Yes another Petco thread.....

[bubbletip27]

Bottom line...if you don’t like a store (any store) don’t go to it....ever....for ANY PET

Think about it.....if just all the folks on RC alone stopped supporting harmful stores they would need to change or die off.....

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

a good dream but would never happen !

[Heinz]

SOMEthinsFISHY
i have a question for you, have you ever post something with some information ? all i have seen from you so far is " good picture" " i like you set up" " cool" "thats nice"

i had you on my ignore list, the only person to make it to my ignore list btw, but your name still shows so not really helping,

i know my post wont help, just had to say it, after many e-mails from RC that some "new" post was made to a thread i am supscribed to, to see once more some nonsence from SOMEthinsFISHY

i can not belive you keep doing it for so long, i thought it will slow down after a while but no you just keep going,

[AquariaUSA]

I have seen much worse I have always thought s-fishy is just in love with the hobby. nothing wrong with that, as long as life still goes on! hehe

Back to Petco...any updates? One recently opened near a house we have in Columbia, MD and I noticed another last week in Charlotte. Will stop in and let everyone know what I see (if I remember!).

[sharks]

While I agree with the majority here you must also take into account who you are dealing with.
They buy tanks, food, salt, and all dry goods by the trainload.
I work in a LFS and we start our new employees at $7 and hour.
But we only pick kids we think are into the hobby or are on the right path for the proper care of the animals.
From there we teach the proper care of the customer.

The Petcos and Petsmarts pay minimal wages in most cases and unless you are really lucky to get an aquatic manager that is really dedicated and cares their fish they are usually crap. IMO That is why they guarantee their fish they already know they look like crap and at least they will get it out the door and in a big store turnover is everything.

Bottom line is pay a little extra to deal with the honest Mom and Pops and keep them open for when you need the help or healthy livestock. Now if your LFS is full of BS and sick fish forget them too.
If they are honest, priced competitively, and have the healthy stock support them.
Just my .02
S

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

Heinz

I am only trying to learn and have a little a little fun at the same time !!

At least i take a few dollars to support RC why not do that yourself ??

i will unsubscribe from most threads that you have been to so you are not subjected to my so called nonsence
also why not enter your threads and avitar in a tractor forum ?

Peace and good bye ! I am honored to have made your ignore list u are not the only one to have me there !

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

Originally posted by AquariaUSA
I have seen much worse I have always thought s-fishy is just in love with the hobby. nothing wrong with that, as long as life still goes on! hehe

Back to Petco...any updates? One recently opened near a house we have in Columbia, MD and I noticed another last week in Charlotte. Will stop in and let everyone know what I see (if I remember!).

YOU are right usa i am obsessed with the hobby ,and i lust after info even at 5 am when i do most of my reading . while heinz is snoring !

i have removed myself from a lot of threads where the higher and the mightier are offended and search out new ones where someone thinks i may know something

i do not post much info here cause even after 30 years at this stuff i know so little compared to wethersppon melev and travis ect and am not that good with camera yet !

until yesterday i have taken care of my mother in law for 6 years day and night she was bedridden and this is my chance to get away from that demanding task but she passed to that happy place 1 night ago !

[theaquariumguy]

"The Petcos and Petsmarts pay minimal wages in most cases and unless you are really lucky to get an aquatic manager that is really dedicated and cares their fish they are usually crap. IMO That is why they guarantee their fish they already know they look like crap and at least they will get it out the door and in a big store turnover is everything."

I currently work at petco in Farmington hills, Mi and am proud to say that we not only have one manager that cares and knows saltwater fish but we have 3. all three of them will literally write up a person or fire them if they screw upin the fish department.

one of the managers also puts on saltwater clinics to biggining hobbiests and he makes all the employees attand.

From people I talked to in the area, they say that they never had problems with our fish.

and yes i have been to petco stores that didnt take care of their tanks at all, but they are becoming rare, and alot of the stores have at least two people who know what they r doing

[Ti]

Originally posted by JENnKerry
So the wife and I were in Deathco...er um....Petco the other day just browsing. Of course we walked over to the saltwater fish. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I think their sale tanks are 20 gallons long. Something like that. There was a yellow tang in with two purple tangs . On top of that the purples looked blue with torn fins and the yellow's top fins were shredded. There were various dead fish in all their tanks. I think there were several other people standing next to me and my wife. They couldn't believe it either. The guy that worked in there was scooping another dead yellow tang out of the tank. After that he proceeded to pour Melafix I think into their sump because all their tanks are connected. Each tank had various inverts like serpent stars, snails, and hermit crabs. One customer asked him a question about a tomato clown and he didn't even know which fish the customer was referring to.
After seeing all this we walked out and my wife was pi**ed. She was ready to write a letter to the Petco CEO. Bottom line.....if you're going to carry saltwater, do it right, learn about it in full , train your staff. These people have no right selling saltwater. Just wanted to share that with you all.

