Some Petco morons (rant warning!)

[Gempress]

Mom and I went to Petco last night to get a crate/kennel for her new maltese, Scandal. The breeder showed us exactly what kind of crate she uses for Scandal, so we knew what we wanted. It was on a high shelf in the store, so we ask an associate to get it down. The lady asks what it was for. We said a maltese. The lady looks at us like we're stupid, and says it's much too big for a maltese (which it's not), and the dog will definately poop/pee in it. I said, "I understand that, but the dog's already housetrained. That's the crate the breeder uses, and she recommended it."

The lady starts arguing with us! She tells us that the breeder must be a clueless, idiot breeder who doesn't know anything about dogs if she recommends that crate, and that the dog will pee in it.

HELLO? Did I stutter? The dog is already housetrained! She will not pee in the crate! And the breeder is nationally known, with national champion dogs! We argue for another few minutes before the salesperson gets the crate in a huff, still muttering under her breath about our stupidity, and the stupidity of the breeder.

Grr, I can't stand stuff like that. Anybody else have this problem at a pet place?

 

[Saje]

I'd complain and I'd complain to head office. I'd write a nice long letter/email about how you know what you are talking about and what to look for and even if you didn't that's know way to talk to a customer. How annoying!

 

[nedim]

only problem I have with petco/petsmart representatives is that they keep me waiting a good 15 minutes before bagging my fish, even if you go up to the register and ask them to send someone over to assist you. You know, you could have reported that woman to the manager. Or better yet, the Better Business Bereu.

 

[Saje]

I was so mad at a woman at Zellers (sort of like a junkier wal-mart) that I sent an email to the head (national) office. lol She was so snotty and all I did was tell her that the price in the till wasn't the same as on the shelf. (the HUGE sign above the candles). Then she made me feel really cheap even though it really was the principle. All she had to do was say they'd fix the sign or till. And then she went back to check the price and said I was wrong. So I was going to point out the huge display sign but she said 'I'll give you the dollar if you want it so badly' which REALLY pissed me off so I just left. It was more than just a dollar anyway. ANNOYED me. So I wrote to head office and the next day when I went in the sign and whole display had been changed lol.

 

[Brattina88]

I'm one of those weird people who frown and say "I'm sorry you're having a bad day, is there someone else that can help me?" when the employee gets an attitude. There are ways to communicate without getting angry, I just wish they could see that. I'm sure it's embarrassing when they screw up and a customer points it out, but golly, grow up and admit you're wrong gracefully. A locally owned store nearby doesn't label or put prices on anything. When I asked a worker why she laughed and said so they don't mess up prices. I laughed, she was a very pleasant woman, but it was quite annoying not knowing the prices of anything!
As for the advice given by certain pet store workers, there is no excuse but a lack of knowledge &/or misunderstanding. A couple months ago it took my every ounce of energy to not totally flip out on a young girl that I heard telling another customer to pop the leash as a correction -- with a head halter!! I stepped up and corrected her, talked to the guy myself. She was pretty upset with me, so I explained to her what damage it could do, but she wouldn't hear it. I finished my convo with the other customer in the parking lot, who thanked me and decided to go to another store, and then I went in and talked to the supervisor on duty. I stressed that I didn't want that employee to be disciplined severely, I just want them to make the best attempt they can at educating their employees, or stressing to them that it is paramount they don't give false information, or anything they are not absolutely sure of. (he was livid that she said anything of the sort)

oops... sorry so long!

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

Geez!! It's none of her business...she should be fired.

 

[Zoom]

Unless what I'm overhearing is something that could pose a danger to the dog or that I know is blatently wrong, I'll usually just leave it alone.

But about crates, I had a Petsmart guy tell me the crate he was pointing out would hold an Aussie without a problem, because he was going by the weights and not the heights. I didn't know how tall Sawyer was at that point, so I took his advice and bought it. Silly me. It's too short by at least 4 inches, Sawyer has to duck to stand up. It'd probably fit a female Aussie, they're a bit smaller, but now I've got this crate that I can't sell because he's torn the h*ll out of it over the months and I can't afford to buy a bigger one because I'm poor like that.

 

[juliefurry]

I don't like petco, for that reason. They think they know everything and they are SO much smarter than the person buying the product. I had a similar problem with buying a crate from them and it was WAY too small for our dogs and they couldn't stand up comfortably in it. I took it back and they told me that there employees know what they are talking about and I had obviously grabbed the wrong crate (funny because the EMPLOYEE brought the crate up to the register for me). I go to pet supply plus for most (if not all) of my pet supplies. If it's an EXTREME emergency than I will go to petsmart. Pet supply plus is more knowledgeable and don't just reccomend the closest dog food to them they actually reccomend the Eagle Pack and Innova and if you ask them about other brands (Iams, Eukanuba or Nutro) most of the time they will tell you EXACTLY how they feel about that product. They have helped me pick out a lot of natural products for Hannah to keep her busy and not make her sick (unlike petsmart and petco who will say "oh it was just the brand of rawhide you bought, try this brand").

 

[BigDog2191]

I hate employees who do do that. I dunno how you handled it, I personally would've exploded.

