Can a cactus/succulent come from the store dead?

[Jenn]

I've been having issues with cacti/succulents I've gotten from places other than greenhouses. I think the problem might be that their root systems have already died/are dying when I get them. For example I had this mammillaria mystax that a friend gave me (probably from somewhere like Lowe's) and it died, when I checked it's roots they were basically all gone and completely dry (even tho it seemed to die from root rot). When I repotted it the roots seemed not well too, but I was hoping giving it time to root before watering would be fine. Is this possible or am I just a bad plant grower??

[Aloinopsis]

They're sold dead all the time. The most prominent example is rosette succulents that are sold heavily painted in metallic paint. Those plants are effectively dead when you buy them.

Commercial greenhouses and nurseries have very different and much more regulated, constant, environment condition than your house, so that is why plants there can often be kept in cheap potting mix or even peat.

I find what happens is that the plants arrive alive at the store but begin to die at some point on the shelves. Root rot or loss is pretty common because the soils used in the commercial facility don't often translate to the store or your house.