appreciate your quest!
Don't let them get you down.

FYI it is all about the money.
Nobody trades gold stars in for food!
Balance and (proper) persuasion.
then you can rule!!!

Great speech, I agree very much. One thing we can do is try and get stores to keep betta's and other fish in larger tanks so they arent stressed, sick, and dying.

 

[thing fish]

i found out today that the bettas they receive are not even shipped in those little cups...rather, they come in tiny little plastic bags with just a bit of water.

the job is starting to frustrate me. the amount of people coming in looking for fish for their 5 gallon tanks is killing me. the only suitable fish we have for those tanks are a single betta....but these people want to throw in all sorts of tetras, catfish, barbs, etc. one guy was asking how many oscars he could put in a 10 gallon. i told him zero and he left (i did explain that they would grow far too large and were very messy).

also, while i thought that i would just be working in the fish department, they have me taking out trash, helping people with rats/mice, bagging crickets, stocking shelves...my back is barking at me when i get home. oh and i hate having a 23 year old be my boss.

i need to just remember that there will be good customers that want to have a reasonable setup...and that every hour i work here is another drop in the bucket towards the truck i want to buy. ok. i am done venting now.

 

[Andy Sager]

i found out today that the bettas they receive are not even shipped in those little cups...rather, they come in tiny little plastic bags with just a bit of water.

the job is starting to frustrate me. the amount of people coming in looking for fish for their 5 gallon tanks is killing me. the only suitable fish we have for those tanks are a single betta....but these people want to throw in all sorts of tetras, catfish, barbs, etc. one guy was asking how many oscars he could put in a 10 gallon. i told him zero and he left (i did explain that they would grow far too large and were very messy).

also, while i thought that i would just be working in the fish department, they have me taking out trash, helping people with rats/mice, bagging crickets, stocking shelves...my back is barking at me when i get home. oh and i hate having a 23 year old be my boss.

i need to just remember that there will be good customers that want to have a reasonable setup...and that every hour i work here is another drop in the bucket towards the truck i want to buy. ok. i am done venting now.

Believe it or not, the way Bettas are shipped now ( in those little bags) is actually larger containers than the way they used to be shipped. Back in the day, they came in containers similar to pill bottles. Less room, less water but more air. Then again, it was when containers used for take out foods were how I used to bring my fish home from the store. No plastic bags back then.

Unfortunately, what you are experiencing is the reason I left the retail pet business. The customers became less hobbyists and more novelty item keepers. Hopefully, you will get lucky and create a following of people willing to learn, willing to try and wanting to succeed. With the right guidance, you could be their mentor and the reason the hobby continues to exist. I'm paying forward what my Mentor gave me and many people, on this site and in person, are reaping the benefits and working towards putting better quality fish back into the stores. Wouldn't it be great to be sitting back in your lounge chair someday and having others pay forward your help to them? I know it is for me. It's what makes the B.S. worth it to me. ( & I don't even have a lounge chair.......yet )

 

[coralbandit]

Most are unaware how small the bags bettas come in are!
They make the cup look like a mansion!

 

[thing fish]

i thought the cups were bad....the little bags are just plain sickening. i am honestly not sure how long i can hold out with this job. stuff like that just makes me want to find another way to make extra money.

 

[Delapool]

Out of interest where does the misinformation come from for fish stocking vs tank size? Are customers just buying a 5gal starter tank or something and then getting carried away?

Hang in there! Even knowing better, I've been stopped from getting carried away. Probably been less appreciative at the time then I should be but still very grateful all the same. I've tried to deliberately go back to certain stores where the service is good (and not just good fish), even though a little extra.

 

[thing fish]

i would say misinformation comes straight from the manufacturers. the packaging on the starter kits shows all these fish that are wrong....5 gallon starter kit showing tiger barbs, neons, platys, etc.

 

[Autumnsky]

Do what you want with the job. If you consider the drops in the bucket towards your truck I call that wise financial decision making, but if you change the perspective on the rest of the situation...23 yo boss got there probably because the person was available to take the job and had been with some experience or because the mgmt saw potential. Either way being politely respectful no matter who the boss is, is expected of a decent human being which it sounds like you are. Then as for the opportunity to be an example of an excellent employee and resource for the young boss, another decent thing to be (2 things I guess).

As for the trash and mice, etc. side work needed to make the place run properly. that is how you get a person with no experience bagging mice (you) and others bagging fish (other employees with no experience with such things like fish).

In my local store, they took a girl who was very young and was lucky she knew what a fish was...and only had been working months at the store and she became the Aquatics specialist. Didn't know types of fish, but she has been working hard to learn all about the types and behavior and needs. She knows lots about mice, and snakes, birds and ferrets though.

My point is that sometimes you are an extra valuable person/employee on a higher level. Not to mention your assisting in educating the customers. You might not get the appropriate compensation or accolades for your abilities, but sometimes there are other ways you end up more valuable. I hope your back gets better. Epsom salt baths are great.