I have an idea to get WalMart to hear us

[Bettabelieveit]

My walmart is Kenosha, Wisconsin Ph: 262-652-1039... A little about my walmart, There hasen't been a ONE time that I've gone in without there being dead fish in the tanks, the betta cups are scummy, and while in decent sized cups, if they've been there a while, it's obvious there hasent been water changes, due to evaporation. Then there's the case of the fish I saved, where someone thought it a good idea to put him in a tank with the other fish, and because this fish was so stressed he was floating by a dead frog, in a corner, trying to hide. I'm almost positive that being by that frog is what caused his death.

 

[oneponygirl]

My Walmart is Walmart Superstore #2121 100 E Wallace Kneeland Bvld
Shelton, WA 98584 (360) 427-6226

I have been there about a half a dozen times since we moved here and always walk through the pet department. The regular fish tanks have no gravel or decorations, they are usually dirty and I believe that I have always seen dead fish in at least one tank. The last time there was a cluster of dead fish in one (at least 5 all lumped together) and many in other tanks seemed ill - drab colors, listless, floating crooked.

The betta bowls are tiny (particularly small for the females), dirty and the last time I was there there was at least one male betta that looked to be on deaths door. I wish I could take over the department of take them all home with me but I know buying them gives the store the wrong idea.

 

[Synirr]

What a great idea BettaMomma!
My Walmart is:
Wal-Mart Supercenter Store #163
Nacogdoches, TX 75965
(936) 560-6969

The bettas are just put on the shelf and forgotten. Their water is never changed and they are never fed; just left to rot. I suspect that, as many Walmart stores reportedly do, when they have too many bettas left over from the last shipment and they're getting a new shipment, they just flush them (they mysteriously disappear sometimes.)
There are almost always diseased fish in the main tanks, and I usually at least one dead fish in each tank. Usually the tanks have waterstains on the outside because employees are too lazy to even wipe them off. Dead fish sometimes appear to have been dead for half a day or more and have still not been removed. Basically it's a haven for filth and disease. Next time I go to Walmart (in the next couple of days) I'll try to remember to snag some pictures for you to send along with your complaint. No one is ever in the fish section, so I'm sure no one will stop me from taking pictures

 

[daudy_dojo]

good idear im gonna buy a 5 dollar camera and get my walmart info... and take pictures

 

[Kara101584]

Super Idea!

Wal-Mart Supercenter Store #1975
14 Bowen Street
Claremont, NH 03743
(603) 542-2703

I've found male & females mixed together in tanks with guppies.
Once I came upon 5-6 cups that someone had dumped a handful of "Tropical Flakes" into. The water was so caked with food the fish could barely move.
And, I've found that they don't pay attention to the Bettas, and some customers put two males in one cup.
The following pictures are from a Betta I purchansed from the above Wal*Mart in HORRIBLE condition...See his entire tail in the bottom of the cup!??!?!

Hope that helps! Let us know how it goes....!

 

[Haiku]

Wal-Mart Store #1633
380 - 33rd Ave S
St. Cloud, MN 56301
(320) 259-1527

I've only been twice, but it has been this year. The other tanks looked ok. The first time there were a few betta bowls with bettas in brown filthy water, rotted fins, and they were all sitting on the bottom clamped up. It definitely looked like they were bound for death rather than a sale.

The second time, they had a new shipment in. They had stacked the bowls, some as high as three high (so how could they feed them? ), and when I looked at them closer, one of the bottom cups that had another cup stacked on top of it had a dead betta in it.


Thank you for giving us a way to help in the fight against fish cruelty BettaMomma.

 

[BettaMomma]

Wow - thanks for all this great (although depressing) info everyone.
KEEP THEM COMING!!!
I've already started typing up my report.

Just a few comments about things I've learned about WM fish treatmeng, in response to some of the comments I've read in this thread thus far.

As far as some of their bettas being dumped in with fish in the large tanks - they do this because they don't have any extra cups to move them to (which makes me IRATE, but a lot of things they do makes me that way...). Anyway - I found that out over the course of my ranting and raving - every time I went to a store where a fish needed to have something done with it - for instance, one of the cups had a crack in it and was dripping - and the fish would be dried up by morning if I hadn't said anything - he picked up the fish and dumped it in with a bunch of platies right in front of me. He said it was all he could do. I also blatantly re-arrange the cups when I'm in there too - so they can get air and so they can feed them easier.

Also - when you see fish who have that nasty algae junk on the bottom of their cup, it means they've been there for a long time, and/or that cup has been there for a long time. Occasionally, people will request that their betta be put into a bag before they take it home, and in a case like that, they keep the cup to reuse if they need one. And of course the cups are never wiped or cleaned out whatsoever.

Okay, anyway - I'm off to get my report really going.
KEEP THESE COMING! And thanks

 

[BettaMomma]

PEEEEEEEEEEEOPLE....

