SteelGluer
New member
My petco here is good left 2 days ago with a 5" foxface for 19.99.
PetCo is terrible - Photos
- Thread starter dustinkimpel
- Start date
Not all petco are bad when it comes to saltwater but majority of them are. And sadly this expands nationwide. I've lived in Va and now Ca and they seem to have the same issue. The caretaker is just an associate that works there and some if not most are not even in the hobby. They just have general knowledge where they can get by. I've found associates making up there own answers just because they don't want to look ignorant and they feel like they should have an answer for you. I don't even bother asking for help. It's like this, most people do not go to walmart to buy tools, they go to homedepot. Go to a fishstore that specializes in fish if you need fish, go to petco if you need dog/catfood!
AdamNC
New member
We have 2 Petco's close by, one in Kernersville and one in Greensboro. I will NEVER buy any livestock from either. Ich covered salt fish, dead fish, anemones bleached more then an undershirt and cyno everywhere. I once asked who the fish guy was to an employee so I could ask him why his saltwater section looks like it needs to be nuked. Her excuse was "oh he's been on vacation for the past week". I told her then he needs to be fired because there is no way the tanks got that bad in a week. Not to mention who was his replacement?
that Fish Guy
Frag Swap Crusader!
Good help is hard to find.
If you are so upset Why didn't you offer to be his replacement then?
You would get the department back in tip top shape and then people here would not complain.
foundnemo11
New member
I don't see the point of spending a dime here other than dollar gallon sale.
All of their equipment is junk and fish food is cheap enough where I'd even spend double do go somewhere else
swhobbie1
New member
that Fish Guy
Frag Swap Crusader!
True but also Livestock is the most profitable part of the store (After Services).
Markups are huge (On Freshwater Fish anyways) I am not sure on saltwater.
A fish that they sell for 3.00 costs between 0.10 and 0.30 for the store to buy.
So even if a lot die they still will make a lot of money off Livestock so I am sure that they do not really care (as a Company anyway) I feel that most employees have a natural love for animals otherwise they would not be there.
I think the biggest problem is lack of training, lack of funding, and corporate policy.
Corporate policy is the worst.
Everything is followed to a tee.
Even if you move fish because you know there are problems you get into trouble.
The LFS does not have corporate ties so when they see a fish getting picked on they move it because it is common sense.
They are free to do what they want not what the Rich guys in Corporate tell them to do.
It is really quite silly but it is what it is.
Shop your LFS.
foundnemo11
New member
Your right. They don't care ( the top dogs that you never see) because all that matters to them is that their bank account keeps growing to an obscene number. just about all big corporations are the same. That's why I try not to help them at all, but putting my money in the local guys pocket probably still ends up in the big dogs bank account
FinzAquatics
New member
Not completely true. The store in my area is constantly moving fish around with no consequences. I have been present while a "big wig" was in the store, whom was also encouraging the employee to move fish around saying "what if you moved him into this tank with these..."
And the markup on salt is the same as your LFS because they get the fish from the same place. ORA, Quality Marine, Sustainable Aquatics, A+M.... All the same places your LFS does.. The only difference is they may get an extra 10-20% discount due the volume of livestock they order nationally across these companies.. But Petco gives back the discount by offering cheaper prices on most livestock..
I can always find healthy fish available at my local petco that are just as healthy as our LFS and they are always a few dollars cheaper. Still captive bred (clowns, dottybacks, etc).. Most of their corals are from ORA which is a top notch wholesaler..
BINGO!!!! We have a winner.
I was pretty much told that they expected "acceptable losses" at a PetSmart where the Bettas were all in brown water they only changed about once a week "according to company policy". :eek1:
When I tried to explain that changing the water more often would allow for more fish to survive and be sold(i.e. profit for the store), I was given the "acceptable losses" spiel by the manager. :angryfire:
I could not understand why someone would want to lose a chance to make a profit by just changing the "corporate policy". How long does it take to swap out water in those little Betta cups?
jeffdenney
New member
Mines pretty sketchy. Havent seen any ich yet.. dead fish for sure.. staff is terrible... betta wall is a death camp..
thenewguy997
New member
This is the way capitalism works dont cry about it
We have a great Petco in our area. The manager is a great guy and Petco supports our local fish club. It is too bad that all of them are not like that.
