Funny Information

[mseguin]

#1 I was training at Innes Petsmart for two weeks, and the otos were around 2$, I remember thinking it was actually a good price.
#2 Petsmart is the world's biggest pet retailer, so despite everyone's opinions of their prices, they seem to be doing ok. There will be come price rearrangement for a while, just be patient and it will all settle down eventually

[Dr. Ashtray]

I frequently make purchases at the Innes Pet Smart.  They have really great deals on Marineland Neptune heaters currently.  Think of this as your chance to make a difference.  Give head office a call and let them know that they are embarrassing themselves by charging astronomical prices for their fish at their new locations.  Heck, they are embarrassing their own employees, who are probably being barraged daily by disgruntled customers.  If they are going to compete maybe they should look within at the prices of their already existent stores and recalibrate real fast-like, or bye bye new investment.  Really simple!  I believe Ottawa has one of the most thriving aquarium markets in Canada.  I would stand behind that statement and in front of it and to each side of it to protect its validity.  Just go to the usedtoronto and usedmontreal sites.  Nothing, as far as aquarium supplies compared to the usedottawa site.  The difference is night and day really.  My point being that it would be a Great idea for a business that has just spread itself as thin as velum, to embrace reality and try to forward this whole market.  Maybe they could start by having a "US prices week".  No, that wouldn't work, it would show everybody up north of the 49th parallel just how much they are being hosed to death daily by the Canadian Aquarium store counterparts.  See for yourself.  Search for something on Any Aquarium store website in Canada.  Keep a note of the prices.  Then search for the same item on the US counterpart.  Now...Go to a mirror and look at the rosy cheeks of embarrassment caused by being hosed instantly on the world wide web.

jeffrey...

[Dr. Ashtray]

"Hello Canada."  "Yes, this is Canada.  How may I help you this fine day?"  "Well, I was wondering if I might be able to speak with NAFTA."  "Sorry, I am terribly sorry, we have no NAFTA here."  "Oh, I am sorry then.  I will try Mexico."

[mseguin]

I give up, I can't keep arguing the same crap anymore. Have fun driving every retailer away from OVAS.

[Dr. Ashtray]

I am not trying to turn retailers away from anything.  I am just trying to get them to stop Krazy gluing their eyes together.  OPEN YOUR EYES CANADIAN RETAILERS OR CLOSE YOUR DOORS simple as that.  The Canadian public is going to start asking for lower prices and when they do, I would recommend offering them on a silver platter.  I agree you should probably not bother arguing this one.  I have lots to say about the Crappy Canadian Retail environment you have the unfortunate opportunity of being a part of.  I was a part of it for years.  I was also a part of the bar industry for years.  Politics ruins them all, at all levels.  Believe me, I will still spend thousands of dollars every year in Canadian retail stores.  I will just spend way more thousands online until I see some scruples in the Canadian Retail Industry.  You shouldn't even be able to worry about it at the level you are working at.  I am talking about the people wearing suits in Toronto and New York or wherever the head offices of Petsmart are located.  Those Suits need to understand that they will have to buy lower $$$$$ figure cars in the near future if they don't throw their reading glasses on and straighten their ideologies out into a more uniform North American Blanketed way.  Look at the numbers I am talking about by doing the search I recommended earlier.

Jeffrey...

[sniggir]

yea this is a ongoing debate the big problem is the fact that it may be one company but they are realy to like big al's the states company markets to 300 million and the canadioan markets to 30+ so the buying and selling power of the american ofiliate is much higher than that of a canadian... I am all for the buying and selling power that would be that of the combined.... but at the same time you have to think... heh we like Canadian made... or so on well when you have people makeing 4$ more than the counter parts in the states and so on that comes off the bottom line... that starts a whole new dissusion all together... personaly I don'y realy like pet smart when it come to thier fish but love all of the rest of thier product for my four legged friends... just remember cheaper is not always better... point and case Walmart! you get what you pay for me I don't mind paying for good quality fish and unfortunatly for my FW fish that tends to lead me to TO or as far as winapeg to.... but even then I pay have eto pay for shipping and dealing with the possibility of the LS not making it.... I can definatly understand being frustrated with common fish being $$ but then just don't support that perticular store with your patronage... at least that is what I do... I do think that it is sad that we are loosing compatition as all that that does is leave room for prices to go up

just my 2 cents

[KLKelly]

Matt - I think you bring good perspective as one of the few insiders to speak for the retailer and Ovas.

