It really does all depend on the employees. My local shop (Birds and Beasts, love them) focuses mostly on tropical fish and birds. They raise their own birds from hatchlings, I've never seen such big healthy looking parakeets anywhere else. All their birds get social time. They have a great saltwater section, and they keep some herps and tarantulas too. They occasionally have chameleons, in proper caging - albeit a little plain but that's understandable for ease of care/cleaning and so customers can actually see them. They take in a lot of surrendered animals too, pretty much any mammal in that store was a surrender that is up for adoption.
I do wish that a basic level of knowledge was required to be hired at a pet shop, but then I also like people having the opportunity to learn on the job. I got a job at a specialty fish store after hovering around for months and getting a guppy tank (they were joking about charging me rent, I was there so often). I learned so much about different fish while I was working there, but when I started out all I knew was basic tank set up and care for only a couple of types of freshwater fish. I just wish that more stores would try and hire the sort of person who WANTS to learn about the animals they'll be working with, instead of somebody who'll just show up and do what they have to.