[Kayota]

I went to PetCo today to pick up some Solid Gold Holistique Blendz for my rats and try on harnesses for Roxie, and suddenly when I was trying on a harness these two managers came up to me and stood and stared down at me the entire time I was trying the harness on my dog. I don't understand why they did this and I was literally shaking after they left because it made me so nervous. Has this ever happened to anyone else? It was extremely scary and creepy...

 

[Rescued]

they probably wanted to make sure you didnt walk out of the store with the harness on her. also (as bad as it sounds) i notice that when i'm coming from work and am in nice clothes and look like an adult that i get watched way less than when i come in on the weekend in gym shorts and bed hair.

 

[Kayota]

I was in scrubs so I did actually look like an adult today lol! And yeah they probably thought that, but hovering is not something we would EVER do at the WalMart I work at. It's ridiculous that they would hover like that honestly; instead they could keep an eye on me as I shop and stop me if they thought I had the harness still. I would have been far more okay with that. I couldn't concentrate on looking at harnesses after that because for every one I picked up I thought it would bring them back when I tried them on my dog, but I did end up getting one on sale that I liked okay.

 

[Rescued]

i always get people hovering over me when i'm in the fish food section. yes, it may be tiny, but i promise you i'm not going to steal a $2 container of bloodworms...

 

[Kayota]

It's so creepy, we never do things like that at Walmart! That's never happened to me either and I'm very much a regular at this PetCo... weird.

 

[GrinningDog]

I work at a pet store, and I can say there's been a major problem with stolen goods lately. Reptile bulbs and dog collars/leashes/harnesses are the big ones. They're small, but expensive items that people can easily fit in their pockets. Our store can't afford to lose hundred of dollars on these items, so yeah, we do sometimes "keep an eye on" people. But we never just stand and creeper them. Haha. We either make conversation or keep busy nearby.

 

[winniec777]

That would be upsetting if they just stood there without offering help or advice. I don't mind the observation--they have a right to protect their store. But they should at least make themselves useful.

A similar thing happened to me in a hardware store. I had a long list of things to get and was walking all over the store trying to find the things on the list. Store employees kept coming to whatever aisle I was in and pretended to look at items on the shelf while they watched me shop. Not a single one of them (and there were 3) offered any help at all.

As much as I love hardware stores, I won't be going back to that one, even though it's the closest one to my house. There's another one in town where the employees help you find everything on your list and offer great advice. Their prices are higher but I don't care. They understand how to provide good customer service and that's all I care about.

 

[LadyBugAnBuddy]

I can understand Watching, but hoovering over, NO! I would have been like "You going to help me pick out a harness??".

~Erica~

 

[Roloni]

I was in Petco one day with Roxxie...
We wandered through the isles of all the dog treats and toys ..looking at all the overpriced items.
I put the $59 dollar bag of dog food , and the $29 dollar bag of rawhide in the shopping cart .
Soon Later...
As I stand at the checkout counter...I look down at Roxxie , and I know shes got something hidden in her mouth.
(You know that look dogs have when they have something in their mouth).
I know that she stole something from the store and she is hiding it in her mouth!

I also know the cashier is going to ask if she can give my dog a treat ...
and then Roxxie will have to release the stolen merchandise from her mouth to accept the treat ..and be caught stealing!!!

So I refuse the cashiers treat..Swipe my credit card and get out of the store as fast as possible!

Roxxie stole a $20 dollar Antler ..Not Bad!
but...
Petco has been ripping off pet owners for a lot more.

 

[aiw]

And you were an accessory to the crime!
Roxxie is one badass chick. She's pulling you into the seedy world of thievery, such a terrible influence...

 

[ChaosIsAWeim]

If anybody did that to me, I would probably say something along the lines of, "If you are going to stand there watching my every move, you might as well make yourself useful and ask if I have any questions about product abc"

What you describe sounds a little overboard, it's one thing to watch from a distance while actually doing some work, but to hover over somebody and stare them down is just a little too creepy for me.

