Offended the lady at Petsmart

So, I had to stop in Petsmart today for some replacement cartridges for the newt-tank filter. While walking up to the register, I saw some adorable "halloween" themed squeak toys for dogs that was a soft plastic Kiwi likes to rip up. Now, I ALWAYS examine EVERYTHING I give Kiwi to play with (whether it's intended for birds or not) for potential safety issues. So I was probably looking over this pumpkin a little *too* carefully when the sales lady came up and asked if she could help me. I politely said "I'm fine". Now, I'm simply not the type to launch into my life story with anyone who says hello, but this lady continued to press "well, what kind of dog are you looking for". Slightly annoyed at her hovering, I replied "I don't have a dog, I have a bird and he likes chewing soft plastic".

The look on her face was priceless. A mix between confusion/shock/anger and then taking on a VERY snobby tone with me, she said "well that isn't ok to give a bird, the BIRD TOYS are over there". I told her as nicely as I could (while growing ever more annoyed) that "I make him toys out of all kinds of stuff". She (now almost fuming) told me he would "eat the plastic and could die" then huffed off. LOLOLOLOL! Honestly, he's no less likely to swallow a bit of a plastic than he is a bit of wood or cardboard or plastic off a BIRD TOY I would bet a million bucks this lady has never even owned a bird Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, I didn't think the toy would be safe anyways, as it had some kind of paint on the stem I wasn't sure about. Still, I wasn't going to tell that lady and let her "win" in her own little mind:20:

Their toy selection [is rather small].Maybe she has not broadened her horizon of bird toys. No worrys though [we all know how much Kiwi is loved].

Hahaha oh my goodness! That is too funny! Does she not want you to buy things? I guess she doesn't want to be paid! Oh dear! I remember when I was at Fred Meyers, I bought a bell ball cat toy for Lilo because she loves those kind so much, and the check stand lady was like "Oh you have a kitty?" Im like "Oh no, I have a parrot." She looked at me then the toy then at me with a what did you just say? Look on her face! It looked like she wanted to say something else but she held her mouth!

They don't even have and Amazon toys there! Its all mostly for budgies! Oh my!

I'm sure not all of their associates are familiar with parrots, but as the old saying goes "it's not what you say, it's the tone of voice you say it in". She gave me an attitude as though I was telling her how I beat him and fed him arsenic or something:52:.

Our petsmart actually does have some large parrot toys and food. However, they only have large shredding type toys, which Kiwi doesn't really play with. He actually likes the budgie toys though lol (and is very gentle with his toys). But they have a far better selection for big birds than other petsmarts I've been too.

Our pet s,art had an associate who didn't know the canary laying on her side was a bad thing. I asked to talk to a manager. Within 10 minutes the birds were gone from the display. I checked back several times over the next two weeks, never saw them back and finally asked to see that manager again. She had personally taken the bird to a vet, had her band removed, seen to her care, and then adopted her. Some of them are good ones.

At a local pet store they routinely hand raise their birds and are force- weaners through and through. Right now they have a CAG, a female eclectus, and a small cockatoo I don't remember which kind, a white one. Their grey has something wrong with his foot, like it looks paralyzed. I mentioned it to a sales associate, she said birds do that when they sleep. I pointed out the difference, and she just shrugged and said "oh he does that all the time!" I am so fed up with people who pretend to know what they are talking about. On that note, I am applying at both of those places for jobs this week

That's surprising that an employee acted that way. That response wouldn't be something I would expect. :52: Sorry that happened! Some people just don't know basic customer service I guess!

I have actually had a few weird experiences at petsmart as well....I think it does all stem from most the people working there are animal lovers, but they voice their opinion and thoughts way to strongly, even against products they sell or things they don't know.

My example would be with my dogs...i live on a farm and i have them on the "shock" collars to keep them near the house. I put shock in quotes because the level at which it does it is very low and often adjustable. I put the collar on myself to try it out.....it really isn't painful, but it does get the message to them. If it was that horribly painful i wouldn't use it on my dogs. Also not all of my dogs need one, only one that likes to run off and has been a problem.

Anyways, a worker there gave me a whole lecture on how shock collars are a bad choice and i was a bad person for wanting one. .......needless to say i bought one anyways...i think she was cringing when she took it out of the case for me.

