Union Square Petco

[marki24]

I was there yesterday buying some stuff for my doggie, so I decided to walk downstairs and check the saltwater fish section out. First I noticed that they took out their display tank. When I asked the guy how come he was the manager said that it cost them too much. I was like Wow. Second I looked at the fish most of them were ill or half way dead. Then I saw a really beat up lion fish getting eatten alive by a hippo tang. I was like thats soo sad beside other dead fish just decaying in the tank. When I asked the guy how come they dont take the fish out he said he didnt notice it (its was all white very hard to determine even what kind of fish it was) meaning it was there for a very long time. Then i was like let me continue and they i saw a very small cleaner shrimp he look so cute so i was like hmm since mine is RIP i think i should get one. Then when i look at the price 31.99 for a cleaner shrimp i was like WTF. Just wanted to share my experience in PETCO where all the pets go

 

[steve614]

petco

more like where the pet fish go....to die.....

 

[ZANYMASTER]

Should be Crapco.

 

[Chapz]

I've been there to get my dogs vaccinated and i always check the aquariums. Its not just the saltwater tanks but the freshwater tanks that have decaying fish. All petco's do that since the fish arent as important as the reptils, and furry animals. Thats my opinion.

 

[tunicata]

Well, it depends on which petco you're in.
I visited that one and yes...that one bites.
I've visited ones in:
Milford, CT
Clifton, NJ
NY,NY
Verona, NJ
Totowa, NJ
West Orange, NJ

The one in Verona is fine (I used to work there) as is the one in Totowa and West Orange. In verona at least, The displays are kept clean, and very few mortalities.
A lot of the fish come in with ich and other illnesses unfortunately. I asked the managers about the quality of the vendors and pretty much got no where. Also I learned that at smaller petcos you don't really have a dedicated person to one specific area of the store. So, as much as I wanted to, I couldnt/didnt have time to make the small SW section we have in Verona the way it SHOULD be.
Even though we had few mortalities.

And no...I have no idea how no one notices fish that have been obviously dead for weeks.

But yea, the prices are ridiculous. $40 for a glass 20g H tank???
$55 for 2x2 peice of GSP?? $6 for aipstasia (angry you can charge folks for that nuisance), 13.99 for choclate chip star.
But they do have SOME good prices like 7.99 for peppermint shrimp, 13.99 for clowns, 10$ packages of kent supplies, 25$ for 50lb bags of salts. And anything you dont like they give you a full refund. So if it dies...bring it back. Easier than having it shipped from FL, dying then having to 'work it out' with the vendor.

 

[tunicata]

oh, and it seems that (in my experience) its not so much as what animals are more important...but what you have time to do.
Verona petco is one of the smallest and also has a small staff most shifts, yet we get lots of folks in ALL day. Not that it is an excuse, but the store is open from 9am -9pm. Unfortunately with the way it is set up, it seems more about HELP THE CUSTOMER. It just so happens that the customer is rarely in the aquatic section. And aquatic section is 'harder' to take care of seeing as its more tempermental than all of the other sections.

Also, most of the time you have to take care of stocking the entire store all shift long.

Definitely not making excuses for them, but I've worked for them and the reason it's so ridiculous is because your store is only as good as the people you have working for you AND the amount of time/what you give them to work with.
BTW...customers are really annoying, they SEE you doing something for an animal then they want to ask you questions that can be answered by just reading a label or buying a clue...

:sigh:
and my petco policy we have to help you find that clue instead of doing the most important thing...maintaining the animals.

How do you fix a systemic problem like that? Even though its with animals, it is still an unwanted job for many associates even if they are pet lovers too.

 

[georgelc86]

The place is the worst, I would go there alot and things were pretty much on the up and up with a few issues here and there. Dead damsels which I have become used to. But I agree it all depends who is working there. When I was going there in early 2007, everthing looked fine but at some point during the summer it was over. You could noticed the SW tanks doing into a tailspin. During that time the staff had changed alos. Unfortunatly, the SW tanks at the new Sheepshead Bay Petco were doomed from the begining. I personally try not to buy anything related to my tanks at chain stores unless its absolutly necessary becuase my local shop closes at 6pm. Its like that anyway, if you like where your working you give a damn. If you dont then its only a paycheck.

 

[marki24]

And anything you dont like they give you a full refund. So if it dies...bring it back. Easier than having it shipped from FL, dying then having to 'work it out' with the vendor.

Sorry but they dont give no refunds on saltwater been there tried that.

 

[marrone]

The only 2 tanks at Petco in Union street that are good are the ones with the inverts. For whatever reason they seem to be the most stable, probably because they don't have a lot of fish in them,which usually die. The people that work there don't know the prices either, I got 3 large Blood shrimp and a Cleaner shrimp for $27, which included tax.

 

[marki24]

Lucky you.

 

[grknyer]

more like where the pet fish go....to die.....

Hahahahahahhahah ain't that the truth. There is a store in Brooklyn like that and it's called World of Pets!!! I just feel bad for the fish. These store owners need a good :smash:

 

[Killerdrgn]

Hmmm Marki, the only question i would ask you is. If you wouldn't go there for your fish, why would you go there for your dog stuff?
They really don't have any good food or treats there, IE all made in China stuff that will poison your dog. I can kind of see buying toys there but i don't think that would happen all that often.

 

[marki24]

Hmmm Marki, the only question i would ask you is. If you wouldn't go there for your fish, why would you go there for your dog stuff?
They really don't have any good food or treats there, IE all made in China stuff that will poison your dog. I can kind of see buying toys there but i don't think that would happen all that often.

canned food is all the same no matter where you go and bagged treats as well.

 

[Killerdrgn]

Buy it online or from smaller stores. Brands like Timberwolf Organics, Innova, Old Mother Hubbard, Wellness, Canidae, Solid Gold etc.
You will not get anything GOOD from Petco or other similar chain stores.

 

[tunicata]

Hm, petco actually carries a lot of those brands. They have many organic and natural foods lines. Generally things with out fillers and by products.

 

[Killerdrgn]

Hm, petco actually carries a lot of those brands. They have many organic and natural foods lines. Generally things with out fillers and by products.

Since when? Most of the Petco's that I have been to don't carry anything but the normal pedigree and iams junk. Maybe i need to go out to the Union square one again.

 

[Zuska]

but there corals are nice price... i seen a green tood stoll for $30 it was 3inx3in really nice size.

 

[tunicata]

The one that sells organic and natural brands that I've witness for myself is in Verona, NJ. That's where I used to work.

Some of the coral is nicely priced but most...not. I have seen leathers for 30-40 with good size AND 1 or 2 mushrooms (no extra charge) and on a decent rock size.
BUT the majority are highly priced.
I will never buy 2-3 small stalks of pompom xenia for 55$...

plus, having a good/decent selection in the SW section is hard to come by. I've only been to 6 of them and only 1 had anything decent (albeit they had many long dead freshwater fish)

 

[Killerdrgn]

This article just brought to mind why shopping at Petco for anything isn't a great idea. Even though this warehouse doesn't supply the East coast.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25273033/

 

[waltercat]

Not sure if anyone has been to Petco recently, but they now have ORA SPS for decent prices $30-40. They get their shipments on Wed and Friday, and yes sometimes they don't know how to price. The corals in thier invert tank are all healthy, only problem i saw was that they have an aptasia outbreak, but as far as i know, if the corals don't have aptasia on them you should be safe. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. Anyways, go by on Wed and Fridays, maybe u'll find some good deals.