I wonder what the statistics are on fish survival in the hobby as a whole. If you figure out of 100 fish captured on our oceans reefs how many make it into the hobbiests tank and out of those how many make it a year? I think the number would be shockingly low.
I personally feel that big corporations are not evil. Even in the Petco case, they factor in fish loss as part of the business. Now you can argue that 10% is acceptable or 20%, or 30% is too high, or whatever you think. From Petco's perspective the lower the loss the higher the profit so I am sure that they would love to see the number as low as possible. However, there is a happy medium where what they spend on employee training and experience levels out ways more losses and I am sure they have a target number that allows them to make a profit while keeping losses in check.
I would like to see 100% at the stores personally, but I know that can't happen. I would like to see 100% survival rate in my tank, and although I am close, I know that will never happen either.
I wonder what the statistics are on fish survival in the hobby as a whole. If you figure out of 100 fish captured on our oceans reefs how many make it into the hobbiests tank and out of those how many make it a year? I think the number would be shockingly low.
I personally feel that big corporations are not evil. Even in the Petco case, they factor in fish loss as part of the business. Now you can argue that 10% is acceptable or 20%, or 30% is too high, or whatever you think. From Petco's perspective the lower the loss the higher the profit so I am sure that they would love to see the number as low as possible. However, there is a happy medium where what they spend on employee training and experience levels out ways more losses and I am sure they have a target number that allows them to make a profit while keeping losses in check.
I would like to see 100% at the stores personally, but I know that can't happen. I would like to see 100% survival rate in my tank, and although I am close, I know that will never happen either.
Soopabruva1
Member
I go to the one in Greensboro all the time. Have bought several fish over the past few years and never had a problem. Guess it just depends on when you go.
909_Reefer
New member
Being a former employee of Petsmart, Petco, and a very well run LFS. The markup on fish is very very reasonable considering the cost of keeping these animals alive and healthy. Even neon tetras cost .67 cents each.
In my Petsmart and Petco days I've moved fish due to incompatibilities many times. I was typically praised for noticing such problems. Both companies have dedicated areas for sick animals, though Petco offers nothing but a not for sale sign for the fish.
In Petco's case they need someone in corporate who knows enough about fish to create good policies. The policies in place are made very simple, thus they are mildly effective. This is because they need even the least knowledgeable associate to help.
Unfortunately management needs to care more about the care of fish. It should not come down to the "Aquatic Specialist"
It is true that Petco and your LFS will typically use a few of the same vendors. Though I believe Petco is sent the sickly fish.
IME the big wigs at Petco aren't as evil as you think...
that Fish Guy
Frag Swap Crusader!
I worked at PetSmart for a Year and a Half.
I unpacked the Fish.
Cost was 10 to 20 Cents on the Dollar.
A 1.99 Fish cost 0.20 a 2.99 Fish 0.30 etc.
Neon Tetras did not cost 0.67 they cost 0.10
And nobody moved anything around.
A Co-Worker of Mine moved some fish and she got scolded because it was against the planogram and against company policy.
One time my Manager got scolded because the District Manager came in and the Reptiles were not exactly like the picture in the Book.
They had to have a certain hide like in the picture.
He told the District Manager who knew nothing about Animals (Nothing in Pet Care anyways) that those pictures were 10 years old and that there were none of those in the store to place in the Habitats (Otherwise he would have done it) and no way to order more since they were discontinued (Clearly not my managers or anybody else fault in our store).
The District Manager subracted points from his D.O.G. anyways stating that was the company policy and there was nothing he could do.
How Silly is that!
mwilliams62
New member
It is not all Petco's that have dead fishes in their tanks I have seen many major LFS here in HOuston that have dead livestock in their tanks and do nothing about it.
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