I'm better than any of those crappy trainers there... sorry to offend anyone who actually works/worked there but the people there, at least where I'm at, seem clueless.

My dad and I watched 1 session to see what it was like and afterwards my dad, who has seen me deal with Rocky and actually hand out advice to other people with dogs, told me that I could be there all-star trainer, lol.

Most people I've met there though have been genuinely nice people but clueless about anything dog-related. It's vets that tick me off the most though...

 

[Boxer*Mom]

That's wierd! Did the employee just think because she thought it was too big of a crate the dog would automatically pee in it?!

 

[amymarley]

I would never advise a person to bring their dog for any type of training, advice etc.. to PetCo or PetSmart, except maybe a puppy kindgarten. That is a harmless social enviornment. As for anything futher, no way in hell. Also, I don't like their "business practices." They say they are for adoption, but they sell parrots (that can live over 50 years), ferrets, reptiles, arachnids, fish, etc.... Just another chain that thrives off of people. I don't like any "pet stores" that sell animals. Just my two cents.

 

[kelbel]

Argh! I hate petco because their employees always try to give my dog treats without even asking me. I would never dream of giving someone elses dog a treat without asking first.

 

[Gempress]

That's wierd! Did the employee just think because she thought it was too big of a crate the dog would automatically pee in it?!

Yup, that's exactly what she thought. And I know what everyone's saying about headroom in crates. That's why the breeder recommended the particular kennnel we wanted; it was a bit roomy on floor space (not that it matters with a housebroken dog), but it had enough room for Scandal to stand up properly.

The crate the Petco witch wanted us to get was so tiny that Scandal wouldn't be able to stand up, period.

LoL, another detail that was a bit amusing. We told her that Scandal is crate trained. She looked at us with her little superior face and said "That's not a crate, it's a kennel. If she's crate trained, you want one of the wire crates." What the heck does it matter if it's a plastic travel kennel or a metal crate? Same kind of training applies! When we insisted on the plastic one, she said "Oh, then she's kennel trained, not crate trained. There's a big difference between kennel trained and crate trained." Yeah, right.

 

[corykins22]

wow, thats ridiculous. i work at a petsmart right now, in the grooming area, so i dont really know what goes on in the store, but im sure its the same way. (i only work there because its one of the only places where i would be making more that $4 an hour, the town where i go to school sucks) there are, however, quite a few things i dont agree with in the groom shop that we are "supposed" to do. like, the one that really gets me sometimes....

we do nail trims, its $8, but now my manager says i cant just do a nail trim for someone, i have to do a nail and ear package. i have to trim the nails, clean the ears, breath spray, cologne and a bandana and that is $12. even if all the people want is a nail trim, i am still supposed to charge them $12. i usually only charge them $8 still because i think its stupid. i mean, the nail trim by itself is still in the computer, so i decided that until they take it out of our computers and i dont have a choice i will still just do nail trims if that is what the customer wants. we were threatened at a staff meeting that if the manager sees nail trims on our weekly report of services that we would get written up. oh well, im not that worried about it.

 

[Dixie]

Geez-
I may not have the roomiest crate on the planet but at least hes comfortable.

Hes got enough room to stand, sit, turn around and lay down comfortably in.

But I do need to be in the market for a bigger one - at least now I'll know NOT to go to PetFart or PetSlow...

I'll end up taking his measurements then going to the local pet supply store. I wish I could take my boy in there with me so I can actually try out the crates to see how they will actually fit.

-Dixie

 

[Renee750il]

Dixie, will the pet supply store not let you bring your dog in with you?

I've been lucky - I never have to go to PetSmart or PetCo because there are good independently owned pet supply stores here, plus, I've always got such weird dogs that everyone just assumes I must have a clue, lol!

 

[Puckstop31]

The lady starts arguing with us! She tells us that the breeder must be a clueless, idiot breeder who doesn't know anything about dogs if she recommends that crate, and that the dog will pee in it.

HELLO? Did I stutter? The dog is already housetrained! She will not pee in the crate! And the breeder is nationally known, with national champion dogs! We argue for another few minutes before the salesperson gets the crate in a huff, still muttering under her breath about our stupidity, and the stupidity of the breeder.

Grr, I can't stand stuff like that. Anybody else have this problem at a pet place?

Oh yeah.... Sparks will probably (or already has) chime in with our similar story from Petsmart a few months ago.

Next time it happens to me i'll just say (because I am trying to be less in your face and 'angry' all the time), "I don't remember asking for a opinion, just get the product for me... PLEASE***."

*** The "please" is my humble start at being a nicer person. LOL

 

[Puckstop31]

LOL

Read this whole thread and I think you will see why "Pet People" fight each other over ideas all the time. I feel a lot of "everybody is stupid, except me" going on here.... No, I am not just talking about the Pet Store employees either.

 

[Renee750il]

It's not so much the obtuseness of the clerk, as it is the rudeness.

 

[Gempress]

LOL

Read this whole thread and I think you will see why "Pet People" fight each other over ideas all the time. I feel a lot of "everybody is stupid, except me" going on here.... No, I am not just talking about the Pet Store employees either.

It was the rudeness that got me, too. But I see what you're saying. I guess pets are like children: everybody has their own ideas on how to raise 'em.