# Goodbye PJ's, I was laid off today.



## pjsbrent

Well, it was great dealing with everyone here but my time has come to an end with PJ's. We'll see if I pop up somewhere else in the future but for now I'm out in the real world.


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## chinamon

sorry to hear that. now is your opportunity to open your own shop!


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## Ciddian

Hi Brent! I am so sorry to hear that  Loosing income is never good but you can do well elsewhere!


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## splur

That sucks, you probably brought in a lot of business for them by being proactive about telling people when stuff came in. Their loss.


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## Mlevi

Networking is what its all about in today's world. Looks like you've already got a fair handle on it by being proactive. Exploit the network and you'll bounce back. 

For our part, if we come across any openings in the trade, we should all keep an eye out and let brent know.

My grandaddy used to say "son, a kick in the pants is a step in the right direction!". Sometimes, it comes down to that for us to exploit better opportunities. Every time I have gotten laid off, I keep that in mind.

Good luck!


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## RCode

splur said:


> That sucks, you probably brought in a lot of business for them by being proactive about telling people when stuff came in. Their loss.


That is the truth... I only ever stopped in because of his posts of what he got in. I'm thinking the specialty fish that used to be ordered will go with him....

Good luck, just remember.....

Every closed door, opens a new window.


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## Kerohime

Good riddance to PJ's... and thats speaking from experience. 

FYI... the new aquarium in downtown toronto will be opening in a year and will probably be hiring in a few months. =)


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## manmadecorals

Damn that really sucks!! Thanks again Brent for hooking us up when you could. I had an amazing time dealing with you. It was great having someone listen to the things we wanted and getting it for us. I really hope I get an opportunity to do business with you again.


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## characinfan

Sorry, Brent, to hear that you joined the club of the unemployed. Hope it won't be for long.

You should post your social media involvement with the Gtaaquaria community on your resume. (Post a link to this thread). It will show that you are behaving and always have behaved in a professional manner and took the initiative to reach out to a part of the customer base that nobody else in your organization tried to reach, and that your involvement generated sales as a result.



Best wishes for a new & better job!


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## pjsbrent

Just so every one knows, I hold no ill will toward PJ's. I was laid off as part of a larger group of people within the chain and I just happened to fit into that group. However there is one thing I would like to request if that's ok. I'd love for everyone on here to go to the PJ's website and write to the head office and tell them what your thoughts are on me. Don't be nasty or rude just honest. If that means you tell them that I was less than useful, I'm fine with that, but I just want them to know what they're going to be missing.

Thanks again everyone for your support. These posts and the posts that I have received on facebook have made a huge difference in how I've handled this and I'm forever grateful.


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## manmadecorals

No need to ask I've already done so this morning. I hope to see you in the GTA continuing to provide us the same amazing service as you have. Thanks again Brent!


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## pjsbrent

Ell Lol, just found out that PJs head office is monitoring all of my posts here and on Facebook. He said they werent too pleased with some of the things being said but after looking things over I didn't see anything that I wrote that was bad. Oh well, you guys can say what ever you want I don't mind.


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## Kaiser.800

*PJs*

In 1980 I worked at The PJs in the Alexis Nihon plaza in Montreal. I lasted one day. At the start of my only shift the manager ( whose name escapes me ) asked me if I loved animals. I said of course I did. She laughed and told me that would change quickly. I believe that I was fired because I refused to sell two male bettas to a couple of kids who were going to put them in a jar that they had with them to see what happens.


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## fyns

Big als in newmarket is hiring.


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## pjsbrent

Kaiser.800 said:


> In 1980 I worked at The PJs in the Alexis Nihon plaza in Montreal. I lasted one day. At the start of my only shift the manager ( whose name escapes me ) asked me if I loved animals. I said of course I did. She laughed and told me that would change quickly. I believe that I was fired because I refused to sell two male bettas to a couple of kids who were going to put them in a jar that they had with them to see what happens.


Are you kidding me?? If you had done that at my store I would have been extremely happy. Plus, I love animals even more now than I ever did. It's the people I don't like much any more.


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## pjsbrent

fyns said:


> Big als in newmarket is hiring.


That's a bit too far away and PJ's may pull the old "you can't work for the competition for 2 years" thing. I may end up just going back to network engineering or sales engineering for a while. While I'm doing it I'll make sure to visit as many fish stores as possible and post all the best prices and items on here.


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## J_T

pjsbrent said:


> Are you kidding me?? If you had done that at my store I would have been extremely happy. Plus, I love animals even more now than I ever did. It's the people I don't like much any more.


I'll leave the names out, but I am a former pj's yorkdale worker. My last day was when I refused to sell $600 in marine fish, the same day I sold them the tank!

