Lfs Blues

[Ragtatter]

Alrighty, I see LFS's getting bashed right and left on every single aquarium forum I've ever been on, and some things about it bug me, so I'd like to sort-of present the other view. Before I get started, though, I want to make it very clear that this is not aimed at anyone in particular.


I work at a pet store, and have for about three months. My job title is "Pet Care Specialist", and it's my job to take care of all the animals in the store. I feed, water, clean cages, change filters, etc. I've been taught just enough about every single animal in the store to be able to attend to it's basic, daily needs--I haven't been taught everything about them, simply because that's a massive amount of information for one person (who is also a full-time college student) to try to absorb in just a few months.

Almost all of my past experience and expertise is in dealing with the cats and the little furries--hamsters, gerbils, rats, etc. I'm particularly good at taming specimens that come in and are psycho-aggressive (lovingly called "Evil Gerbil Syndrome" by the other employees). I'm also good at training cats---most of the kittens that we sell know the basic commands "Sit" and "Lay Down" because I work with them whenever I have some free time.

However, despite the fact that 90% of my knowledge is in dealing with small, furry animals, sometimes I'm the only "Pet Care Specialist" there when someone needs help with a parakeet or a fish tank or god knows what kind of little lizard. I've only had aquariums for about two months. So if I happen to be the only person there to bag fish for you, and I can't answer every single little specific question about a cichlid or a killifish, it might not be because I'm an idiot. It might just be that you're talking to the "Cat/Hamster" person because it's the "Fish" person's day off. Not every expert can be there all the time.

I'm doing my best to learn as much as I can digest at a time. I know quite a bit about danios now, and I'm picking up information on Gouramis. I've learned quite a bit about catfish, and I know enough about Pacu to wonder why the heck we're selling these beasts. I know that Mystery Snails like lettuce, and that Tiger Oscars will bite your hand if you put it in the tank. I know that mollies like salt, and how to sex guppies. I'm learning.

Sometimes I have trouble getting the specific fish a person wants because I lose it in a school. Sometimes I have trouble catching a fish at all with some of the faster species. I don't know what "Brackish" means, and I can't help you with your salt water tank because we don't sell marine fish. I can't sex cichlids. I pronounce "Anacharis" four different ways, and I'm pretty sure that none of them are right. I haven't the faintest idea how big the pictus catfish will get. I don't know why your tiger barbs at home are dying, or why your tank is cloudy, or why your plants are covered in polkadots.

What people seem to forget when they're bashing the employees at LFS's is that every employee is, in fact, a human being, and if they tell you something wrong, it's generally not because they're stupid or they're trying to screw you up on purpose. It's impossible to know everything about every fish, and many pet store employees are thrown headfirst into all of that information, and it does take a while for it all to sink in.

 

[Thirdfloor]

Thanks for sharing an alternative view on the matter. Your points are very valid.
There is one very simple phrase that I think more employees could use, however, when helping customers with something they dont know that much about:
"I don't know the answer myself, but let me see if I can find out for you, I'll be right back." Surely you have access to many resources in your store?

 

[Tolak]

You're not the only one who doesn't know everything, trust me & my bare bottom tanks with no live plants. But, if someone were to ask me directly about live plants, I have plenty of friends & online resources to turn to in order to get back to them with an answer.

So do you, all you have to do is tell them you have a friend who is a specialist in that certain area, take their phone number, and look into their problem. Make a list of resources, this forum being one of them, and you are sure to find an answer. It won't be long before you surprise yourself with what you know, just by looking at info for one problem, and reading or hearing info about several other things in the process.

