[obscbyclouds]

The other day I was in a major pet store chain, and two things happened which angered me. It was my first time in the particular store, and I had planned to buy some blue bonded pad and frozen foods.

1.) Lady was in the fish area and asked about why her water was green. The employee pointed her to some algae destroyer then suggested to her five Chinese Algae Eaters without ever asking about her lighting, water parameters, tank size, other stock, etc. Fortunately she didnt want to buy the fish and I later had a quiet word to her about the relationship between nutrient control and algae growth, and the truth behind aggressive CAE's which only eat algae when small. I recommended another local store should she want to make purchases in the future.

2.) Man came in and asked for 20 goldfish. An employee happily bagged them for him never asking him a single question. While waiting in line to pay I saw the man with the fish and a 10 gallon tank. I couldn't let it go and asked him if he planned to put the goldfish in that tank. He was! I informed him that goldfish ideally should have 10 gal each with 30 gal for the first. He looked absolutely baffled, promptly looked away and continued with his purchase. I can't understand why some people want to torture fish this way. I wonder if they'd buy a great dane and keep it in a 3 foot cage??? *J/D*

I can't help but blame the store management and employees for such negligence. Sufficed to say that I left disgusted and will never set foot inside that store again!!!!

 

[jrodriguez]

wow...what was it called the pet store???

thats pretty amazing about the algae eaters...i mean WOW*J/D*

 

[obscbyclouds]

wow...what was it called the pet store???

thats pretty amazing about the algae eaters...i mean WOW*J/D*

Trust me I couldn't believe my ears. The woman told me later that the reason the employee had said to get five was because they "do better in groups". I hadn't heard that part at the time. Argh!

No, I just didn't know if it was against forum rules to name the store specifically, but it is one of the two major chains in the united states

 

[JIM]

I know its a touchy subject, and i hate to hear stories like that as well, but in all fairness, most of the kids at those stores have only been there a short while, with little or no direction, and being paid maybe minimum wage. Before that they never saw a fish or could care less about anything but lunchtime, and quitting time. I go into pet store already knowing what i want, or i get my advice on great sites like this then all i expect from them is that they hopefully are able to dip me what i want without doing major harm to the fish, or stressing them out so much, trying to catch them with a net the size of a nickel in a tank full of rock, that they die on the ride home. If pet stores hired people that know about fish and supplies the guppys would be $10.00 each.

 

[Shotgun]

wow. that is simply horrible. the part with the algae eaters, the part with the goldfish. heck, it was all bad. i wonder what the bio load and ammonia levels on the 10 gallon tank will be... the guy aint cycling even cycling - not like it makes a difference when your putting 230+ gallons worth of fish in a 10 gallon tank... poor fish.

 

[Relle]

Wow! That's crazy!

The major chain pet store here used to be like that but I've noticed in the past few years they seem to be employing people who actually know what they are talking about.

 

[obscbyclouds]

I know its a touchy subject, and i hate to hear stories like that as well, but in all fairness, most of the kids at those stores have only been there a short while, with little or no direction, and being paid maybe minimum wage.

I agree with what you say, and perhaps I should have been more specific. I would say management is to blame for this instead of the employees themselves.

It really isn't very difficult to give your employees a modicum of basic knowledge such as cycling, appropriate tank size and which fish can be stocked together. In the long run it would be beneficial for them also, as those happy customers with happy fish are more likely to come back to that store when shopping. After those goldfish die, is that customer really going back to that store to buy more? I doubt it!

 

[Relle]

I agree with what you say, and perhaps I should have been more specific. I would say management is to blame for this instead of the employees themselves.

It really isn't very difficult to give your employees a modicum of basic knowledge such as cycling, appropriate tank size and which fish can be stocked together. In the long run it would be beneficial for them also, as those happy customers with happy fish are more likely to come back to that store when shopping. After those goldfish die, is that customer really going back to that store to buy more? I doubt it!

I agree. It's not that hard to do some basic training. Like I said the Petland here used to be horrible for fish! When I started up my tank again I went there to get some basic supplies since they are the cheapest around and have the best selection. Anyway, I walked over to the fish and was quite surprised. All tanks are clearly labelled as to what they are. Each tag has symbols for what the basic needs are for the fish, eg. do they like to be in schools, what do they eat, are they aggressive etc, etc. They have hand outs all over showing what the symbols mean. They do water testing in store for free. They ask all the basic questions such as how long has your tank been cycling, what do you have in it etc, etc. I saw them turn down a sale the other day because the people didn't have a tank up and running yet.

A little training and organization can go a long way!

 

[obscbyclouds]

Not a problem, it was Petco. I will take your advice and e-mail them regarding what happened. I'll give you all an update if and when i get a response. Thanks for the help.

 

[Shotgun]

figures... petco. thats where my all my horror stories came from. check out the link in my signature below if you want to...

 

[jrodriguez]

petco does rather well in my area...most of the time...they havent done anything to me ...yet