I guess I would like to contribute to this. I would disagree with the statement " 95% of them have terrible fish departments"
Dude, have you been to 95% of the stores to justify that? (Think about how many wal-marts that is...like several million) Didn't think so.
For as many wal-marts I've been too, (around ten or eleven) and as many LFS I've been to(way more than 20), I've seen just as many bad fish setups at lfs as I have at wal-mart. Frankly, all of my fish(except my parrots & severum) have been from wal-mart. In over a year, I haven't had any deaths or disease-ridden fish. On top of that, I would rather go to wal-mart for most of this hobby versus the three other lfs in my area.
At least I get honesty from an employee at wal-mart when I need something. All of the times I've gotten fish from there, I've either had a knowledgeable person to deal with... or a late night person with not much of a clue. BUT they were honest enough to say that they were unfamiliar with fish. So, I would usually help them bag my fish. not a big deal.
The three other lfs in my area could care less about the fish and if you ask them questions about something, they give you a pissy response, or they answer your question with a question. Which is, in turn, delaying the inevitable. They don't know anymore than someone at wal-mart would. Or they don't care & are just there to collect a check, clock suckers they are.
You're gonna find that anywhere, not just wal-mart. not just a pet store. That's life, man.
There's good fish stores & bad ones. There's good wal-mart fish sections & bad ones. It's the employees & their concern for the animals' well-being that makes the difference as to which one it is.
Out of all the stores in my area, Wal-mart is the only one that offers a 90-day guarantee on their fish. Bar-none. doesn't matter what you're water param's are, doesn't matter the size of tank, the tankmates, nothing. All you have to do is bring back the fish within three months of purchase, with proof of the animal being dead & a receipt & they swap it for a new fish.
Now granted I haven't had to bring any dead fish back to wal-mart, how many LFS do you know that will do that?
BobRoss