Buying from Petco

[Phreek]

lol oh yeah lets just not buy anything from petco, put em out of business, and have thousands of more people lose their jobs.Petco is a business....they are in business to EARN money. Sad alot of their animals don't get the full care they deserve, but they do not intend to keep these animals for an extended period of time, their setups are designed for a fast turn around, so that the animal can go home and be cared for by you.From that point the animal is your responsibility.That being said Im done with this thread.
peace

 

[cindyp]

I will never buy fish from petco again we purchased a sailfin tang put him in qt and he has had ick since the day we bought him and I cant seem to get rid of it

 

[cindyp]

lol oh yeah lets just not buy anything from petco, put em out of business, and have thousands of more people lose their jobs.Petco is a business....they are in business to EARN money. Sad alot of their animals don't get the full care they deserve, but they do not intend to keep these animals for an extended period of time, their setups are designed for a fast turn around, so that the animal can go home and be cared for by you.From that point the animal is your responsibility.That being said Im done with this thread.
peace

you said it yourself if the company selling can not keep them healthy and give the the attn its needs than they shouldn't sell them at all they should stick with selling dry goods not live animals of any kind...............

 

[mps9506]

lol oh yeah lets just not buy anything from petco, put em out of business, and have thousands of more people lose their jobs.Petco is a business....they are in business to EARN money. Sad alot of their animals don't get the full care they deserve, but they do not intend to keep these animals for an extended period of time, their setups are designed for a fast turn around, so that the animal can go home and be cared for by you.From that point the animal is your responsibility.That being said Im done with this thread.
peace

I support Petco because they do things for dog and cat rescues, support animal adoptions. However, when it comes to fish they close their eyes.

I have no problem with them for being a corporate store, I have an issue with them selling fish and corals if they aren't going to make sure they survive from the time they purchase them to the time they sell them to you.
As a hobbyist you should make sure to encourage anyone else in the hobby not to support Petco's fish section simply for the overall health of the hobby. Send your money to a store that gives a damn.

 

[cindyp]

I support Petco because they do things for dog and cat rescues, support animal adoptions. However, when it comes to fish they close their eyes.

I have no problem with them for being a corporate store, I have an issue with them selling fish and corals if they aren't going to make sure they survive from the time they purchase them to the time they sell them to you.
As a hobbyist you should make sure to encourage anyone else in the hobby not to support Petco's fish section simply for the overall health of the hobby. Send your money to a store that gives a damn.

Touche!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! exactly what I am saying.....:rainbow: if ya can't take care of what your dealing in leave it to a someone who can. I still shop petco ,petsmart ,superpetz I just will never buy fish from them again..they lol when I told them the 40.00 fish I bought from them was ich sick a day later now I'm trying to cure the little guy and finding it very difficult. I have run out of things to try any suggestions so far I 've tried hypo salinity, garlic, and no ich from fishvet with 0 success...:tears: Thank goodness I have a QT.what else can I do flush???

 

[ReefLady]

I don't shop at Petco for the reason I stated above. I have two dogs, but I would much rather support the small "mom & pop" business than the big box stores. Same reason we try to support local hardware stores, small restaraunts vs chains, etc.
I don't think for a second that my lack of support will put them out of business, but no, I wouldn't feel badly if that happened. Yes, jobs would be lost, but in the end, I think the economy would be in a much better place if people would support the small community businesses instead of the large corporations.

Anyway, back to the main question. dsmooth - if the clowns look healthy, and you choose to purchase them, just be absolutely certain you can quarantine them properly before adding to your main tank. I think someone else already said that, but I just wanted to stress the point.

 

[PaulR]

MMM- I have to take exception to this, at least to some degree. They would not be in business at all were the corporate mindset as you describe, though I am sure that attitude runs though the low level day to day people.

(1) Petco (and PetSmart, and WalMart) remain in business by doing something right. We may all rather reflexively prefer the "little guy" or the "Mom and Pop" shop, but invariably - things cost more at those places.