Posted with my Xperia, using Tapatalk 2


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## pjsbrent

J_T said:


> I'll leave the names out, but I am a former pj's yorkdale worker. My last day was when I refused to sell $600 in marine fish, the same day I sold them the tank!
> 
> Posted with my Xperia, using Tapatalk 2


WOW!! that's crazy.


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## pjsbrent

Ok, I've received about 5 PM's now from people in the same boat as me. It looks like there are a few people that were fired for no reason while others kept their jobs because either their relative worked for head office or worse. Some of them are talking about a class action and want me in as the leader. Not sure but I may have to consider it if they keep spying on me and harassing people that defend me.


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## Symplicity

I've already lost so much respect for that company it is unbelievable. If they had any idea how much business you brought in and your ethics towards animals it's surprising they just dont hire legit salesman vs hobbyists.


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## J_T

well, I think you'd have a huge support group if you did. As for myself, that was 9 years ago! I have long since moved on! I laughed at them. My comission cheque was always higher than my actual pay cheque! So, they loose more than me! I moved on, they lost a sales person that was making them a ton of money!



Posted with my Xperia, using Tapatalk 2


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## pjsbrent

Wow, staff at my store are starting to be sent home for defending me. I was actualy in tears when I heard about it. I've never felt as honored as I do at this moment. I can now consider this an act of war.


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## AquaNekoMobile

Hey Brent,

Never met you IRL. But I have been to the Square One PJ's a few times before when in the mall. I've only had probably a couple exchange posts with you on GTAA when you posted pricings. 

I for one greatly appreciated the effort you put into bringing many different livestock (IIRC plants as well) and willing to take orders on requests from others. 

Well if you can't work for the competition then why not rent a small place and sell livestock or do small orders on the side? That is unless your contracts fine print forbids you from starting your own retail store business with fish for X time/yrs.


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## bettaforu

Brent I too am sorry you have been the brunt of some a......s corporate decision  I have been down that road a couple of times myself and have fought them tooth and nail, when I knew I had done nothing wrong and they were in the wrong for letting me go....both times I WON!

Go talk to a human rights person at the labour board, see what they have to say, they know the rules and the law, and if PJ did anything underhanded in letting you go then you have a case against them.

On another note, you should see if you could grab that aquarium store across the street from BA's on the Dundas...it was all set up for fish, maybe they could have leased it to you???

Again, it was nice doing business with you and Good Luck on your search.
Anna


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## carmenh

Did you sign anything saying you wouldn't work for the competition for x amount of time? They can't prevent you from doing so unless you signed a contract at some point saying that you wouldn't and even so, 2 years is unusually long.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Ciddian

I worked for Superpet, als and Pj's ..nobody once told me you couldn't work for competition, but that was my experience


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## tom g

*job*

it sucks that they laid u off . all u can do is move on . go big make them relize they lost an asset . not sure of the technicallities of a contract but they cant keep u from working.i am sure u can find something or contact some of the contacts u had to see if u can find something .i believe u were an asset to the aquarium hobby just from reading your posts
good luck and dont let them get u down.
they obviously had a game plan and u were prob not part of there plans the unforunate part of working for someone else ...
good luck 
tom


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## bigfishy

Brent, althou we never met (tried once to Square One, but you were off duty that day)

Is Markham far for you? If not, I can offer you a fish related job ^^ The pay is not as good as a fish room manager, but at least it will get you out of unemployment for awhile

Interested?


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## pjsbrent

bigfishy said:


> Brent, althou we never met (tried once to Square One, but you were off duty that day)
> 
> Is Markham far for you? If not, I can offer you a fish related job ^^ The pay is not as good as a fish room manager, but at least it will get you out of unemployment for awhile
> 
> Interested?


The amount of money I make has never been a deciding factor for me (I was only making a small amount more than minimum wage at PJs.) Let me see if I can find a regular way out there and I'm in.


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## KhuliLoachFan

You might want to talk to Mike at Fnatics too. Maybe he can hook you up with some work. I'm sure his store is fully staffed at the moment, but he does know lots of people who need aquarium work done in their homes, and stuff. 

You might be able to get some temporary setup work while he's setting up his new shop, too. I'd walk in there and talk to him tomorrow, and see if he needs anybody for stuff.


W


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## pjsbrent

I'll stop by and see him tomorrow. The worst that could happen is that I make a new contact. I talked to my lawyer today and he said that because PJ's let me go they broke my contract so I can legally work anywhere.