 

[TigerLotus]

I do appreciate your honesty and hearing your side of the story from a person who works and who is learning but at the same time IMO I feel if someone is working at a pet store and is in specific department they should know about what there selling. I don't mean the need to be an expert and know what the scientific name of each animal and fish but they should know there stuff. If a company is going to selling supplies, animals, what ever, I think they need to know about what is what and goes were. If that means hiring more employees so that each department has a specified specialist so be it. To me there should be enough people there or hired so that if one is not there the other is. I can understand someone being in training and leaning but I don't see why, (at least for every time I've been to the fish department of a large chain store) all the employees in that department don't know what there talking about. The only places I have been that knew there stuff were a mom and pop shops that were over priced but knew all the right information and informed me of things I didn't know. I think for a company to have a person working in a business and not know simple things like you cant keep common pleco in the size aquarium they sell at the store long term or that you cant get 30 guppies to go in a 10 gallon because there so colorful, pretty and small, let alone on the same day then the company is being irresponsible and really only has there pockets in mind and not the customers.

Also that if what you saying is that sometimes the person who really know about the fish or department is not there and someone with less or no experience was covering, I would prefer for them to tell me they don't know rather than some BS answer they pulled out there derriere to make a sell.

To me the title "Pet Care Specialist" means that you specialize in the care of every animal in that store. To me, because you are Pet Care Specialist and not a Cat, Dog, Fish specialist I would as a customer think that you know some thing about every animal in that store and can answer the basics to more intermediate questions I ask truthfully and to the best of your knowledge. If you don't know, you don't know...tell me that don't tell me a lie. Or if your not 100% sure than your not 100% sure, tell me that. I would rather return to a store and purchase things at a store where the employee honestly didn't know because that's not there usually department and the specialist isn't in, than a store that willing misleads me to make a sell and I wound up with dead fish or to many and now have to buy a bigger tank.

That's my rant... sorry if I sound harsh I don't mean to, this is just my opinion.

TigerLotus

p.s. When I say "you" I don't necessarily mean you I mean a person in general. : )

 

[funkyhoney]

I don't know about other stores or in the US/UK, but at my work, when I don't know something; I ask. Having said that people usually come to ME for fish advice - and conversely I go to them for bird or puppy advice. No one person is an expert on everything as has been said and it's generally a good idea to ask the employee first because some people have a big ego and won't ask for help

Either way, don't count out a store because one person can't give you the right advice

 

[jeej]

I feel your pain buddy, but as an employee you are representing the organisation you work for and your organisation has a responsibility to offer sound advice on the 'products' you sell.

I went into one store the other night and they were selling Black Ghost Knife fish on a special in a bunch of four - the guy working there was gleefully telling me bout all these excited kids with naive parents snapping them up cos it is a bargain. He was a bit sheepish when I told him each one will reach 7 inches long and needs a freakin' huge tank to thrive. It's just irresponsible. It would be like an electronics shop not being able to tell you if your vacuum cleaner can be used to vacuum the bottom of a swimming pool.

 

[Esfa]

7 inches? more like upto 20" i believe.

I don't expect the lfs to know everything, if I see a fish I like I come home and research it. Normally its obvious they wont work in my tank, so I'm glad I didn't buy them haha.

I think that if both the employees and the customers did just a little bit if research, things would work alot better.

 

[SuperColey1]

Yeah the main jist is not bashing pet store workers, because noone can be expert at everything. Its more the ones that think they do and start to tell you 'duff' info.

Also the petshops that do not have the correct setups like P@H which has a centralised filter/sump yet they put a label saying:

'the fish in this tank are currently under medication and not for sale'

If the fish in that tank are under medication and have disease then the whole system which uses the same filter is therefore they should have the label on all the tanks.

I went into one and was looking at some Bolivian Rams which were labelled as Ram with a picture of a blue ram and the rams details on the label.

I asked the girl if there were any females in the tank as they all looked like males to me.

She gave me the "what an idiot look" and with a sigh accompanied by a look to the sky she said in a nonchalont way 'The females are in that tank over there' at which point she lead me to a tank containing Blue Rams (labelled up with the same label as the bolivians but totally different fish in colouring, demeanour and sensitivity).

When I pointed this out she said to me:

'Sorry but if you don't know your fish I can't sell these to you as you've probably only got a very small tank suitable only for goldfish, Rams need to be in a tank at least 40Litres'

This last statement got me a little wound up so I left.

