A Surprise At Petco!

So recently I moved to a new area. Today I went to checkout my local fish retailers. Note: THIS IS NOT A RANT, OR A TEAR DOWN, THIS IS A STORY. Petsmart was disappointing. They were poorly stocked. So I left and then went to petco. I was in for a BIG surprise. They had so many tanks, plus a HUGE live plant/snail tank. (I know where I am getting my plants from now on!) Heres the best part! They had their female bettas in a sorority setting in a community tank! All of the females were happy and healthy and showed no aggression (I watched them for a while) I went up to a store employee and told them how great I thought it was that the majority of their females weren't in little cups. They also kept a male plakat fighter in with some mollies, I noticed little aggression besides a little chasing now and then. They also have live plants in almost every tank! Java fern, moss, anubias and others! So I have to say, petco really surprised me this time! And I'll be proud to support a place that doesn't keep ALL of their bettas in tiny cups.

 

That's a great story!!
It's too bad not all the petco stores are like that :-( the ones by me certainly are not.

 

That's a great story!!
It's too bad not all the petco stores are like that :-( the ones by me certainly are not.

Yeah...where I use to live they were pretty....well...rough. But this one is nice. Yes there were some dead fish, but the tanks looked clean, and most importantly they had some bettas in nice conditions, I even suggested to the management that they put all the females in the huge plant tank. They said they would consider it and thought it might be a good idea!. I will say this, considering what I have seen, and what it might be they are doing a pretty dang good job, especially where the bettas are concerned

 

That's pretty cool!! My Petco just put all New tanks in and have a great selection with their bettas in community tanks also. Not all of them but some!! I actually have had very good luck with getting healthy fish there!! I wonder if we go to the same one!!lol

 

yeah despite what people often say, bettas can work out in a community tank I think that petco is awesome. Also locations are kinda hit or miss with petsmart and petco, some are really nice, some are just a disaster. I have a similar petco I think nearby and they do a decent job with their aquariums too everything is moderately clean and disease free and they got a big planted tank where they sell that kind of stuff. They even have saltwater fish as well. however they still sell their bettas in cups unfortunately. But there's a petsmart location near me as well and their fish section looks miserable. So really depends on the location for how good their quality is.

 

Sounds like the Petco a mile away from me, and in the next big city an hour north. LOVE them.

 

Hate to be a Debbie Downer, but supporting a good chain store still supports the entity as a whole.

 

scarface don't rain on the parade. **** am I suppose to buy my fish plants and other stuff? Walmart? There is only one other place I know that's good and its 1 hour away. Again, don't rain on the parade

 

One of our Petco's in town usually has a few bettas in with the community fish. The other one usually does not. However, the one that the bettas are all in their cups tends to change the betta water quite frequently. I try to find the employees that pay attention to how long some of the bettas have been in the store.

 

scarface don't rain on the parade. **** am I suppose to buy my fish plants and other stuff? Walmart? There is only one other place I know that's good and its 1 hour away. Again, don't rain on the parade

Don't take it the wrong way. Contrary to how my post above might sound, I actually don't care where you or anyone else buy their fish and aquarium stuff from. None of my business, really. A store can keep their bettas in cups. I don't care. I'm no animal rights activist. It just sounded like you chose to do business with stores that took care of their fish only. I read so many posts where people go to this Petco and avoid that one. Makes me wonder if they realize they're still supporting the chain as a whole. A little awareness doesn't hurt.

 

If you can get the good chain stores up in rankings the others will be forced to follow to keep up with sales and esteem.
I hope they didn't have any live plants in the cichlid tanks?

Yup they are switching to having assorted female bettas in whichever tank they are placed in (gotta watch the mollies - the panda lyretail and gold dust are both really aggressive morphs). The only other females gotten in are the "baby girls" (which most often are male because the supplier can't sex them at that size). If there is nothing else around with good quality there isn't much you can do, ordering online doesn't really give much option to people specially in colder months with shipping costing so much.

You can always contact corporate if the fish section of the store isn't up to snuff.

 

I have moved recently as well. Right before Christmas, I checked out the Petco near me (about 4 miles away). To my surprise, it looked great! No dead fish in any tanks, lots of healthy plants (unfortunately some plants were not true aquatic plants, but I know better), and pristine tanks. When I spoke with the young woman in the fish department, she remarked how all of their tanks are maintained by a man in his 60's who has dealt with all kinds of aquariums and fish for over 50 years! I told her, "Hey, that's like me! Well, you tell him I see the difference and I'm quite impressed." It really does depend on the experience of the employees as to how the fish area is maintained. I'm happy you found a good local fish store!

 

Don't take it the wrong way. Contrary to how my post above might sound, I actually don't care where you or anyone else buy their fish and aquarium stuff from. None of my business, really. A store can keep their bettas in cups. I don't care. I'm no animal rights activist. It just sounded like you chose to do business with stores that took care of their fish only. I read so many posts where people go to this Petco and avoid that one. Makes me wonder if they realize they're still supporting the chain as a whole. A little awareness doesn't hurt.

