Homedog98
Aquarium Advice Addict
I mean honestly, if they apply for the job, it helps to at least know what they're talking about.
It's easy for you to say "find another store" if you have one. Some places don't have LFS's, they just have chains.
100% agree. just have them shipped in often end up with better stock and thigns you can not find.You're on the internet. Order fish from a reputable online store. I also moved a tank 1000 miles with the fish in buckets so know a LFS doesn't have to be on your doorstep for you to get fish home, I realize some people might have a bit of a drive to get to a store, but surely you just adapt.
just like the guy working the pet section often doesnt care the consumers dont care are only hear what they want. even look on the forums you see it all the time they ask for help yet disagree withe verything.I don't think its really all the companies faults we as American consumers are lazy and want everything we need available in one store being a responsible pet owner means making sacrifices and devoting time to out pets but in this drive thru society we have forgotten that convience is not competence
deleted some since my post is long but a few things you pointed out. not always the employees fault. they get bad info and repeat it over. again look on the forums someone hears a bad info then just repeats it like its true. how do you blame the guy getting paid min wage. most dont care its just a job. like you said time is money and its cheaper to buy a new bag of fish then pay someone to take care of them right.Okay, I'm just going to put my two cents in here because I actually work in a chain store and strongly dislike the practices. However, it would definitely need to come down to a corporate level as most employees and even some of the management don't have any kind of sway within the company and have repeatedly tried(and usually failed) to implement better practices when it comes to the welfare of the animal in question.
I can't speak for other stores as I'm not privy to what goes on in them.. however, the main issue in most corporate run stores is payroll. They are more concerned with how customer interaction is... but they are unwilling to offer the necessary hours to employees to provide this in conjunction with the care of the animals. I have even illegally stayed at work off of the clock to make sure things are done properly because I am kind of a pain in the behind about quality standards.
This is the price that is paid for convenience. People that would sooner flush them when problems arise being your main customers because they like the IDEA of having fish...
many customers dont want to be informed as well. they dont care. i know several people with lfs who turn people away all the time. they say like wait cycle a tank.... how dare you ill go down the block where they will sell me tank and all right away.I actually was thinking the same thing. Although yes, because the stores are selling the fish, they should inform their customers. But on the flip side, the customers need to be responsible in their purchases. I made my mistakes early like everyone else and I blame myself, not chain stores.
i think most people should know by now going to any chain store you get what you paid for. they offer low prices and low help. cant expect a low pay high turn over job to be experts.I agree. It is a bit ridiculous how uneducated some of the employees are.
My local Petco is really starting to aggravate me. I am pretty new to the hobby and their prices and selection of equipment is the best around, but there tanks are awful to look at. There are dead fish everywhere, and my real complaint is they are generally left for awhile. I was there last night and one tank had a carcass ripped apart as the other fish in the tank fought over it. Another saltwater tank had a dead fish being held upright with its head in the air while a school of hermit crabs feasted away at the tail end. They also take no notice of obviously sick fish. They had a clown fish in “observation” that was lying on its side under a rock. I saw no gill movement so it looked to me like they were “observing” a dead fish. Other tanks had fish swimming around upside down. The real heart breaker was the Oscar tank. I love Oscars and really hope to have one someday, and I stood in Petco last night and watched one swim around in circles on its side before settling to the bottom and shuddering every few seconds while I assume it slowly died, after several minutes of watching and looking for someone to tell I finally had to move on. Not sure it would have mattered I have pointed out dead fish before and just get a shoulder shrug, but that fish needed to be euthanized.
Now to be clear I am no PETA tree hugging environmentalist, no offense to anyone intended here trying to make a point. I fish, hunt, have worked on commercial fishing boats, and still work in support of the commercial fishing industry. That said I cannot stand to see cruelty and mistreatment due to simple carelessness or ambivalence. I swear even the Oscars would be better off at my house in my 30gal than in this place, no I am not going to do that, but watching this little house of horrors does bring the issue up as an ethical question.
Has anyone ever tried complaining to management at these stores about conditions like this? Are they common? There is a regional chain across the street that has almost no equipment and there fish selection is not great, but the fish are healthy and you rarely ever see sick or dead fish in with the fish for sale. You do see sick fish in QT from time to time. OK. Rant over thanks for reading.
You don't need to be loud or rude just an obvious nuisance. The best is when another patron comes up to ask a question. When they ask if they can ask a quick question? or are you finished? You get to announce, Oh no problem, I'm just waiting for them to remove all the dead fish from their tanks. Employee turns red and tanks get clean.
I lost a full tank of fish when I added 5 Neon tetra's last year. Some of the fish we'd had from day 1. The worst were 2 14" Common Pleco.We have a Petco and a lfs near our house, (we live in Nebraska).
I usually try to buy from locally owned businesses instead of buying from chains, but once I walked into the store, I wanted to run! First off, it was dark and you couldn't tell where the freshwater and saltwater fish were located, (that is unless you know the difference by looking at the fish). Also, there was nobody to be found for at least 5 Min's after my husband and I walked through the door. We spent probably 20 Min's looking around and the fish looked healthy, (didn't see any casualties in the tanks), but it was not a very comfortable store to be in. Needless to say, we didn't buy anything and drove up the road to Petco.
The Petco here is extremely welcoming. The staff is nice and the selection is pretty good. However, there has been a few occasions where I saw dead fish in the tanks. I make it a point to notify the employee working the fish section, but just like others on here, I get the shrug and "we'll take care of it" reply. Regardless, I continue to shop there. Of course this may change after my recent issue...
About 2 months ago, I went to Petco to purchase 5 Neon Tetras. Unfortunately, they only had 1 left. The employee there told me I could come back in a few days because they get their shipment in on Wednesdays. So I bought the one fish, and he is striving quite well.
A few weeks ago I decided to go back, (on a Wednesday), to get 4 more. Sure enough, the tank at Petco was full of hundreds of Neon Tetras. I was pleased to finally complete my school, however, now it has become a disaster. One of the fish that I got had Ich! I didn't notice it when I brought them home, but a few days later, my entire tank was infested. I believe that the Ich outbreak caused my Bala's death, (luckily that has been the only casualty thus far). I understand that this is a chance you take when buying fish, but I wonder how many other fish that resided w/ that one had Ich?
I'm finally making some progress on getting my Ich under control. However, I can't help but feel bad for the other people that got any of the other fish that were infested. I know that infestations, such as Ich, happens and it's easy to control if you know what you're doing. But it boggles my mind how a new shipment of fish would have it? I wouldn't think that the suppliers would ship ill fish so maybe Petco's tank was already infested?
Meh. It's just frustrating!!
Am I rambling?
Great way to force some action! I can just imagine the look on the sales associate's face when you do that. I don't think you'll be getting their vote for patron of the month though!
I went to a new petsmart today, they had 16 huge tiger oscars in one ten gallon tank! I nearly cried it was so sad! They all were at the top desperate for air! It was the saddest thing ever! I'm definitely not getting any more stuff from there! It was appalling!
Oh my gosh!!!! How in the world do 16 Oscars, (even of small size!) fit into a 10 gallon!!?!?!?I went to a new petsmart today, they had 16 huge tiger oscars in one ten gallon tank! I nearly cried it was so sad! They all were at the top desperate for air! It was the saddest thing ever! I'm definitely not getting any more stuff from there! It was appalling!
Could you imagine if he lost his job from not selling fish to customers unless they have a proper tank setup?
Sadly, that seems quite likely. They have to weigh making a sale with not. The thing is, most fish which die during the cycling process can be replaced or the owner will blame themselves. They won't often lose a customer by selling a fish to someone during cycling.