FishMagnet

I'm sure this has been brought up a hundred times.

But in light of my current experiences, and a thread I just read about driving 100+ miles looking for fish and not finding anything but dead and dying, I thought I'd ask opinions.

I'm a ways outside Kansas City. Its generally an hour + drive round trip to any LFS. Closest are the Walmarts and Petsmart.
We all know how Walmarts, Petsmarts, and Petcos generally keep their tanks. Not always, but usually.
The others, that I try to visit regularly are iffy. Hit or miss is a good term. Thanks Lucy.

Its sad too. The Ma and Pa shops are the ones I like the best...and generally take better care, and are more knowledgable. More pricey but I'd rather support them than the big chains.

So its made me sad when over the last couple years I've seen them all go down hill. To the point where most of them are on par with the chain stores.
Actually, a couple have fallen below them in terms of quality, quantity, appearance, friendliness. And of course the prices are still higher.

There is one exception, though I no longer go there as its SW only and I'm not keeping SW anymore.

So what causes this? I know keeping that many tanks has got to be a daunting task, but thats why the have employees isn't it?

And why, why do they all press animals, fish, birds, reptiles, just to make a sale, knowing full well the customers aren't prepared for it?

I've actually seen them sell fish from a tank being treated, telling the customers that the blue in the water was just a precaution...as they have sick and rotting fish in the tank.

Its ridiculous.
Do we have any pet store owners who can explain this?
Is it just laziness? Overwhelmed? Tired? Making so much money that they don't feel its important? Or is the bulk of their customers the ignorant, that will buy an obviously sick fish because the help says its just shy?

Sorry, got a little carried away there.

angelfish220

I simply think that the large chains are killing them one by one. Mom and Pop shops have higher prices because they are making their living on one store, but less people are buying, so they have to press for people to buy to make the electric bill, and they can't afford to buy from good suppliers so they end up getting sick fish to begin with... and they just keep falling.

FishMagnet

Yes. You would think they would take better care of their "products" so as to sell the highest quality "merchandise", that way they could compete.

angelfish220

but they can't afford to carry all the wanted breeds if they buy the 'grade A' of each one