I find it interesting that people complain that the animals here are kept in fish tanks with straw beds and the place smells. Um... Animals smell, they should smell, any messes have been cleaned up within minutes, they are fed and watered and in good condition. I find it much more disturbing that the other pet store in this mall has (smaller) antiseptic looking pods with no soft place to lay down, fluorescent lighting (which, are HOT) and litters are seperated. As far as the puppy mill feel. I don't quite understand why a few litter of puppies penned together says "puppy mill" but one puppy of 20 different breeds does not say "puppy mills owned by a large chain company".
I visit this store every single time I go to Great Northern Mall, the animals are clean and well kept, they actually provide up to date and relevant information on their animals (When was the last time a pet store disclosed a pet was in mid-treament for worms or which set of shots the puppies have had and will need? Answer: They will not or they will provide you a generic shot checklist). Often, they have pets that they are re-homing. I have also only seen one animal showing signs of sickness here (A cat, kept in a seperate space, with a note that the cat would not be sold until she recovered)
If you prefer the antiseptic Pick-A-Pet type store, that's fine with me, but I really haven't see any true mistreament of these animals at Pick of the Litter. It seems like the other reviewers are letting a non-traditional environment bother them more than anything else.