Questions to assess the knowledge of the Shopkeeper?

[Colin_T]

Pet store employees have their entry level too. When I started out as a roofer, my boss sent me down the ladders to get "the blue skyhook" out of the truck. I looked for it for half an hour. I knew nothing. I learned a lot and worked hard, but I never became an expert. It was a summer job.

LOL, the bosses at one shop I worked at sent a work experience kid out to find the striped paint. The poor kid wasn't the brightest and spent most of the day wandering around asking everyone if they had seen the striped paint. Eventually I couldn't stand it anymore and told him to tell Stuart (the boss) to stop being a smartass because there was no such thing as striped paint.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Very interesting chat today, with a knowledgeable lass working at Pets at Home, prompted by my querying a new notice, saying that you have to let a new tank sit for '1 day' before adding fish!
Said lass knew this to be ridiculous, but the word from on high imposed this on the shops. The 1 day was apparently the time it took for the chlorine in the tap water to dissipate!
Given the training modules staff have to attend, this 1 day cobblers was agreed to be grossly contradictory and there's a distinct cognitive dissonance between the actual fishkeeping staff and The Powers That Be...who, sadly, are definitely in control of things.

Apparently, restraining the enthusiasm of would-be fishkeepers is a continual struggle, because almost everyone wants immediate results. To try and slow things down, I was told that, having let a new tank sit for a day, only 2 fish at a time could then be added.
Again, when we're talking about social fish needing to be in social groups, this 2 at a time seemed contradictory to fish wellbeing but again, was imposed from on high.

Upshot is, no matter how genuinely knowledgeable about fish care the frontline staff may be, they are told in no uncertain terms what to do and say by their higher (above the Shop Manager) managers and have no say against the rubbish that is spouted.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Oh yes...and apparently, after having to deal with awkward fish-unaware customers, talking to someone who enjoys talking about fish is deemed to be a joy.