Thrown out of petsmart

Maybe you could go to the stores in question(or contact headquarters to discuss the idea) and do a "reps as pets" day? You could print up several flier style sheets and have a table. Educating them is the best idea, especially once they figure out that keeping healthy snakes won't take THAT much more time, or money.
If they keep them well, they might make sales, and that's what they care about.

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Originally Posted by grim reaper in NY

$175????? The Ball Python at our local Petsmart was $69.95. Somebody's smoking something to be charging that much for a Normal...

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theres a well known store in hamilton, ontario that sells normals for $225 plus tax...13% for us.

that is where i went before i bought my bp and i figured they were all pricey. came home and went on kijiji and found a 1 year old female with great setup for $125 or $150.

if i werent such a cheap bastard i would have been suckered into paying $200 more than the snake was worth at the pet shop...

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Originally Posted by ch312

theres a well known store in hamilton, ontario that sells normals for $225 plus tax...13% for us.

that is where i went before i bought my bp and i figured they were all pricey. came home and went on kijiji and found a 1 year old female with great setup for $125 or $150.

if i werent such a cheap bastard i would have been suckered into paying $200 more than the snake was worth at the pet shop...

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Petsmart here in Burlington had a normal for $249+tx for 8months. They finally marked it down to $90 and it sold. I think I may know the store in Hamilton you're talking about.

london ontario, $150 + tax, i popped the one when iw as in there and they raised the price $75 bux and label'd it a female. guess i shoulda kept my mouth shut.

I managed a PetSmart store here in CT back in 2002 (for a short run of six months, I couldn't deal with the "politics"). I was the PetCare area manager. Meaning all live animal sales, orders and "problems" were on my shoulders.
The first thing I did (because I was told by headquarters that it was my call) was stopped the sale of RES, Iguanas, any other water turtle and no torts. I would basically allow the sale of pacman frogs, green anoles, and green tree frogs. Of course the General manager was not to happy. Also the fact that every hamster with wet tail went to an outside veterinarian on PetSmart’s dime. At that time the store chain did not sell snakes or "anything that would eat a mammal". Also they did not have an in house veterinary office (Banfield) at that time, they do now. Sadly I'm unaware of the DVM's that are there or there experience, but I can only imagine.
I had fallouts with not only management above me, but sadly there was also an employee who knew everything. (Apparently he was trying to get my job before I ever came around). He always had expertise on wettail, feather plucking etc etc.
Now I started out managing mom and pop pet shops. I get was business is. I've been there. But there has to come a point as we all learn and understand the need of our pets, that we have to stop supporting the bigger corps. And maybe support the smaller guys. Not even the ones who sell animals.
The rescue buys feeders / supplies etc. online. But for our cat food and litter we go to our local Agway (like a farm supply store).
Not to be very preachy, and sorry for the long post. Just have experience in the pet trade .
I know how frustrating it is. Every chain pet store around here calls on us to help them out “when the going gets tough”. Meaning they get a sickly animal in to begin with and then an employee decides to provide vet care in house. It’s very frustrating.
Rusty

so what happens to those sickly reptiles or animals? They wont sell them and they take them to the back room, yet they dont know how to care for them so they dont really expect to nurse them back to health on their own. Vets cost money which eats into their bottom line, so... Does it depend on the manager whether to nurse, send to vet or euthenize? Or is there a standard protocall for the sicklys?

I went to the Petco this past weekend and was pleasantly surprised to find out the employee who works with the reptiles has dozens of reptiles himself, from iguanas to snakes to geckos and bearded dragons. We talked for over an hour and it was obvious he knew what he was talking about when it came to reptiles. There were quite a few customers who asked him alot of questions and just in the time I was there he sold 3 snakes, 4 leopard geckos and a couple anoles. The prices weren't bad either. $49.99 for Balls and $69.99 for "red tail" Boas. It was refreshing to see an employee who not only cared about what he was doing, but also had the knowledge needed to steer potential customers in the right direction.
Not all chain pet stores are doomed...at least not yet! ;)