# Buying from Ethical Pet Stores?



## kelly528 (Apr 21, 2010)

Today I popped up to Mr. Pets for a siamese algae eater... they had none in stock but stacked neatly on the shelves were a load of AquaPacks of Aquaflora Plants for only $10 each!!!  Naturally I impulsively scooped up 2 of them and took them to the checkout.

As the lady rang me through I noticed that proudly displayed by the checkout was a baby chocolate in a decorated goldfish bowl. A sign on it advertised it as a $21.95 package deal 

I walked out of the store with the plants but all the way home I couldn't shake the feeling that I was a total jerk for supporting a store that advertises goldfish in bowls. Even PetSmart recommends at least 29g for an oranda!!! As soon as I got home I got in the car and went up and returned the plants, ragging on the manager with huge emphasis that I run 4 tanks, live 5 minutes down the street from them and have spent $100s at their store!

The manager played dumb and said she had never heard that goldfish needed more than a gallon. Then she backtracked, saying that they weren't selling the goldfish in the bowl. THEN I showed her the writing on the bowl that said 'Chocolate Oranda and Bowl: $21.95' Then I got my money back and walked out. I don't ask much of pet stores and have never found anything to complain about with ANY other petstore I visited but THIS... come on-- would you sell budgies in shoeboxes for $10? Or hamsters in tupperware?

This is not the first time I've complained about animal welfare in this store... some of you may remember that I actually joined the forum over a year ago to expose their poor animal husbandry. Eventually I gave them a second chance when conditions started to look decent but now this!

I think I did the right thing but MAN I feel SO bummed about losing out on $10 AquaFlora packs, and also that I can't go to the only pet store within walking distance of my house 


Am I just being a complete female dog about this?


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## Nicklfire (Apr 21, 2010)

unfortunately i think that most people who choose to work at petsmart or a big box store like that do not have a big background in aquatics. Most of there business comes from dry goods and equipment. The live sales are probably more of a convenience items for people who are new to the hobby. That being said the people who are taking care of the fish probably do not have as much experience looking after live fish as most members on our site. With all of your experience would you want to work there if you had a choice of pet stores to work at... probably not. I think that being uneducated on there behalf is not there fault fully. It's more corporate training who should really be looking at the situation and figuring out a new game plan. The poor kid you are shouting at who makes 10$ a hour probably does not know there are hundreds of kinds of goldfish, needless to say he probably does not know how many gallons of water each specie of fish needs.. I'd say go easier on the people who work there as they are mostly just taking orders, even the managers... If you want to make change happen it will happen at corporate. OR work there yourself.


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## O.C.D Fishies (Apr 21, 2010)

Kelly what Mr. Pets is this???


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## kelly528 (Apr 21, 2010)

Sorry double post... my first time doing a poll 

I never 'shouted at any kid', as I am a kid myself and know what its like to get shouted at by a customer for something you didn't do.

Now I guess we should close this thread too.


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## kelly528 (Apr 21, 2010)

Maple ridge, the other ones I've been to are fine.


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## O.C.D Fishies (Apr 21, 2010)

Oh ok I have never been out there. They manager at the one on commercial is very knowlegable and helpful. She has a tank and used to have a ferret, so this is an added bonus. 

I find that it is hard to find somewhere that does things totally etically, as a memeber of PETA, I hear stuff about all sorts of places. I think you can only do what you can. My ferrets are Marshall Ferrets, they are the big breeders in new york and they aso sell their ferrets for animal testing. I was not happy about it but if I wanted a ferret I had to get from them. Now I have made a commitment to not buy any Mashall products. Just do what you can and as Nicklfire stated you need to go to the corporations to see any real change. But if you get enough support it can and will happen.

I do understand how you may have felt though, I get to upset when I see animal misstreatment and I have a hard time letting it go.


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## rescuepenguin (Apr 21, 2010)

Unfortunalety when you are looking at chain stores, you are often looking at professional buyers who get bonuses based on how much profit they make. Sometimes the manager is following the orders of district managers, or higher. These people can place tremedous pressure on managers to push their stock out the door. This package deal was probably the idea of someone who didn't know better. I hope you were not too hard on the manager. I don't think you are being a female dog over this, you are standing up for what right. Good for you.

Steve


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## kelly528 (Apr 21, 2010)

Yeah I tried looking on their website but I still have no clue where to find head office... I guess I will try their comment box? I doubt they will reply.

I get the feeling that they are run similar to Home Hardware, where the manager owns the store independantly.


