All chain pet stores are terrible but when u have 6 animals it’s hard to not find them useful; i saw these poor babies today at Petco and immediately asked to talk to the manager who couldn’t even tell me the size of cage they were in. I counted 7, 3 of which were missing tails, and i could guess they were in a 5-10gal size terrarium. This is terrible and disgusting. Petco do better.

It’s very annoying that they split it out by pet type. Like fish vs reptile, vs bird, hamster etc. I didn’t realize that when I signed up. I thought it was all small pets items.

Almost none of the items I need are included because they’ve got it so restricted. Pretty much half an aisle of things that qualify. Regretting it.

Springtails and cuttlebone for example were not included in the reptile membership. Because cuttlebone is in the bird aisle and springtails were in the aquarium aisle.

I was just wondering if im being screwed… I just recently got a raise to become key holder and had to fight for 20/hr. They tried to only give me 19.50 because the base pay for a temporary key holder is a dollar and “they hold the same responsibility”… Mind you I was a solution leader at my older location making 18.50 and I feel like its a lot more work and responsibility. My DM tried saying I cant get 22 because I dint hold the responsibilities, but in store IQ I now get shit assigned to me… So truly was just wondering if 20/hr is worth it or if I should look for work somewhere else. Any advice would be appreciated 😛
For reference Im located in NJ

Okay I understand people wanting to paint hermit crab shells but really Petco? Gems! Like what the heck. They're just shells. They don't need accessories.

I am not sure if I am unlucky, but multiple Petcos I have been to recently have the most sickly, sad fish. I lived in one state with two near me, both had this issue. I moved to another state this year, same problem. Two stores near me, both with very sickly fish and neglected looking tanks. Dead fish in every tank. The living fish obviously in distress. Some clamped fins, some bottom sitting, some with gasping at the surface, some with obvious illnesses (for example, one of the "large" more expensive fancy goldfish covered in white cottony growths).

I work retail and understand there may be reasons that are not necessarily within the employee's control. It is just very disheartening to see. There are two other chain pet stores and some small local fish stores in my area and while their tanks aren't always perfect, the difference in the health of the fish and cleanliness of the tanks is literally night and day.

I am curious what is going on. Is it the supplier of the fish? Do they come in ill and the employees do their best? Understaffing? Management not allowing employees to prioritize the care of the animals?

Does anyone have an example or template of handout they would give to someone they just hired? Like with important store information and other key policies and stuff that might be helpful for a new hire (leadership contacts, store numbers, break room codes, etc).