Got a job at a Pet Shop!

[TinaFishGirl]

If your customers have a question that you may not know the answer instead of guessing or saying "I don't know" say " I am not sure let's go look it up in our books." or better yet ask them if they ever tried aquariumcenteral.com. Then you learn too for the next person.
LFS have really bad reputations and it is up to people like us to change that!

 

[nvan2]

I think you pretty much said it Knowy. If you make an atempt to steer them away, but they still decide to buy a fish that will outgrow their tank, chances are that the fish will get big as it should, and the customer will most likley realize his goof up and give the fish back or buy a larger tank.

I find that with lfs/petstores, as well as any other job, your gonna have to deal with your share of a-holes and do*che bags. Some people just suck. Just treat it like a job, be professional, and as helpful as possible.

 

[shadrac]

i would say just check the tanks every day you work when you get there to see if there are any sick fish or fish acting werid so you can quarentine the tank so people dont buy sick fish cuz theres a few lfs i wont go to cuz there fish cuzed a lot of damage to my tank from selling me sick fish

 

[ChileRelleno]

Thanks... it is a smaller locally owned shop, not a Petco. Do you think I would get in trouble for reccomending the $3 cory cat over the $12 redtail cat for a 10 gallon (using this as an example)?

Well, lets use that example...
Instead of selling them the $12.00 RTC, which would be a very very bad decision for all four of you, the RTC, the customer, the LFS and you as a ethical fishkeeper/LFS salesperson, you can instead confidently sell them 4-5 $3.00 Cories for their 10gal tank without any moral/ethical dilemma.
Same amount money if not more in your bosses pocket, a happy customer and happy fish.
Its all in the sales pitch and knowing how to tactfully manuever a customer to what they really need or can house.
I've worked various types of retail and I can "Sell the customer any product", in a case like this I would present the RTC as a highly undesireable fish for their tank and then show them these great Cories who will "Play" in the tank and they can have "More" fish in their tank for the same price or just a few dollars more.

Be ethical, be moral and be responsible If your employer requires that you be the opposite of any of these, then they are not worth working for.

 

[jonathan03]

Ok thanks everybody. I am pretty sure I will experience this ignorance a little less in this town though, everybody in this area knows something about fish, so I think the only problem I'll have is with the little 5-10 year olds who are hellbent on getting the bala shark. But I'm thinking of using the old "Instead of this, may I suggest" line.

You will be suprised. Martha thoiuht she new something about trading stocks and she was doing interior design on a jail cell for the last few moths. There are a few politicans (who I will not name to avoid a war) that said they knew what they were doing, and .....

You will always meet somebody who doesn't have a clue. And its not necessarily how much they know thats always the problem, sometimes people are very knoweledge for the most part but are wrong on one simple thing and won;'t admit it. But maybe if its a small town, you can set them on the right track more easily.