Okay, I think I will jump on the bandwagon here and add my 2 cents. I don't have a problem with most retailers. They are trying to make money. If and when I do vent about fish stores, it is for a good reason.
Example? The local WalMart (which I avoid for other reasons) often seems to grossly neglect maintanance on their tanks. There are potted plants for sale that look like they have sat there for years, slowly languishing.
At Petco, I can never find any employees to help me. Last time I was there, I pressed the 'ring for assistance' button three times, and no one came. Often, their tanks are neglected as well... the filter intakes totally clogged with dead fish in varying stages of decay. One tank, last time, had so many goldfish in it that the fish literally could not turn around.
PetSmart's plants are all dying or grown over with algae. But their service is good. I have witnessed employees talking customers out of particular purchases. They often ask what kind of setup you have before they will bag anything for you.
At LFS, employees are all fish geeks... required to have a very good working knowledge of aquarium systems. The place used to be an all-purpose pet store. Now they are primarily aquarium experts with a small stock of cat and dog supplies in the very front. They have some fabulous tanks in there... reef displays, an enormous stingray tank, a display-only African Cichlid tank. And they have a lot of info and supplies for planted tanks. But they are not always helpful or polite.
Bottom line?
It's easy to complain on an online forum under the cover of virtual anonymity. Know your fish, ask questions, get to know other fishkeepers. Educate yourself, because you can't expect that every fish retailer will know everything about every species/setup/situation.
