I really wish...

[darkdep]

This thread has become so hopeless...... that I've decided to attach a picture of a bunny with a pancake on his head.
:shock:

:lol:  Now THAT's how to lighten the mood

[Nerine]

mmm pancakes!!! my bunnies used to love pancakes haha

well I survived the sunday alone! it was a bit crazy, but I made it!! woohoo this has been an interesting thread!

[PaleoFishGirl]

To turn it around a bit, here are some EXCELLENT LFS Employee's I've dealt with:

- Mike and Squeeker at SP Kanata
- Stephan at SP Barrhaven
- The manager at SP Merivale (blonde girl, name escapes me)

Matt @ BA Innes

[Marc]

To turn it around a bit, here are some EXCELLENT LFS Employee's I've dealt with:

- Mike and Squeeker at SP Kanata
- Stephan at SP Barrhaven
- The manager at SP Merivale (blonde girl, name escapes me)

Matt @ BA Innes

Matt @ BA Innes
Jody @ BA Innes
Dan Cole @ MOPS  (www.mops.ca)

[mseguin]

Andrew @ BA Kanata

[Jo]

Some of the replys i have read here are scary to me (and i only read to page 4) because i've recently been hired by a petstore in Brossard.

   I agree that customer service is essential to any serious business but some people tend to take it a little to far. I also agree that petstore should have qualified personnel working the fish departement but there's so much to learn that unless you've been keeping fish for a long long time it 's impossible to know it all. I've been in the fish world for 3 years as an amateur and i'm just now starting to realise that even with all the reading i've done, the little that i though i knew isn't good enough for the job i now have. It's hard sometimes finding the right balance between the fish amateur and the sales clerk.  

People expect you to have the answer to all their problems but half the time they don't even know want kind of fish or equipment they have. Then they go home frustrated because you couldn't solve their problem. How the **** are we supposed to help them without the right info?


 And then there are the idiots, morons, jerks, etc... (sorry for the jugement but it's true) that ask you for info and don't really want to hear the answer.  :twisted:
  For example i've had a couple that come in last week for some fish and they tell me that their tank (an 18 gal hex) is band new (they'd gotten it the previous day) and they are anxious to put fish in. You know "it's for the kids". I actually took the time to explain to them that the tank needs to cycle before putting fish in. Go figure out why, i was told to mind my business and to give them the fish they wanted so i did. I warned them that the fish may all die given the conditions but they said ok. She comes back yesterday to buy more. The tank is 1 1/2week old and she's already got 12 fish in there with no loses. :roll:  Only problem she says is that her neon tetra are all hidden at the bottom of the tank :lol:  Since she doesn't  see them enough, she wants to buy bigger fish. I tried to explain again that aquriums took time but again was told that the tank was old enough for her .  I gave her  the fish but not the 48 hour garantie the store gives! Customer was pissed but my boss backed me up.


Tout ca pour dire que... It's looks like a lot of fun to work in a lfs but it's hard work, especially when the store packed and every one wants to be served immediately.  And if you're lucky you'll not only serve customers but also babysit their young kids, who are there because " Fishies are so cute. Look at the little fishies!". :roll:
(I caught a kid up on my stool with both hands in a tank while the parents were busy chosing a beta.) :roll:


 Anyway, sorry for the novel but i also needed to vent.
The past week has been a little rough .
 
:wink:  I would appreciate any tips from experienced fish store guys may have. :wink:

[Mettle]

Oh god. The kid thing! That is sometimes the worst.

Anyone who has been in a Super Pet knows the basic set-up. How our in-wall-tanks have sliding doors in front of them that block anyone from getting into the tank. But I cannot count the number of times kids have opened these, ripped them off (not an easy task) or pushed them INTO the tank (even harder). One time a little brat actually pushed one off into the stingray tank and nearly impaled a teacup we had at the time. They quickly said 'something fell into the tank' and booked it - probably after the mother saw the price tag on the fish!

One of the worst though was one day, when I was especially tired, a mother came in with her child who was especially... inquisitive let's say. They were astonished that their goldfish had not survived in their 1/2 gallon betta kit... So they came to get a new fish. And this kid was too much for me. What made things worse was the lady left her in the department to choose a fish while she went off and got other pet products. I then proceeded to help another gentleman and his son and this girl literally got in between me and the fish tank while I was trying to catch fish! And this kid was about 7 or 8 years old - so not tiny. It was brutal - so I told her she should leave and go find her mother. She left in a huff after telling me I wasn't able to tell her what to do.  :roll:  The kicker was not two seconds after the mother comes back looking for her kid and yells at me when I said she left - apparently the child was 'left with me' and if I was a good employee who knew how to do my job 'I would have looked after her properly and not let her run off'. EXCUSE ME? You're the parent who just left your 7 or 8 year old child alone in a store with a complete stranger? I think someone needs to learn how to do their parenting job properly...

