Petco, where I dont go...Anymore!(img INTENSE)

[reefshadow]

Flamming lfs isn't a good idea. If you don't like the lfs then don't go to it.

Agreed, but Petco is not an LFS. It is a huge corporation.

An LFS cares about the health of their livestock because their livlihood depends on happy customers and repeat business. They specialize in the husbandry of fish. Even the most hole in the wall LFS I have seen far outstrips Petco.

Petco cares about being in the black. Bottom line. I can guarantee they don't get there by fish sales.

[MAreefer1]

true true, but I dont understand why so many people still go to petco.

[stevebydac]

I saw a similar thread on another website two days ago and got so upset I wrote an email to them telling them about their poor husbandry. I also mentioned that if things didn't improve at my local stores I would report them to the ASPCA. Here is their contact info:

http://www.petco.com/Content/Contact...tactus&Nav=166

[reefshadow]

I don't either, MAreefer

I think though that Petco is often a jumping off point for hobbiests. I had never seen a real marine aquarium but I fell in love with the clownfish when I went there for something totally unrelated. Before I knew it I had bought a 29 gallon tank, 1 Azoo powerhead, a HOT magnum filter, crushed coral substrate and a piece of tufa rock, 15 watt No fluorescent. I then stocked according to advice. 2 perculas, a small YT, 5 damsels and a LMB. Predictably, everything died within a few days. I wonder how many potential hobbiests stop there thinking they can't do it?

I think Petco snares many brand new marine aquarists.

Thanks for starting this thread, I think it's an important issue.

[Kinetic]

wow, those petco pictures look better than the petco's in my area.

[MAreefer1]

Originally posted by reefshadow
I don't either, MAreefer

I think though that Petco is often a jumping off point for hobbiests. I had never seen a real marine aquarium but I fell in love with the clownfish when I went there for something totally unrelated. Before I knew it I had bought a 29 gallon tank, 1 Azoo powerhead, a HOT magnum filter, crushed coral substrate and a piece of tufa rock, 15 watt No fluorescent. I then stocked according to advice. 2 perculas, a small YT, 5 damsels and a LMB. Predictably, everything died within a few days. I wonder how many potential hobbiests stop there thinking they can't do it?

I think Petco snares many brand new marine aquarists.

Thanks for starting this thread, I think it's an important issue.

Yep...sometimes it looks too drawing in, and with the large big and tuff looking corporation that Petco is, new hobbiests will start out there on the Wrong foot, with untrained employees,and end up getting discouraged when nemo dies because someone told them at Petco that he could go in a glass bowl with "one eye" the gold fish( sarcasm, hopefully has never happened), that is a setback for marine aquariust everyhere.

[MAreefer1]

Originally posted by stevebydac
I saw a similar thread on another website two days ago and got so upset I wrote an email to them telling them about their poor husbandry. I also mentioned that if things didn't improve at my local stores I would report them to the ASPCA. Here is their contact info:

http://www.petco.com/Content/Contact...tactus&Nav=166

Do you notice how they adress what the email is about:

A:Question/Suggestion
B:Compliment
C:CONCERN


wh can't it be a COMPLAINT... did they ever respond to your Concern?

[fakename]

1) That sales person you are jumping all over, and fooling with your 'clever' questions, probably works very hard for minimum wages. Why are you suprised that some high-school aged, minimum wage employee does not have in depth reef aquarium knowledge. That employee is not even paid enough to have their own reef aquarium.
Minimum wage does NOT attract skilled employees.
2) Unfortunately lots of aquarium stores, even "good" stores, give terrible advice, and try to sell product you do not need.
3) While it would not be appropriate for tangs to LIVE in that tank FOREVER, it is probably an appropriate holding tank until they are sold.....at least on par with what is standard in the industry.
4) Yes PetCo is a terrible store. It's hard to imagine that anyone on this board seriously shops at big box stores like that! My guess would be that their business is almost totally restricted to impulse buying first timers.......

Aaron

[Orangeman]

Reefshadow, you think a LFS doesn't care about being in the black? All businesses have to make money or they go out of business. That said, I didn't see bloody murder in the initial photos except maybe the coral. You saw several tangs in a small tank. Did you see several large tangs in a small tank? Fish in ... fish out.

But the employee answers were seriously messed up...

[kidzatheart]

$109.99 for a 3 inch clown trigger is high. I bought my 3 inch clown trigger NOT on sale for $25.00. All i could do when i read the questions was laugh although its sad. We dont have a Petco here in South Carolina where i live. Reading this thread makes me appreciate our LFS so much.

[reefshadow]

Reefshadow, you think a LFS doesn't care about being in the black? All businesses have to make money or they go out of business.

That was my point, maybe I didn't state it very clearly. Of course
LFS's care about being in the black. FISH are their livlihood. (thus the F in LFS). PETCO, however, is NOT an "lfs". They don't make their profit off fish and invert sales and their business does not depend on presenting a good image with their fish department. They make their money off of pet supplies.