In my situation I an well aware, but being a salesman who works for commission, I tend to take my business to the individuals who actually seem to give a ****! Even though I know they just hourly pay..

 

I went to a new Petsmart store in the next town over from me to check things out the other day. I have to say, it was WAY better than my local store. They have the new clean streamlined tank wall setup. It looked very pleasing. Maybe because the store was brand new?
My local Petsmart is always out of stock on supplies. I have been trying to get certain supplies and every time I go in there, it's the same things that were sitting there from last time.
I have to admit though, there is a certain joy I get seeing the old school tank wall with the open tops. I just wish the rest of the isles were clean and tidy. Maybe that's my OCD kicking in.
Anyway, I am going to watch my fish now.
Cheers,

 

If you can get the good chain stores up in rankings the others will be forced to follow to keep up with sales and esteem.
I hope they didn't have any live plants in the cichlid tanks?

Yup they are switching to having assorted female bettas in whichever tank they are placed in (gotta watch the mollies - the panda lyretail and gold dust are both really aggressive morphs). The only other females gotten in are the "baby girls" (which most often are male because the supplier can't sex them at that size). If there is nothing else around with good quality there isn't much you can do, ordering online doesn't really give much option to people specially in colder months with shipping costing so much.

You can always contact corporate if the fish section of the store isn't up to snuff.

Just rocks and plastic plants I think

 

Don't take it the wrong way. Contrary to how my post above might sound, I actually don't care where you or anyone else buy their fish and aquarium stuff from. None of my business, really. A store can keep their bettas in cups. I don't care. I'm no animal rights activist. It just sounded like you chose to do business with stores that took care of their fish only. I read so many posts where people go to this Petco and avoid that one. Makes me wonder if they realize they're still supporting the chain as a whole. A little awareness doesn't hurt.

Arent petco pretty much all franchises? I thought one of the two were. Franchises are like a between world between mom and pop and big chain retail. They have to meet certain standards, but don't really benefit the chain much more than their fees.

Mom and pops have been dying all over the country due to being ineffective in the current market. Its not that the chains are killing them, most of them kill themselves.

I say all of this because there is 1 petco I frequent when home. They have what I need in stock when my lfs can't even come through for me. There are 3 lfs I frequent in town, and none of them can usually have what I want.

 

Arent petco pretty much all franchises? I thought one of the two were. Franchises are like a between world between mom and pop and big chain retail. They have to meet certain standards, but don't really benefit the chain much more than their fees.

Mom and pops have been dying all over the country due to being ineffective in the current market. Its not that the chains are killing them, most of them kill themselves.

I say all of this because there is 1 petco I frequent when home. They have what I need in stock when my lfs can't even come through for me. There are 3 lfs I frequent in town, and none of them can usually have what I want.

Is it? I honestly don't know, but I don't believe so. I didn't do any research, but assumed company owned, or at least a vast majority of the stores are. I think the size of the store and the scope of products, it would be a very expensive initial investment, perhaps even cost prohibitive. Even if so, I doubt that would matter too much. I really don't care if someone supports big chain pet stores or not. My original intent was not to make anyone feel defensive.

 

Petco isn’t a franchise, nor is Petsmart. I think Pet supplies plus offers franchises.

The thing is, supporting a franchise is still supporting the company as a whole. McDonalds is a franchise too.

 

I have only ever been in one Petco(it was to get nail clippers for my iguanas but that doesn’t matter) and they had salt water fish, first chain I have ever been to where they sold saltwater fish(ok, I have only been to 3 but still impressive)

 

My pupper got a petco giftcard for christmas ( spoiled lol) your post has made me want to check out their fish section! I typically don't even walk back there for fear of just being upset with what I see but I will def check it ou. I hope to find what you found!

 

Thank you for posting this, it makes me happy to hear that there are also petco stores that do seem to care about their fish. Hopefully it's a trend more petco/petsmart shops will follow

 

Ok not a big fan of the super stores but... I went into local petco about a month ago and bought a peice of driftwood with a suction cup on it and 2 plants. An huge anubias for $5 and a bunch plant for 3. Was and still am very happy with what I got. The driftwood now sits halfway up my tank and gives the shrimp somewhere else to hang out . Just a great idea. I belive the quality of the fish department is all up to the person in charge of it.

 

Petco & Petsmart aren't franchises, but Id rather buy at a franchise any day. They are TOTALLY different.

We have a friend who owns a Subway. Subway dictates many aspects of the business. What it has to look like, what food is served, etc., but our friend BOUGHT the franchise. He paid "X" amount of dollars to own it. If its failing, HE'S not getting paid. The company doesn't come in and back him. If he can't keep it open, it closes. A franchise is a lot more mom and mom than a big box store.

