I would give zero stars if that was an option. I don't frequent pet stores that sell puppies or kittens, because most if not all of the animals come from puppy mills. But I was in the area with time to kill, and succumbed to curiosity.
What I saw were 29 puppies confined in a small glass display case, the "cages" were approximately 4ft long, 3.5 ft tall and 3.5ft deep. Definitely an inadequate amount of space to keep a puppy, some cases held up to 3 puppies. The bedding was shredded newspaper, which the puppies used to sleep on, teethe, and go to the bathroom in.
Each display case had a sticker containing the individual puppy's information: breed, date of birth, sex, origin, chip #, state ID, and color. Looking at the selection of the puppies I saw that many of them were coming from, Minnesota (MN), Missouri (MO), and Indiana (IN).
Hoping that not all pet stores live up to the bad reputation of getting their puppies from puppy mills. I asked one of the employee's if I could see one of their Pembroke welsh corgi puppies. They brought him out and I got to sit with him in the little play area, where customers can meet and interact with the puppy. I sat down and played with him for a few minutes, observing the puppies behavior. The puppy appeared to be a little timid and nervous. I asked where the puppy came from and the employee responded that it came from a "Breeder" and nothing more. Responsible breeders would NOT sell their puppies to a pet store or any commercial retail store for that matter.
After leaving the store I felt compelled to do some research about Pet Express and where they they get their animals from. I read many reviews that said they purchased puppies from Pet Express and ended up having health issues. When looking for information on where the puppies came from, the only information I found was from their website, which states "All Puppies are purchased through USDA certified, trained, and inspected Breeders/Dealers" (Petexpress.com). Again responsible and reputable breeders would not sell their puppies to a pet store.
I will never recommend buying a puppy or kitten from Pet Express or any other pet store.
If you're looking for a specific breed there are breed specific rescues, you can also look up reputable breeders in your local area. I would also recommend checking out your local animal shelter.
For information about where pet stores get their animals from I've provided links below.
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/puppy_mills/facts/pet_store_doublespeak.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/allenstjohn/2012/02/22/where-not-to-buy-a-dog-the-pet-store-connection-to-the-business-of-puppy-mills/#42d7b53f1d1c read more