Why are shows so lame now?

[Skyrivers]

I attended a show recently, and to be blunt, I swear most tables were filled with nothing but low end BP's, crested geckos, wild caught junk, et al.

I always try to talk to people and network, and almost every conversation was:

"Oh, what do I keep? Mr. Snuggles, my ball python from petco. I also have a leopard gecko that my cousin gave me. His name is Aragorn. I was going to buy a corn snake from mega breeder today, but $40 is way too much."

I swear it didn't used to be like this.

I personally think it is great that some people care for the "less desired" morphs and/or normal reptiles. My largest issue with shows is that every animal should come with an educational "care sheet" that would help to educate the owner about the needs of the animals and a phone number to answer questions that might arise at a later date. Sure it is rare to see a "rare or expensive morph" but isn't that what makes them so special? Small breeders can not always compete with larger breeders in the variety of what they have to offer and so they sell what they can produce because they are, well, small breeders. Sure there are the rare finds that are golden. If you want something specific, I suggest finding an online breeder to purchase from.