petco, whitehall.

address: 2621 macarthur rd., whitehall pa 18052
website: www.petco.com
phone: (610)266-4212
hours: m-s: 0900-2100, sun: 1000-1900.

selection, 4/10:
generally these corporations are all identical from one location to the next and this is no exception. you're essentially guaranteed to find "assorted african," jack dempseys, firemouths, convicts and parrots at this, and any other petco.

health, 3/10:
admittedly, i never bought anything here. however i stop in frequently as i often have some time to kill in the area. one time i went in and 90% of their tanks were empty. seems to me like some epidemic must have wiped them all out.

staff, 4/10:
unless they're harrassing another customer, the staff will insist on helping you before you know if you need help. and worse, when you tell them you don't need help they'll stand by your side in hopes that you'll change your mind maybe. a fun trick with this, and most other chain stores, is to respond to them by telling them you're looking for a whole bunch of fish that you know they'd never have, preferably by their scientific name..."yes, i'm looking for nandopsis beani, caquetaia umbrifera and cichlasoma ornatum. do you have any in stock?"

prices, 6/10:
one of the small advantages of the corporate pet store, their prices are often lower than smaller operations because they buy in such volume.

overall, 17/40:
maybe there's a bias in my ratings here because i don't like the chain stores in general. and given that, i do prefer petsmart to petco. but one is the same as another as another. that is at least in terms of prices and selection normally. staff and health can vary.