Amnagrla

I've seen people here call it DeathCo. Is PetSmart really that much better?

I really don't have many options around me. It seems no matter where I go, a LFS or PetCo, the fish are NEVER treated nicely.

nmwierman1977

I prefer petsmart over Petco. The main reason being that Petco imo is very filthy and very disorganized. Plus there is never anybody around if you need to talk to someone. Petsmart is much cleaner, more organized, and there is usually someone there if you have a question. Usually when I go someone is always asking me if I need help with something. IMO also I do think that they do care a bit ore about there fish then at Petco. The Bettas may still be in those cups, but they atleast put some kind dechlor in the cups to keep the ammonia down and whatever. Petco as far as I have seen at mine does not do that. This is just my opnion. Natalie

Amnagrla

don't be sorry! This is what I want to hear. I'm relatively new (just a handful of months) to the whole fish-thing. I seem to be going to PetCo because they are near my home and my school.

I had to bring 8 guppies to a store because i couldn't keep them. It was a saturday. No one would take them except for the PetCo up the street. The guy said to bring them in asap. So i brought them in and the manager yelled at him, saying there was no place to put them... but he said "no, she called and I told her I would take them for her so I'm taking them home with me tonight". I thought it was very sweet of him to help me out.

There is only one PetSmart in the area and when I went there... being a newbie, I asked if I could put a sick balloon molly in a bowl with daily w.c. until he got better.... and I got yelled at! I quickly told the guy off, explaining that if someone asks a question, he should be patient because it is merely a question.. but I won't go back there.

I really want to find a non-chain LFS that is so good. Maybe someday I'll open one up!

Shrimpy

petsmart is by far cleaner

capekate

I agree with everyone that said that Petsmart take care of its customers. They have always been so helpful to me, answer any and all questions i may have and seem to be knowledgable in fishkeeping. Of course you have the isolated case where it is usually the management that is the problem, and if there is a bad manager, then everything can go downhill and that can be in any chain or small time LFS. The tanks and fish are well kept at my local petsmart and wow those folks are as friendly and helpful as the tv ads shows them to be. they have a great return policy and will match any online price and competitors price. I even brought a cracked tank from another LFS that would not exchange it for me, and when I told the story to the employee at petsmart she said they will take it back as their own and replace it for me and the first tank wasn't even from a petsmart to begin with! Where can you find that kind of service?? I will stick with them for all my supplies and most of my fish.
~ kate

mlinden84

If anyone has a PetLAND near them, it's worth checking out. I've got one about 20 miles from where I live, and I love it! I know there aren't many, in fact the one near me is the only one in the whole state of Iowa. I have never had anything bad to say about it, always a great experience!

COBettaCouple

ok, it's offtopic, but mike just added new smileys since the last post i read so i have to use them: this is me: if i the manual correctly.

anyway.. back to deathco versus petsmart. Petsmart might be far from perfect but compared to deathco they look pretty good.. i do see dead fish in tanks there and some petsmart stores have the erroneous practice of betta sorority tanks (although all the ones i've been to have females in cups now).. but the deathco tanks usually are filled with dead fish and are so dirty that when an employee pulled up a plant the tank turned into a storm of dead fish parts, rotted food and poop. Deathco betta cups are more dirty and their bettas fall into the dead & dying category much more than petsmart.. we've also found the fish area to usually be devoid of employees and so far about 95% of advice we got there was totally wrong. My fav. was when i heard the manager suggest a constipated male betta was pregnant. I don't know if they all do it, but the deathco here routinely double-charges items.. i missed it once being distracted filling out their little card application and the manager pretty much told me i was stupid and tough luck, no money back. i don't know how petsmart is since we don't have one in our little town, but our deatcho refuses to discount very sick or almost dead bettas if someone wants to try to save it.. the manager said "just get a healthy one" when we inquired about a discount on one that had been shoved to the back and was obviously almost dead. (we'd read posts on here about other pet stores that would discount or give away a really bad off betta if someone wanted them.)

we only have them in our town but fortunately we found out about the DFS website to order from here at fishlore and they get our business since after so many times of "let's try this one more time" with deathco.

fishlover1

I havent been to a PetCo in my area and our PetSmart is quite a ways away, we also have another store nearer than those, a PetMania small store. The PetSmart in our area has a wonderful selection of fish and a nice staff who knows a lot. I have only seen a few dead fish in the tanks but with so many tanks you can't always take out dead fish every 10 minutes or so. --I think it was so rude that someone would yell at you for asking a simple question.

Amnagrla

I agree!!! I was with my boyfriend and I thought he was going to go back in and beat the crap out of that guy when I started to tear up outside the store.

COBettaCouple

lol.. good for him.. don't go to deathco with him or he'll have to stuff a few employees into the tanks -- IF you can find some.

fishlover1

hahahah-- i think thats funny

Amnagrla

lol... well he is the one who bought me a $100 gift certificate to PetCo to get me started with a tank! He thinks I've gone completely overboard and obsessed.... but that's just what made him so mad! I'm just a poor, innocent, obsessed-with-fish-girl who just wants the best for her fish!

COBettaCouple

and it doesn't hurt if you're cute and have tears forming.. that's a good way to get a guy mad. <grrr>

Amnagrla

lol oh of course!! It's almost my best defense!!

fishlover1

Its my fish that get to me too, my black skirt tetras especially whenever i come into my bedroom they all swim up to the glass and look at me, follow me around the room. Too cute. A funny trait with them I have seen a couple times is when they swim opposite from me (butt is facing me) they will spread out thier fins so I see what looks like arms and legs!! Even more cute it makes me giggle. I love my fish so much I want to start a saltwater tank. So I plan on saving up some big bucks for a nice saltwater cube aquarium. I could spend a lifetime going around and around a fishstore just looking at the fish they have.

COBettaCouple

it doesn't work for me.. i guess i'm not cute.. <boohoo!>

Amnagrla

lol or don't have boobs.

COBettaCouple

well since i'm a guy, i'm not complaining about that! :P ..and that's why petsmart's better.. oh, i'm so clever to get back on-topic just in the nick of time..