Associate
They are the PC World equivalent of pet shops.
Made me laugh but sadly very true.
I just love their holier than thou attitude when interrogating you about tank/water parameters etc before selling you their disease-riddled fish
It might only take 2 - 3 weeks to cycle your water -my current tank took 6+ weeks but that's cos mine has a special type of soil in there that leaches loads of ammonia initially. My first basic tank took about 2 weeks to cycle. There's some stuff (such as Filter Start) that can kick start your filter bacteria and shave a few days off the cycle. Some works, some doesn't.
Most fish shops will test your water for free.
Personally I'd get your water cycled & stick some guppies or neon tetras in there. Forget about goldfish -they're messy & boring anyway