(2) Further, you are much less likely to find current gear and equipment at the small or independent shops. And if you are not careful, you wind up paying more, sometimes a LOT more, for stuff.

(3) In terms of fish, some LFS are definitely superior to others. Most of them are superior to places like Petco, but then - not always. This is far more true with Ocean critters than with Freshwater critters. Petsmart for example, takes really good care of their freshwater fish in the stores I have seen. WalMart, at least in this area, does too.

You have to consider this, and also consider how you want to use your money. My money, at least, is a limited resource I want to make stretch as far as possible.

Personally, I don't usually buy livestock from our local PetCo, but I will buy drygoods from them. I tend to negotiate with the LFS folks for large purchases, but even then, about 50% of the time I will buy off the internet, purely because of price. DrsFosterAndSmith, Marine Depot, ThatFishPlace, and a couple others have good prices and good reputations.

I like LiveAquaria and ThatFishPlace for buying livestock off the net. I *know* what ThatFishPlace is like in terms of livestock, since I had the wonderful opportunity of living within driving distance of the store for a couple decades. They are not the least expensive, but they both take good care of their critters.

But if I saw a fish I wanted in Petco, the price was right, it looked like the tank was well maintained, and the critter looked healthy - I would certainly not hesitate to buy it.

And the best place to get fish, frags, and other goodies? Your local reef club or aquarium society. People trade good stuff around all the time. Be careful of used hardware though, people usually think it is worth a lot more than it is really worth when they are on the selling side of things.

-Paul

 

[ReefLady]

(1) Petco (and PetSmart, and WalMart) remain in business by doing something right.

The big box stores remain in business because they spend millions of dollars in marketing, and can sell some items at lower costs - because they can manufacture and buy in bulk. They also remain in business because they force smaller retailers out of business.

We may all rather reflexively prefer the "little guy" or the "Mom and Pop" shop, but invariably - things cost more at those places

Not always true, IME. I think people assume the prices at the big box stores are less, and that is not always the case. Time and time again, we've found the same product at a small local retailer for the same price or less. And that's not even taking into consideration the lack of customer service at the big box stores.

Further, you are much less likely to find current gear and equipment at the small or independent shops. And if you are not careful, you wind up paying more, sometimes a LOT more, for stuff.

Sometimes, but not always true. IME, the cheaper, lower quality products are found at the bigger stores, whereas the speciality, top quality products are found at the small/independent shops. And most smaller retailers are willing to order something they do not have. Again, I don't believe the cost is always lower at the bigger stores. It pays to research first.

You have to consider this, and also consider how you want to use your money. My money, at least, is a limited resource I want to make stretch as far as possible.

Agreed, but there is also value in contributing to the growth of the overall economy. Study after study has proven that when a big box retailer is established, in the long term (over 3-5 years), it does not create jobs, but actually, the opposite is true. There is also a significant negative impact on the environment.

though I am sure that attitude runs though the low level day to day people.

Not sure what you are trying to say here.

 

[PaulR]

The big box stores remain in business because they spend millions of dollars in marketing, and can sell some items at lower costs - because they can manufacture and buy in bulk. They also remain in business because they force smaller retailers out of business.

Well, yes and no. Yes, they spend a lot of money on marketing, but they can spend that money because they have an ginormous amount of sales. WalMart, for instance, made sales of over $1 billion dollars per day during the holiday season.

You have to be doing something right to have those kinds of sales.

As to forcing smaller retailers out of business, yes that happens. But mostly when the smaller business is selling stuff of essentially the same quality for a much higher price, with no added value. Small business always has to be smarter than the "big guys" to win that kind of competition.

And truth to be told, in a lot of cases, the smaller service businesses just go buy the products they need to provide their services at WalMart. That means that some percentage of the small businesses depend upon the big box stores just to be able to do their business.

