Why Bash Petco more then other LFS?

I'm curious as well as I can think of a dozen plus suppliers (MO wholesalers) that I have dealt with that I would stand behind.

 

I think it's a store to store thing. No one can safely say "every petco in the US sucks and hates fish."

 

^ +1 that is essentially the same conclusion that should be drawn from every one of these petco threads.

Some are good, some are bad, it depends on who is put in charge. I have been to some petcos which would put majority of LFS to shame. I have also been to some that were completely depressing...but the same can be said for various LFS' that I have been into.

Another aspect which I have thought about is that a worker at Petco is not going to be motivated by profit as he does not take commission for any sales. An unscrupulous LFS owner may be more inclined to give bad/misleading advice in order to complete a sale.

 

Ya my Lfs is a bunch of losers!

 

It really dose vary from store to store and the employees. I can think of one semi local petco who always has GHA in thier tanks, but the livestock always looks terrific. Another semi local Petland thier fish tanks are horrible, every piece of livestock (all 5 that are normally in stock) looks on the brink of death if not floating, but the employee is into corals and has mummy eye, miami hurricane and all kinds of elite corals in the stand alone frag tank. Then I have another LFS whose livestock always looks weak, but he offers a deal to the local club, and offers good deals buying frags from hobbyists, so he is well loved regardless.

moral of all that? like mentioned above it all varies from store to store and doesnt have anything to do with if its a chain or not.

 

I agree with both of you and think you have captured what I was trying to get at with this entire post lol. Thank you. ;D

 

Lol, probably the best post here. I love their $1 a gallon sale!

 

strongly agree

 

I find that all 3 Petsmarts around me have some of the smartest employees and greatest livestock around where I live. I have never had a problem with their fish before. And, the 2 week gaurentee is great. However, their variety of cichlids doesnt cover a wide range and they don't carry any saltwater fish. But, if you want reliable hardy fish, Petsmart is quite good. However, the PETCOs around me are very dirty and carry little to no fish. IMO I personally don't like PETCO but i have nothing against the chain.

 

Its ridiculous to expect every single petco to have a great saltwater section.. I have one thats close to me with excellent stuff. Which is 100% because they have one knowledgeable staff member that takes care of all of it. I actually asked him what he thought about some of the other petco's in my area one day.. He told me it really just depends on 2 things: Whether or not they have staff member that knows their stuff, and how much of the stores budget it dedicated to saltwater livestock and equipment. Not all petco's sell much saltwater stuff, so why would you bother spending the money to make it look good? Petco's vary just like all LFS do.. Some are awesome, and some shouldn't be selling fish at all.