working at a pet store??? - Page 2

krrc · 01-20-03, 11:43 AM

ya I was thinking of asking petland as they seem to have the most potetial for getting fixed up. their is a reptile store close to me but it's a small place and I bet they are stuggleing for money as it is. I've met the stupid reptile managers and the ones I met seemed ok with the fact I knew much more than them I had one call me an expert wich was kinda scary.

Lisa · 01-21-03, 01:23 AM

one of the problems with chains is they have a budget to work in for supplies/food/meds/vets. Often the only thing pushed is sales sales sales. It's worth trying, but prepare for frustration if it's going to cost the company profits.

katev17 · 01-21-03, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gorelith
LOL, I know exactly who you mean Katev17, I used to live in Gloucester and heard the same story from the same person. Pet Haven is my favorite pet store in the Ottawa Region, they keep their animals in great shape, and really care about them, unlike pet..the corporate giants. There's another one in the Place d'Orleans i'm not too fond of, but anyhow, I love Pet Haven, great staff, and their animals are well cared for.

HAHA! Gorelith, yea, she's such a snot.... Where's Pet Haven?? I don't think I've been there....

The one in place d'orleans closed (Thank goodness)... One day I walked by on my way to work and a handwritten sign was up that said "Little Friends is closed. There is no other pet store in the mall. Goodbye." It was freaky....

Kate

katev17 · 01-21-03, 06:00 PM

ALSO there's an aquarium store near the ... er... pet place that we're talking about and Heather (Punkuponastar) and I went in to ask them about what Wattage of light bulbs to use (They sold them there) for her crested gecko... The one they pointed out to us was COMPLETELY wrong and would have totally fried poor Murdoch! We were so unimpressed... :devil: GRRR

Kate

paul_le_snake · 01-21-03, 09:39 PM

never work for a pet chain, they only care about one thing...money. this may sound dumb, but offer to volunteer for a few hrs a week, show them u know ur stuff and they'll be impressed
cheers
paul

krrc · 01-22-03, 05:29 PM

ya maybe I'll try that but I may just end up haveing to work for a chain or something.

paul_le_snake · 01-22-03, 09:30 PM

trust me if u know of a decent reptile store and they see ur entusiatic and passionate about ur work u'll get a job before too long

eyespy · 01-23-03, 08:05 AM

I was totally shocked and very impressed to hear that my friend ParticleMan was given a job as reptile manager at one of the Pet____ chains in Phoenix, AZ. He is a stickler for proper husbandry and also talks people out of buying reptiles if it sounds like they are unwilling or unable to provide proper care. He's pulled almost all the animals off bark and calcium sand and put them on safer substrates and has wangled a grocery store budget to buy greens, veggies and fruit.

Still the store manager stands by him and defends him to the district manager because they no longer have so many returns on sick or dying animals and have not lost a single animal in the store excepting dead on arrival shipments in the time he's worked there. Sales of reptiles are down since he took over, but profits are up significantly. They love the fact that he sells the proper setup items along with the animals. That's where the real money is for chain stores anyhow. Plus he will suggest a pet that might fit their lifestyle better, such as a bird, chinchilla, etc. to try and help sales in other departments.

Once in a great while even a chain store has management that will allow a dedicated reptile keeper room and a budget to get things done. Don't rule a chain completely out if you have a chance to talk with management and they seem to have open minds. It's good to get folks working on those chains from the inside as well as protesting their practices from the outside.

Kyle Barker · 01-23-03, 01:56 PM

I dont know anything about the stores where you live, but at the one i worked at over the summer there was no way. I would consantly try to get them to put heat in their cages, fedd their animals, and provide light in other cages. I was sent to clean mice, untill i quite. In my experience with them, they would not want to do anything that would coat money, they even told me to only give 2 crickets a lizard (of coures i would pile the crix into the cage, maybe why i was sent to do mice), and most of their lizards are over 9". Hope you have better luck!

kyle