Help Petco

[skydiver585]

its just a thought. Im still trying to get some feed back.

[guitarfish]

skydiver585 - probably nothing. People don't like to be shocked. They instantly turn off and dismiss the "fanatics". Most people probably think these stores are wonderful places.

[skydiver585]

I still feel like getting the job is best, because there going to keep bringing fish in and killing them untill they get someone who actually knows what there doing.

[tptp279]

Hey, i actually used to work for Petco for 2 years, i was one of there specialist and i didn't get fired for trying to help, the only problem is you can't really because the fish that are coming in are already infested. I worked at the one in the O.C area which was known to have the best sales people and specialist but now it's not. Well, i'm gonna tell you now that you can't do anything to really help because you can't set up quarinten tanks cause then can't make any money. So coming from someone that use to work there, you can't really do anything to change it unless you copper the tanks or something because the fish are gonna come into you guys sick from the start.

[skydiver585]

why would they already come sick?

[skydiver585]

anyone??

[Ryan]

Cheapest possible fish on the market + lack of knowledge = Petco

[UNCCwill]

go to college, take a few economics classes, then you will understand about petco and every other company in the world, companies are in business to maximize profit, not to help animals and nothing will ever change that

the only way their fish will get better care is if their fish department causes their profit to drop below 12%, they will either upgrade technology or most likely eliminate the fish department

[skydiver585]

no, my question was mis-understood. my question is why are the fish already coming to petco diseased as tptp279 said.Iknow why petco in general has bad fish.

[guitarfish]

They are probably buying them from the cheapest source possible, which means they are getting horrible care in the process. I read recently that fish aren't even fed between when they're caught until they get to the LFS.

[skydiver585]

ic. thats aweful

[robwsup]

Matt,
Take the job. At the very least, you'll get some good insight into the ways big business works in America. At the most, you'll be able to clean up the fish department, and pass some good knowledge onto other hobbiests. You'll be doing something you love, which says alot. Who here actually has a job doing something they love?

That said, I'll give a bit of advice. I'm 29, and recently realized that I can't change the world. Many times I have thought, if _____ would only do _____ then ______ would be so much better. After awhile I realized _______ will never get off his butt and do anything, no matter how small. You have to do it yourself. You may make a change, and that is what you are striving for.

More advice: Don't go in there day one and act like you know everything. If you've read one decent reef book, you probably know 1000x as much as whoever is in there now. You probably care 1000x as much too. Just because you know and care more, don't act like it. People despise new and eager people, because it makes them feel guilty about being such lazy dumb-butts. (being nice)

More advice: The things you want to do can't cost Petco more money than what they are spending now. If something you change makes fish either live longer or sell faster, then you may be given $$$$ for the change, but it had better be an instantaneous improvement. In that situation, heavy UV sterilizers may be the only quick fix.

There are other things you can do instead of just standing around while you are there, that cost little to no money. Clean the glass on the tanks, freshwater dip new arrivals (add buffer!), vacuum detritus with a Magnum 350 canister w/ micron filter (recirculates water=free cleanup), assist management with selecting fish to order, read books between customers, pull dead fish out of tanks when they die, not 8 hours later (reduces ammonia), move fish to other tanks to reduce crowding and stress.

The cheap things are: Water changes (I buy 200gal IO for $34.99 at Petsmart, similar to Petco), run carbon, run copper (but warn customers! copper is not bad, but it is in a reef), etc.

Beg your manager for an RO/DI setup. You can sell RO water, so it will pay for itself. (RO/DI~$150, $150/$.50/gallon=300 gallons of water sold to pay for itself).

Above all else, no matter what good ideas you have, be humble. To any angry-at-himself-for-being-35-and-working-at-Petco-still manager, you are a sont-nosed kid, no matter how polite, eager, intelligent, charasmatic you think you are. Stay quiet and busy, and people will notice that you are a hard worker. When the fish department starts to look better, they will also know that you know what you are doing. When someone asks why or how you know what you are doing, just tell them that you read alot and that you have learned from your own mistakes. You admiting that you have messed up in the past shows humility, and shows wisdom by not making those sames mistakes twice. Yep, it's a game. In big business, you have two tasks; get your job done, and make the guy above you look and feel good.

Welcome to the real world, and good luck!

[guitarfish]

That was real good advice Rob.