I know you have WalMart stories out there....
And i know you're just itching to tell them.....

I need them so I can get them into our report for the Humane Society.......

 

[eudielynn]

Since the one closest to me has cleaned up their act, I can't really complain about them, but give us a day or so, and I for one will be checking all the Walmarts in my area. I think there are 4 or 5 I can check out that are within a reasonable distance.

 

[BettaMomma]

I drove 425 miles yesterday.
I saw 9 walmarts on the way.
I didn't have the time to stop at any of them. uugh
It almost killed me!

 

[Karah's_Mommy]

Walmart SuperCenter
3911 Bienville Blvd
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
228-875-4036

This is my local Walmart. There are several in this area and I will try to check them out. This store sounds better than the majority I've read about, but it's still not good enough. There are always dead fish in the tanks. I haven't found a dead betta in a cup yet, but I have several times found 2 males or a male and female in the same cup. That's how I got Shred. The cups are usually half full, not in terrible condition, but they could be better. Some of the kids in the department know a little bit about fish, and do listen when I have something to tell them about taking care of the fish. Others in the department just don't care. They're happy to tell you that bettas live in puddles and footprints in the mud, so the betta keepers they have are more that sufficient to keep a betta in. I've also heard them tell a lady that she could go home and fill her brand new tank with water, then come back and get new fish and they'll be fine. So they obviously just don't know what they're talking about, or don't care.

You're doing an excellent job Bettamomma , and making a huge difference to these guy's lives. Keep it up and I'll post later with info on other stores in the area.

Here's Shred, that I bought after I found him and another male in the same cup:

 

[BettaMomma]

I always cringe when I see pictures of these guys with shards of fins left.
Poor, poor little things.

Thanks for sharing your info, it will most DEFINITELY be going into the report.

 

[SRC]

the walmart i go to is in blaine, minnesota. they are pretty good, cept the fish only last for about 1 1/2 years, which sorta suck...

Considering Betta's usually only live for 1-3 years and when you get them from Walmart (or any pet store really) they are usually full grown already...getting 1 1/2 years out of them..is actually doing remarkably well..considering.


Anyways...

Most of mine are in "ok" conditions when in regards to the bettas..but of course you have your occassional dead betta floating in a cup, and of course your nasty cups that are brown...but out of 10 bettas usually only 1 or 2 are that way.

The other fish are usually the ones that have the "floaters" in them. But the way those fish are handled on the way to the store, then not acclimated before being put in the tanks..it's no wonder really (of course not chainging the filters/water on a regular basis has alot to do with it I'm sure ).

Here is a list of the Walmarts I visit:

Wal-Mart Supercenter Store #762
9248 Parkway East
Birmingham, AL 35206
(205) 833-7676
Dead/Sick Bettas
Dead/Sick Tropicals
Dead/Sick GoldFish

Wal-Mart Supercenter Store #1201
890 Odum Road
Gardendale, AL 35071
(205) 631-8110
Dead/Dirty Bettas
Dead Tropicals

Fish are given activities though and clean water. No fish with visible illness, i.e. ick or Fungus.

Wal-Mart Store #1711
5401 Beacon Drive
Irondale, AL 35210
(205) 956-0416
Dead/Sick Bettas
Dead/Sick Tropicals
Dead/Sick GoldFish

Wal-Mart Supercenter Store #2713
5919 Trussville Crossings Pkwy
Birmingham, AL 35235
(205) 661-1957
Dead/Sick Bettas
Dead/Sick Tropicals
Dead/Sick GoldFish

Wal-Mart Supercenter Store #562
8551 Whitfield Ave
Leeds, AL 35094
(205) 699-0701
Dead/Sick Bettas
Dead/Sick Tropicals
Dead/Sick GoldFish

Wal-Mart Supercenter Store #2723
690 Highway 78
Sumiton, AL 35148
(205) 648-4100
Dead/Sick Bettas
Dead/Sick Tropicals
Dead/Sick GoldFish

Wal-Mart Supercenter Store #1158
2473 Hackworth Road
Birmingham, AL 35214
(205) 798-9721
Dead/Sick Bettas
Dead/Sick Tropicals
Dead/Sick GoldFish

If anyone needs their Walmart's information....go to www.Walmart.com and scroll down toe "store locator" type in your zip code and voila...all the info you coudl ever need.

 

[SRC]

good idear im gonna buy a 5 dollar camera and get my walmart info... and take pictures

You know you can go to jail for that, right?

Walmart does not allow people to take pictures inside their stores, they will call the police on you if they catch you.

How do I know this you wonder...we were having a scavenger hunt..where we looked for stuff and took pictures...they caught us..and told us if we didn't leave right then they would call the cops.

I don't think I'd push that...

...but if you had a camera phone......... B)

 

[50000_tears]

noone is ever back there at mine i wouldent get caught..be happy i know of one very good walmart in Mount Vernon ILL ,doesnt sell fish at all only suplys!