I also wanted to mention one more thing. I'm not sure if any of you know but I've suffered from severe depression for a few years now. But thanks to all of you and my former staff standing up for me I've never been more happy in my life, even though I'm going through these troubling times. I thank you all for your support and for making me feel as good as I do. My family also thanks you for making it possible for me to be happy when I have every right to be upset. Thanks again to all of you. Who knows where I'd be right now without your support.


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## Jamblor

Hi Brent,

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. The few times we've met you were a great person and helped me out a lot, and it is PJs loss. There is really no reason for me to shop there now.

I'm sure you will move on to bigger and better things. And if you stay in the fish business let us know. I'm sure myself and many others will follow you because of your dedication and customer service.


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## tom g

*hey*

upwards and onwards dude , u know what people like and dont like ,u would be an asset to anyone out there .
hey maybe its time to loose the pj in your name .lol no need to advertise for them .
cheers 
tom


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## Kooka

Wow, just goes to show you what kind of a company PJ's is. I for one won't be spending a dollar there anymore. Brent, I have no doubt a person with you're expert knowledge and experience will find some employment soon. Good luck in the future and hopefully everything goes well for you.


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## pjsbrent

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, I am happy to say that I should be posting shortly with my new work place information. I talked to quite a few stores and every one of them are interested in hiring me. So, I will be going up against PJ's within the next few weeks.


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## J_T

pjsbrent said:


> Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, I am happy to say that I should be posting shortly with my new work place information. I talked to quite a few stores and every one of them are interested in hiring me. So, I will be going up against PJ's within the next few weeks.


Ask the admin to change your user name! Lol

Glad you will be up on your feet again. And directly taking money from the competion. You'll feel good doing it, and your new boss will be glad to have an edge! And pjs market share 

Posted with my Xperia, using Tapatalk 2


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## Symplicity

J_T said:


> Ask the admin to change your user name! Lol
> 
> Glad you will be up on your feet again. And directly taking money from the competion. You'll feel good doing it, and your new boss will be glad to have an edge! And pjs market share
> 
> Posted with my Xperia, using Tapatalk 2


+1 on changing your display name.

Great news brent! I hope things work out and keep us updated.


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## fly4awhiteguy

I'm chiming in on this a little bit late. first off congratulations Brent! I'm glad to hear you have some more work lined up. I think the best part of this whole thread is knowing that the people at head office are reading all of this and realizing how much business they are losing through all this. +1 for the name change.. Mabey AntiPJsBrent???


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## pjsbrent

I will be changing my screen name as soon as I start my new job. The biggest problem I have now is finding a job that will allow me to bring all of the staff that I worked with and want to go with me over time. More than half the staff of PJ's square one have contacted me and asked for a job where ever I end up. 

This may sound real stupid but if pjs offered me my job back I would take it in a heart beat. To me the most important thing is the customer and it would be the best thing for the customer if I stayed where I was (I know this sounds stupid). The second most important thing is my staff. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'd take a bullet for any one of my staff. They're just as important as family to me. Some of my staff have stood up for me even when I've been yelling at them for not working hard enough and that shows how great they are.


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## flash53

Brent 

Congrats on the new job. 

You sound like a 'class act' and have shown professionalism throughout this thread. Please remember it does no good to bad mouth an old employer, but your thoughts belong to you. 

Good luck and keep your head held high.

Steve


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## Ciddian

lemmie know any time about that nick buddy. :3


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## Jaysan

pjsbrent said:


> Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, I am happy to say that I should be posting shortly with my new work place information. I talked to quite a few stores and every one of them are interested in hiring me. So, I will be going up against PJ's within the next few weeks.


Good for you buddy!
and btw, PJ's cant pull the can't work for competition, and from what I remember from my law classes, is even if you signed something stating that you cant work for the competition, I believe that is only effective within a certain amount of km, and it has to be the same type of store., i.e., sells everything, like PetSmart.


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## trailblazer295

I'll be a late comer to this one. Congratulations on bouncing back quick, you are respected in the GTA and have now 5 pages of proof to show how many new customers you will bring to your new company. Square one was a bit of a hike from Markham so I never made it out but I'll be keeping an eye on this thread to see where you end up.


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## pjsbrent

Well my lawyer took a look at my contract and it clearly states that I can't go to the competition if I leave on my own or if I'm fired with cause and I wasn't fired with cause so there's nothing stopping me. As for my screen name I was thinking of having it changed to just Brent.


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## carmenh

Personally, I have boycotted PJ's for years because of their horrendous practices with regards to puppy sales. (Though they no longer sell puppies, I feel that the cessation was more about lack of sufficient profits and the hassle of growing public awareness than genuine realization the breeding operations they were supporting were morally reprehensible.

