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#1
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OT rant: clueless pet store employees (long)
I made what will probably turn into a bi-monthly trip down to Wichita
Falls, Texas yesterday to buy the gang some cat food. We don't have much here in Lawton, Oklahoma, but I've found that within a fairly small area there are two big pet stores in WF, a Petsmart and a Petco. No dogs or cats for sell in either store, but both have cats on display for adoption from the local shelter (they brings in dogs on the weekend for adoption) So of course I had to check the cats - quickly of course, since last time I almost fell in love with a 7 month old orange strippey dude. Of course, being a new rat dad, I had to check out the rodent population, and ask the salespeople a bunch of questions. I found the folks at one store, Petsmart, to be extremely friendly and willing to stand there and listen - even though I told them up front that I wasn't looking to buy a rat, just checking them out. I did what I usually do with salespeople (or mechanics), act dumb and ask questions that I already know the answer to, and see how close the answers I'm getting jibe with what I already know. After a couple minutes the first person I talked to went and found their resident rat expert, who I gather has some of her own. Their expert's answers all pretty much agreed with everything I've been learning. All in all a pretty good experience. The other store, Petco, was pretty much the opposite. No one stopped and asked me if they could help. I ended up flagging down a couple people and tried to ask questions. I had some serious questions, too, since I thought I had read that Petco carried a certain brand of cage, and I was interested in and I wanted to see one set up. They were all too busy to talk (even though two of them were just standing at the checkout stands with no customers). While I was browsing around the rodent area looking around I watched as a couple other shoppers received much the same treatment. One couple were buying a ferret and needed the works - cage, food, bedding, etc. The employee that was helping wasn't much help, IMHO, they would have left the store without a water bottle if the customer hadn't remembered it at the last minute. The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back (and why I've decided not to visit the store again) came when I watched a rat being sold. The customer went to the checkout and told one of the clerks standing there that he wanted a rat. The clerk got a box out, went to get the rat, grabbed it by the tail, lifted it up and put it in the box. OK, three weeks ago I didn't know anything, but before I tried to catch Hanna I took the time to google and learn that you DO NOT pick up rats by the tail. I would think that part of employee training should include how to handle any animals the store sells - even if the employee is never going to be doing anything other then cleaning the cages they should be told what NOT to do to keep from hurting the merchandize (which clearly is all these animals are - not future companions but store merchandize). I'm not trying to convince anyone not to use Petco and shop at Petsmart instead. I'm sure that a good manager at either store could solve the problems I encountered, despite whatever the name is on the sign outside the store. In fact, I have since read complaints against both stores on their consumer sites. I'm really just venting because of what I saw at the petco. Oh and BTW, as I mentioned above I had not remembered correctly about which store carried the brand of cage I wanted to see. Turns out it was the Petsmart where I was happy with the staff, not petco where I was definitely not happy. -- Steve Touchstone Little Bit, Sammy, Spotty, Princess, Furby and Rocky (RB) Pix at http://tinyurl.com/22pfn8 Vids at http://tinyurl.com/4yb6nj |
#2
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OT rant: clueless pet store employees (long)
"Steve Touchstone" wrote in message ... I made what will probably turn into a bi-monthly trip down to Wichita Falls, Texas yesterday to buy the gang some cat food. We don't have much here in Lawton, Oklahoma, but I've found that within a fairly small area there are two big pet stores in WF, a Petsmart and a Petco. No dogs or cats for sell in either store, but both have cats on display for adoption from the local shelter (they brings in dogs on the weekend for adoption) So of course I had to check the cats - quickly of course, since last time I almost fell in love with a 7 month old orange strippey dude. Of course, being a new rat dad, I had to check out the rodent population, and ask the salespeople a bunch of questions. I found the folks at one store, Petsmart, to be extremely friendly and willing to stand there and listen - even though I told them up front that I wasn't looking to buy a rat, just checking them out. I did what I usually do with salespeople (or mechanics), act dumb and ask questions that I already know the answer to, and see how close the answers I'm getting jibe with what I already know. After a couple minutes the first person I talked to went and found their resident rat expert, who I gather has some of her own. Their expert's answers all pretty much agreed with everything I've been learning. All in all a pretty good experience. The other store, Petco, was pretty much the opposite. No one stopped and asked me if they could help. I ended up flagging down a couple people and tried to ask questions. I had some serious questions, too, since I thought I had read that Petco carried a certain brand of cage, and I was interested in and I wanted to see one set up. They were all too busy to talk (even though two of them were just standing at the checkout stands with no customers). While I was browsing around the rodent area looking around I watched as a couple other shoppers received much the same treatment. One couple were buying a ferret and needed the works - cage, food, bedding, etc. The employee that was helping wasn't much help, IMHO, they would have left the store without a water bottle if the customer hadn't remembered it at the last minute. The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back (and why I've decided not to visit the store again) came when I watched a rat being sold. The customer went to the checkout and told one of the clerks standing there that he wanted a rat. The clerk got a box out, went to get the rat, grabbed it by the tail, lifted it up and put it in the box. OK, three weeks ago I didn't know anything, but before I tried to catch Hanna I took the time to google and learn that you DO NOT pick up rats by the tail. I would think that part of employee training should include how to handle any animals the store sells - even if the employee is never going to be doing anything other then cleaning the cages they should be told what NOT to do to keep from hurting the merchandize (which clearly is all these animals are - not future companions but store merchandize). I'm not trying to convince anyone not to use Petco and shop at Petsmart instead. I'm sure that a good manager at either store could solve the problems I encountered, despite whatever the name is on the sign outside the store. In fact, I have since read complaints against both stores on their consumer sites. I'm really just venting because of what I saw at the petco. Oh and BTW, as I mentioned above I had not remembered