I still think it always depends on the store. Sometimes managers actually care and are knowledgeable, and sometimes the associates actually care and are knowledgeable. Other times, not...

...and unfortunately, since it's a chain, corporate sometimes will shift managers and associates to different stores as needed. Therefore a Petco that was really great 5 years ago might look awful today, and vice versa. I generally don't think you can count on a particular Petco or Petsmart to be consistent over the years.