Why oh why do I keep shopping at petsmart?

[PhelanVelvel]

CPryor beat me to it, but Petsmart does have a pamphlet on "Setting up an Aquarium" that I'll include a picture of. The information is also on their website. Yes, there are flaws, it says nothing about fishless cycling existing and it uses the inch per gallon rule, but it's something. And YES, Petsmart understands that a 10 inch oscar can't go in a 10 gallon tank. There are minimum tank sizes on each fish price tag. Never understood why people always bring that up online, I've never heard anyone in real life think that's okay.

I understand that many of you have negative experiences, I just can't see the point of telling people on the internet across the country not to shop there. It always depends on the suppliers, managers, and employees. I've seen horrible chain stores and good ones. I'm lucky to work at a Petsmart with knowledgeable staff and decent stock. All you guys are doing is hurting the little guys. Some Petsmarts can be good, and it's not fair to those ones to be avoided like the plague because other Petsmarts are bad. Should the corporation change? Of course. There are always going to be things that they do for money rather than the sake of the animals. It's retail. But it's my hours that get cut when the store doesn't make enough money because we're such an evil place, me getting yelled at for not selling enough live animals because my manager was in trouble from his manager, and his manager, etc.

No, I get what you're saying, I work in a similar situation, but I'm always one to point out the things that need changing...online where I can't get in trouble for it. I just hate the way big companies operate, the actual PetSmart/Petco people are always super nice. I just wish they were allowed to give more recommendations without fear.

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[lectraplayer]

That or they could be better educated on what to advise. They could hold class in the back or use the CBLs like what my wife at Sams Club takes.

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[CPryor]

No, I get what you're saying, I work in a similar situation, but I'm always one to point out the things that need changing...online where I can't get in trouble for it. I just hate the way big companies operate, the actual PetSmart/Petco people are always super nice. I just wish they were allowed to give more recommendations without fear.

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Hahah, I feel ya! I hope I didn't sound overly defensive or anything - just wanted to give some input "from the other side", about how things work - but I totally agree with you on all points in theory.

We have a joke at my store, about how we'd all love to have a small, basic quiz to take before qualifying to be a "PetParent" - fail the quiz, and you get a "report card" with areas to study, before coming back for the re-take. Fail again, and you have to take a short online lesson and are only able to purchase easy fish for one year. Pass it, and you get a sticker and an optional hug along with your purchase Ah, in a perfect world.....

Hope that doesn't sound snotty either, but when you deal with customers who think fish are only decorations, you get a little dreamy.

 

[CPryor]

That or they could be better educated on what to advise. They could hold class in the back or use the CBLs like what my wife at Sams Club takes.

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We actually do. When you are hired, you take an online lesson that explains the differences between goldfish, cichlids, and tropical community. Another explains tank setup and maintenance. VERY basic, yes; it could certainly use expanding upon. All the lessons I've taken recently have been "look at this new product line! Here are some features you can talk about in this new product line...." The tools are all there to set up better training, but I'm SURE the money for such a program is going somewhere more..... :COUGH: useful :COUGH COUGH HACK:

 

[trennamw]

I've had a lot of fish do very well from PetSmart. Their advice can be hit and miss, but ah well.

Their prices are also kinda high. For instance fish that go on sale for $1 are normally priced at $4 and our good LFS always has them for $2.

The biggie is snails. I finally learned they will treat a whole system with a medicine snails don't like and they don't always remember to keep it from getting to the snails. The snails from there tend to be weak and sad and don't live long, in my experience. I shop at 4 different pet smart locations near me.

 

[lectraplayer]

We actually do. When you are hired, you take an online lesson that explains the differences between goldfish, cichlids, and tropical community. Another explains tank setup and maintenance. VERY basic, yes; it could certainly use expanding upon. All the lessons I've taken recently have been "look at this new product line! Here are some features you can talk about in this new product line...." The tools are all there to set up better training, but I'm SURE the money for such a program is going somewhere more..... :COUGH: useful :COUGH COUGH HACK:

I figured PetSmash probably had something, as most of the people I get are at least headed in the right direction. Nevertheless, there is always room for improvement, such as deeper education on the fish and the products. ...though as we all know, George may argue against it.

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[Just Another Fish Guy]

Something else to keep in mind guys...not everyone is a die-hard fish keeper like those of us on this forum. Some people just want to go in to the store, pick up a few supplies and have at it. Maybe, just maybe, they enjoy it enough to do more research online and get more serious.

You can't blame the stores for what they do because they can only do so much and only offer so much "education." Think about it...how long does it typically take to pick out some fish? 5 minutes? 10 minutes? Maybe 15 minutes? Is that really enough time for an employee to run through everything there is about fish keeping? No way...and if the employee tried to tell somebody everything, they'd probably say forget this and leave.

Stores are in business to make money...whether it's a locally owned store or a corporation. And just as others have said, even some locally owned stores aren't that great.

I think we should stop bashing the Petsmart/Petco name and move on, because in reality...neither aren't as bad as we're making them sound.