It isn't a black and white thing, though I do understand, and partially agree with where you are coming from.

Not always true, IME. I think people assume the prices at the big box stores are less, and that is not always the case. Time and time again, we've found the same product at a small local retailer for the same price or less. And that's not even taking into consideration the lack of customer service at the big box stores.

That hasn't been my experience, but YMMV. May be more true in a speciality market like reef gear and critters though. Good point.

Not sure what you are trying to say here.

It was in response to description of the corporate mentality at Petco. If that description were accurate, they would have been out of business a long time ago.

 

[motocrosstcw]

Has anyone bought fish from Petco. I have been eyeing this pair of juvi Clarkii Clown Fish for the last month. priced good at less than $15.00. What are your thoughts.

that is where i got my clarkii clownfish and there doing great i paid 15$ for them too but i have bought alot from petco beings im a member there and i like the customer service that i get from the aquatics cordinator

 

[new reefer 03]

we have 3 petcos by us, 2 of them stock healthy 12" carpet anemones, 2 of them have dead/dying fish in them, 1 of them has staff that is in our local reef club, has their own reefs, and will tell you everything about these fish (healthy, did they eat, etc)
all petcos are hit or miss, just look around at them. dont avoid themj ust because it's petco. thats likenot going to walmart, only going to the small local general store..

 

[burning2nd]

no comment

 

[mettjl03]

lol man, would you buy a bus if these people told you to? do whatever you want, its your tank, your life, and your money. Just know the risks involved. I personally wouldn't purchase fish from petco, but thats just my opinion. But like I said, do whatever YOU want to do.

Oh Jason.... What would we do w/o your comments lmao!! Where have u been by the way?

 

[dianezoo]

This is not a soap box Just my opionion observation.
If you are "into a specialty" seriously into a special hobby, (bicyilist, golfing, boating, fishkeeping, guns, cars motorcycles etc etc you dont go to the big box corp stores for the special things normally you go to the specialty shop for it. Paying more yes sometimes but quality and sales persons interest in it is also a plus. In the pet industry go with people who care about the animals not the cheepest shipping contracts and bottom line. I'd go to petoco for more generic non living stuff personally.

 

[Phreek]

lol sorry jess, you know how i am. and ive been around, just layin low, getting my personal stuff back on track.So now that we've murdered this topic dsmooth can you atleast tell us if you got them or not?

 

[dsmooth]

Not yet just doing preplanning, and getting the parts for my Q.T tank together

 

[PaulR]

Well - that opinion I agree with, except I would tend to go the net more than a speciality store.

-Paul

 

[scubaspew]

My two cents on this thread, first yes support mom and pop smaller shops, for anything and yes you will pay more, but when places like walmart, giant chains put all of the smaller businesses out of business with their lower prices(YES THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO ACCOPLISH!), They aren't trying to save you money regardless of what they may advertise, they are trying to knock out the competition and when they do, what do you think they will charge you? It's an open market with no competition, they can charge you whatever they want and for those of you that say that won't happen, you are fools. I make every attempt to buy my fish, corals, equipment, etc from the little guy, but sometimes petco in my area has things they don't, or a fish that needs be saved from them! My petco is actually one of the best I have ever seen, they have some pretty knowledgeable staff for a petco almost every employee in that department has a reef tank or is at least trying which I find redeeming. The few times I have ever bought fish or anything else from them I have one rule, none of their water goes in my system which makes acclimation a little rougher but I will not risk their water in my system. That is all I have to say. My yellow tang came from there because he is 4" and was swimming back and forth i a 1' x 6" tank and I asked how long they had him and they said 3 weeks and I couldn't take it, he looked so healthy but to have him in a tank that small where he just swam back and forth over and over again!

 

[nemo1180]

I always buy my saltwater fish from my local petco and they are great.Just look the fish over good and pick a healthy specimen. Of course quantine for 3wks to.

 

[Adam Black]

Fools huh?