Re: NANFA-- Petco Sucks

Kevin (kevino_at_beaverstatedental.com)
Thu, 10 Jul 2003 09:07:28 -0700

I agree that many times the customer is at fault for lack of information.
But if you decide that you want to set up a fish tank, then you normally go
to the fish store or a store that sells fish and ask someone who you assume
must have knowlage of fish otherwise they would not have hired them right? I
mean that seems like common sense to me, but unfortunately, the people, at
this store at least, do not even have the basic knowlage of fish care. I
know I have said this several times now. You need people who know about fish
to work in the fish department. That would be like me getting a job as a car
mechanic because I have worked on dental equipment. I know nothing about
cars (nor do I care to) and would cause the employers business more harm
than good.

On 7/10/03 8:18 AM, "Ty Hall" <tyhall_at_mia.net> wrote:

> See my responses inserted below. I have deleted some text for brevity.
>
> I think I heard a chorus of angels singing when I read this next statement.
> hahaha
> This rings so true, you can't even imagine it. I can actually see people'e
> eyes
> gloss over as I am describing the proper way to set up and maintain an
> aquarium
> and hat is even when I try to keep it light and non-technical. All they are
> thinking is, I can save $3 if I drive 30 miles over to Walmart and buy the
> system
> thay have. The fact that it will cost then $5 in gas, doesn't seem to matter.
>
>>
>> Quite frankly, I think an ignorant customer is just as bad as an ignorant
>> salesperson (note: the definition of "ignorant" is quite different than the
>> definition for "stupid" :). Ignorant customers who nearly _demand_ to
>> remain ignorant are twice as bad. Perhaps I live in a different demographic
>> than some folks, but pretty much everyone I know has some way of getting to
>> the Internet from home or work. Heck... My MOM even knows how to find info
>> she wants now ;)
>>
>
> In reference to the following points, you are pretty close to spot on. We
> don't
> make a dime on most of the animals we sell. However, Fish and Reptiles are
> usually
> exceptions to that rule. While your point is accurate, if fish are properly
> cared
> for and sold as healthy specimens, then you can realize a fair profit from
> them,
> eventually. I do agree that the mass merchandisers, see them exactly as you
> described. Besides, they also know that some people won't return the fish,
> with
> the reciept, in the time alloted, so even if it dies, they made their money.
>
>>
>> And that leads me to my second point... Any type of chain store is _not_
>> there to sell animals. Animals are a pain. They're dirty, they need fed,
>> they die. A horrible thing to base a business on. However, they create a
>> great market for dry goods (a tangible commodity in a business model). Even
>> better, they are inexpensive enough to bring in as an investment to sell dry
>> goods and completely kill every week. A sort of "operating expense".
>> Anyone who's had a wholesale fish list in their hands knows you can stock a
>> typical "Petco-ish" entire live inventory for less than $200. If they sell
>> some of them, even better. The fish are only there to generate traffic to
>> buy their dry goods.
>>
>> Don't be fooled the 15 day warranty is any type of generosity or integrity
>> on the part of the business. They planned on them being dead anyway. And
>> when you return, they just got you in the store one more time, and with
>> that... The opportunity to sell some more of their dry goods to "treat" the
>> problems that arise.
>>
>> Their markup ratios are, as best as I can gather... So no one gets
>> suspicious. If it came down to it, and handing out free fish was a better
>> way to sell dry goods... I think they'd do it.
>>
>
> The explanation is simple and it is also the main reason why mass
> merchandisers
> are not a good place to buy lots of products. They hire inexperienced people
> and
> pay them minimum wage. Their is no incentive for the employees to learn more
> because they are not going to be there long enough for it to make a
> difference.
> They also get shifted from department to department which again takes away
> from
> the learning process. There are exceptions to this as one other poster already
> stated, but they are few and far between. Face it. If you pay minimum wage you
> get
> minimum effort and minimum experience. The fact that ANYONE would take advice
> on
> ANYTHING from a department store employee, blows me away. Give someone $5 an
> hour
> and a blue smock and everyone thinks their a genius. "This is the fish
> department,
> so Skippy here must be a direct descendant of Jaques <sic> Freakin' Cousteau,
> himself."
>
>>
>> I have no explanation for the guy who didn't sell the filters... He was
>> failing his employer's business mission. But I'll give him the benefit of
>> the doubt, and guess he'd been reading some marine technique, and just
>> missed the point that there isn't a reliable "live rock" in freshwater
>> systems. Either that, or he just assumed it worked because his only
>> experience with aquaria was that deplorable "Feeder" system they had him
>> clean out on his first day that had "more living than dead, and look how
>> many fish are in there.... So it must be okay huh?"
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/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org