RandomWiktor
Rabid Betta Activist
Ok, a few weeks ago, I had to stop by the fish section to get some ammonia test strips for my goldfish as an emergency (my mom + fish = bad things). While I was in the section browsing, I took a quick glance at the bettas and was very quickly appaled. While some lazy store employee sat around joking with her friends, there were ELEVEN dead bettas on display. Some had been sitting so long the water was brown and they were covered with fuzz. The few survivors were in horrific shape; two were in the advanced stages of dropsy, one was furry with fungus and bleeding from the gills, and the only "healthy" looking one was skinny and sitting at the bottom of the cup unmoving and breathing heavy. I've called Wallmart several times to complain, and avoid shopping there unless its one of those midnight shopping emergencies, so I was appaled to see the fish in such poor condition despite numerous complains. And that woman was just sitting there joking and laughing while they all rotted in cups....
Well, I tend to have outbursts when I'm feeling exceptionally pissed, and out of sheer tired stupidity, I grabbed all eleven dead fish, shoved them in the startled employees arms, and asked her why in the hell she was sitting on her can while the fish in the store were slowly dying horrible deaths. I began ranting about how stores like Wallmart treat lives like products, and how there were promoting animal suffering, and how their irresponsible betta care was giving the wrong impression to the public etc. In other words, I turned into a ranting, raving phsychopath, and they had to call security and have me escorted out of the store. I was banned for several weeks from returning.
I felt pretty embarassed about the outburst, and I think if I wasn't suffering from "overtired college student who had a really crappy week" syndrome, I'd have not made such a fuss. I guessed at the time that the one good thing about this was it drew a large crowd, so maybe a few people caught the gist of what I was saying. However, I went back in a few nights ago out of an urgent need for steering column fluid (its no fun walking uphill in a snowstorm at night, if I may add that), and was pleased to see that there were no dead fish on display, the fish there were all in great shape save for one with the first touches of fin rot showing, and there was a new staffer manning the section who seemed reasonably fish-knowledgable; she was talking these people out of buying a goldfish to keep in their 2 gallon bowl at home. I'm wondering if Wallmart's fear of attracting fundamentalist psychopaths caused them to make a bit of a change.
Well, I tend to have outbursts when I'm feeling exceptionally pissed, and out of sheer tired stupidity, I grabbed all eleven dead fish, shoved them in the startled employees arms, and asked her why in the hell she was sitting on her can while the fish in the store were slowly dying horrible deaths. I began ranting about how stores like Wallmart treat lives like products, and how there were promoting animal suffering, and how their irresponsible betta care was giving the wrong impression to the public etc. In other words, I turned into a ranting, raving phsychopath, and they had to call security and have me escorted out of the store. I was banned for several weeks from returning.
I felt pretty embarassed about the outburst, and I think if I wasn't suffering from "overtired college student who had a really crappy week" syndrome, I'd have not made such a fuss. I guessed at the time that the one good thing about this was it drew a large crowd, so maybe a few people caught the gist of what I was saying. However, I went back in a few nights ago out of an urgent need for steering column fluid (its no fun walking uphill in a snowstorm at night, if I may add that), and was pleased to see that there were no dead fish on display, the fish there were all in great shape save for one with the first touches of fin rot showing, and there was a new staffer manning the section who seemed reasonably fish-knowledgable; she was talking these people out of buying a goldfish to keep in their 2 gallon bowl at home. I'm wondering if Wallmart's fear of attracting fundamentalist psychopaths caused them to make a bit of a change.
This post really cracks me up and brings a smile to my face. Dam crazy animal rights activists.
... sorry it had you booted from the wally place though.
atop the bettas that said...."these bettas need to have airholes in their lids because they need to breath the same air we do...... and the tiny x's aren't enough either. 
over to customer service and explained what I saw.... one gal behind the desk knew something about fish and also understood the need for the lids to have air holes, she mentions ammonia build up and stress. She said they have it taken care immediately. She thought it already had been taken care of with the new bowls..... I was thanked for letting them know. 
