LFS staff should know more

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komodo182;4446118; said:
In all honestly, I hate when pet stores know pretty much nothing about fish and sell them, but in the end I truly think the buyer should be the one to research their fish first. The pet stores can know nothing, as long as you research your fish before buying them. If you are unsure about something, don't buy it.

I reasearch and memorize fish common names scientific names, preffered pH, range, and water current before buying. im still not nearly as knowledgable as alot of people on here but I know quite a bit I jsut hate seeing kids with a 20 gallon come back in with pictus catfish that are dead when he bought them that morning. then the mother is asking me for help and what not. this happens to me all the time.
also they should have good signs so a kid with a ten gal wont go in and buy a tsn. or I helped this one family decide against a bala shark for their ten gallon and told them to get guppies and at the end I just thought of asking them if they had a heater and they had no idea tropical fish need heaters


Nyghtfire;4446127; said:
mmm, i've got some of the more valuable fish from know nothing pet stores, ooh longfin bristlenose, albino to hey... (worth 100$+ around here) for 15$ done.
Edit: they thought the poor fella was just wierd :D

very nice john is selling some pretty cheap albino long fin like cheaper than 15 dollars and they have albinos at my store for 4.99 they ran out tho:nilly:. that mistake cost them dearly you got to be pretty stupid for that tho I mean a regular ancestrus teminikii getting mixed up with commons thats acceptable.


Nyghtfire;4446127; said:
mmm, i've got some of the more valuable fish from know nothing pet stores, ooh longfin bristlenose, albino to hey... (worth 100$+ around here) for 15$ done.
Edit: they thought the poor fella was just wierd :D

very nice john is selling some pretty cheap albino long fin like cheaper than 15 dollars and they have albinos at my store for 4.99 they ran out tho:nilly:.
 
I don't expect an employee to know everything, but to know a lot about general care and be brave enough to admit they don't know the answer to a question.
 
I know more about fish than my favorite lfs owner :D
 
you know what i wish? that there were more knowledgable customers out there. whatever happened to self responsibility? i mean i know my share about fish but many customers expect me to play vet/chemist/informant/problem solver with very little useful information offered up to work with, and even then when i know i have the correct answer customers hold to their opinions.

many people don't understand the amount of turnover in jobs such as these. many fish positions are minimum wage jobs, not exactly going to attract and keep top tier employees for extended periods. i mean in the 2-3years i've worked at a pet shop as a fish specialist i can't even remember how many others i've seen pass through.

let me point out that people don't rely on the waiter at a restaurant to be their nutritionist why do they rely on the guy scooping fish to tell them how to best care for their animal?
.... and rant over
 
snyder810;4457061; said:
you know what i wish? that there were more knowledgable customers out there. whatever happened to self responsibility? i mean i know my share about fish but many customers expect me to play vet/chemist/informant/problem solver with very little useful information offered up to work with, and even then when i know i have the correct answer customers hold to their opinions.

many people don't understand the amount of turnover in jobs such as these. many fish positions are minimum wage jobs, not exactly going to attract and keep top tier employees for extended periods. i mean in the 2-3years i've worked at a pet shop as a fish specialist i can't even remember how many others i've seen pass through.

let me point out that people don't rely on the waiter at a restaurant to be their nutritionist why do they rely on the guy scooping fish to tell them how to best care for their animal?
.... and rant over

hmmm agreed stores should try to hire one specialist wich would work well cause he could set them up with all the food and he would be some kind of sales man.

at least there should be signs that sax max size and recommended food. like petsmart or petco has they might not be amazingly accurate but it works.
 
Vancouver, B.C. has an incredibly active local club, and a number of the largest stores (NOT the chain stores) are our club sponsors. Most of the stores have a kid my sons' age who knows more than I do. (I have hope for the next incoming, tax paying generation!).
Asians have put the hobby on the map here. When I came up I setup a marine tank in a dive shop in the late '70's and everybody was fascinated, but didn't have a clue!
 
snyder810;4457061; said:
you know what i wish? that there were more knowledgable customers out there. whatever happened to self responsibility? i mean i know my share about fish but many customers expect me to play vet/chemist/informant/problem solver with very little useful information offered up to work with, and even then when i know i have the correct answer customers hold to their opinions.

many people don't understand the amount of turnover in jobs such as these. many fish positions are minimum wage jobs, not exactly going to attract and keep top tier employees for extended periods. i mean in the 2-3years i've worked at a pet shop as a fish specialist i can't even remember how many others i've seen pass through.

let me point out that people don't rely on the waiter at a restaurant to be their nutritionist why do they rely on the guy scooping fish to tell them how to best care for their animal?
.... and rant over

Wasn't too long ago (15-20 years) that the internet wasn't widely used. Aside from buying a book, the LFS employees were the 'experts' on fish to most people out there. That perception hasn't changed much for the general population. Except that now the consumer can look up information independently if they wish. Many still rely on their LFS people for advice though.

I might not rely on a waiter for nutrition info, but he should be able to tell me whether a dish on the menu has oregano in it. He should be able to recommend some popular choices from the menu. And he better keep my drink glass full if he wants a tip. :grinno:
 
theres a LFS in milwaukee wi that told me theres only 3 kind of datnoids and they are all brackish. he was the friggin store owner too
 
I might not rely on a waiter for nutrition info, but he should be able to tell me whether a dish on the menu has oregano in it. He should be able to recommend some popular choices from the menu. And he better keep my drink glass full if he wants a tip. :grinno:[/QUOTE]

very true very true some basic knowledge should be required like saw max size so people dont go around buying tsn assuming they are going to stay like the ones they have at he store.
 
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