Negative LFS feedback

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Footballref50;2362418; said:
Totaly agreed brady! I just made this post to see if anyone had experiences like mine. Im not trying to bash petco/petsmart, in fact i feel they are a good place to shop. My main complaint is about small LFS's being condescending and know-it-allish! IMO it's OUR duty as educated fish keepers to pass on what we know to those in need of our knowledge. I find myself helping educate people shopping at an LFS while i'm shopping as well. I just always try to teach if i can (just the way i am!) And scince i work at a Petco i get a lot of feedback proving that by teaching a customer makes them a hobbyist and one of us! :D
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I can agree with that. Generally, lfs' are knowledge-based, and chains are product/supply/merchandise-based (not to mention money-backed), so that's makes them seem as they are.
 
Do PetsMarts have a formal training program for their "aquatic specialists" (bird specialists, small animal specialists)?

I don't buy fish from them, so I can't say one way or the other whether the employees at my local PetsMarts have at least a base of knowledge.

To their credit (at least at the one by me), PetsMart has a whole wall of FREE "How to" guides for setting up and maintaining tanks and keeping different kinds of fish.
 
Footballref50;2321051; said:
That isnt my only complaint however, in my area here i find most dedicated "hole in the wall" fish stores have employees who happen to be quite arrogant and almost demeaning!
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This is to me an even bigger problem than anything with the way petco/smart handle customers etc. when it comes to knowledge. A lot of the LFS tend to have a snobby attitude than comes off as arrogance when it comes to customers who are beginners or are looking just for freshwater fish. I understand that saltwater is where most of the money is at for these stores, but it doesn't help to be at the point of almost ignoring customers who have questions about the freshwater selection or just basic fishkeeping questions. There's many stores like that here in Miami, and folks here from the area probably know which store in particular I'm hinting at as being the main culprit of this type of attitude.
 
dogofwar;2366997; said:
Do PetsMarts have a formal training program for their "aquatic specialists" (bird specialists, small animal specialists)?

I don't buy fish from them, so I can't say one way or the other whether the employees at my local PetsMarts have at least a base of knowledge.

To their credit (at least at the one by me), PetsMart has a whole wall of FREE "How to" guides for setting up and maintaining tanks and keeping different kinds of fish.
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Absolutely!!!!!! Well at least at PETCO where i work! And just to work at the store you have to go through a class on each animal class. We get 7 books we hafta study then a closed book 100 ? test to get certified you need a 90% score!
 
Cichla- my POINT EXACTLY!!!!!!! I started in this hobby at a LFS that didnt inform me as a noob of anything just kept charging me to test my water and tell me im not ready yet! BS IMO!!!!!! Then, this is exactly what happened, i went in there to purchase a juvie PBass (Cichla) to grow in my 90 gal for my buddies 300 gal! The lil SH*T helping me first informs me that this fish grows quite large and ill require a larger tank. I respond with my total knowledge on the matter and my friends 300 gal. The lil jerk tells me i need to bring him a water sample before i can purchase the fish, i left and have never gone back BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have another store which i love tho so no loss there but complete arrogance and curtness! Personally that repells me from a store. Like i stated my boss b*tches at me for "Talking too much" with a customer, i want that customer to have as much knowledge that i can give to help them get in the hobby.
 
Dog-Petco has them as well and whenever you ring up an animal at the register it actually prompts u to make sure they recieved a "Care sheet" (what we call em)
 
Footballref50;2370490; said:
Dog-Petco has them as well and whenever you ring up an animal at the register it actually prompts u to make sure they recieved a "Care sheet" (what we call em)
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That's outstanding. The sheets aren't - I'm sure 100% correct or complete - but it beats the heck out of nothing.

It's also outstanding that PETCO (PetsMart?) has training / certification programs for selling different kinds of animals.

If you're going to sell living things, this isn't an unreasonable expectation on companies.

...now if Wal-Mart would follow suit... ;)
 
dogofwar;2371285; said:
That's outstanding. The sheets aren't - I'm sure 100% correct or complete - but it beats the heck out of nothing.

It's also outstanding that PETCO (PetsMart?) has training / certification programs for selling different kinds of animals.

If you're going to sell living things, this isn't an unreasonable expectation on companies.

...now if Wal-Mart would follow suit... ;)
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Too true
 
Do you have to pass a test to get certified?

Are the materials on line or only in a book?

It would be cheaper and easier for Petco/Petsmart to just hire "bodies" to sell whatever...but they invest in some level of training...for a reason.

Do people "fail" to become specialists? Do you get a raise if you pass?

Sorry for all of the questions, but I think is a really good thing!
 
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