Petco, PetsMart and the LFS

[coach_z]

This is a general overview of these three places and what i think of them...the results you might find rather surprising

LFS: So for the longest time i thought my LFS (fishtown usa, ramsey nj) had a great selection of stuff and was rather well priced. Tanks were always a little dirty, and the store itself has been rather run down over the many years they have been there. there selecting of fish was alright and i thought it the best.

PetCo: i never really liked it but for the stuff they did have they were reasonably priced. i would never buy a fish there because they always look dead in the tank. there selection of stuff was small, and their accessories were even smaller

PetsMart: Went there for the first time ever last night!!! Prices were great, place looked cool. A decoration that my GF got me for xmas was $30.00 cheaper here. The fish looked great, happy and healthy. there selection was great! the information was superb and the whole experience was amazing! They are priced cheaper than all the other places around me, there selection is much larger than any place and just about everything is much, much better.

So for now on i'd much rather go to PetsMart than my LFS because it is simply better, cheaper etc. Regarding the price i know that small shops pay more because they buy in smaller quantities. (i know this for a fact because i used to own my own small business). but a price difference of $30.00 for a decoration??? that is a bit rediculous.

my LFS will not be completely ignored because they do have panda corydoras and i really want those, and they are about 10 minutes closer than that petsmart.

-chris

[Weezer]

I would have no problem purchasing fish from our local Pet Smart, they test there water daily, i know this because i saw there log book and i was there when testing was being done a few times, there readings were consistently
0-0- 20 to 40, they use an API liquid kit, i usually buy fish from our mom and pop store because of the variety of fish and its cool to go there, they have around 400 tanks. i do get the fish food at PS and just go in there to BS with the aquatics professional, over all a decent clean place........:)

[lindsey crashed]

corporate petsmart does try a little...
they actually have a policy now that you can refuse a sale if the customer doesnt care about the animal's best interest...
if the stores actually followed their own corporate rules, they would be pretty good.. and the iformation they are given, as far as fish goes, is pretty good too.. its just that the employees dont take advantage of it and learn it....

[BadFishPa]

I would gladly do my own research and even catch my own fish if it saved a few bucks.Petsmart is soo much cheaper than anywhere else i go,i could really care less what the employee can or cant tell me lol..

[SaltySAE]

I worked at PetSmart for a couple years and now work for PetCo (Both in the Baltimore area). I would say that each store has its pros and cons when it comes to the fish dept. Petco has much smaller tanks which can limit what they carry as well as put stress on 50 guppies being held in 7 gallons of water.

Petco filtration systems are basic carbon/biowheel systems while Petsmart uses giant sumps with wet/dry and trickle filters as well as UV etc... Some of the newer PetSmarts have even betters systems.

Both have accurate corporate policies as far as care and procedures go. You definitely can not count on their employees to be able to tell you everything you need to know as the training is very limited.

My advice: scope out one of each in your area and ecide which one you like better.

[wolf13]

Locally, i'd never buy another fish from a petco; but the petsmarts here are really good, which isn't the case back home.

[Star_Rider]

the Petsmart here, remodeled.. looks great but not geared for fish so much.. actually their selection ...sucks wind

[shadow999991]

yeah ***** sucks, i had a guy shake up my angel fish and kill half of them, and anther guy spill my albino rainbow sharks on the counter, and yet another one crush a fish i wanted trying to catch it

[slice]

I love the petsmart around my way even though I only go to talk to one girl that I got my eye on lol, I do buy a bunch of stuff there though ^_^

[tetramoon13]

I concur....the Petsmart in Salem, MA, is decent, but they always have the SAME selection of livestock, same tetras, guppies, cichlids, balas, etc. Tanks are reasonably clean, and prices are fair. With the exception of one or two fish dept. employees, the help was not all that helpful. Plant tank was horrible, and unkempt, they just should not bother with plants. Overall, 2 1/2 stars:)

Petco I discovered to be ok as well, tanks were pretty clean, selection was a little better than Petsmart, but plants were actually nicely taken care of, what little they had. The employee I dealt with was a total fish nerd, too, and a killie breeder, which was cool.

Unfortunately, I don't live quite so near a Petsmart anymore. I visited the local LFS last weekend next town over in Rochester NH, and it was just terrible. Tanks looked like they had NEVER been cleaned, I swear, lots of poop, and a very thick layer of algae on substrate and sides of tanks. Many dead fish, and many with severe fin rot, columnaris, ich, popeye, you name it. I had to leave.

I am going to try Tri-City Aquarium and Pet center this weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed. looking for a small tetra or harley school for my 10g.

[Reefscape]

Folks...a quick edit done...lets not have a pet store bashing thread...

Thanks...

[tetramoon13]

oh, sry.....I tried to be careful and not mention the name of the yucky store.....:uhoh::uhoh:

[jpappy789]

Its will always depend on the location...

[GOT PLANTS?]

I'll recommend everyone to check the big stores like Petco and Petsmart for accesories and equipment...we all know by now that you can find very good deals there (with some exceptions)...Now, livestock is another story and different people have had different experiences when it comes to shopping from big stores (bad in most cases)...use common sense...make sure your livestock is healthy and very well taken care of when you shop...not only from big stores but from your LFS as well...I know you have a better chance to get rare specimens from your LFS than from Petco or Petsmart... but always ask about their ability to special order something for you at their discounted price...I can do that at the Petco in my area...and please don't assume that your LFS have better quality because they specialize in aquatics...we all have heard of bad reviews and experiences from LFS as well...once again use common sense when shopping for your next pet.

[rocker92]

x2

[edh]

Not a fan of the PetWhatever Stores and there are less and less LFS around. I get my fish from local breeders and equipment at auctions and swap meets. I put the money right into fellow hobbyists hands.

[msjinkzd]

I think the quality of every store is determined by their staff. some have good, some don't. I make it my personal responsibility to not buy anthing that doesn't look healthy. I will go to the same store a couple days a week for a few weeks to make sure stock looks healthy before I commit to buy.

[edh]

I think the quality of every store is determined by their staff. some have good, some don't. I make it my personal responsibility to not buy anthing that doesn't look healthy. I will go to the same store a couple days a week for a few weeks to make sure stock looks healthy before I commit to buy.


No mater where you buy whatever the fish looks like it is a risk versus reward decision.

[ChrisK]

The petsmart here is awesome, great people,and a good selection of fish. We had another corporate pet store open up in December went in there last weekend and their tanks were already overrun with ich.

[katschamne]

I work at a Petco and I buy some supplies there but I don't usually buy any fish because the only fish they carry would be lunch in my tank. The Petsmarts around here are pretty much the same with their fish unless it's an Oscars. Then it isn't uncommon to see 6 6" Oscars in a tank they can barely move around in by themselves. Most of my fish from LFS because they will have larger fish that other people bring in when it's gets too big for their tanks.

I agree that it is the staff that make the store no matter what store it is. If you have people who care for the animals it will show.

[ToeJam]

LFS cant compete with there big contracts and low prices on many things. But because I support small business a few dollars more is not going to kill me and it supports local business people.

I shy away from those big chains unless I have to go there.

[7itanium]

I have 4 petco's in my area.... 2 of them are really great... 1 is OK.. and 1 is horrible

it totally depends on the staff

I also have 2 Petsmarts.. the stores are both equally awesome-- but the employees are much better at one side of town

I have about 4-5 LFS's in my town... 2 of them are amazing but they are all pretty limited

the other 3 are OK.. but I dont frequent them so much because the people that run them arent very friendly

[DarrylR]

Look for illness and QT, should be fine.