People and Fish

[FireHead]

Well I am new to this board and I like it alot. I am not an ichthyologist or a marine biologist. I started working with animals in Highschool at a small PetStore(fish,small animals,reptiles,ect.) Since then I have been a Vet assist. and worked at 2 more Pet stores along with other jobs. I guess its understandable why many people have a negitive percption concerning people who like myself work at Petstores. My thing is I cant make a person do the right thing. I tell people all the time what I believe to be the best for the animals but most people will do what they want then say your store is selling sick animals when they die of New Tank Syndrome or Any other thing i warn them of. then they bring me a dead fish and want to know why. Yes I work at a Pet Store and I am expected to Know all things about all animals and if i suggest some thing that either worked for me,worked for others,suggested by experts, or I have read WOE unto me the idiot LFS guy who just wants your money. AND i dont even get commission nor do i have oleasure in seeing people come to the store time and time again holdin a bag of dead fish. They can blame me if it makes them feel better but if every fish you ever own from every LFS dies Come on People. BLAME is not going to help your water chemistry nor will snide remarks about LFS's cause people to do the right thing if given good information. People do what they want PERIOD and not every person at a Petstore is misinforming people contrary to popular opinion.

[Mgamer20o0]

yep your right. people only want to bash when something goes wrong. people dont come here saying how great their lfs is.

[Marinemom]

You got that right. Usually you only hear complaints. Very frustrating.

Marinemom

[Dangerdoll]

I can imagine you get your droves of people not even hearing the advice you offer and such. I guess some shoppers can be persistent and disregard your advice. Are you the only one who works the fish area of the store? Perhaps the fish have been sold from another worker and didn't get such good advice. It sounds to me as if you've got your ducks in a row, unfortunately, a lot of the bigger joints out there don't really put too much effort into the employee's knowledge above what is marked on the tanks. Perhaps if you are having such issues with people bringing dead fish back, maybe you can do something to avert this. Maybe have each fish person sign a waver saying they understand the cycle period and the aggression issues between species and such. That they understand the chemistry of the water and the maintenance needed to control it.

Basically, I don't think everyone is indicating all fish store employee's suck, it's just those they have experienced. There are those that people here rave about, me included so don't worry about the ones that aren't getting a good name as long aas you're doing what you can to make it right.

[Rbishop]

Welcome to AC, FireHead!

[FireHead]

ty fo the welcome. please have a good night everyone.

PS at my store i am not the only aquatic person and each person has stronger eareas of knowledge according to experience,training,and trl & error.
I do my best as they give us training and throw us out their with the SPECIALIST badge while the truth is i learn some thing new everyday. We have CARE SHEETS with animal facts and care tips but if little Johnny wants a small Shubunkin to go in his Goldfish bowl mommy will buy 2 even if i tell her
that fish will get a foot long and would do well in a pond. We also do alot of things there i would not do at home in my tanks. I am not saying my store is perfect but no one is.

[Dangerdoll]

what I was suggesting was that the customer sign some kind of waiver stating they have been told this info so there would be less "dead fish returns".
Well, you can only do what you can I guess. It sounds as if your store has a lot more people experienced than some and that's a good thing. Your store is probably one of those praised.

Welcome to the site, hope you enjoy your stay.

[Mgamer20o0]

most of the lfs have a no return policy. even if the fish dies on the way home.

[Coler]

Hi & Welcome to AC Firehead ! I agree with everything you said.

I'm lucky enough to have a fantasic LFS :D The pointless LFS bashing really does irk me though...

I have no prob with : Question : I went to my LFS and they told me I could put two Oscars in my 20 gallon can ? Answer : No you can not that is terrible advice...not pointless.

Its only when you get 12 more pages of posts in terms stating "that reminds me of a FS near me that told me I could but saltwater with brackish...yeah I went into a chain store and their bettas were in thimbles...once my LFS told me I could raise lobsters for food in my Discus fry tank"...pointless.

[Xavi]

Welcome to AC.

I work at a box petstore and I too get tired of the bashing, but most people will complain about a bad experience and not mention the good ones.

Don't feel alone, take praise in knowing that you are doing what is right and that you are not alone.

There are also many petstore workers that are members of this forum.

[Weezer]

Our mom and pop store is pretty good, and actually the petsmart we go to seems good, clean tanks, knowledgeable fish people, we've only bought a few fish there but they seem healthy months later......:)

[pcnicholson]

People like yourself seem rather rare in the chain pet stores. I think you get vented on for the training (or lack thereof) that the chain stores provide. Example:

I went to local store the other day and overheard a man come in saying he hated to clean his tank. The MANAGER no less tells him to buy one of these Eclipse 12 tanks since they NEVER need to be cleaned. He also said you just have to top it off with tap water once a week and that's it. He even went so far as to say that changing out the water was actually dangerous for the fish!

Now in that store is a young sales girl who I overheard on another occastion grilling some customers on tanks size, other fish, filtration etc. She talked them out of putting a Jack Dempsey in the 20 gallon they have and instead sent them out with a couple really nice tetras.

I understand in retail that you are expected to sell the customer the pet they want. But it's the blatant misinformation that I think is the most irritating. See, in this store the knowledge of fish keeping was there but in the hands of only one (apparently) person.

I think the real problem is with the CORPORATION not training it's people properly not the individuals.

Another issue I have is the makers of the aquaria equipment itself. Wonder why noobs such as myself have (had for me) an issue with overstocking their fish tank as soon as they start? This pic should tell you all you need to know. This is the picture on the box of the eclipse 3GALLON aquarium. I looked at my box when I got it. It showed 15 platies in this tank. And you should see all the goldfish in the picture on the side of the box. What message does that send the noob that wants to get their first tank?

