Sounds like you know them well... you should give them a talking-to. Sometimes these issues are just down to lack of knowledge... These mom-and-pop pet shops often know a good deal about fish or dogs or something and then as a side thought get a few reptiles to cater to that niche as well...

I know of one near me where only one guy in the shop knows much about the reptiles, where the owner and the rest of the employees seem pretty much clueless from what i could tell.