Being a previous petsmart associate myself, I have to both agree and disagree with this thread. . . Yes, I'll agree that in most instances the employees do not know as much about the individual fish as hobbyists like on here would, but that does not mean that all petsmart associates are ignorant and careless. In fact, the petsmart I worked at had built up a very reputable base because our employees in the aquatic/small animal/reptile department DID know. We had some crazy knowledgeable people working. But i have to disagree that petsmart just doesn't care about how their animals are taken care of. The fish at petsmart are NOT "heavily salted" I worked in that department and never once saw salt put into any tanks. Not to mention, I dont think anyone on here can claim to know what the fish are fed at petsmart, namely because they are fed right after opening, if not every once in awhile before. It might surprise everyone to know the varieties of food given to the fish and the care with which it is done. My last pet peeve, most customers don't listen to the advice you give them no matter what anyway. So all the people upset about fish being housed in tanks too small, or mixed inappropriately is not the stores fault. It is the customers. It says right on the fish's tag the minimum size tank requirement for the fish, ex. Goldfish I think says 30gal! Not to mention the people who come to the store, lie to you about their setup, only to come back upset with the store that their fish got sick or died. Well duh!
Moral of the story. . . I agree that in some petsmarts the care of the fish may not be up to "par" with the hobbyists, and the knowledge may be lacking, but don't assume that all petsmarts are bad, don't assume that the fish are not 'cared for', and don't assume that the mistake of the buyer by not researching or listening to the employee is the store or employee's fault. I guess what bothers me more than anything is the assumed 'neglect' in petsmart. The company has come a LONG way in educating their employees and taking care to meet the special needs of the fish they house. It may not be perfect, but that doesn't necessarily warrant the hostility the store is met with, and I know for sure the corporation as a whole is trying. Why else does petsmart have a hotline where concerned employees and customers can call and discuss any pet they feel is not having its needs met by the company?