Not so Smart @ Petsmart

[wrs]

I dont think petsmart educates people that much. I went last night to get a severum, and the girl saidf that I couldnt keep one in my tank because I didnt have cichlds. I told her kribs and angels were cichlids, and she siad no theyre not, theyre tropical, and cichlids are not. Cichlids are from african and south america, and no other fish are! So what she was basically saying is that cichlids are cold water fish. and we all know that cichlids come from texa down to south america, spots in between, and not all of africa, just three lakes, and there are two species in asia.

 

[morgan]

I like reading pet-store stories. Free speech?

 

[steelhealr]

..yeah..those nano cube guys can be pretty kooky...LOLOL...wtg grey...my home is only 6 years old and I'm still dreaming of finishing that basement and putting in that dream 200 gallon tank....lol SH

 

[Grey Legion]

My house is 32 years old and I am the first person to finish the basement !?!

it is done within my low budget but looks good and is perfect for my hobbies..

now all I need is furniture...LOL

 

[patti_n_jojo]

i agree, the independent shops r usually family run with years of experience, thats what i stick to here, they seem 2 have a good bit of odd balls and order u ANYTHING on request. they seem to go the extra mile 4 u

 

[BettaMomma]

hoe many posts do I have to read about betta cruelty and we should organize a fish saving group...bla

You don't have to read any of them.
Just like nobody has to read this one, but every single person who has complained to you about the fact that there are 100 posts like this one took the time to click into it and read about it, AND respond to it which baffles me.

Why would you rip on people fighting for the rights of bettas on this forum, and the fact that you see posts like that all of the time, while in the same post be defending the fact that people make posts to ***** about WalMart, PetSmart, PetCo, etc. all the time? That seems like the pot calling the kettle black.
It's the same thing.

I'm glad you posted your experience on here - I, however, have completely stopped posting my bad store experiences on here - I just get on this forum to either lend some advice to someone who is going thru something I might know a little bit about, or if I need help with something. It was made crystal clear to me that this forum had turned into a breeding ground for negativity (which I think is crap because after all - isn't this a "forum" to be able to talk about whatever the heck you want to? Hell, keep the pet store stories coming everyone!), so I just don't post anything about any negative stuff anymore because I don't want to be a major contributor to it anymore. I still march into WalMart, PetSmart, AniMart, the lfs, etc. on a very regular basis, check the fish and make sure they're taken care of. I notify employees if they're not - I throw a fit if they are intentionally not taking care of them, I call, I write letters, I contact the Animal Allegiance, the ASPCA, etc. Tonight I made the guy in the fish department at WalMart change all the betta water in front of me while I waited. But blah - people don't want to hear about that crap anymore.

I really am glad that other folks still share their stories like this, though. I would hope that you keep right on posting about it too. It seems like some people think that if no one talks about a problem it will either go away or it will cease to exist.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

well, i dont think this is a bad store experience, i actually thought this was pretty funny. the employee made herself look stupid. think about this, if one tank was supposed to be for brackish, then why would they make all the tanks have salt?

 

[BettaMomma]

Yeah, she did sound like an idiot.
The guy at WalMart was an idiot too. He told me that it would be more stressful to give this beautiful betta boy a water change than to leave him sit in an entire layer of filth, crap and excess food - he was ill so he obviously wasn't eating, and it was apparent that his water hadn't been changed in days. I told him I was a betta owner myself and I knew better. When he walked away to start changing his water out, a woman who was shopping one aisle over for lotion came over and said "Thank you... for doing that." and she smiled and walked away.

Yeah, it was a funny story but it directly talks about PetSmart.

A LOT of stores who sell fish just are out to make money and couldn't give two craps about the welfare of the fish. The WM guy tonight - I told him to put one betta whose cup had a crack in the bottom into another cup. He said they don't have spare cups. He walked over and dumped him into a tank of mollies. *sigh*
He also told me that WalMart won't even let him have new bulbs for one of their fishtanks when it burned out. and it's been out for 3 weeks.
They are not interested in paying money to have their employees get trained or have experience in working with fish - they just want the most amount of money for the least amount of investment - time and moneywise.

It's a disgusting gluttonous world we live in, and unfortunately we humans were put in charge of controlling everything.

 

[Inchworm]

...I was just making chit chat as this forum allows, I broke no rules and if you don't like my post then choose to not reply...at least I got people to read it, hoe many posts do I have to read about betta cruelty and we should organize a fish saving group...bla

my story was meant to give people a chuckle as it did for me...after I thought about for a bit..

so let's lighten up

Inchworm - my reply is in no way trying to disrespect you or your knowledge, I simple used it as the starting point for my reply..

Hi Grey Legion

I meant no offense to you either; I'm sorry if it appeared that way. And yes, this is the forum for posting subjects of this nature.

I guess I am just getting a bit frustrated by the way everyone seems to be so quick to find fault and how reluctant they seem to be to say positive things about lfs. As a former retail store owner, (not a lfs) I know how hard it is to find and keep good employees. When I see one who makes the effort to talk to and help the customers, that's a big plus in my book.

Perhaps this young woman is just learning and doesn't quite understand how the filtration system works. It is an interesting anecdote and I'm sure we all have similar stories to tell. I remember having to explain to a manager at one of the chains that the "small African frogs" he was selling were not the same thing as African Dwarf Frogs and would grow large enough to swallow a full grown cory cat.

What saddens me is that so many members are happy to bash stores for what is wrong, yet they pass by the opportunities to do something to help. There is a very recent thread by rabbitlady that is a good example of this. She is the manager of a Walmart pet department who is actively seeking information that could help improve the conditions for fish in their stores. But relatively few members took the time to give her the information she is looking for. It would even have been nice if a few people posted to wish her well.

Here's a link to that thread:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=87227

If anyone see this and wants to post on it, it's not too late. IMHO, the surest way to bring about change in any organization is from the inside. If she has the information and support she needs, I'm sure she will do whatever she can to improve conditions for all the fish that pass through Walmart.

 

[Grey Legion]

BettaMomma - after re-reading my post that you qouted it sounded like I was trashing Bettas, that is not the case and I am sorry for that, what I meant is that there are alot of posts that relate to the problem of betta keeping, I do not own nor do I pay much attention to them until I started reading the post on them and how bad they are treated..sorry if I sounded rude, did not mean for it to sound that way..

Inchworm - If you read the entire thread you would see I had a great time at petsmart the 2nd time I went to get some parts and Dwarf Puffers so I do realize we have both good and bad times and I wanted ( and did ) to post both I really don't go out of my way to trash any business ( execpt the one I work for...LOL )
I simply found her comments funny and imagined what else she may say to people who had real fish keeping questions..I am also reading the post from the link you provided and will think of something intelligent to add...thanks for the link