There are similar threads like this one already in existence, so I'll try not to rehash what has been said before.

I agree it is sad. I've worked in petstores for almost a decade now. Of course, there are bad petstores and there are good ones, and we can't judge every single one on the ignorance of some.

That said, please keep in mind that petstores are a business. Their main objective is to make money; its how they stay in business. The one I currently work for is no different. Now try as we might to educate our customers about how difficult iguanas are to care for, or how aggressive oscars are, etc, we cannot refuse sales. Its simply not good business. Say I was to spend 30 mins talking to a customer, trying to convince them to get a leopard gecko instead of a nile monitor, and they still want the monitor instead, even though they are obviously ill-equipped to deal with such a beast. I cannot tell that customer that I refuse to sell them a monitor just because I think they're not ready. They'll get mad, leave and shop elsewhere.

I recently created a poll over on Rg that read: who is most responsible when a herp bought from a petstore dies from improper care?

- the customer who bought it for not doing enough research
- the employee who sold it for not giving enough information
- the petstore management for not training their employees better
- the corporation as a whole for worrying about makin a buck than caring for their livestock

...I forget the results, but the correct answer is: the customer. The potential pet-owner is ultimately responsible for researching and making sure they are equipped for the animal they are thinking of getting, regardless of where they get it from. True, there's some ignorant stores and vendors out there who just want to make a buck, but here in the Information Age where caresheets and info is only a click away, there's simply no excuse. Bottom Line: buyer beware.

I agree it is a sad situation all around and some people simply have more money than brains. We just gotta do our best to educate the masses and nip these little scenarios in the bud.