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## Nicklfire (Apr 21, 2010)

they apparantly dont have a head office and they do not give out the corporate phone number because it's the owners.. home phone number.. (kinda odd)

this is the email they gave me :
[email protected]

good luck, i think if they are educated about the situation they hopefully will make a effort in the future to correct the issue at hand, this franchise is pretty small only 5 or 6 stores so they are still small enough to care about how people's opinions and might actually act on them.


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## rescuepenguin (Apr 21, 2010)

Kelly, I did find this for you. It is a list of complaints, the second complaint on the page is in regards to Mr. Pets. It names a co owner. Gives you something to go on.



Steve


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Well, back in the 70s, as a fresh-faced 8 years old newbie, I got suckered into buying & taking home a 5 gallon tank with all the fixings & several bags of fish from an unethical petshop owner who saw a chance to make some $$ (spent $80 that day which was a lot in the 70s). 

Lesson learned.

Unfortunately, there are still alot of people who work in LFS or buy fish & pets without properly educating themselves about the true requirements. 

Not everyone cares about fish & livestock like members here. Many see them as pretty decorations that are temporary (until the fish dies or the people lose interest, whichever comes first).

Having worked in the pet shop industry, I've seen alot of good as well as bad situations. 

Good for you for voting with your wallet. In the end, that is the only reasoning many shops and businesses (not just LFS) will really listen to. They will only change when it hurts their bottom line. If they can still sell those goldfish bowls for a good profit (probably costs them less than $5 in total), they will, but if they get enough complaints and lost business, then they may be forced to reconsider their business practices. Not so much business ethics (to them) as it is good business PR.


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## kelly528 (Apr 21, 2010)

Guys-- thanks so much for the leads! I will definitely be in touch with head office to suggest that they pursue animal care guidelines like those displayed by other big chains like PetSmart and Petco. While I'm at it I'll bring up the dyed fish that they sell. I'm sure if they knew there was such a large community of hobbyists concerned about how they conduct their business in the pet trade I'm sure they'd be willing to lend an ear!

I'll keep you all posted


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## gimlid (Apr 23, 2010)

MR. Pets Can KMA!!!
I dont shop at Big Chain Pet Stores (unless Big Al online counts)
See what Peta thinks of them......


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## 4ptbuck (May 8, 2010)

Wow,... I can't believe PETA was broought into this. 

Actually, I guess I am a member of the People Eating Tasty Animals fanclub.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

Is there even laws for humane treatment of animals in relation to live fish?


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## Longimanus (Apr 21, 2010)

Mr Pets has improved so much over the last six months or so that I would let this one idiscretion slide. The tanks are cleaner and better looked after, the store doesn't stink anymore, the small animals are better cared for and even the store is cleaner. 

The staff are still pretty low on their knowlege with regards to the fish, but they are getting better. I heard one girl telling a customer that a bala shark was okay for a 20 gallon. She said they get 12 inches long, and that they are a bit nippy, but a red tailed black shark is super gentle and they also get 12 inches. Good lord. She sold him a couple balas.  

If you spoke to the manager then hopefully they will rectify the situation, as that new manager has made a ton of changes already. 

It sucks that other than Petcetera (which I won't shop at) this is the only pet store left in Ridge Meadows.


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## kelly528 (Apr 21, 2010)

I have to agree... I had HUGE issues with all the dead fish they left in their tanks before... stopped shopping at the store a year ago. Then a few months ago I broke down and went in, and there was the new manager slaving over the fish tanks, cleaning all the dead fish out! I think she had taken a leave for some reason (she mentioned 'being back') and came back to a total mess. Things must have 'slid' a lot wile she was away.

I also think they rely on kids a little too much to run the store. I can understand that disposing of dead fish is something that none of the kids there would want to / take the initiative to do, but thats where there should have been a responsible adult stepping in for the welfare of the animals.

Speaking of pet stores in Maple Ridge, you have to check out Spuddy's Pet Market on 207th. Not much selection since they are rather small but at least they take good care of their fish! Even the goldfish tank is not overstocked! And they carry seachem and hikari products, as well as bare tanks, etc.


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## Longimanus (Apr 21, 2010)

Actually Spuddy's closed down several weeks ago. I was pretty bummed. They had experienced some theft from the inside and it ruined them.


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## kelly528 (Apr 21, 2010)

WHAAAT?! 

That's terrible  the only decent pet store in town!!! What a shame, they could have really taken off!


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