Leave It to the Experts
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I have been thinking about secret shopping trends in regards to large chain stores as compared to small specialty shops. In my experience in the secret shopping business, I have learned that sometimes it’s worth it to pay a little more.
Lately, I have had much difficulty keeping my tropical fish swimming in my 45 gallon aquarium. In the last several months, I have purchased many tropical fish at the large pet store in town. All have quickly reached their demise within a short time.
The worst experience was when I took our youngest daughter to the pet store to pick out her fish. She had been talking for quite some time about buying her goldfish and it was her turn to choose. She was very excited when she found the cute little goldfish that she planned to name “Sara.” In our house we name the different species of fish one name. We had the clerk bag four of the fish and headed home. Within a couple of days we lost all four.
The pet store has a that if the fish die within 10 days of purchase, you can return them for a replacement as long as they determine that your water chemical levels are normal. We went back to the store with the dead fish in a zip lock and our water sample and everything looked good. We left again with four new “Saras” and headed back to our house. Again, within a couple of days, the fish were floating. You can only imagine my 3-year olds disappointment at seeing eight of her goldfish die.
The problem with acquiring tropical fish at a pet store is that fish and aquariums are not the only thing they sell. Regardless of the higher prices, there are certain things that are much better to purchase in specialty stores. Tropical fish and aquarium equipment top that list in my book. Walking into a pet store to get advice on the problems with your aquarium is not generally a satisfying experience. Oftentimes, you arrive at the store to find a pimply-faced teenager helping you to come up with solutions not to mention having a really difficult time catching the fish in the little green nets.
Unfortunately, in our new town we do not have any stores that specialize in aquariums and tropical fish. No matter how nice the employees are, they generally do not own fish and they haven’t the foggiest idea of what advice to give. In my experience, going to a pet store to buy fish is like going to the train station to catch a flight. The people serving you in the station may be the nicest folks on the planet, but they have no idea how to help you catch your plane. Dealing with experts on a subject is far superior to just getting any help at all.
Written by: Steve Wilmes
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