Petsmart Opinions?

[mewhorse]

Hey folks...just curious to hear opinions about fish from Petsmart....I always buy my fish from there - never had a problem yet (fairly knowledgable about fish), always seem healthy and live long lives...just the employees are generally not too bright and I end up teaching them alot of the time....just never buy fish from a tank if there is a floater in it....usually none but sometimes...only never buy fish from Walmart - ever! Usuallly can't anyway - usually a sign up saying that they aren't for sale because they are being treated for diseases....makes you wonder!

So opinions on the fish from Petsmart? Everyone seems to hate the employees - know that much already...but fish seem good to me - usually have fairly small young fish (my black skirt tetras were teeny when I bought them - now WAY bigger - although they always tell people I never feed them - ever...if someone is around they cluster against glass in front of them with sorrowful eyes....pooor fishies!)

 

[Kris]

I know this is about Petsmart..but I thought I'd throw my two cents in for PetCo, as it seems there are just as many people dogging PetCo as there is dogging Petsmart.

I have NEVER had an issue with the fish I've bought at PetCo. Given the help is usually not all that knowledgeable, but they are always more than willing to help you out. I've also had a few actually be straight up honest with me stating, "I really have no idea, let me call so and so". To me, this is respectable. For me, I research the fish I want to purchase, so when I head into a store, I already know what I'm looking for. I just need someone to bag them up for me. Also, all of the fish I have bought from there have been really healthy. I'm actually having more of an issue with "unhealthiness" with my LFS bought fish.

I'm actually thinking about checking out the PetSmart we have near my work to see how it compares to PetCo.

 

[ridewake210]

petsmart. neve rhad any problems with there products or fish. just dont listen to what they have to say if u ask then info about they're fish. most of them shouldnt even be working in the fish department who do. they literally dont know anything.

 

[wodesorel]

The girls at my local Petsmart already know me as the "snail girl", and because I have seven cats. I've noticed while waiting for help that they talk to me a lot differently than they do to other customers. I've never had a problem with the fish, or the advice, although I'm usually asking about specific fish/critters. They all have at least two large tanks a piece, so they do actually know about fish keeping (so does the manager) and so can answer from personal experiance.

Not only that, but they don't feed flake food at my store - they feed frozen. Anyone who treats fish for sale that well... well... yeah. I'll buy from them again. They also provide hiding places for jumpy fish, I've never seen a dying betta there, and the only thing they sell as feeder food are comets.

I'm sure it's not the same everywhere.

 

[DJ Fresh]

Good to know your opinions about Petsmart. One just opened up near my house in Victoria. Whatever you do, think twice about Petcetera... but they are canadian so you probably can't check out that store. (unless one snuck past the border). I've had bad experiences with Petcetera here in Victoria... I was ready to jam a pencil through my head while listening to them jabber on about something that I knew wasn't true. I hope the Petsmart is better. The owner is a very friendly guy. Right now I've got an LFS that is the best for my fish and plants.

~DJ Fresh

 

[africantigerfish7]

I would be careful about stores like Petsmart. They sell Pangasius and tell people that they only get 1 foot long .

 

[DebraAustin]

I would be careful about stores like Petsmart. They sell Pangasius and tell people that they only get 1 foot long .

I shop at Petsmart, Petco and 2 local LFS and I have been pleased with all of them. However, there are two Petsmarts in the area that I will not buy from because their tanks are always dirty and floater abound. I find that the employees vary. Some of them know a lot and others know absolutely nothing, so be prepared. I even find that the level of knowledge varies widely at the LFS, so you have to do your own research before buying.

I've learned who to ask what to over the past months and find that the others really should just say, "I don't know," but if they are young they are afraid to because they don't want to look stupid. I like the guy at Petco the best. He is fairly knowledgeable and willing to say I don't know when he needs to. He even checked on some upcoming sale prices for tanks I am interested in and told me what they were going to be on sale for. I thought that was pretty nice of him, since he could have made much more money selling to me at the regular price.

So, my suggestion is do your own research and then get to know which employees know what they are talking about and go from there. All stores will have some fish that don't make it. They have gone through tremendous stress being crammed in a tiny bag and then traveling under who knows what conditions to get where they need to go and some fish just can't take that kind of stress. However, if you see one and say something they should immediately remove the fish, not just say that it happens all the time.

Debra

 

[MtbGirl]

Having two cats, I've been to Petsmart plenty of times for supplies and food and toys...

