I agree that MOST pet stores are bad ... But we cannot lump them all into that. My niece is the Manager of a small Pet store in Alabama. She runs her store differently. She takes the time and learns about each specie that the Owners have wanted to carry (bird and otherwise). And has refused to carry ones that she knows they would not be able to care for properly. I cannot believe that she is the only person out there like this.
With that said...the only pets I have ever bought from a pet store are fish and a Guinea pig when my granddaughter was small. Oh yeah, and I rescued a cat during adoption days one year. (shadow kitty-rip )