Tractor Supply Employee Knowledge About Chicks

[woodmort]

I stay away from TSC during chick days, not so much because I am afraid I'll buy any (I won't), but because I hate to see the poor chicks mauled. The watering troughs of chicks is in the back of the store, away from where anyone can see people picking up the birds to pet them--not always little kids either. I'd say any chick that survives that has to be tough.

 

[AlienChick]

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[ButtersMama]

Sounds like they should have "Chick Training Days" for their employees

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[countrymommy0807]

Just bought our first batch hof ckickies and 2 ducklings from TSC. My husband and i both have had some in the past. We were asking about the breeds and both of the gentleman had no clue as to what they had, they just pointed to the sign and said thats whats in there.... lol we werent set on one particular breed so we got the ones that looked good and let the kids pick out some. hopefully i will be able to post pictures soon and have some of you all on BYC help me figure out the breed of my Bantams!

 

[Doopy]

I've been reading these posts with amusement. Do you folks realize that the people who are hired in these stores are just like us? They're Men and women and boys and girls from all walks of life just like us. If you ever want to meet the REAL idiots just move to the other side of the counter. My wife had her own store for many years and I would help out on weekends during her busy season. I have never seen so many total morons who were clueless about everything in life. And do you know who these people are? They're us.

 

[nop169]

The reason I still shop there is cause their feed is 5% off right now and has been since summer. My regular feed store charges between 11.00 - 12.00 50 lb bag of grains and corn is 11.00 for 50 lb bag. At TSC All purpose grains 9.99 and 5 % off that I save money, and on the corn its 10.99 with extra 5% off that price. With gas prices going up, right now every penny counts.


While I agree with the above sentiment in this strained economy - I think that this mind set is one of the reasons we see uneducated people in all businesses we patronize. The small business owner cannot compete (especially feed stores) with the prices of chain stores. For those of you who do not know - feed pricing is based on bulk & since chain stores order by the semi - they get a reduced price. The common misconception is that the small business is simply greedy but the truth is that they pay more for smaller amounts of the same product. That being said, chosing a feed supplier based only on price compounds the problem. Personally I patronize businesses that are friendly, can answer my questions, know me by name & ask about my family. I may pay slightly more for the product but the wealth of knowledge, supporting of small business & friendship has to count for something.
Personally, I am the one across the counter when you come in for feed. I am also the one you call up for advise even though you buy your feed at TSC. I am the one you ask to borrow my horse trailer. I am the one you ask for credit. I am the person that you feel owes you something even though you do not patronize my business. All of this is not said in anger - just truth. I receive at least a dozen calls per week about animal health although the feed used is from TSC. My prices on many products is even lower than TSC and my prices on some are higher because I try to remain competetive even though I make very little profit on a bag of feed (less than 10%). My profits are based on bulk sales.
You cannot ask for quality, knowledgeable staffing when paying the cheapest prices. You can be given incorrect information from these same places. Thats why in all of my needs I try to steer away from chain stores & pay that little extra to small business - those who know me, who sincerly try to help me & those who maintain that level of friendship & caring that I crave. We also strive to maintain that relationship with our customers & go above & beyond to answer (or to find answers) to their questions.
So forgive the minimum wage employee at the chain store their ignorance & find you a small business with people you can develope a personal relationship with - granted not all business owners know everything - but often will try to point you in the right direction. Thats what we do.

 

[somissemilyy]

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I LOL'ED!

 

[Justanother Brooke]

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[SuburbanFarmstress]

Nop, I feel your pain. I worked for a small local music store for years, and it's frustrating to see people come in, ask me a million questions about guitars, play everything we had in the store, make their selection based on my expertise, and then smugly go buy it on the Internet because it's ten dollars cheaper there. Soon I'm sure that store will go out of business, and people will complain that we don't have music store in town anymore to support community music and the school bands. C'est la vie, unfortunately.

The employees at my local feed store are really friendly and helpful, and were happy to tell me they have two breeds of chicks in stock- yellow and black! Fortunately I was on my way to buy bantam Ameraucanas that a lady had hatched from eggs purchased here at BYC.

As the young man out back was loading pine shavings into my truck, I remembered I'd forgotten to ask if they carry diatomaceous earth. The guy said he thought they did, but did I know it causes cancer? Umm, no, I was not aware of that. *eyeroll* Ah, well, he meant well.

 

[sawmane1]

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The reason they are called sex-links is because the males are born one color and the females another, so when the hatchery gets male sex-links they throw them in the trash w/out even puting them out of there misery! but anyways thats why they are all females...you cant get males.