Also, FWIW, Those pics don't look so bad and I didn't say anything about them except to point out that the first one was a receding bubble coral. But IMO there is a big problem with Petcos corporate tactics and policies. They should not sell animals, period. They have problems in all their animal departments. The design of the reptile system is bad too. The rodents are often overcrowded and have wet tail, and they sell very sensitive birds that are definately not for novices.

Employees at minimum wage with poor training and incentive just cannot keep up, and corporate HQ won't let them anyway.

[grimmjohn]

From the inside looking out () : )
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...5&pagenumber=3

I second the underpaid () : )
I work about 40 hours a week and I'm on track to make a big'ol 1K a month...that's what I get for trying to make a difference
If I'm not in the store and/or at the aquatics and reptiles dept. then they go to hell and God knows what you'll get told...unfortuantly when I'm in the store I'm more likely to be stocking or running little errands or the cash register than where I applied/hired to be *sigh.*

The pics don't look worse than any LFS I've been to, around here the clown trigger would go for $80 though. If you've never seen a coral skeleton at a LFS you haven't gone enough () : )

Cheers,

grimmjohn

[Ricky@3rdshift]

Originally posted by reefshadow
The first coral is a badly receded bubble coral. Probably a goner.

There are so many problems with most Petco's, where to start?

First, they have a regional manager who oversees many stores and makes sure things are run according to the corporate "plan". Even a skilled aquarist working in the fish department has little leeway on what products can be ordered or used. Thus they are not up to date on decent equipment or techniques. The petco in my area had to wait a couple of months before they could have corporate fix their already crappy skimmer in the sump chamber at the bottom of the marine system. Upgrades on lights, pumps, skimmers, etc. are not allowed.

If the aquatics manager or a specialist is not available you have someone from another department to "help" you. For a novice hobbiest this is bad news.

Corporate HQ will buy lot orders of fish, many times in the thousands. They are then distributed to stores across the states. The manager at our Petco has complained many times about receiving way too many fish of a type not needed such as 20 perculas when there were already 15 in the store. The aquatics manager can make orders of needed fish but many in the shipments are sent without a request. The last few shipments that came into our area store were at about 60 degrees as well. They bag and freeze any DOAs or casualties and do not take a financial loss on them, thus there is little pressure to improve things.

At least twice someone in the store has left the FW top off valve open overnight, flooding the marine tanks and killing every fish and invert in the system. Corporate won't let them put a lock on the sump/top off chamber.

They will sell obviously sick and dying, unhealthy fish. Reduced price? That's a laugh. Quarantine? Hehe. Doesn't happen. Not at our area store. Corpaorate will not allow them to set up a real display or a quarantine tank. All the marine tanks are one system so all fish and inverts are subjected to the same conditions.

Best policy is to try not to add to the problem by buying their live animals or products. In an area like ours it is hard though, the nearest real LFS is 2 hours away.

They should not be in the business of selling ANY live animals AT ALL. It's funny because a point of pride with them is that they do not sell puppies or kittens. I suppose smaller animals like the birds, rodents, fish and reptiles just don't rate.

Beleive it or not, most of the knowledgeable employees feel a sense of frustration as well. Their hands are really tied in alot of ways.

I wrote a letter a couple of years back to corporate HQ detailing what I see to be big problems. I received no reply.

I guess I wasn't suprised.

I myself work at the local Petco part time to suppliment my income to buy my Sw equipment fish etc...

The above statement is very true in many ways. I help out in the aquatics when the "specialist" is backed up or has Sw ?'s or needs help w/ Sw issues.

I have finally worked my way into the consulting process when it comes to ordering fishes, and I have also taken on a project of changing out the CC substrate to Live sand. However this will be slow as they will only allow me 1 bag of sand per month so 1 small tank at a time and then 2 months wait for the bigger ones.

I do get frustrated, and I am by no means an expert, but I am more educated than most emplyees at my store about SW.

[reefshadow]

You guys are the exception to the rule and thanks for sticking it out. You can help make a difference.

[donski]

I usually won't go near a store that sells anything but fish. I've seen much worse than the photos here. And as far as employees, at the big dog, cat ,fish ,bird and reptile store...most are just happy to have a job, but there are some people out there (usually at a smaller LFS than bigger multiple pet stores) who really know their sh** but are way underpaid.

[stevebydac]

Originally posted by MAreefer1
Do you notice how they adress what the email is about:

A:Question/Suggestion
B:Compliment
C:CONCERN


wh can't it be a COMPLAINT... did they ever respond to your Concern?

No response yet. In fairness to them, I sent it two days ago, and few companies respond quickly. We'll see...

[MAreefer1]

I cant wait to see there response

[MAreefer1]

Originally posted by Ricky@3rdshift
I myself work at the local Petco part time to suppliment my income to buy my Sw equipment fish etc...

