A BIT LONG BUT PLEASE READ
ok i have to step i now
. i have just recently myself started stepping in and telling potential customers of problems at lfs'. i feel that the employees at Petco or Petsmart vary from place to place. some employees care to research the fish they sell outside of the store like bettabelieveit's girlfriend. while others don't and see it as an "afters chool" job.
my girlfriend is actually trying to get into the local lfs here and try to fix it up, but she needs to have experience working in petshops first (that's what they told her). well she is applying to work at a petco or petsmart over the summer break (from college) to better the poor conditions that she has found fish in.
the petsmart was worse down there as the employees were school kids who goofed off and just got you any fish that you wanted. and when i heard them talk about fish, it was about how they have an oscar in their 50 gal (US) and that they had a whole lot of other fish (i.e green terror and bichirs in there).
while the petco depended on the employee. when my family went in to buy our ball pythons the person working in that sction was trained and had outside knowledge of the amphibeans and reptiles there. he actually advised us what we needed and what we could "technically" do without (i.e those fancy watterfall water troghs that cost a lot of money and sais that a basic bowel will be fine. also instead of buying feeder mice every week, he advised us to get a pair and let them breed selectively and seperate the males from females once you could sex them. this saved us a load of money and even cost the store money (from us buying mice) but he was actually very helpful.
when we went back for winter break (from college) we went to petco again (like 2 years later), there was actually a kid that was arguing wiht a customer because he wanted to put a clown knife fish in a 30 gal (US) saying that they (petco) have him in a much smaller tank with other knifefish. the employee told him that they need a HUGE tank when they grow larger and that these were juveniles they were selling and will be there temporarily. the customer left Pi**ed off but i was impressed that the employee stood his ground and didn't sell him the fish. another time i heard the same employee telling someone about swordtails needing 20 gal (US) and that they and platies would breed so it wouldn't be good to put hem together as the female platties would have stress giving birth to male swordtail babies. i nodded my head in approval. well, after that customer the kid went on break and someone else took his place. well a guy asked for 2 tinfoil barbs and the guy sold it to him, o questions asked. i was like (to myself) " i hope that guy knows what he just bought and i hope he has a large tank and other tinfoils already". at that time i didn't have the gall to step in and say something.
a story about bettas... i was in a bunch of walmarts and i saw things from male bettas being in with neons and barbs, to them being in a cup living in their own filth. well i heard an employee who was somewhat knowledgable about bettas in fact. but she told the cusomer that female bettas are ugly and that you don't want them. the people were picking up a 10 (US) gal starter kit and was going to put fish in it that day
, but the woman selling the fish told the couple that they can put bettas in with "anything on this side" as she pointed to the warm water/tropical section. the people asked why they couldn't put it in with a goldfish and the woman said "they are coldwater and bettas like warmer water. it's best to get something over here". well the people were asking about barbs and the woman was still saying that females were ugly and the ydon't want them for their tank. she told them that females can go together but the ystill can be aggressive and that the males were "prettier". well i couldn't stand it and walked away, after collecting myself i went back to find that everyone is gone. from that day i vowed to say something everytime an employee gives poor advise. female bettas would have been much better to put in their tank than a male betta. especially since this walmart seemed to carry a lot of barbs, tetras, guppies and guaromies (actually outside of plecos and cories, thats all they sold)
it just shows you that some employees are unknowedgable or don't care, while others know everything you will need to know, and some are in between. it depends really on the person's experience working with that animal and the knowledge that they decide to invest in. in the same placed there can be the "ideal" employee and a customers "worst nightmare" (info-wise). we have to just step in and say something when poor or no advise is given. it's the least we could do for the fish.