I won't bash Petco, as someone else said there are good stores and there are bad stores just like anything else. For some of us, there isn't a closer place to go. I will say that as part-owner of a locally owned Pet/LFS we purposely employ a few people with experience and knowledge to maintain our stock. If they quit, we don't stock until we get someone else in there - this is why after 20 years of freshwater I am finally educating myself on salt ... instead of paying someone else to do it all the time LOL!
We often only keep the most basic fish and coral in stock, not only basic but easy to care for. Thus, making it a win-win for us and the customer. We generally special order most of our more expensive livestock and our customers are often there waiting to pick them up off of the delivery truck and are happy with the process. This doesn't allow customers to view the animal before ordering it better ensures the health of the specimen and is backed by the guarantee of our supplier. Again, win-win and not unlike ordering from a place like liveaquaria. I won't say what my business name is as I'm not trying to promote my business on this forum. My point is, I wish more places would follow suit with a similar business plan unless they are equipped to handle large scale and specialty applications for their customers - generally speaking, Petco is not equipped for this.