Just my .02$

[Dwarf Puffers]

Atleast my LFS explains stocking to customers, although it does show those messed pics of OS tanks on them.

I saw a 5g that had a pic of 4 angels and 20 male swordtails in it, and MAN did it look unattractive. Why do they OS tank pics?! It makes them look soooo stupid to see a bunch of unhappy fish in a tiny tank...

[Marinemom]

Atleast my LFS explains stocking to customers, although it does show those messed pics of OS tanks on them.

I saw a 5g that had a pic of 4 angels and 20 male swordtails in it, and MAN did it look unattractive. Why do they OS tank pics?! It makes them look soooo stupid to see a bunch of unhappy fish in a tiny tank...

Because the people that put that photo shoot togather probably doesn't know any more about fish then the average person which is nothing. They think that that picture will help sell their product but we know better.

Marinemom

[FireHead]

You know i contend with the effects of these MARKETING Ploys every time I sell a New Kit be it a 10,20,55 ect. People allways ask me if i can only put what you say in a tank why does the picture have so many fish on it. Same questions when they ask me well why does this store have 50 neons in 1 disply tank or thousands of "feeder" fish in 1 tank. I usally explain that even though Over crowding is a no no the Store operates on the principle of Supply and DEMAND. This having enough stock is a neccessary evil in a sense. It makes it harder on the Fish,the Bio load,the maintainence ect. It is one of the reasons that even if i check every hour someone will allways say "hey you have a Dead one over here" As far as the workers being Competent alot of it is misinformed people relaying misinformation. I dont clain to be an expert but i try my best not to steer you wrong. thats why i come here and other boards to compliment my Aquatics Training at the store. I learn a lot from people here and other boards. I was at a site not to long ago where an 11 yr old knew more about Salt water than I did at that point i did not feel smarter than a fifth grader. But there is allways someone out there who knows more than the next person and if it comes from child genius thats cool too.

[Sovran]

I must say that there are some redeeming large pet stores - our local petsmart has a few extremely knowledgable employees. They are endlessly patient when dealing with newbies such as me, guiding, explaining and also steering away from things that could end up being major mistakes. There are at least 4 who really know their stuff - one has 30 tanks of his own! We have emailed and written to Petsmart management, both locally and nationally to give them the recognition and kudos they deserve.

[spirals]

Pet store workers unite! lol jk ;)
I dunno, I do get very frustrated with some of the lfs bashing threads that seem to float around, especially since most seem to center around where I work (Petsmart). I've already ranted before (albeit a small rant) about people doing their own research and not just relying on the lfs worker, but I must say I get equally annoyed by customers. I may actually start keeping a journal on all the things that "bad" customers have said and write a book on it. There have been many customer who insist that I am full of crap when I tell them not to keep 2 Oscars in a 20G tank, because "its just a fish, why does it need space?".
Ah marketing and pictures...how I despise you...especially the 2G bowls with "how to set-up your goldfish bowl". Although if you read that one it does say "makes a good temporary home, however upgrade as the fish grows". I just try to stress to people that the company doing the artwork may not be knowledgeable about fish, and just want to put a pretty picture.

[hatcheridiot]

I think cramping fish is fun....but my psychiatrist is working on that dementia. I'll post my progress. Maybe this project should go in the DIY forum.

[Que]

It is much easier to vent when something is/goes wrong than it is to post an attaboy for a job done as expected.

Q

[attiladahun]

i agree with spirals on his call on not just relying on the lfs but doing your own research. the fact is that no lfs knows everything and that some know more than others. im not saying to ignore their advice, but supplement and check their information with a simple google search or posting on this site.

This brings up another point of what makes AC great. you get opinions from mostly unbiased people, most of which have experience and if anyone gives blatantly bad advice, other members are sure to call them out on it.

[stasia8756]

We;ve met one lady at our local Petco who really knows what she's doing. She cares about what the customer wants and is quick to dispense advice if something is not in the best interest of the fish. She works there on Saturdays so we make sure to shop there then. It's refreshing to find someone who cares about not only her job but the "merchandise."

Stasia

[FireHead]

It is much easier to vent when something is/goes wrong than it is to post an attaboy for a job done as expected.

Q

some people have unrealistic expectations. It would be great if you went into a store and all the people who sold fish Knew everything there was to know about all fish but i dare to say no one knows everything about fish or any other animal and what may have been standard for years may be cosidered outdated info by others at best. What i expect is if i tell a customer not to buy fish with a new tank that they will heed my advice and read the information i hand out on the Nitrogen cycle i just explained. But this is an unrealistic expectation in most cases. Its seems people ask me questions about fish but if i tell them that channel catfish wont do well in your 55 gal they can not comprehend why a fish so small now cant just stay in there for a little while. Or if i tell them not to get an algea eater (pleco) because some one told them they will clean the tank for you. they wonder why thier pleco keeps dying he eats poop right? so i tell them no you dont need a pleco in this 10 gal you just set up last night. i tell them not to mix gold fish cold water ammonia machines with tetras,platies,ect but will they listen 9 time out of 10 NO. is it to much to expect that if a person expects you to know more than them about a thing to take heed to the advice of the more expierenced? or is it just onesided?

[n0zqh]

The only bad thing I have to say about my LFS is the prices on the materials I'm looking to buy.

[Dwarf Puffers]

I think cramping fish is fun....but my psychiatrist is working on that dementia. I'll post my progress. Maybe this project should go in the DIY forum.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[spirals]

i agree with spirals on his call on not just relying on the lfs but doing your own research
" her call" thank you very much :P lol
Yeah, I think its just heightened by the fact that we also have to know everything about everything else in the store as well. So every time I'm floating on a bird forum, reptile forum, dog forum....etc...all I hear is "I asked the employee what exact heat this rare random reptile likes and omg they didn't know" and it gets even more frustrating.