I broke all the rules

There are only so many people you can help.

If I were you, when you first talk to someone try educate them a little. If it seems like they don't give a ****... just give up right then. So in like the first 30 seconds you probably should be able to realize who is actually listening and it seems to be registering, and who really doesn't care.

Might help you from getting burnt out.

idk just a thought
 
dbcb314 said:
There are only so many people you can help.

If I were you, when you first talk to someone try educate them a little. If it seems like they don't give a ****... just give up right then. So in like the first 30 seconds you probably should be able to realize who is actually listening and it seems to be registering, and who really doesn't care.

Might help you from getting burnt out.

idk just a thought
Click to expand...

see, the compromise with that is he must stay cordial enough to everyone in order to keep his job. its a delicate balance, and a frustrating one at that.
 
When I was at my LFS yesterday an old couple were going to buy 6 oscars. The worker said "wow, thats a lot of Oscars, you must have a huge tank". The man went on to say " oh no, just a little old 20 gallon, but the fish are small right now so they will be stunted and its ok". The guy refused to sell to them, it was awesome.
 
yeah, i hate that feeling too. I dont work in a LFS but i go to mine and i see people being given WRONG advice all the time by workers. I heard one i liked the other day.... "your fish are dieing because they are thirsty". I really just wanted to smack the guy... i mean seriously.. he had to be high or something. Hes talking to this old woman and he convinces her that fish need drinks as well, and that he gives his "diet coke" once a week?!?!? people are insane........
 
I like it if the person at the fishstore knows what they're talking about though :) Then again, there are plenty of customers out there who think they're right, even if they're not... and there's plenty of people who don't listen anyway, even if they're paying for the advice (e.g., at a vet clinic...)...

A couple weeks ago, I went in to the local chainstore (the guy who runs the little fish shop I usually go to apparently retired :( ) to replenish my neon school (attrition over the course of almost a year had left me with three), and the guy in the fish department told me to wait, since this shipment was apparently not doing too well, though they looked ok. Went in a few days ago, apparently this batch was doing better (and so far, all five have been doing well :) ). He wanted to know how big my tank was, how long it'd been running, and what other fish I had... While I was there, a couple was looking at fish, trying to decide among the several "five for $5" fish there. They decided on serpaes, and the guy asked them how big their tank was... "oh, a couple fish bowls, we want more fish for our money! It'd be cool to have one in each around the house!" "uhhhhh... these are schooling fish, they need a bigger tank..." "so what can we put in a regular old fish bowl?" and he stood there for a couple minutes obviously trying to decide wither to tell them anything, but eventually decided to sell them a betta instead (more expensive per fish, but more likely to survive under those conditions...). The look on his face though... I think what he was thinking was "no fish should have to live in a fishbowl..."
 
God, I hate those fish sales. They encourage people to buy fish that are inappropriate for their set up, because they are cheaper.
 
J2R... maybe the existing threads should be copied and sent to the Execs of the large chains (Petsmart, Petco, Petland, etc.). They may be completely oblivious to the plight of their employees and customers... Or if not, maybe their attention can be directed with details.... I'll offer to find the right contacts and distribute.

Just a salty thought...
 
I hear you on what to do when the customers do not care but think they know it all. In fact they will get down right beligerent about it at times. It can be very frustrating but I get the perks when I actually do get someone that does listen to what I say and does what is right from the advice I have given them. That is enough to keep me going. All you can do is offer the right advice to those people that do not care. It is up to them to do the right thing. Hang in there! It really is worth it if you can get some of them to not completely screw up the tanks and the fish in them.

Marinemom
 
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