SilverSage said:

Some of them are good ones.
On that note, I am applying at both of those places for jobs this week

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I agree, one Petco has the cleanest parakeet cage (from my experience) with seed free water bowls, and a healthy diet of seeds, millets, vegetables, and pellets. The Conure's always have clean cages and are highly sociable. The manager seems like a big bird fan and answered questions in a snap (he said nothing but the truth).

Also, good luck with the applications! If they want to make a good decision for the birds they better accept you . Is this place in Waipio? That's the only pet store I can think of that sells large parrots.

I used to stress about my bird accidently eating plastic, but after managing to destroy two cell phones, two remotes, two Xbox controllers, a pair of glasses, an entire set of blinds, a few shirts, zippers on my backpacks, a keyboard, clothes hangers, and more, I feel like my bird knows not eat plastic, metal, or wood. Now i'm just more concerned if an object has paint or glue.

No, if have actually never been to Waipio that I know of. This petsmart doesn't have anything bigger than budgies. It all depends on what needs the store has and if they think I fit those needs.

I know what you mean about shock collars. I use one in a very humane fashion and it is a marvelous training tool when used correctly. My dog doesn't "need" it anymore, but it allows me to keep his training fresh by providing instant correction which is key to dog training. Also, I use the vibrate setting. Which is more humane; keeping a dog tied up, or teaching him that you are the boss no matter where he is, so that he can run and explore?

On that note, I am applying at both of those places for jobs this week

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Well hopefully, at least one petsmart or petco will have a employee with first hand parrot experience

I do think people can let a love for ALL animals overshadow their actual knowledge on a species they've never really had much experience with. I've never owned dogs, and wouldn't know the first thing about why or why not shock collars are good/bad (but on first instinct, it sounds bad). When you put it in the light of "let them have freedom outdoors or tie them up", it doesn't sounds as bad anymore, especially if you've seen how it felt yourself. However, having worked in customer service, I know better than to RUDELY express my uniformed opinion and stomp off. That's what pissed me off. She didn't know what kind of bird I had, how long I had him, how he played with toys (very gentle/not a big chewer) or the fact he's never swallowed any non-food item before (I think most parrots are smart enough not to do that, unless it's by accident). There are 50 different ways she could have politely phrased the same thing and been fine. O well, I do like the local petsmart and will go back. They carry a brand of seed mix I like and I buy the filters and food for my newt there, plus most of the employees I've felt with are really nice.

I always shake my head at the pet store chains to be honest, but at least they've... improved, I guess you could say. Actually, I remember when I first started looking for a parrot (and in specific a green cheek conure) and I came across a parrot enthusiast and educator in my city. I was holding the bird in the PetSmart, and of course the employee could tell me nothing. I just smiled politely and keep interacting with the bird when this woman walks and IMMEDIATELY asks, "excuse me, but have you ever owned a parrot?"

I honestly was shocked! I shook my head no, she became very stern and asked, "well, have you ever researched them?"


... two hours later I walked out of the store with her business card and a valuable new resource, hahaha! I definitely have to agree that the way you say something has a huge impact, and unfortunately when people decide to reprimand others on what's right or wrong, it becomes very messy very fast. For one, that person doesn't know YOUR animal. My mother swears by Dentasticks for her dogs - my best friend refuses to touch them because her dog nearly died choking on one. My dogs HAVE to stay in a kennel if they aren't supervised - some people view kenneling as cruel, but I don't think anyone wants to pay thousands of dollars to replace flooring and furniture due to dogs "marking their territory".

But you know what's worse than the employees? The ignorant customers that DON'T know their own animals. My boyfriend told me that the other day a woman came in and complained that she had to spend about $25 a month feeding her new cockatiel and that it was "too expensive". He also had another woman ask why hamsters can't be caged together as adults and then proceeded to buy two hamsters with one cage AFTER being told they will fight, kill, and eat each other. It makes me so sad.

Not all dogs respond well to shock collars so I can understand their concern. I had a dog who would never leave my side (much like rocky) while I was visiting family they insisted she wear one and I kept telling them its not necessary she has never been one to run away she couldn't stand it if I was in the next room without her. Well while I was getting something from my car she went outside the "safe zone" and I noticed they had put a shock collar on her with the setting so high you could visibly see it shocking her I went inside and told them if they ever put that thing on my dog again I would take a hammer to it.

