Fish store workers

[troy tucker]

It to bad that some people are so smart. They don't need advice or their Phone is smarter then they are...

[allysangels]

i was at work one day last week and a lady called asking if she could trade some fish back in because she had a 125g planted tank, and the fish were destroying her plants. when i asked what they were, she simply started telling me what colors they were. i laughed and told her to go ahead, if only to satisfy my curiosity. she showed up about an hour later with a bucket, and inside i found an adult yellow lab, blue ahli, 2 small parrots, a couple 4in peacocks, and a pair of acaras. i explained that it was no suprise that her plants were not faring well, as these fish were not compatible with a planted setup, and the acaras not really compatible with the africans as they looked pretty beat up. i asked where the fish had been purchased originally, she said from my store. i then mentioned that i was suprised that whoever had helped her didn't tell her that this was a bad idea, and i only wish that her response was suprising. she said that they did tell her, but she just didn't listen. *sigh* when i asked if there were any fish still in the tank, she said yes, a group of silver dollars. i laughed and told her she might want to bring them back too... she did later that day, then had me help her pick out new plants and fish that would actually work in her tank. even with the store credit given for her trade ins, she spent a few hundred dollars on the new stock. the moral of this story is that (not myself) many employees of various LFS's are simply burned out, the attitude becomes one where if the majority of your customers don't care, won't listen, then why bother. many times over, people simply don't listen to advice, they want what they want and they want it now. if it had been me that helped her initially, i most likely would have tried to convince her to get fish that were better suited to her tank, and if she insisted, i would have refused the sale. but that's me... i always tell my customers that if i'm available i will always help to the best of my ability, but when the day comes that they walk into a walmart or petco (lol) and fall in love, just google the fish before you buy it!!!

[digitallinh]

turn on smartphone. Google "fish."

I think I spend more time at the LFS on my phone than talking to the employees!

[Andy Bauman]

I don't think any customer expects the store person to know everything. However basic stuff should be a given. Some can't even do that. I think most store owners do a fair job, but that is not the case at a lot of the big box stores. You are lucky if a big box store happens to have a TFH working for them.

[mistahoo]

I was a home breeder for a few years, then I got divorced..


Sent from my corner of the tank!

Did you breed for certain traits with your offspring? jk!

[KhmerStyle]

I was a home breeder for a few years, then I got divorced..


Sent from my corner of the tank!

lacking in the sack..... j/k

[allysangels]

[CRUSHER]

Fish store workers

in my opinion
you cant beat home breeders :)

and for equipment etc i always buy online

I was a home breeder for a few years, then I got divorced..


Sent from my corner of the tank!

[LooksLater]

Congratulations Ally on the new job ,im sure itll be tons of fun and a great place!

Now heres how i kinda feel about this. First off we all had to start in the hobby some where. And im sure at one point we didnt knoe jack squat either. And yea petco/petsmart may not have the smartest employees, grated ! At least if they are kids interested in the hobby their trying give them that. " I worked at petsmart years ago" For some it may just be a job to them and they dont knoe all the fish to a tee yet.

But now on some of the high end shops that we all know of and shop at. I believe its up to the owners to properly trail the new ones, that if they dont know something ask a fellow employee and lean about it witb the customer.

Right befor i moved here i worked at one of the top fish stores in San Diego. And i was the cichlid guy, didnt know shat when it came to saltwater but i knew who did and if i got a customer who needed expert salt advice i got another guy to help me out and the customers appreciated that so much that we didnt tell them crap. We all had our nicks and the entire store worked as a team.
So i strongly feel its the shops right and responsibility to teach new worker's !

Very well said. Very.

[crazy42bmx]

Congratulations Ally on the new job ,im sure itll be tons of fun and a great place!

Now heres how i kinda feel about this. First off we all had to start in the hobby some where. And im sure at one point we didnt knoe jack squat either. And yea petco/petsmart may not have the smartest employees, grated ! At least if they are kids interested in the hobby their trying give them that. " I worked at petsmart years ago" For some it may just be a job to them and they dont knoe all the fish to a tee yet.

But now on some of the high end shops that we all know of and shop at. I believe its up to the owners to properly trail the new ones, that if they dont know something ask a fellow employee and lean about it witb the customer.

Right befor i moved here i worked at one of the top fish stores in San Diego. And i was the cichlid guy, didnt know shat when it came to saltwater but i knew who did and if i got a customer who needed expert salt advice i got another guy to help me out and the customers appreciated that so much that we didnt tell them crap. We all had our nicks and the entire store worked as a team.
So i strongly feel its the shops right and responsibility to teach new worker's !

[New_Cichlid11]

im my opinion dont ask questions, RESEARCH.... READ... talk to HFB people others will be smartasses if you ask questions that are deemed dumb in their book..

[tys91]

in my opinion
you cant beat home breeders :)

and for equipment etc i always buy online

[CRUSHER]

most are morons... petco and petsmart are notorious for them lol but the mom & pop ones know their stuff!

[allysangels]

lol i felt like i jacked it with my rants and everybody congratulating me... i guess as i've been working in fish stores in houston for years now i felt strongly on the issue...

[KhmerStyle]

Congrats on the job ally. I love sitting in front of that giant bow front. It is very relaxing. Sorry for jacking this thread