Also - I think if you set up a poll - the majority of OVAS members would buy from an OVAS sponsor for the majority of their purchases over a non ovas sponsor (includes all superpets now) or online.  I think that this is often overlooked when the US stores and online is brought up.   I'm sure many will still purchase from a non ovas sponsor for drastic savings.  I think if ovas supporters withdrew their discounts or support of OVAS this would probably result in a whole lot more online purchases.  The ovas discount allows us to buy more.  Superpet turning into petsmart - even if all of us never purchased there - would it even be noticed?

OVAS is not on the petsmart radar however.  I don't think their customer focus is on knowledgeable fish keepers. 
I think one of the points of the poster is that it is surprising some of the changes at the former superpet stores - one was fish prices.  They of course can charge what they feel their 'customer base' will pay.  All I know is I've completely given up on the innes/cyrville store - I posted on this a few weeks ago.  I hope that the superpets can retain some of their corporate culture and not be totally assimilated

[mseguin]

That's what I keep trying to tell people: OVAS is not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Just because yuo think a business should be one way doesnt make it the majority view.

[Dr. Ashtray]

I agree with all said.  I include OVAS with my online purchases.  I just made one with Zapisto this evening for 8 clams.  I shop almost strictly with Big Als and will continue to do so merrily.  I love all of their stores and have visited most of the Ontario stores and one in Montreal.  The Florida store in Tamarac Florida is supposed to be the best on the planet and I will be checking that out in the near future when I am down in West Palm.  I have never really seen any redeeming factors in many of the other stores.  I am actually Very impressed with the set-up at the Merivale store and have a friend that works there, so stop in and spend a little cabbage now and then. Other than that, I will only scour the shelves for deals at the other locations and may buy or may not.  I am sure Big Al's does a lot of sales online.  I just can't believe the difference between the US and Canadian prices.  Seriously, does it really cost that much more to ship to Toronto than it does to Buffalo, New York?  I am thinking not.  I think the US-based chains should start treating Canada like another State now that the exchange rate is Married.  Canadians need to benefit.  We have been joyously paying through the nose for far too long.  Let us become ecstatic when reality sets in up here!

Jeffrey...

[Dr. Ashtray]

Even though my views might not be those of the majority.  My views are still ones that might fall into importance amongst those that tell the majority what to do.  A lot of time those "Tellers" have wax-clogged ears that just need to receive a little bit of correct information.  When they get it, then maybe they can tell the great Majority herd of cattle that they can start to spend less money on the same stuff people are paying less for a walk away.

Jeffrey...

[Mettle]

Kelly - You're definitely taking it out on the wrong people. The employees are victims of the Petsmart system, just the same as the fish. It's not their fault that morons in offices somewhere are preaching/teaching/enforcing improper husbandry habits.

As someone who has never been impressed with Petsmart or Big Al's, I was very sad to see Super Pet get snatched up and converted. I think I will follow the Dr.'s lead and start purchasing most of my stuff online - fish included, as I'm starting to get to know some very cool importers from another site I go to. (For fish I like - piranhas, sa/ca cichlids, etc.)