[robwsup]

Thanks.

Some of the smartest people in the world will never get their ideas across for two reasons:
1. The arrogance or perceived arrogance in the ways their ideas are presented.
-or-
2. They forget to look at the big picture--money.

[David M]

I'm 29, and recently realized that I can't change the world.

One of my favorite movies lines is " If your'e not a radical at 20 you have no heart, if your'e not conservative by 30 you have no brain" I'm 47. It's amazing how your outlook changes as you get older.

[guitarfish]

Actually, I thought it was "liberal", not "radical".

[David M]

Actually, I thought it was "liberal", not "radical".

You are probably right, remember, I'm 47, CRS is setting in I'm lucky to remember what I did yesterday.

[skydiver585]

awesome advice Rob. You just made my mind. thanx

[robwsup]

You're welcome. I didn't want everyone here crush your dreams, but still be prepared for disappointments along the way.

[TheMandarinFish]

Petco fires people who try to improve animal husbandry.

I've seen them do it.

They are evil bastards and must be driven out of business.

[xeon]

My local Petco is a sad place to go into most of the time. The last time I was in there they had a bunch of small false percs in a 10 gallon with a good size Volitan lionfish. There were dead fish in just about every tank and signs of distress could be seen in many of them. There were two large puffers, one was on his last leg. I think I might bring this item to the table at our next marine aquarist society meeting. There was a Copperband wedged in a corner with a white film over his body and eyes... he looked dead but you could see his gills moving... who knows for how much longer. If these were dogs, cats or birds; Petco would be in real trouble.

[TheMandarinFish]

PetCo has been banned from selling live animals in SF, or there was a measure to do that.

They are infamous.

They fire employees who try to save animals and improve conditions.

I wage anarchy against them.

[KT & SJ]

Let's say you get hired. Then you try to get them to change. First you tell them that they are doing things wrong. Management will never admit that. Then you show them how to make things better. If it involves money (and it will) you will be shut down. They are only keeping the livestock for the short- term. Most likely you will get fired for the aggravation of keeping you around pointing out their shortcomings. Then you have a black mark on your resume and your right back where you started. Get the customers involved with flyers and get in contact with groups more powerfull then yourself. Good Luck either way. KT

[sallyheavyfoot]

If you don't like how a store/Petco treats their fish, DON'T SHOP THERE! If an item does not sell, in the retail world, they will not sell it! I was shocked when I saw CORALS of all things trying to be sold where I live. Flourescents, those poor guys. And just think of the "Brook" and most likely Ich from those clowns in your tank? Uhh... gives me the shakes. A large corporation is definetely not willing to shell out the money it will take to set up proper systems for saltwater. Sorry, just ranting I suppose. But to work there. If you think about it, pretty soon everyone will know about lowsy filtration techniques and there won't be a saltwater fish section there.

[tptp279]

man, this is all slander guys, i worked for petco for 2 years, and yes, some of this was true, but it's a store to store thing depending on the managers. I've had several really cool managers and we didn't have coral cause the managers and fish experts were wise enought to know that they were gonna die. We had fish and we try the best we can with them. We barely ever lost any saltwater fish, maybe a few from the shippments, but that's it. the fish also came in from ORA. A good store just depends on the employee's and managers really, i didn't get fired, i left because i had to go to college, i was birds expert but the guy we had for a fish expert worked for Sea World for a bit before he came to our store. It just depends on the type of manager you have and knowledable employee's. No store is without dead fish guys, look at Tong's, when they open, they have a fairly large bag of dead fish in the morning, and they are known to be one of the best in So. Cal. Oh, and SF was banned because the employee's were mistreating some of the animals, i can say that was true, but it wasn't my store, it's a store to store things guys, depends on the employee's and managers. I know our store was one of the best stores too. I was the bird expert and i was handfeeding baby birds to sell, and they went to really good families. And the saltwater fish that came in, if something didn't look too good, the manager would ask us if we wanted it to see if we can get it to get better. I've taken home dozen of animals that came in bad including a columbian boa that didn't eat for months, he had to be fed through a syringe. I've also taken home beaten up fish and quarantined them and gave them to knowledgable friends. So don't automatically blame Petco guys, it's a store to store thing where it's the manager's fault's that they are not monitoring it. I know my store did really well for a corporation owned bussiness.