If it happens again, I would say something. Just take one glance at them, continue with what you are doing and if they are still there, say something to them.

I understand that they have to make sure thefts won't happen, but making customers feel uncomfortable is not the way to do it, all that will do is make them lose business.

 

[Fade]

I was so mad at petco the other day. I wanted to get a new fish and I also wanted to learn about the live aquarium plants. so I asked the guy there what is involved in caring for them and he looked at me and said no you need to look over here at the plastic plants. HOW insulting?! seriously I asked him a question not to say hey you look dumb you need a plastic plant. I was so mad. I was dressed nicely too no reason for it. I know that has nothing to do with hovering managers.

 

[Willowy]

LOL, the manager at the PetCo I go to lives in the town I used to work in, and let's just say she was a less-than-pleasant customer. So I try to avoid her. I can't say I've noticed any other hovering employees, though. Usually I can't even find anybody to help me when I want to buy fish. I hate pushy salespeople, but I guess that's better than being stared down, if they must have eyes on you.

 

[kafkabeetle]

I would have kept trying on harnesses and bought the one I liked online. No use in supporting a business that isn't going to treat their customers nicely. In that situation I probably would have asked them if I could help them or if it was ok to try the harnesses on for size. How awkward.

 

[lil_fuzzy]

That's a bit weird. Fair enough that they didn't want you to walk out, but why did they need two people to do that, and why hover? Why not just come over and start a friendly conversation and ask if you need help etc.

 

[Kayota]

I did ask if it was okay and they still stood over me... I was sitting on the floor with my small dog and they were standing ~1 foot away or so and kind of leaning over watching... The only reason I bought one today was because it was on sale for $6 or I would have gotten the dog food I needed elsewhere and the harness online.

 

[georgiapeach]

I was in Petco one day with Roxxie...
We wandered through the isles of all the dog treats and toys ..looking at all the overpriced items.
I put the $59 dollar bag of dog food , and the $29 dollar bag of rawhide in the shopping cart .
Soon Later...
As I stand at the checkout counter...I look down at Roxxie , and I know shes got something hidden in her mouth.
(You know that look dogs have when they have something in their mouth).
I know that she stole something from the store and she is hiding it in her mouth!

I also know the cashier is going to ask if she can give my dog a treat ...
and then Roxxie will have to release the stolen merchandise from her mouth to accept the treat ..and be caught stealing!!!

So I refuse the cashiers treat..Swipe my credit card and get out of the store as fast as possible!

Roxxie stole a $20 dollar Antler ..Not Bad!
but...
Petco has been ripping off pet owners for a lot more.

Maybe this is why they normally watch people so carefully. Why didn't you remove the stolen item from your dog's mouth, apologize and explain that you didn't realize she had it until then, and have it added it to your bill?

 

[mcdavis]

I've had the other problem - can't find a shop assistant when I need help! I've also discovered that if I look a bit scruffy the shop assistants tend to ignore me, which I like - I can't stand it when they get too pushy and if they don't take the hint I tell them politely that I'm leaving for that reason.

 

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

Maybe this is why they normally watch people so carefully. Why didn't you remove the stolen item from your dog's mouth, apologize and explain that you didn't realize she had it until then, and have it added it to your bill?

I was wondering the same thing. Shambles has stolen twice from Petco aisles and each time I've said "Hey, this was in my dog's mouth, I'll buy it."

 

[dagwall]

I was wondering the same thing. Shambles has stolen twice from Petco aisles and each time I've said "Hey, this was in my dog's mouth, I'll buy it."

Yeah Jubel tries to shop for himself sometimes and grabs antlers, raw hides, bones, etc I always just remove them from his mouth and put them back on the shelf. The Manners II class I just finished was held in an upscale pet supply store (not a petco/petsmart/petval) and Jubel was frequently trying to grab the chew toys off the shelves if we were sent down one aisle for an exercise. Haha lots of 'leave it' practice.