acting stupid at lfs?

[Louie]

Working in a fish store: It's a job not a career. As a customer: Most that replied to this thread probably don't know it all. So who are they to judge.

I don't quiz the guy at starbucks on coffee grinds.

lol that was funny.

I actually wanted to open up a Pet store when I moved here to S.Florida.

fish but unusual fish not the common stuff sold here in every chain lfs and also reptiles .
Prob is due to my real job I could only be there on weekends and my wife doesn't know difference between an Oscar and a Triop .

As of now opted not to but it has been something I think about.

 

[Bogwoodbruce]

I agree why waste anyones time by showing that you know more.

Poor guy/gal has to deal with annoying people all day no need to be a jerk.

Pet store I go to guy doesn't know to much he had Marine fish incorrectly marked. I helped him with ones I knew and gave him site to figure out what was what.

last time I was there he gave me a 30 long for free after I put it on counter and handed him the money for it. .
Helping someone is one thing but being a time wasting jerk is another.

Definately you knowledge can help the shop like you did by helping with ID's etc....

 

[Louie]

Definately you knowledge can help the shop like you did by helping with ID's etc....

My knowledge is limited so knew a few fish others just gave him site. He was selling pygmy Angelfish as Damsels at Damsel prices.

I don't know how much he got them from distributor or if got them from dist but that is huge mistake.

bi color angels as Girabaldi damsels lol. I didn't mock him just helped him and he fixed it all up

 

[Newt]

Have you thought that maybe the "idiot" that works at the LFS is giving stupid and wrong answers ON PURPOSE?

A guy that works at my favorite LFS will tell people wrong info about fish just to try and steer them away from buying a fish they can't possibly care for.

The ones that say: "I'll upgrade later" and bring back the little Oscar they bought for their 10 gallon a few months later. Or people that want to buy green puffers but have no idea what brackish means, and even after being told, go home, plop the fish in freshwater, then come back later with a dead fish asking for credit and bad mouthing the store.

 

[groovitudedude]

Lots of ** in this thread.

As if you (the customers) are all knowing of all fish info that you feel the need to test others? Besides, shouldn't you be doing your own research on the fish you are considering buying, and not relying on what a paid salesman has to say? Lets say someone passes your little quiz, from then on your going to purchase livestock from them without looking for other sources to confirm? When you research online, do you only ever read the first website on the Google listing?

I understand that FishKeeping has such a vast amount if information, not to mention that there are half truths and opinions and a dozen ways of doing the same thing... so I'm never afraid to tell a customer that I don't know much about something specific. If they are asking a question I don't know the answer to, I won't ** you, I'll ask someone or go to the computer and see what I can dig up. I'm not ashamed. There is too much to know, to be able to answer every question someone might have, without me dedicating my entire life and school education to it.

But if you are going to try and trick me asking if I prefer Polys or Bichirs more... shame on you. (I know their the same, but replace it with something I don't know). From asking this what can you tell about my experience level? Nothing. Just that I don't know anything about one fish family of thousands.
^Excellent Point.

As for the people who said that they find some LFS employees that talk too much and you just want the damn fish... WTH? Fine whatever. Tell me how many of what fish you want, and bugger off until I come find you to take your money at the cash register. If you stick around and hover over my shoulder like so many do, I'm sure as hell going to initiate chatter about the hobby that we share in common. I might find something about your FishKeeping that I can offer help with, or let you know that certain fish are coming in soon.

Maybe I, the employee should be quizzing the customers on their knowledge to see if I want to entrust the customer with the livestock and health guarentee in your tanks at home that I know nothing about. Good grief.

I noticed nobody replied to this guy.

 

[nitrofish1]

i see that im giving the false impression that i go to places and when i hear incorrect information, i drill them about it. the only time ive said anything is when i asked an honest question, before i posted a thread elsewhere on this forum, of a good sized aquarium to temporarily keep some koi, and she said 10 gallons, i just said no and moved on. sometimes ill go to a lfs and ask something to hear if they can back my intel up on what ive heard from other posters on this forum, just to make sure b4 i make a purchase. ive even had a conversation with a guy who worked at petsmart but had previously worked at a lfs in missouri, and we were talking about arowana and catfish etc.

but by doing this, i can tell who to avoid, say if i know what i want i can just go get it if i am for sure of what it is im doing, or if i have a question that i am confident they can answer i will ask them.

i dont think its wrong that i can see who to avoid at a lfs because they are a "weekend warrior" so to speak. yes they are probably in high school or college and just have the job to make a few bucks, but i dont drill them about things that they should know, and i dont tell them that if they dont know the answer, and give me incorrect info, that they are wrong, i just get what i need and move on.

 

[Toodleypops]

I have done this a couple of times, this one guy told me a TSN needs an 80G tank. I talked to another employee who informed me that they get really big and need a much larger tank. I get the feeling sometimes that people judge others' knowledge by their gender or age.

This is so true... at the Pet store i work at, people ALWAYS go to me first before anyone else (i am usually working with girls but for the sake of example lets say Tifftastic)... We will be standing there and customers will walk right past her to me to help them, or worse yet, I'll be helping some people and they will come to me and ask for help and ignore her who is doing nothing but waiting to help people.... Worst yet, she was helping some people and they left to get opinion, then i went and asked her opinion and she was like are you serious i just helped them.... It kinda pisses me off because i know she knows way more about fish then i do. and i feel bad to.... its kinda sexist...



but enough of acting stupid, i think we should start a thread called "Acting SMART at an LFS on Purpose" just to be more helpful and proactive....
I went into a Petco today (ours doesnt have very good service) and i was looking around and this other couple came in and they were looking around and i hear them muttering about help and fish and such... so I helped them, told them what they needed to know, bagged there fish, then bagged mine and we paid and left..... not once did people come to the fish wall and ask if we needed help. it was kinda fun

 

[fishoverlivingspace]

So, I have to say that all of these generalizations in this thread are just horrible. There are so many different types of lfs's and so many different types of customers. There is no reason to play dumb. Ask your questions. If you get bad answers, buy what you know about, and research what you don't. Its that simple.
I work at an lfs for $7.00/hr. HOWEVER, I am on this forum and others, in addition to reading my magazine subscriptions and doing general research for probably 6+ hours a day (and as a result am just about failing o-chem haha...). I am knowledgeable because I care, and because this is the world's greatest hobby. Oh yeah, and did I mention killer discount??

Bottom line. Don't generalize about lfs's or customers. There's plenty of clueless customers out there. There's plenty of clueless lfs employees out there. There's plenty of extremely knowledgeable customers out there. There's plenty of extremely knowledgeable lfs employees out there. We've all got some knowledge to share, so rather than shoving it in someone's face or chuckling to yourself because you think you're smarter, SHARE IT. We should all be trying to make this hobby better for everyone.

 

[buck_wildest]

Has anyone ever thought that the person with the fish net and bag might acctually be a SALESPERSON. Not in the best interest of you or the fish. But in it for profit?
"yeah that 29.99$ RTC will be fine in you 30g" "sure that 69.99$ aro will do great in you 40g tall" "sure you goldfish will love to hang with your oscars" ...i could go on....

A wise man once told me "stupid is as stupid does". Acting stupid to a salesperson is pointless. To say it again dont be a douch, karma will kick your ass.


JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.....

 

[Liam]

well, one time when getting feeder gold fish, I was like "haha, they're all going to die " then a man looked at me funny, and walked off with his kid