I'll be looking forward to seeing where you landed, think any store will be lucky to have you...


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## pjsbrent

From personal experience I can tell you that 90% of the stories you've heard about the dogs at PJs were untrue. If even a third of the stories I've heard were actually true I would have only lasted a week before calling the police on them.

What a lot people don't realize is that the stores can only do so much with the resources they have. When people try boycotting the store they end up taking away resources and causing the same problems they complain about. I know that may sound stupid but it's true. There isn't a single person working there that would willingly allow harm to come to an animal.


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## carmenh

Within the walls of the store, I'm sure this is true, but I've had several friends and acquaintances that have worked in the Superpet/PJ's organization in various capacities. Over the years, I've heard things through them and through rescue channels that make me uncomfortable supporting them. Nuf said, don't want to get sued


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## pjsbrent

Ahh, good point in that. I was never privy to information from out side the store other that things fish related. My comment still stands but only relates to things within the walls of the store.


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## Mlevi

pjsbrent said:


> Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, I am happy to say that I should be posting shortly with my new work place information. I talked to quite a few stores and every one of them are interested in hiring me. So, I will be going up against PJ's within the next few weeks.


Excellent!
It takes a special dedication to work at a pet store, and you have that in bunches. Will be looking forward to seeing where you go next, as you will be bringing along with you an established clientele 

Good Luck!


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## Web Wheeler

carmenh said:


> Personally, I have boycotted PJ's for years because of their horrendous practices with regards to puppy sales. (Though they no longer sell puppies, I feel that the cessation was more about lack of sufficient profits and the hassle of growing public awareness than genuine realization the breeding operations they were supporting were morally reprehensible.
> 
> I'll be looking forward to seeing where you landed, think any store will be lucky to have you...


I think this documentary by Wendy Mesley, reporting for CBC Marketplace, had a large influence on P.J.'s to stop selling puppies:

How much do you know about that puppy in the window?


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## Fishfur

I don't check this bit of the forum very often, so I only just learned about your troubles Brent. Only met you a couple of times, but was very impressed with your attitude and the time you were willing to spend talking about the animals I was thinking of buying, and by the way the fish room looked, without all those bare tanks I find depressing in most stores. Sorry to hear about the depression too, been there a few times and it's hell, and more power to you that you haven't allowed it to stop you. PJ's just lost another customer, and I'd be more than pleased to tell them how foolish they were to let you go. I wish you the best of success wherever you end up and hope to see you, wherever that may be once you get settled. Considering what you get paid for the work, you were always above and beyond, and I will never understand companies that put dedicated employees like you out, while keeping others that will never bring them a fraction of the business and loyalty you did. Best of luck to you.


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## pjsbrent

Thank you so much for your kind words. It's nice to know that I was appreciated by the customers because that's the most important thing to me. I did land on my feet by the way. I'm now working at Aquatic Kingdom and I'm loving every minute of it.



Fishfur said:


> I don't check this bit of the forum very often, so I only just learned about your troubles Brent. Only met you a couple of times, but was very impressed with your attitude and the time you were willing to spend talking about the animals I was thinking of buying, and by the way the fish room looked, without all those bare tanks I find depressing in most stores. Sorry to hear about the depression too, been there a few times and it's hell, and more power to you that you haven't allowed it to stop you. PJ's just lost another customer, and I'd be more than pleased to tell them how foolish they were to let you go. I wish you the best of success wherever you end up and hope to see you, wherever that may be once you get settled. Considering what you get paid for the work, you were always above and beyond, and I will never understand companies that put dedicated employees like you out, while keeping others that will never bring them a fraction of the business and loyalty you did. Best of luck to you.


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## Fishfur

That's great.. it's only a few blocks from me.. so I'll be seeing you !


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## arktixan

I took a mini break from this forum went to visit you last week, and heard the horrible news!

Truly sorry to hear that Brent, I hope to visit you soon at the new place.


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## mikeymike

pjsbrent said:


> Thank you so much for your kind words. It's nice to know that I was appreciated by the customers because that's the most important thing to me. I did land on my feet by the way. I'm now working at Aquatic Kingdom and I'm loving every minute of it.


That's fantastic Brent. Been there a few times and its much better than that other place you just came from. *cough pjs*cough 
With a better store budget you can get much better stock now. Periodically I'll skoot inside PJ's just for curiosity, never really planning to buy anything because they never seem to have interesting fish I like.
Except for that one time over a year ago when I bought a few GoldNugget Plecos and that SnowBall Pleco from you. Outside of the unusual fact that I would even find such Plecos in a community store was the fact that you knew so much about your stock.

At any rate congrats on the new landing.


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