Id also argue that mom and pops ARE run out of business by big box stores. Mom and pops generally have 1 location, not 3500 like WalMart (and that's JUST their Super Centers, it doesn't include SAMS, discount stores, etc.). Big Box can actually have a location that loses money and theyll keep it open because its profit sharing. If that particular store becomes too unprofitable for too long, theyll close it, yes. But the sheer amount of stores they have allows them to buy in such great bulk that they get HUGE discounts so in turn they pass those discounts along to customers. WalMart and Target sell the same underwear, WalMart is cheaper. They sell the same LEGO's, WalMart is cheaper. They sell the same food, WalMart is cheaper (I'm talking about my experience in my city). My WalMart also sells fish cheaper than my Petco or Petsmart. Within an hour of me and any direction there is only 1, yes ONE, single, mom and pop fish store and its an hour away from me doing 8 over the speed limit (no joke, lol). Big box stores TOTALLY put mom and pops out of business. Mom and pop stores used to be on every corner, now theyre a rarity. They can't compete with the buying or selling power of big box. Being a small business owner myself, Ill support mom and pop every chance I get. But when there are no mom and pops, I'm forced to shop big box.

 

There are a lot of "chain" places that people never realize are privately owned store by store.
I was so mad when I had a Cherry Berry (frozen yogurt bar) coupon and the location by me wouldn't accept it. Because he owns the store and didn't agree to the coupons that other locations had been willing to use. A Wendy's near me closed recently because the owner died and the family didn't want to continue to run the place.
Its very common with food places especially. Pretty much every fast food restaurant around here is privately owned. I actually only learned that recently!

 

Petco & Petsmart aren't franchises, but Id rather buy at a franchise any day. They are TOTALLY different.

We have a friend who owns a Subway. Subway dictates many aspects of the business. What it has to look like, what food is served, etc., but our friend BOUGHT the franchise. He paid "X" amount of dollars to own it. If its failing, HE'S not getting paid. The company doesn't come in and back him. If he can't keep it open, it closes. A franchise is a lot more mom and mom than a big box store.

Id also argue that mom and pops ARE run out of business by big box stores. Mom and pops generally have 1 location, not 3500 like WalMart (and that's JUST their Super Centers, it doesn't include SAMS, discount stores, etc.). Big Box can actually have a location that loses money and theyll keep it open because its profit sharing. If that particular store becomes too unprofitable for too long, theyll close it, yes. But the sheer amount of stores they have allows them to buy in such great bulk that they get HUGE discounts so in turn they pass those discounts along to customers. WalMart and Target sell the same underwear, WalMart is cheaper. They sell the same LEGO's, WalMart is cheaper. They sell the same food, WalMart is cheaper (I'm talking about my experience in my city). My WalMart also sells fish cheaper than my Petco or Petsmart. Within an hour of me and any direction there is only 1, yes ONE, single, mom and pop fish store and its an hour away from me doing 8 over the speed limit (no joke, lol). Big box stores TOTALLY put mom and pops out of business. Mom and pop stores used to be on every corner, now theyre a rarity. They can't compete with the buying or selling power of big box. Being a small business owner myself, Ill support mom and pop every chance I get. But when there are no mom and pops, I'm forced to shop big box.

I was speaking about how lfs aren't adapting and are losing ground because of it. Not that the big retail stores aren't doing their harm, but specifically when it comes to lfs. It isn't hard to be better than a petsmart or petco, but Ive seen plenty of examples of lfs that don't bother to out do them.

 

So recently I moved to a new area. Today I went to checkout my local fish retailers. Note: THIS IS NOT A RANT, OR A TEAR DOWN, THIS IS A STORY. Petsmart was disappointing. They were poorly stocked. So I left and then went to petco. I was in for a BIG surprise. They had so many tanks, plus a HUGE live plant/snail tank. (I know where I am getting my plants from now on!) Heres the best part! They had their female bettas in a sorority setting in a community tank! All of the females were happy and healthy and showed no aggression (I watched them for a while) I went up to a store employee and told them how great I thought it was that the majority of their females weren't in little cups. They also kept a male plakat fighter in with some mollies, I noticed little aggression besides a little chasing now and then. They also have live plants in almost every tank! Java fern, moss, anubias and others! So I have to say, petco really surprised me this time! And I'll be proud to support a place that doesn't keep ALL of their bettas in tiny cups.

Maybe there was a change in management up at Petco corporate and this is a change we'll see for all Petco stores. The thing about Petco is that they sell their fish cheap, so they expect to not have the same fish for very long. That may be why their fish care is minimal.

 

When I talked to the store employee he was actually VERY good with his stuff, and we discussed how the stupid cups cause bettas life spans to be shortened, and how its such a pain to clean them every day, (the cups) and its easier to have the females in sorority

 

When I talked to the store employee he was actually VERY good with his stuff, and we discussed how the stupid cups cause bettas life spans to be shortened, and how its such a pain to clean them every day, (the cups) and its easier to have the females in sorority

Always nice when you meet employees like that . It let's you know that their actually trying at their job.