pet store loyalty

[Kyle@theHeathertoft]

I work in a pet store, one of the large national chains (three guesses which and the first two don't count) and I hate that we sell BPs. Fortunately the folk in our store aren't stupid about them...we do what we can to educate people about their future pet and try to help them make the right choices.

I oppose the fact that we sell the dang things, though. Not long ago a co-worker who honestly doesn't know jack (seriously, she's been fired for incompetence and then RE-HIRED time and again!) asked me why I'd pay a higher price for a PB from a breeder than just buy one from the store.

I explained to her that first off, the animals we sell have issues. They are normal-phase, unsexed animals of questionable origin...all we know is that they are captive bred, god alone knows where or by whom. They almost never eat after they arrive at the store and the majority of them die before sale or shortly AFTER sale. That and they're charging about eighty dollars (!!!!) for each one, which...NO. That's insane. I can get a quality normal phase python from a reputable breeder much cheaper than that, and the animal is less likely to up and DIE on me!

Plus, I explained to her that I wanted a specific colour morph, a Mojave, not a normal-phase animal. I also wanted to know the sex and age and other such details of the animal before purchasing it. That and, let's get real here, much as I like my job and enjoy my "associate discount" for store stuff, I'd rather give my money to a good breeder, thank you very much.

...drifting off topic here, sorry.

I think part of why people trust the word of a pet store employee over anyone else is that they assume that they actually know what they are talking about. This is not neccessarily the case, but still...people assume that with the position comes some kind of knowledge. It would, to most folk, be like saying "No, I never finished college and now work part-time in the fast food industry serving tacos but I KNOW BETTER THAN MY DOCTOR ABOUT MEDICAL THINGS."

They forget that for most pet store employees, it is ALL ABOUT SALES. The more cash they can wrack up, the better...and that means selling big expensive glass tanks (screw that, I switched to tubs and will NEVER go back!), fancy rocks and bowls for the critter (I think all of my snakes currently have old ceramic dog bowls and DIY shelters), super-special bedding (Simple aspen or heck, paper towels will work in a pinch!), and plenty of fancy lights and heating setups (bellyheat is the only non-ambient heat source I provide) to whoever can and will pay. They sucker people in, and think they somehow help the animals because, hey, don't all reptiles like basking in the sun? Don't they all love those plastic bowls shaped like rocks? Aren't they happiest in a glass tank that loses heat too fast and won't hold humidity worth crap (the air is so dry here I've had shed issues when the humidity drops)?

Most employees of such places get ultra-basic generic reptile info and are told to sell as much as possible, the actual needs of the animals be damned.

I say this: if you wouldn't go buy your next dog from a puppy-mill-supplied pet shop, why would you purchase your herptiles there?!