[succinctfish]

Okay, this thing is two pages already, I realize with the loss of superpet that people are perhaps feeling more disgruntled, but if you do a search you'll see that this topic and others like it keep appearing.  I will say what I usually say when this rears its ugly head time and time again: contact the people who can do something about this, contact petsmart if you're unhappy with the way they are running their business, don't buy from them, go elsewhere, but nothing happens from starting endless threads bemoaning the local LFS or the reality of the fact that Canada is a feeder fish to the U.S.'s economic barracuda.  I personally choose to support the people who work in this town in the fish stores. I'm sad to see Superpet go, I will miss the friendly, knowledgeable fish folk and the interesting, unusual fish and plants they brought in.  I do not choose to buy from Petsmart anymore because these are not elements that will be maintained, but I also don't feel a need to complain about it, I am removing my business.  Mseguin is right though, we on OVAS aren't the majority of fish buyers, the world is full of guppy and molly purchasers who will continue to buy from petsmart.  I am grateful that we still have Big Als, and the sponsors on this site.  I would buy from them any day over online because they appreciate our business and our knowledge, and that OVAS discount just makes me smile at the cash every time.

[Dr. Ashtray]

I love how everyone says that they will by from people on this site over Online.  Last time I checked this Is online.  So when you make a purchase on this site, you are making one with the distinct characteristics of an online purchase.  You may lose some overhead here and there but it is still online.  I too love the OVAS discount!  I will continue to buy online from the private breeders on eBay and everywhere else on planet earth I have purchased from.  The guppies I purchased from Thailand made it in four days with no casualties.  The earth is the real marketplace.  Of course it is outside of the proverbial box everyone likes to stay in.  Free the proverbial borders baby, that is what I say!!

Jeffrey...

[Mettle]

No really Jeffrey - tell us how you really feel!   

I agree with Matt - Petsmart doesn't care about OVAS or the many other aquarium clubs out there. We are NOT their target clientel. They're much more interested in kids and families who 'just want a tank' in their homes. And if those people ever move up to larger tanks, they've got those too. And those people - those target shoppers - will shop at Petsmart. Thus, Petsmart achieves their goal.

Not to mention... I seriously doubt Petsmart is 'spreading itself thin' with the new stores. As Matt also said, they're a pretty big deal in the pet industry. And I'm sure they have the economic pull to do just fine with the new stores.

I also agree with Succint - let your wallets, actions and letters-to-the-retailer do the talking. Blathering on and on about prices in the shops doesn't do a whole lot at the end of the day. If you don't like their prices and don't like their care then don't shop there. BUT. If you go in and 'scour the shelves for deals' you're just as guilty of supporting that improper care as the person buying a goldfish, zebra danio or guppy.

Give it some time and I'm sure we'll all adjust to not having Super Pet around anymore... Kinda how we all managed to add 613 or 819 when dialing local calls.

[Dr. Ashtray]

I can't tell you how I really feel for free!! Haha!!

Jeffrey...

[kennyman]

I guess dealing direct with supplier/wholesalers is the next step in an evolving marketplace. First all the private shops were not good enough so everyone went to big box stores, now the big box stores are not cheep enough so they want to go buyer direct 

Call me a Dinosaur but I still shop at a little place owned by a husband/wife team. They are so nice and care about what they do. I suppose I an very lucky to have such a place near enough to me I can shop there.

[Nerine]

The goldfish get oranges because oranges are high in vitamin c and it boosts their immune system - this is what they tell us in the manuals. But what they don't tell us is it makes a large mess!

I did some checking:
the ph in Florida oranges is 3.69 - 4.34
People put Zucchini in their tanks...I don't know the raw ph but cooked it is 5.69 - 6.10
and for those who use lettuce: Iceberg   5.70 - 6.13
(these are all approximate ph's)

I am interested in doing a test I'm going to put an orange slice in a glass of water and mash it about and see what happens lol will let you know of the results

[mseguin]

I think its funny everybody says that Petsmart /SuperpPet/(insert big store here) killed off the mom and pop stores, but the answer is to shop online, or in the states? So, shop at online places that only need a few people to run (i.e. less jobs for everyone) and take your money below the border because it's cheaper (take out the local economy). You're free to do that by all means, but don't complain to me about anybody's greed, cause you're just as much a slave to the almighty dollar as anyone else.

[sniggir]

Well said Matt....!!!

[featherfin]

i bought a rainbow shark at petsmart awhile ago and it cost about 3.99$ now they are 13.99$ that is a rip!