I agree that people who don't have experience or at least research need to keep their mouths shut or AT LEAST be polite!

As to the "shock" collars let me just throw a brief thing out there to clear some things up.

First, they are a training tool, not a magic solution. The solidify training that is already in place by enabling correction to happen instantly and in a way the dog can understand. Without a pre-established framework of training and trust they CAN be cruel, just as a cage can be used cruelly.

Dogs are not like parrots; their entire being DEMANDS and CRAVES leadership and authority. They were once wolves, but have basically been stripped of their own leadership ability through domestication. Because of this they NEED us to be leaders or they will never feel safe, and some will try to take over the leadership themselves leading to all sorts of problems.

In a pack situation the leader uses body language, tone of voice, and when necessary physical contact and even pain to communicate with his pack and keep them in line. They NEED this to understand the world around them. The mother dog begins this training with the puppies, and it is important to maintain and continue it. She corrects her puppies by "nipping" them on the back of the neck. We continued this with our puppy when we brought him home - the only thing he had to learn was the word "no." this is the foundation of a reliable, well balanced, happy dog - he needs to know the rules and boundaries.

Like humans and birds, dogs go through phases of "testing" the limits. Our reliable obedient puppy learned that he could outrun us - and chase the Colombian officers down the street. He was wanting attention, they saw a vicious animal. As a responsible pet owner I could not allow this. In the dog world, a pack leader would not "deserve" to be the leader if he could not correct this behavior and keep control. The "shock" collar allows us to instantly correct him, asserting our leadership. Our dog is happy and VERY well trained. I will post a video of him sometime.

The collar is only used after a command has been ignored, which is rare, but every time you allow a dog to disobey you are TEACHING them to disobey. I refuse to confuse my dog in this way. Some people have dogs that do not need this extra step, but mine is a mix of two headstrong breeds, and he is BIG. his size alone means he has to be twice as well behaved as the lab next door just for people to see him as safe to be around.

I should also note, he loves his collar. He rarely receives any sort of signal from it, and he thinks it means "long walk with no leash." He has no idea the signal comes from the collar - he knows it comes from us, his leaders. Also, his collar has low shock, high shock, and vibrate. We rarely need to use any, but when we do 96% of the time it is a simple vibration, and even the shock is not that painful (Yes, I have used it on myself).

Finally, I am more comfortable around off leash dogs wearing these collars. Why? Because it is an "insurance policy" if training fails even for a second. A vibration, beep, etc from one of these collars can get the attention of a distracted dog who may be in harm's way or somehow endangering others.

Used without training they can be horrible and terrifying, but again, so can a cage. I do not recommend them for every dog, and especially not every owner! But they are a good example of what you are saying about people not having experience and judging how you take care of your pet

Ok, that ended up being longer than I intended.

Also WOW - ColorGuarder - that was CRUEL what they did, and it was ABUSE. That kind of "boarder training" takes a LOT of time and a dog should NEVER be wearing a collar that can shock them as strongly as you describe!

in the uk we have a pet store chain called "pets at home" their ok... i wouldn't rate the animals from there but some of the supplies are decent, they used to sell overpriced birds that were all in a horrific state, most had either feather plucked or had been plucked by bully birds, they had no toys or nestboxes or anything to relieve boredom through, they had no fresh greens and looked to be on a seed only diet... the list goes on but as you can tell these birds were not in a good way. I told one of the staff members about this and even suggested a few ways they could minimize bird stress and separating certain birds that just do not get along etc... the gob full of abuse i got in return was totally out of order so i went home and made a complaint ( not about the woman's rudeness but about the birds living conditions ) next time i went in there were no birds for sale and i haven't seen any since... i felt so guilty about where those poor birds may have ended up but in the long run i think it was for the best as no more birds have been subjected to those harsh conditions. Anyway sorry to kind of steal your thunder there but yeah boo too pet stores in general =)

