# Anyone got advice for working in an LFS?



## Zerocon (14 Jun 2011)

I'd love to work in a pet store on the weekend, but no where seems to be hiring at the moment...
Any advice for where to go? jobs in general aswell...


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## m_attt (14 Jun 2011)

go for a walk/drive with a pile of cv's and try to speak to managers so the cv goes into their hand.


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## Tom (14 Jun 2011)

Yep... don't! You'll be on minimum wage and will clean dozens if not hundreds of tanks every week - then start again. That, and selling guppies to people who couldn't care less about fish, then blame you when they die. Working for 2 local shops in this area completely killed my enthusiasm for it all and I dropped out of the hobby for a couple of years. I found some attitudes and people very difficult to deal with. 

Saying that, I'm now at Pets At Home which is good and I'm enjoying it. Their training programs are very good, as are the staff - and I have changed my opinion of them as a company (fish could still do with some improvements). Have a look on their website for vacancies.


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## Zerocon (14 Jun 2011)

m_attt said:
			
		

> go for a walk/drive with a pile of cv's and try to speak to managers so the cv goes into their hand.





			
				Tom said:
			
		

> Yep... don't! You'll be on minimum wage and will clean dozens if not hundreds of tanks every week - then start again. That, and selling guppies to people who couldn't care less about fish, then blame you when they die. Working for 2 local shops in this area completely killed my enthusiasm for it all and I dropped out of the hobby for a couple of years. I found some attitudes and people very difficult to deal with.
> 
> Saying that, I'm now at Pets At Home which is good and I'm enjoying it. Their training programs are very good, as are the staff - and I have changed my opinion of them as a company (fish could still do with some improvements). Have a look on their website for vacancies.



Sounds rough man!
Thanks guys, Tom, if there is a position at P@H in Ipswich, could you perhaps let me know ?
There isn't any atm


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## Tom (14 Jun 2011)

I wouldn't know, I'm at Sudbury!!


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## ghostsword (14 Jun 2011)

Pets at home is a very cool shop. I went there to buy a betta, and I saw them turn down a guy that wanted to buy the fish. Before the young chap placed the net on the tank there were so many questions.

How long I had the tank going? Was it heated ? The size? Did it have plants? Quite annoying really, but I clearly understood why the kid was asking the questions.

Really good for a shop to take that step and put fish welfare before sales.


.


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## Tom (14 Jun 2011)

Yeah we have to go through a whole sheet of questions before every sale. And I'm not even allowed to serve fish until I've completed quite thorough training (though some bits again could be improved - they don't advise fishless cycling, only waiting 3 days and add a couple of fish).


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## viktorlantos (14 Jun 2011)

The time maybe not the best to work for a shop. Aquaristic business is the slowest in the next 2-3 months. People leave for vacation or choose an outdoor activity. Fishkeeping is about to survive summertime.

But then autumn and winter will be the best for the business, so i would not be suprised if you could get a job even for the weekend from sept/oct.


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## Tom (14 Jun 2011)

Somewhere that deals in Koi or watergardening would be busier over this period, but Viktor is right the aquarium and tropical side might slow over summer.


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## hellohefalump (17 Jun 2011)

> Yep... don't! You'll be on minimum wage and will clean dozens if not hundreds of tanks every week - then start again. That, and selling guppies to people who couldn't care less about fish, then blame you when they die. Working for 2 local shops in this area completely killed my enthusiasm for it all and I dropped out of the hobby for a couple of years. I found some attitudes and people very difficult to deal with.



I agree.  I've worked in two LFS's and it really does kill your enthusiasm.  Sometimes it was alright, I enjoyed looking after the fishies, and helping customers.  But a lot of the time it was

 'My kid wants a really small tank with a goldfish in it'
' Do you know goldfish grow quite big for that tank, how about some white cloud mountain minnows/danios/paradise fish... ?'
'I don't care if it dies'
'You'll need a filter'
'No I won't they're too expensive'

Also the amount of tanks you clean out on a daily basis, really doesn't make you want to clean out your own tanks when you get home!


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## Lisa_Perry75 (17 Jun 2011)

I agree with what has already been said. Peoples attitude towards fish upset me and felt that I was just sending fish to their deaths, not good.

Saying that there was a smaller minority of people who really really cared and soaked up as much knowledge as possible. These people received discounts


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## sanj (18 Jun 2011)

viktorlantos said:
			
		

> The time maybe not the best to work for a shop. Aquaristic business is the slowest in the next 2-3 months. People leave for vacation or choose an outdoor activity. Fishkeeping is about to survive summertime.
> 
> But then autumn and winter will be the best for the business, so i would not be suprised if you could get a job even for the weekend from sept/oct.



Thats why you get into supplying the water gardening crowd   . I know my LFS does it to help things tick along. I reckon there is plenty of scope there of scaping albeit from a different perspective.


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## Zerocon (19 Jul 2011)

I got a job btw guys! At Clarks shoe store!


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## hellohefalump (21 Jul 2011)

congrats!


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## dory (1 Aug 2011)

And it's also pretty depressing, as you see or hear about so many fish dying on a daily basis because of ignorant kids/parents/whatever else. And most of the customers don't care about the proper hygiene and rules etc for a tank, they just want to see the little fishes in there and don't really bother doing anything else.

And yes, the cleaning of the tanks is no fun, especially if you have one yourself at home that you need to take care of. I wouldn't recommend working in any type of pet shop, unless it's a very specialised and people who actually care, come to buy from there. But in locals I'd stay away.


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## Zerocon (2 Aug 2011)

Very true Dory, if it was TGM or ADA , it would be my dream job!


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