Ugggghhhh Petsmart!!!

[Amysnail]

Yesterday I went to Target to get the food for my son's 13th birthday which is today (my little bud is growing up ). There was a Pet smart in the same shopping center, so I thought I'd stop in to get a new decoration for one of my snailie tanks. I walk in the door and of course go straight to the fish tanks to look at the snails they have available. They had price tags for snails on the display tanks, but no snails. Curiously I ask one of the employees if they have any snails, she looked at me as if I were speaking a foreign language, honestly I would've been relieved if they didn't have any. She asked another employee, and I was directed to the employee STORAGE ROOM! I asked why they kept the in the back? And the answer I got really upset me. She informed me that sufficient algae doesn't grow on the display tanks. I could feel my face getting red with frustration. Then I look in this snail graveyard they called a snail tan, and I could feel the heat in my face boiling. It was a bare bottomed tank. Empty shells everywhere, to the point that the other few living snails had to climb all over the dead ones to be able to move around. I guess the employee was proud if herself for finding the snail tank and with a huge smile on her face she asked me how many I wanted. By that point I wax livid. I informed her that I prefer to be able to look at them and decide. Usually at the LfS I go to the guy indulges me and let's me play in the snail tank to pick the ones I want by hand. I guess this girl thought she could just scoop some up and give them to me. Once she gave me the line about not enough algae in the main tanks, I kindly told her she could always, oh I'm just going out on a whim here, maybe feed them algae wafers and other things, because they other things. She shrugged her shoulders and said........ITS JUST EASIER TO KEEP THEM BACK HERE!!!!! Oh, of course, easier, anything that will make your job easier! Its not like you get paid to take care of these little guys! Oh wait, YOU DO get paid to do your job, to do a good job. I turned around to leave, and she had the nerve to ask if I would want any snails before I check out. I told her that if I could I would rescue all of them from her so called care, and I let her know that I would be calling whoever I needed to call to get this changed! Guys, I offered her ideas to make the snails happy and more marketable. I tried to have a conversation with her, and she just didn't care. I can't stop thinking about those poor starving snails climbing all over the little ones that probably starved to death. I'm so upset. When are these employees going to start caring about the snails? They act like the snails are insignificant. Thanks for listening to my long winded post, I just needed to rant for a minute. It just breaks my heart to think of any animal being mistreated

[Chickadee]

That's horrible, Amy. I'd write the Petsmart corporation and turn in that store. Even if they don't care about the snails' welfare, they're not making money off them that way, and that's the bottom line with them. I would think that the stores have to follow some type of protocol and it sure doesn't sound like they're doing that. Good for you for telling them off!

You don't want to get me started on Petsmart! Mine is pretty lame too, at least the fish section is. I swear when they hire new people they tell them if they don't know the answer to something, just make stuff up. I've been given so much bad advice about water testing, pH, etc., it's not even funny. They know NOTHING about fish. When I had a betta I'd go in there asking questions and they would always correct me and say "bay-ta." When my betta was ill I was stressed out from it and desperate to find the meds I was told to get him. They didn't carry it, of course, and then the clerk again corrected me with "bay-ta" I snapped and said "IT'S BETTA!" really loud and snotty. Just couldn't take it anymore. And the snails in this store look pretty hungry too. My poor Rolo came from there and he was never quite right. But I don't have a LFS here so I have no other options. I now only buy plants & snails from sellers on the forums. I even bought a used AquaClear filter the other day. Those are the people who know fish & snails!

[ookami_meggle]

Our Petsmart near us doesn't know anything about the hermit crabs or the snail. At least they give the snails algae wafers. I always feel so bad going in there. I got my two snails from them.

[firefly]

You should report this store, because that is not how it's supposed to be. Snails are supposed to be fed weekend feeders, zucchini and algae wafers. (at least when I worked there they were). Plus, if the snails are all stored in the back, then customers don't see them, and will think there are none for sale. Also, I always sold food with the snails because it was good for the snails and good for our bottom line. (a win win situation). I also tried very hard to educate all my new hires about the aquatics department, and told them if they didn't know answers to questions to find someone who did. Invariably though we would get some employees who would just make up answers that sounded good. I HATED that because they were usually wrong and gave out bad info that we had to fix later.... Or, they wouldn't bother asking questions when selling live aquatics animals and someone would go home with an oscar for a 10g that had a goldfish and a snail already or something....

Emily

[Kitsune]

Wow, I ran into the exact same situation! The Petsmart near me is fantastic, the main aquarium area employees I've talked to know all about snails, ghost shrimp, bettas, etc because they own them and seem concerned about them. They actually have a beautiful clean mystery snail tank along with all the rest of their fish tanks, which honestly they have the best fish area of any Petsmart I've seen.
I decided to pick up a second mystery snail, but happened to be in another area, so went to a different Petmart thinking they'd all be good. I couldn't find the mystery snails, so I asked an employee. He said they were all in back and he could get me one. The one he got me looked about dead and had a large crack in back. I stared at it not sure what to say- this was really the best snail they had? I don't like confronting people, so I took it and figured I'd just talk to "my" Petsmart people about it. During the time I had him (in a betta cup), he popped out and seemed quite active, so at least he wasn't ailing.
I brought the snail into them and they said its likely he could heal, but I could exchange it if I wanted. I decided no one else would pick a cracked snail plus he was starting to grow on me, so I kept him and he ended up healing up great

I now make a point to try to spot where they keep the mystery snails if I'm in a store I havn't been in before. Another store had them in a small insect/hermit crab (?) cage inside the plant tank. There were a lot of snails squeezed into that small container, which was very old-looking.

I guess I'm lucky to have such a nice store near me.