Oh trust me silver sage I was livid. And because she was always at my side that poor dog stood there andtook it and I could see her entire neck pulsing from it. Now Rocky has never been one to stray either he's part malamute and when I take him on off leash trails or to the dog park I let him get a little ahead of me because I know without fail he once he gets about 20-30ft away from me he will either sit and wait for me to catch up or what he normally does is turn around and come right back too me. But I'm OK if people think my dog is dangerous just based on his size for the simple fact I'm a single female if people think my dog is dangerous they are less likely to try anything. I used to live in a less than safe neighborhood and if I was walking Rocky I would routinely see big intimadating guys get off the side walk and cross the street. Rocky has never bitten anyone he doesn't even bark when someone knocks on the door. But if having people think he's dangerous buys me a little extra security I'm OK with that

Dinosrawr said:

I always shake my head at the pet store chains to be honest, but at least they've... improved, I guess you could say. Actually, I remember when I first started looking for a parrot (and in specific a green cheek conure) and I came across a parrot enthusiast and educator in my city. I was holding the bird in the PetSmart, and of course the employee could tell me nothing. I just smiled politely and keep interacting with the bird when this woman walks and IMMEDIATELY asks, "excuse me, but have you ever owned a parrot?"

I honestly was shocked! I shook my head no, she became very stern and asked, "well, have you ever researched them?"


... two hours later I walked out of the store with her business card and a valuable new resource, hahaha! I definitely have to agree that the way you say something has a huge impact, and unfortunately when people decide to reprimand others on what's right or wrong, it becomes very messy very fast. For one, that person doesn't know YOUR animal. My mother swears by Dentasticks for her dogs - my best friend refuses to touch them because her dog nearly died choking on one. My dogs HAVE to stay in a kennel if they aren't supervised - some people view kenneling as cruel, but I don't think anyone wants to pay thousands of dollars to replace flooring and furniture due to dogs "marking their territory".

But you know what's worse than the employees? The ignorant customers that DON'T know their own animals. My boyfriend told me that the other day a woman came in and complained that she had to spend about $25 a month feeding her new cockatiel and that it was "too expensive". He also had another woman ask why hamsters can't be caged together as adults and then proceeded to buy two hamsters with one cage AFTER being told they will fight, kill, and eat each other. It makes me so sad.

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What irritates me is when people don't listen to you about your own animals. If I have Rocky with me people always ask to give him treats I always tell them no because he won't eat them.EVERYTIME with the exception of a coffestand and only when the owners are working they will still hand me a treat with my cash back so I end up throwing away about 3 treats a week because all he does is spit them out. Now those soft treats he will eat but not the biscuit treats. While I will give him dentastix I REFUSE to offer anything by the greenies brand because in 2005 right after I got my first dog there was a story on the news that greenies were causing massive internal bleeding because they break off into sharp chucks and cut the dogs stomach several dogs had died by that point. The company rather than apologizing and admitting any fault whatsoever BLAMED THE OWNERS and said that the owners were not being responsible because they weren't watching their dogs closely enough to see when the greenies broke into chucks that were then swallowed. If that's how a company runs and operated I want nothing to do with a company like that. To this day I cringe when I hear somebody recommend anything that company makes. But everybody has their own preferences but if you can't or won't provide your animals with the things they need for a healthy happy life you shouldn't own said animal. I know vaccines from a vet can be expensive however there are cheaper ways to vaccinate your pets. Such as do it your self get 7 dog vaccines for $5 or 3 cat vaccines for $5.

In 2011, I worked at PetsMart. That's where I met Con. I was hired entirely on my knowledge of fish and when things were slow at night, I'd grab the animal books and read between customers. Pissed my managers off to no end but I did my job and my customers were happy so meh.

Up to the point where Con stole my heart, I knew only the basics of bird care and almost nothing about parrots. She sparked the need to devour everything parrot related that I could get my hands on. I went from fish expert to parrot expert over night. I also had a guinea pig who made an impression on me that made me research them as well.

I know I pissed loads of people off because I'd be answering their questions and teaching them about the pet they were looking at then when it came time to help them pick out the cage and such, they'd go against everything I told them and I'd refuse to sell the animal. You can bet I abused the heck out of that right. If I didn't feel you could take care of the animal, you didn't get it. Simple as that.

But then there were the people who avidly listened to me and followed my advice. Those were the ones I'd see a few weeks later as they rushed up to tell me adorable stories about their pet and have me help them pick out more toys or get more info. Those people made that job the best job I have ever had to this day.

It so varies store to store and human to human! No one requires anything other than retail experience to work at these places ... and who knows - you may have taught her something too!