In my opinion the state of the stock is a major factor in the purchase. Would you buy fish from a store where the dead float among the living? There is no excuse.
Its pretty much impossible at any lfs to ensure that there is not a single dead fish in one of the tanks. If you think you've been to one that has accomplished such a feet I beleive you either missed one of the dead ones or arrived shortly after they had pulled all the dead.
The reason for this is because 1) the tanks are more crowded than a clown car, and 2) most (not all but most) lfs are understaffed and the associates are usually under pressure to perform much more than is humanly possible. In this case, the individual must give priority to certain jobs just to keep the store running.
If you've got a problem with this then I suggest you contact the owners and/or corporate office of the lfs. However, do not complain that "the associates aren't taking care of the fish." Rather, complain that there aren't enough associates to do the job properly.
I have been in the pet trade for enough time to know that most stores are horridly run. Corporate owned, despite the propoganda that would have you beleive otherwise, are some of the worst run establishments. Corporations are designed solely to maximize proffit at the expense of others. The reason they do so well is because they have an army of understaffed, overworked associates running around doing everything they can to get the job done, accroding to efficiently drawn up regulations and policies. These policies by the way are routinely broken by those in charge, but would get associates fired for neglecting to follow them. Also, wlthough they have the power to fully train their employees, many times this does not happen because the stores are understaffed and there is no time for training.
Individually owned shops are another story. This can go two ways. Since they answer to no corporate boss, small store owners are free to understaff and staff at will. Most small lfs offer little or no training because they lack the money to hire professionals to draw up efficient training guides and programs. Also, the turnover rate at a small shop makes training almost a rediculous concept. Many times the owners just don't give a #### and merely operate the shop to make money.
This scenario is most common when the shop sells a variety of animals. Often the owners know nothing about properly caring for animals, or only have expertise in certain animals and sell the others simply to make money.
Then there are the small shops that are well staffed and offer proper training. Usually these shops concentrate solely in aquatics and are owned by persons with a passion and inerest in what they are selling. These are rare but are the best shops.
Next time you get angry about the care(or lack of) of the animals in a store try contacting the owners. Try explaining what they're doing wrong. Usually it is not the associates fault. Usually they are understaffed and lack training, both problems stemming from bad ownership. Unless you are certain that the associate is a dumbass and has no interest in caring for the animals whatsoever, do not get them in trouble.
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