The above statement is very true in many ways. I help out in the aquatics when the "specialist" is backed up or has Sw ?'s or needs help w/ Sw issues.

I have finally worked my way into the consulting process when it comes to ordering fishes, and I have also taken on a project of changing out the CC substrate to Live sand. However this will be slow as they will only allow me 1 bag of sand per month so 1 small tank at a time and then 2 months wait for the bigger ones.

I do get frustrated, and I am by no means an expert, but I am more educated than most emplyees at my store about SW.

Its a start...slow and steady,

[MAreefer1]

Another issue still needed to adress is how diseased there fish are. Petco is truning aound and selling these fish, even infested with disease!

Originally posted by Tom_Nev
In the area I live there are 3 Petco's (and only 1 real LFS which isn't that local and of dubious quality at best). Here's my problem, I've been in each of the Petco's several times over the last few months. EVERY time I've been in, in each store, the marine fish are INFESTED with parasites and diseases. Additionally, they commonly have fish dying or dead in the tanks.

Yesterday, I went in to one of them and spoke with the attendant. They just received a shipment of fish that day (earlier in the day). A number of the newly arrived fish were already infested. I'm talking about 1 powder blue tang, a half dozen bursa triggers, 3 scopas tangs, some tomato clowns, 2 ocellaris clowns and a dozen varied damsels (At LEAST). I asked the attendant (short form), "what is going on with the fish, every time I'm in here they fish are infested and dying". She says, "I know it's very sad. Corporate won't even let us treat them, but sometimes we try to anyway. We just got some new ones today and they were really stressed out, some already had ich". This store is the best of the three with regard to the condition of their marine fish.

I went into another today. Half the tanks empty (I thought whew!). Then I see a volitan lion bloated and dead in the corner of one tank with a pair of niger triggers lying next to him panting.

This is despicable. Anyone else see anything like this at Petco? I'll be writing and calling them to complain LOUDLY, as well as suggesting they either get it right, or get out of the marine business. I had given it a few months to see if it was just an aberration, buts it's not, it appears as if this is business as usual. I have seen at least 4 shipments of fish, in each of the three stores (12 total), each end with similar results (once in awhile a particularly hardy specimen makes it a month).

If anyone else has seen this, I hope you'd also write, call, whatever (more voices is likey to make more of an impression)

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...25&pagenumber=3
___________________________________________________

[mikeatjac]

All LFS stores have to be in the black if they are to stay in business. I am lucky to have many in my area. If I don't like one I tell them why and spend my money else where.
If you want to make a difference, then effect their bottom line.

[MAreefer1]

Originally posted by mikeatjac
All LFS stores have to be in the black if they are to stay in business. I am lucky to have many in my area. If I don't like one I tell them why and spend my money else where.
If you want to make a difference, then effect their bottom line.

Well said, its true (im sayin it again but), dont feed the fire.
LArge corporations are slowly taking over This country, and im not to fond of it. Another instance is Walmart, Dont even get me startred about there Fresh water "FISH CARE," there so bad, its beyond anything... but big companies like Petco, and Walmart, are becoming The base of a future where, the Producers control what the consumers get, no longer a consumers game, we go to Walmart now because its cheap, and the prices seem to good to be true, but just wait 5-10 years, and watch how there company will grow and many other buiness will be abolished, it will sadly become the,
(sarcasm)--->"united states of Wlamsts," <---(sarcasm). Walmart seem dormant now, but it is slowly creeping up on us.

[dc_909]

I worked at Petco in Temecula,CA for 5 years running the fish department and I can say that Petco DOES NOT practice very good animal care. I have seen many mass dieoffs and cruelity do to lack of knowledge. You have to take into consideration the people who work there. Most people who work in Petco dont know much about the livestock and the corporate big-wigs are in it for the money NOT the health and longevity of the animals. I know for a fact!

[bruffin]

I visited an LFS once and there was a 300gal marine tank with two yellow tangs, a Trigger, and a GROCERY STORE LOBSTER on the bottom! Seriously. It still had the rubber bands on it's pinchers! This is what tops it off, though: THE FILTRATION WAS A TINY LITTLE BIO-WHEEL FILTER!!!

[VWD]

I don't work at Pet cp , But have in the past met some folks that know fish and corals that do. Not all are doing a good job but some are, I have been to small LFS that are not any better.

[Ebisan]

I have yet to see any LFS put any care in the fish they carry and sell. They are in it to make money and make a living. It's a business. Of course, some stores are better than others but I still see fish crammed into small tanks at the 'best' stores. Fish in, fish out. I don't shop at Petco. I really wish things could be different with all the pet stores. Makes me sad when animals suffer.

I don't belong to PETA nor do I support them in any way. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for abolishing animal cruelty but I just don't support their methods. But they do try to get the word out. I don't want to link it but google "kentuckyfriedcruelty" or "dog cat fur china" and you will cry at the things you will see.