But not all experiences are like this. Sometimes the kids are really great, patient if you can't catch 'that specific one' and often willing to comprimise, they get excited and happy and sometimes I've seen 10 year olds pay more attention to instructions on care than some adults! And oddly enough these are the kids with fantastic to deal with parents, go figure. :lol:

Anyway. That rant is over. The comment about kids in the department just triggered it.

[Iceman]

Kids in stores anywhere. Ever seen the kids elbow deep in the food at Bulk Barn?

[manytanks]

Wow - what an interesting thread! Here are my two cents...

Clearly there are several issues:

(a) Commitment - everyone needs this or perhaps ought not to have been hired in the first place (or kept on);

(b) Product smarts - What is sometimes lacking on the part of newbie sales staff, often closely tied to (a) above;

(c) People skills - What is clearly needed beyond (a) and (b) above and is a must if those customers are going to come back and/or not diss the store on...say, an online forum for the whole community to read about; and

(d) Management chops - the ability to manage people (specifically staff) beyond the ability to interact well enough to complete a sale. I think this is the toughest one of all, and suspect  that some managers get hired on the basis of strong product knowledge but may not be ready for this much bigger step.  And unfortunately the Peter Principle is still very much alive and well. Dunno what training or support is available to these folks in the small retail business other than 'sink or swim'.

Just some observations. But clearly some LFS staff are just part-timers hired to fill a gap. Others are more committed, but sometimes would really rather be doing something else. The good ones shine.

Almost finally: that ever-present tension between big box/chain store low prices...and the unique service available from an owner/operator.

Finally finally: I agree completely with the person who only deals with a particular store rep whenever possible ie. (for me) Steve, Squeeker, etc.

Interesting thread.

[gator]

To turn it around a bit, here are some EXCELLENT LFS Employee's I've dealt with:

- Mike and Squeeker at SP Kanata
- Stephan at SP Barrhaven
- The manager at SP Merivale (blonde girl, name escapes me)

Matt @ BA Innes

Matt @ BA Innes
Jody @ BA Innes
Dan Cole @ MOPS  (www.mops.ca)

Yeah...Dan at mail order pet supplies is the best.   I'm in the fortunate position of being able to stop by their warehouse to pick up stuff when I need it, and Dan is always extremely helpful.

[Marc]

Wow - what an interesting thread! Here are my two cents...

Clearly there are several issues:

(a) Commitment - everyone needs this or perhaps ought not to have been hired in the first place (or kept on);

(b) Product smarts - What is sometimes lacking on the part of newbie sales staff, often closely tied to (a) above;

(c) People skills - What is clearly needed beyond (a) and (b) above and is a must if those customers are going to come back and/or not diss the store on...say, an online forum for the whole community to read about; and

(d) Management chops - the ability to manage people (specifically staff) beyond the ability to interact well enough to complete a sale. I think this is the toughest one of all, and suspect  that some managers get hired on the basis of strong product knowledge but may not be ready for this much bigger step.  And unfortunately the Peter Principle is still very much alive and well. Dunno what training or support is available to these folks in the small retail business other than 'sink or swim'.

Just some observations. But clearly some LFS staff are just part-timers hired to fill a gap. Others are more committed, but sometimes would really rather be doing something else. The good ones shine.

Almost finally: that ever-present tension between big box/chain store low prices...and the unique service available from an owner/operator.

Finally finally: I agree completely with the person who only deals with a particular store rep whenever possible ie. (for me) Steve, Squeeker, etc.

Interesting thread.

One more important issue:  ownership.  In my opinion at some stores the owner/franchise owner places a lot of restrictions on the manager.

[Nerine]

ah yes the children...how about when they fall into the pond setup? grrr there were these two kids leaning into the pond and I yelled at them to get out, and the mother comes over, talking on the mobile, and she halfheartedly gets them out, and then she turns around and poof, they are IN the pond. I've lured away several children who are wandering around the fish department without a parent...I just drop them off with a manager because I can't deal with babysitting and serving customers. though the child we had today in the store was amazing...she ran around catching all the crickets and bringing them back to me haha she caught at least 4$ worth of them though...where was her parent this whole time?

[Mettle]

Kids catch crickets in our store all the time. It's so funny. They'll bring them up to me and be like... 'I found a cricket!' And then I tell them with a big smirk that since they found it they can keep it as a pet.

The parents are NEVER impressed.  :lol:

[Insane79]

Kids catch crickets in our store all the time. It's so funny. They'll bring them up to me and be like... 'I found a cricket!' And then I tell them with a big smirk that since they found it they can keep it as a pet.

The parents are NEVER impressed.  :lol:

LOL!!  My son would take it over to my sister and promptly feed it to the bearded dragon!!!