Favorite LFS "CUSTOMER" STORIES ...

[SpeshulEd]

I was in Petco this morning and heard an almost identical conversation.

Lady: "I'm setting my tank back up and want some guppies"
LFS: "Do you have all the equipment you need? Lights, Heater, and other stuff?"
Lady: "What's a heater? I have a filter."
LFS: "It would be another cord that gets plugged in. Looks like a glass tube."
Lady: "Um, I think so. Is it inside the filter?"



Are you sure you don't work at the Petco in South Reno, NV?

She could be right...I keep my heaters in the filter (sump).

 

[BenSow]

What's a heater? LOL

What do they think its for? to NOT heat the water?

 

[Dark Jester]

She could be right...I keep my heaters in the filter (sump).

Considering she was talking about a freshwater guppy tank, I don't think a Sump would be involved.

 

[SpeshulEd]

Considering she was talking about a freshwater guppy tank, I don't think a Sump would be involved.

Haha, I know - was just joking. Perhaps its a monster guppy tank.

 

[Dark Jester]

Heh.

"How big is your tank?"
"600 Gallons, with a 200 Gallon Sump"
"Wow, and what do you have in there?"
"Just guppies."

 

[izzy_here]

We all mock but I dipped fish for two years in a place called super pet's and there were more than a few that really tried to learn about the fish/critters they were keeping.

Admittedly they were more the exception than the norm.

The most classic one I had was a kid asking me could he just keep an iguana in a cardboard box with no heat or light till he got a tank/screen lid etc. And did I mention that even though he had just been informed of what a juvi iguana's diet should be (by me) he fully intended on feeding it lunchmeat and switch it to live food asap? When I told him no and refused to sell him the animal he complained to my boss. I was ordered to box the poor lizard up and send it off to it's death. Sure enough the kid came back the very next day for a new iguana, I was again ordered to give him one. And so it went, a total of 3 healthy live iguana's sacrificed to the god's of big chain petstore ignorance.

Luckily I had yet another talk with my boss and after that I was allowed to refuse to sell at my discretion. I wonder if that's because I "talked" to my boss in front of the district manager and repeated oh perhaps a million time's how much money just that one ignorant kid had cost the store?

The saddest part is the one and only person to take all of my advice (in 2 frickin yr's!) while buying a tank was a recently divorced man that wanted the tank for his son. This was to be something special they could do when dad had visitation. He told me quite honestly the only reason he listened to me was that he couldn't bear to see the look on his kid's face if the fish started dying.

 

[Dark Jester]

Luckily I had yet another talk with my boss and after that I was allowed to refuse to sell at my discretion. I wonder if that's because I "talked" to my boss in front of the district manager and repeated oh perhaps a million time's how much money just that one ignorant kid had cost the store?

That's it right there. If the customer had to re-buy new fish or pets every time they screwed up, I could see the pet store not caring what they sold to who. The customer would also probably get better at educating themselves about the proper care of said pet.

Most pet shops replace dead pets for free though. The customer knows this so they think "Even if it dies, I can just get a new one". The shops are just shredding their own profit margins by not making sure people can properly care for the animals they get. I don't get it.

 

[_Jessica_]

Does that fish bite?
...it can, but it probably wouldn't.
Does it hurt?
I suppose it would, he's got a pretty good set of chompers, but as long as you keep an eye on him you can avoid that.
Chompers?! Like teeth?!
...Yes?
FISH HAVE TEETH?!?! I WAS TOLD FISH DON'T HAVE TEETH!!!1!

*facepalm*

 

[izzy_here]

I loved these....
Customer: I'd like one of those oscar's/midas/green terror's please.
Me: Ok, what size tank do you have?
Customer: A ten gallon.
Me: um that will only work short term.
Customer: oh my uncle/cousin/brother/gardener/postman keeps his in a ten gallon and it only grew to the size of the tank...it's like a mini oscar/midas/green terror...I swear he's had it for 20 years and it's perfectly healthy. He feed's it pizza and fruit loops.

 

[BenSow]

I loved these....
Customer: I'd like one of those oscar's/midas/green terror's please.
Me: Ok, what size tank do you have?
Customer: A ten gallon.
Me: um that will only work short term.
Customer: oh my uncle/cousin/brother/gardener/postman keeps his in a ten gallon and it only grew to the size of the tank...it's like a mini oscar/midas/green terror...I swear he's had it for 20 years and it's perfectly healthy. He feed's it pizza and fruit loops.

Are you sure 20 years? or was it 20 days?