Stop going in there and buying stuff or openly complain to the manager.

[der Riff-Konig]

I have to drive an hour to get to Petco even though I have 2 LFS in my home town. The person I deal with there is 29 and has been into SW since he was 14. He has three tanks going now and has had just about every set up I have read about. Most everything I have read on the web he mirrors. I have NEVER seen a dead fish in any of thier SW tanks, and they are always spotless. He keeps a couple of empty tanks running at all times to move fighters into. Every fish I have bought there has survived and the only time they get sick is when I brought something home with a fish from my LFS. If people are so upset about what they see, and are so dedicated to the cause, it should'nt matter if the pay is low. Work there part-time or just long enough to make a difference and educate the young people that work there.Or rescue thier entire stock on a regular basis.

[JENnKerry]

Originally posted by Ti
Stop going in there and buying stuff or openly complain to the manager.

Uhh...we did openly complain to Petco and they had nothing bad to say about there chains. We didnt buy anything from there, it was Labor Day weekend and we were in a strip mall that happened to house a Petco. So what, I needed Parrot seed but didnt end up buying that either

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

well that is good news keith !

[Kolbenschlag]

Just an update.

Things in the howell store going pretty well now except for the fact that we can no longer store use anything off the shelves. This means if we have sick fish, we have to order special store use medicine and sometimes it can take up to a week. Some take stuff right off the shelves anyway, but if caught an employee will be fired.

So anyway, they hired another guy who knows fresh/salt fish and he's been a huge help. Then out of the clear blue sky yesterday they send us 10 yellow tangs, 4 brown tangs, a couple big triggers, some squirrelfish, and a false lemon peel angel. I have no idea who placed this order, or why it came, just that it came. I have stressed the importance of staying away from fish like yellow tangs numerous times. (They always come in skinny/and or sick.) We only have 14 tanks, so housing all these tangs is impossible. ESPECIALLY when no one informed any of us ahead of time, so we are expecting our regular fish order for thursday. So basically we have way too many fish that cannot be housed together, and not enough tanks. And we can't set up any kind of extra tank or anything like that.

Basically, i was told that the fish were sent because they're on sale. Still no word on who ordered them, and why no one was asked about it first. It's going to be terrible tomorrow to have to try to make it work. If any fish are fighting, I don't care I will take them home and house them here until room opens up.

This is yet another example on why the fact that petco is a huge corporation is why they are how they are. Please do not blame all of the employees, as most of them are qualified at my store. All of the specialists are definately qualified in thier departments, and most are cross-trained in other departments. Our team leaders are very good too. It's the whole upper management part where the whole thing goes sour. It starts from the top down. This whole "oh well, we'll scoop out dead fish if we have to" idea has to stop.



Sorry for the long post, just venting.

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

very sad keep your chin up we know it is not you !!

[JENnKerry]

That is horrible! I would definiatly speak up if I were you. I was THINKING about applying at the Howell Petco just so I knew that the fish were treated right but apparently it goes above the employees working there.
You know whats screwed up? If you were to do that to any larger animal like cats, dogs, birds and put them all together in one display, THAT WOULD BE ANIMAL ABUSE! Damn, you would hear that crap all over the news! And Petco would get fines out the butt!
But do it to fish because they were on "sale"? Thats OK because no one can pet them, hear them scream or see their pain!
Not ever, one charge filed for animal abuse against fish!?!? Why?!?! Last time I checked, a fish was an animal

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JENnKerry
That is horrible! I would definiatly speak up if I were you. I was THINKING about applying at the Howell Petco just so I knew that the fish were treated right but apparently it goes above the employees working there.
You know whats screwed up? If you were to do that to any larger animal like cats, dogs, birds and put them all together in one display, THAT WOULD BE ANIMAL ABUSE! Damn, you would hear that crap all over the news! And Petco would get fines out the butt!
But do it to fish because they were on "sale"? Thats OK because no one can pet them, hear them scream or see their pain!
Not ever, one charge filed for animal abuse against fish!?!? Why?!?! Last time I checked, a fish was an animal [/QUOTE very well said !! way too bad !