correctly about which store carried the brand of cage I wanted to see. Turns out it was the Petsmart where I was happy with the staff, not petco where I was definitely not happy. -- Its really a shame, pet stores were one place that small business could shine. An owner operated store that could then specialize in whatever was of interest to the owner. Our town could never quite manage to support one so we had several over the years, and had just landed a very nice one in out newly renovated downtown. No sooner had they sunk money into store setup and some very nice aquatic setup than the first box store arrived. PetSmart. Not to be outdone, within a year, using the same statistics that PetSmart used to decide we could now support a big box pet store, PetCo arrived. So now we have two big box pet stores staffed by minimum wage schlubs that are just fairly happy to have a steady job in retail and don't have any particular in the purchasers or recipients of their products. The only reason both PetSmart and PetCo haven't both gone out of business locally (and I really doubt they are turning a profit, but are stuck in their leases) is because the most popular ranch supply and feel store in town burned down. That's where everyone had shopped before for dog and cat food, and they had a pretty decent bird and rodent section as well. (Hobbies of the original owner's granddaughter's) Jo |
#3
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OT rant: clueless pet store employees (long)
On Aug 7, 10:33*pm, "Jofirey" wrote:
.. *An owner operated store that could then specialize in whatever was of interest to the owner. *Our town could never quite manage to support one so we had several over the years, and had just landed a very nice one in out newly renovated downtown. In the UK PetSmart and PetCo don't so far as I know exist, there are some pet superstores but I've never seen one in London through there was a small one in Romford but I think it closed down and a friend of mine applied for a job in one in Milton Keynes. We have a couple of pet shops around here through I won't unless use one of them except very occasionally as they sell live animals. For most food we can get what we need in the local supermarket apart from Hills and Royal Canin, which we get from the vets. For everything else there's a stall in the local market run by a family, they're good on advice, know what they are talking about and always have details of animals for adoption on the stall as well as contacts with the local shelters Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs. |
#4
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OT rant: clueless pet store employees (long)
On Aug 8, 10:04*am, "Jofirey" wrote:
Typo for feed store of course. Yes but it made us laugh! It's like the place a few doors down from us they do handwashing and valeting for cars and as their signs proudly declare they offer the "Best hand jobs in London"- you often see passers by stop, read it, read it again and burst out laughing *But the combination isn't unheard of in the US. *We have a lot of small towns that are a long ways from any other towns. *Not unusual to find *single gas station/mini-market/ diner/bait shop/video rental/adult entertainment combinations. Not quite as wide a variety but around here you do see newsagent/off licence/mini marts and there is nothing in the World to top "This and That" in Plaistow. In one small shop they sell newspapers, confectionary, cigarettes, beers, wine, spirits, soft drinks, groceries, lottery tickets, greeting cards, stationery, cosmetics, toiletries, kitchen appliances,saucepans, plates, cultery, clocks, hairdryers, framed prints, religious and non religious statues.....and I am sure I;ve left something out- it's like Aladdin's cave in there! Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs. |
#5
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OT rant: clueless pet store employees (long)
In the UK PetSmart and PetCo don't so far as I know exist
PetSmart does, though I think they changed their name after being reported in the national papers for requiring their junior employees to put unsold hamsters in bags and smash them to a pulp against the back wall of the shop. They may be PetWorld now (they only operated in malls and I haven't been to a mall in years). ==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === http://www.campin.me.uk ==== Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557 CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts ****** I killfile Google posts - email me if you want to be whitelisted ****** |
#6
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OT rant: clueless pet store employees (long)
"Steve Touchstone" wrote in message
... (snip) The other store, Petco, was pretty much the opposite. No one stopped and asked me if they could help. I ended up flagging down a couple people and tried to ask questions. I had some serious questions, too, since I thought I had read that Petco carried a certain brand of cage, and I was interested in and I wanted to see one set up. They were all too busy to talk (even though two of them were just standing at the checkout stands with no customers). (and snip) Steve Touchstone Little Bit, Sammy, Spotty, Princess, Furby and Rocky (RB) Pix at http://tinyurl.com/22pfn8 Vids at http://tinyurl.com/4yb6nj The problem with these big box stores is they're retail stores. They pay minimum wage, which of course is fine if you're a teenager or are absolutely desperate for work. But it doesn't require (nor do they provide) any special training other than how to work the cash register and stock shelves. Have you ever taken a vegetable or fruit to the check-out at the grocery store and the person ringing up your purchases had to ask you, "what is this?!" They don't give these folks a course in fruits and vegetables any more than PetCo trains their staff to be knowledgeable about the pets they sell. Then, of course, there is the management factor. Sometimes the manager knows something about animals, other times they don't. I remember going to a PetCo in TN for some treats for Peaches. I spotted a sick zebra finch in one of the cages. I grabbed the nearest cashier and said, "That bird is ill." How do you know? (she asked). Trust me, healthy birds don't huddle in the corner of their cages. Please get the manager. Fortunately this manager knew something about birds. (I couldn't say this would be the case with every PetCo store manager, which is my point.) She thanked me profusely and immediately got the bird into a small isolation cage. She told me what she was doing. She gave the bird some ornacycline (which is tetracycline for birds, sort of an antibiotic) by eyedropper. She even called me a day later to tell me the little finch was doing much better and to thank me again for noticing it was sick. She knew what to do; her staff didn't have any idea there was a problem. Jill |
#7
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OT rant: clueless pet store employees (long)
"hopitus" wrote in message
... On Aug 12, 6:00 am, "jmcquown" wrote: "Steve Touchstone" wrote in message ... If you are ever in WF TX and need a great vet, Mike Bomar has a warm spot in my heart. Didn't Steve say in the original post he went to Wichita Falls for pet supplies? My oldest brother lives in WF and he may need to know about this vet for his cat. Thanks! Jill |
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