This is my first experience buying a pet from them. The salesgirl who sold us the 12 tetras, the one algae eater and the one African Dwarf Frog seemed knowledgeable, she claimed to have a 40-gallon at home and seemed to know her stuff. We asked about the algae-eater being labelled "semi-aggressive," she said he's a herbivore, so she didn't understand why he was labelled that way. She assured us he would be fine in the tank with the tetras.

However, it turns out we are on the edge of overstocking my son's 7-gallon tank, and as a result the little frog died a few days ago. When I went back to the store to test the water and inquire about possibly returning the fish, the guy I spoke to advised me about the overstocking and said the algae eater will get bigger and will most likely get aggressive. He said we may want to think about removing him once he's bigger. So this guy seemed even more knowledgeable.

I guess it's hit or miss with these places, I don't have much experience with fish so it's hard for me to know who's full of BS and who's not.

So far I'm wary of the store, I would come here for advice before going back to the store to make any further fish-related purchases.

 

[Inchworm]

There is no Petsmart store located near me, so I haven't seen their fish, but I buy a lot from them online. Their online prices are the best I've found for heaters, hoods & lights, and AquaClear filters. I also buy Hikari sinking wafers from them since no nearby stores carry it. I've never had any problems with their orders.

When I need equipment I wait until they run one of their frequent offers that include free shipping with purchases over a certain amount. The amount seems to vary between $50 and $75. I understand that their in store prices are higher than their online prices, but if you print out the page and bring it in, they will give you the merchandise for the online price.

All things considered, I've had many good experiences with them and no bad ones.

 

[madmom]

I like their selection and every once in a while get some interesting fish. They also have fantastic sales. But the salespeople on the other hand can be very trying. One girl when we first started out and got 2 female guppies said Gee that ones pregnant how'd that happen they are shipped seperately. Another couldn't tell male from female with livebearers. You can get conflicting info from them about fish so I take what they say with a grain of salt and check it out if I'm not surebefore I buy and get it next time round. My biggest problem is that usually we have to go hunting a clerk or the clerk thats there ignores you and keeps cleaning the tank or playing with the plants until you ask them for help. I had one cop a tude when we asked for help.
They are not all bad though. A few of them make a point to come over and tell you to let them know when your ready and will try hard to get you a particular fish. These are the clerks I look for.
I only have 3 stores to go to Petsmart , Petland and Pet City. Petsmart is the best of the three.

 

[fish_fetish65]

I would be careful about stores like Petsmart. They sell Pangasius and tell people that they only get 1 foot long .

I shop at Petsmart, Petco and 2 local LFS and I have been pleased with all of them. However, there are two Petsmarts in the area that I will not buy from because their tanks are always dirty and floater abound. I find that the employees vary. Some of them know a lot and others know absolutely nothing, so be prepared. I even find that the level of knowledge varies widely at the LFS, so you have to do your own research before buying.

I've learned who to ask what to over the past months and find that the others really should just say, "I don't know," but if they are young they are afraid to because they don't want to look stupid. I like the guy at Petco the best. He is fairly knowledgeable and willing to say I don't know when he needs to. He even checked on some upcoming sale prices for tanks I am interested in and told me what they were going to be on sale for. I thought that was pretty nice of him, since he could have made much more money selling to me at the regular price.

So, my suggestion is do your own research and then get to know which employees know what they are talking about and go from there. All stores will have some fish that don't make it. They have gone through tremendous stress being crammed in a tiny bag and then traveling under who knows what conditions to get where they need to go and some fish just can't take that kind of stress. However, if you see one and say something they should immediately remove the fish, not just say that it happens all the time.

Debra

i'm from NC as well. which petsmarts do you shop from, and which have you found to be less than desirable?

 

[africantigerfish7]

Try the ones near Foster City, and the one near Serramonte. The employees hardly even try to answer your questions, and some of the managers don't know where the fish came from!

 

[Covert]

i live in london and i have to say i really like my local petsmart

 

[dthoffsett]

The fish @ my local Petsmart are generally pretty healthy. The sales staff while friendly, don't have a clue about fish, although they are pretty good about steering people towards the correct amounts of fish in a tank, just not the right combination most of the time.

I wouldn't buy a fish at my local Petco if they were free. Their fish always seem to have ich, and their tanks look horrific. The last time I went in there I just stopped by to pick up some meds since it's next door to my work, and the little twit that helped me tried to tell me the reason my fish were sick was because I do water changes more than once a month. I think that says it all.

 

[theamazingmaise]

The petsmart i live by in MI usually has pretty good fish, but they have these little tags on the tanks that show facts and such about the fish in the tanks that are usually pretty wronge. Like they say the tank size for oscars in 30 gallons.