Point being: If you don't know or aren't sure then says so. honesty is the best policy. We aren't having a go at pet shop workers, just the ones that are quite obviously oblivious to knowledge, fact or any kind of morals.

Its quite refreshing when someone in the pet shop tells me something I already know when looking at fish or plants and I don't respond with a yes I know, I give a smile because at least they know what they are saying.

To be honest I've never come across any worker that says 'I don't know, let me find out for you'. They normally know and prove their knowledge or downright show how little they know by blagging, lieing or passing on incorrect information that they think is true and are not open to correction in the slightest.

Having said that, it is a business and they mostly work to pay for their degree in human sociology or some other useless degree that wastes our taxpayers money as they then go on to become a call centre operator or general office clerk for the rest of their lives.

The moral of the story is, If you want fish related things go to a fish shop and not a general pet store.

Andy

 

[Ragtatter]

Heh, it seems like several of you have gotten the impression that I'll make up lies just to look informed--and while I have one coworker who will do that, I'm not that kind. If I don't know, I'm honest about not knowing. And saying "I don't know" is, unfortunately, a guarenteed way to have a customer get nasty or condescending with you. Just because I don't know the exact mechanics of an undergravel filter, I must be an idiot who doesn't know what I'm talking about when I tell them a Pacu will quickly outgrow their 15 gallon, or that it's a bad idea to put a Tiger Oscar in with their guppies.

I don't make up things myself, but I understand why some employees do. The employees who make up lies instead of admitting their lack of knowledge take a lot less customer abuse. And when the customer comes back and is unhappy, the odds of them dealing with the same employee again are relatively slim, so most employees get away with it with no negative consequences. To exacerbate this problem, most stores have a "sales target" that has to be reached, and there are consequences for the employees if the goal is not met, which can lead to the "How many fish can I get this person to buy?" mentality.

And unfortunately, the "let me find someone who does know" approach isn't always a possible one, because like I said sometimes I'm the only Pet Care person there. I might not know anacharis from a sword plant, but I'm still an expert when compared to most of the managers and stock people. It would be ideal if there was always a fish specialist and a bird specialist and a reptile specialist and what not on site all the time, but to hire that number of employees would cost the company a lot of money, they'd have to jack up their prices to make up the difference, and then their competetors in the area would undersell them and drive them out of business. Unfortunately, it makes more sense for the company to have a few unhappy customers than to pay the salaries of double to triple the employees.

The taking their phone number and calling them back when I find out approach is a good idea, but not a doable one, as 90% of the general public are too impatient for anything that would take longer than thirty seconds of their time.

 

[benniebru]

u make some very good points IMO if anyone is at fault it is the fish tank owner themselves, alot of people will not take the time to research all the fish that they might want, they just walk into a store see something they like and buy it then they get it home and it terrorizes the tank, rather then seeing a fish they like and going home and researching it before they buy it. another thing i see alot of is ppl buying fish when they are small and overstocking the crap out of their tank b/c they dont take into account that the fish could exceed a foot in length, like you pointed out the pacu i do not understand y ppl sell that fish i mean come on unless u have a 900gallon tank at home chances are you will not be able to keep that fish.


the biggest asset u can have when it comes to fish keeping is RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH READ READ READ!!!!

 

[Himmel]

I have personally been in a lfs that was telling ppl that a betta can be kept in a cup of water with weekly water changes. or that you can keep male and female bettas TOGETHER..... both of these statements are untrue. sorry but if you work in the fish dept at all even if its NOT your regular dept. you should know the basics or be able to get them. It makes me angry when I see the employee giving false info just because. I have actually been banned from stores for CORRECTING the employee.. also been offered jobs as well though so.


I used to work in a pet store as well I was in the Bird section... I made a point to know everything about the birds we sold . plus the basics on the other animals in the store and if someone asked me a question I didnt know I found the answer... guess what I got more sales then anyone else in the store because the customers liked my honesty.... I also would correct myself If i did give a false answer... but we got phone numbers with everyanimal we sold so correcting myself was easy.