[Kolbenschlag]

I have spoken up, and im pretty sure this one comes from even above the general manager's head. It's definately frustrating because there isnt much I can do. I'm going to call the corporate number tomorrow and try to find out who's behind this.

And as for the employees, with a few exceptions, everyone is great. Pretty much anyone who is a specialist there knows about animals, and respects them, and would do anything to make sure they are treated well. I go in on off days to feed the fish, and to check on everything, and I know our reptile specialist does this too. This is time that we're not getting paid for.

However, there are some employees who don't respect animals as much. Someone thought it might be a good idea to feed one of our red volitan lions 8 rosy red minnows in about 15 minutes. Even when I specifically asked everyone not to feed them these.

Unfortunately, this company will continue to hire people like that. But rest assured that there are good people there who know what they're doing.

I recommend that if anyone is in petco, and gets good advice, or information from an employee, let the manager know about the pleasant experience. That also goes for unpleasant ones too. This way, managment can differentiate.

[imholte]

I used to work at petco and with saltwater they actually lose money. So if you want to stop them having saltwater fish don't buy saltwater stuff from them, that includes dry goods.

[ergert]

Although sad that they dont have trained staff and their fish are dying in mass numbers, there is nothing any of you could ever do about it. Petco is a huge company and their fish section is nothing compared to the rest of what they sell, as mentioned earlier by others. People will always go there to get the cheapest catfood or crickets for their bearded dragon like me also. In my opinion, dont go to the fish section it will only make you sad. I do go there, see dead fish, but I also see dead fish in my tank because i might have been an idiot and not acclimated them properly. I know the Petco down the street does acclimate their saltwater fish properly. I see dead fish at every LFS I go to here in Houston, its not just Petco. I dont agree with Petco's fish policies and I am not trying to defend them, but its just like the election, suck it up.

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

JUST does not seem fair but they will get theres in the end look at sears and kmart !!

[khorseman]

OK - I have to take an independent approach to these posts about Petco. First, let me say that I am not an employee of Petco or related to any employees of Petco... :-)

I, like many of you, have seen the perils of the livestock and the terrible tank conditions in the Marine Fish section of the store. The Petco store, about 5 minutes from my house, always seemed to recieve quality shipments of Marine Fish, Inverts and even a small 40gal tank with some soft corals. Then, I would visit the store a day or 2 later to find many of the fish, dead, dying, ich infested or simply just not eating and stressed out. Last year, I went and talked to the store manager about the situation and offered to help. Since I already had a full-time job, I didn't need another one. So, what I did was explain to the store manager, that I come to Petco for my other pets care/food, and that I have several reef tanks and numerous years in the "Hobby". I showed him some of the issues with their Marine Fish such as tank over-crowding, species incompatibility, with fish sharing a tank and fighting like mad and several other things that would be noticed by any true enthusiast. And after spending about an hour with him and the guy who happened to be working in the fish section, the store manager asked me if I would be interested in talking to some of the other employees about Marine Fish care. I of course, told him I am no expert on the subject, however would be glad to "volunteer" a couple of hours a week to simply help them get control of their systems. I did this for about 6 months or so. During that time, as one employee left the store, I aided the manager in reviewing applications for replacments. I even got to 'interview' a few for him over the phone. I can't mention names here, as the manager is still a good friend and I don't want anyone to get in trouble for allowing an outsider to assist, but what I can say is that this particular Petco now has a pristine Marine Fish section and has built a sold reputation for the limited species they sell.

It has been a little over a year - I have moved to a new house in a new neighborhood, so I don't get to the store often. I do talk to my friend every other week or so and we always end up talking fish and corals.

So - If you have a bit of time and really want to make a difference, offer your help to your local dealer. Free help is usually not turned down - just don't go in as a know it all - go in and present yourself as a friend... You'll end up making some....

Take Care Fellow Reefers -

KH

www.kandrenterprise.com

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

wow that was very nice of you !! mustsa made you kinda proud !!

[whosjohnny]

I wander into a PetCo the other day with my wife after dinner since it was in the same plaza where we ate, I didn't see any dead fish in the saltwater area. I don't remember all the details but my overall impression is limited selection, not so healthy fish. My wife is hurrying me up so I also went to the bird section but now after this thread, I would definately go back tomorrow and check it out with more attention.

I went in last time with 5 minutes before closes so I was just walking past everything in a blaze.