The Poor Fish At Wal-mart

[Elise]

I was at wal-mart with my dad and, of course, we walked over to the betta section. Immediately I noticed all those cups were stacked right on top of each other, blocking all air holes. And most of the fish were dirty and sick with no air room in the cups. Without looking around I said terribly loud, who the hell stacks these cups like this, it blocks the air holes and look how dirty and nasty the poor fish are. Then I went about organizing the fish (I always put the sick/dirty ones in the front so someone takes care of them and they don't die). Then, muttering to myself about the quality of fish care at this particular walmart, I turned around to see 2-3 wal-mart associates helping about 10 people with fish buying...including 3 people carrying bettas. They all had they're jaws dropped. Usually there's no one in the fish department! Then some of the customers congradulated me on helping them. Course the wal-mart associates gave me if looks could kills type of gaze. Even if I pissed off those guys, at least I made some of the customers aware of the fish care. Hehe, and I got my dad hooked on the bettas.....I think he's going to go buy one for his desk.

 

[Kiarra]

Sounds like you did a good thing.

And another Betta finding a good home is never a bad thing.

 

[whip]

Maybe I'm wrong but it doesn't make sense to keep buying these fish. The more you buy the more that Walmart will get to sell. The more fish they get in the more the fish suffer. It's a never ending circle. Don't support places that don't take care of the animals.

 

[mm_simb]

Maybe I'm wrong but it doesn't make sense to keep buying these fish. The more you buy the more that Walmart will get to sell. The more fish they get in the more the fish suffer. It's a never ending circle. Don't support places that don't take care of the animals.

You have to understand that people who are saving these bettas and who go around worrying about them are not the only people that buy them. Even if they don't save them someone else will get them and they wont know anything about them. Most people that save bettas from these situations don't buy things from there eitherway. They just get the betta and get supplies from somewhere else. I dont think it's supporting them at all. Less than 4 dollars to this store is not bad.

 

[BettaMomma]

My purchasing bettas from WalMart has actually hurt their business on the bottom line.
I have been so completely disgusted by the way they treat their fish that I have all together stopped buying other stuff from their store and just buy sick fish. NOTHING else. So ultimately, they're getting far less from me by my buying sick fish.

Besides, if no one rescues them they'll die eventually.
Most of the fish I have rescued from there would have died had they not gotten the proper care - or wound up with someone who took the time to investigate what disease or special needs they had.

I will continue to buy sick fish from these places until there are no more sick fish to buy. Which I highly doubt will ever happen. It's not supporting their cause - if you ask me, they're shooting themselves in the foot by not taking better care of them.

 

[GSD]

well done

 

[eudielynn]

Even if we boycott these stores, it doesn't do the fish any good. We need to draw attention to the problems not just avoid them. By complaining to management, pointing out problems to store employees, and education of others we can, and do make a difference. I recently started making purchases in the local Walmart here, because they have started to take care of their fish properly. This weekend the tanks were sparkling clean, no dead fish, and tanks were not overcrowded. Bettas were in the cups, but the cups were clean and I found no evidence of disease. I don't know if my constant complaints over the years helped, but something did. I also made it a point to leave a note at the customer service desk for the manager complimenting him on the change in the fish department.

 

[WILDER]

Well done, yes bettaMomma that's the way to go then they have to listen when profits go down.

 

[BettaMomma]

Yes - you are right on for letting the management know that you appreciate the efforts to improve the place. Nice work! Just like we should all let them know if we decide not to buy things there anymore, and most importantly WHY. Someone said to me once... "Do you think they make the association with selling less shampoo and toothpaste with how they treat their fish?" and I said "They sure the heck do because I LET THEM KNOW why I'm not buying shampoo and toothpaste there anymore."

We just have to make sure we make it known what we're doing and why

 

[MegTheFish]

The fish you buy will just be replaced with another fish. That fish will eventually get sick and die (if nobody buys it). I don't really understand how you think thats helping.
Even though you guys complain to the employees about the terrible conditions that the fish are kept in, the employee is thinking "Hey, we must be doing something right, since your buying the fish!".

 

[BettaMomma]

I apologize in advance - I'm about to go on a bit of a rant. This subject is very near and dear to my heart.

Many a poor WalMart employee and manager have had to endure a nice conversation with me on the reason why I have bought a sick fish. I bought a fish with his tail severed off. I bought a blind fish. I bought a fish with acute viral hemorraghic septicemia. I bought a fish that was so covered with cottony fungus and had his fins ripped up so bad it looked like he had been sucked into a tornado with cotton candy. And most of the rest of them have had some pretty severe finrot.

Every single time I buy a fish like that, I let them know why and I most certainly let them know that for that reason I'm not buying other things there. It has gotten to district management, because whenever I talk to the store, I take it to district management level. They know what's happening. Maybe I am opening the door for "another sick fish" to take that one's place, but at least the 15 fish I have bought have had a much better life than they would have. And do you know what happens to fish that sit on the shelf and get sicker and sicker? They die. And then they're replaced anyway. So I don't think I'm contributing to any problem - nor would I if I had bought a thousand bettas who were sick and/or dying. The problem will go on with or without those of us who rescue them, they'll just end up as discarded little carcases rather than beautiful vibrant little boys swimming freely in a clean happy tank like they deserve to.

Again, I'm really sorry for the rant and I did not mean for this to be a personal attack on anyone. I have just invested a LOT of time, effort and emotion into trying to at least make a dent in making things right at a lot of these stores and it makes me angry when people suggest that we just leave them there to rot away.

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now.

 

[MegTheFish]

I'm sorry too, I didn't mean to get mad ) Forgive me?
The people over at petfish.net must of brain washed me, because there all agaisn't the "don't support Walmart" thing and if somebody makes a post saying "I rescued a betta from Walmart" they literally flip out on them...then chew them up and spit them back out. This is one of the reasens I left that board (Ok, I won't lie, I was banned from there ).
But I guess I kind of understand what your saying, but I will stick to what I believe and you can stick to what you believe, so its all good

 

[BettaMomma]

I'm sorry too, I didn't mean to get mad ) Forgive me?
The people over at petfish.net must of brain washed me, because there all agaisn't the "don't support Walmart" thing and if somebody makes a post saying "I rescued a betta from Walmart" they literally flip out on them...then chew them up and spit them back out. This is one of the reasens I left that board (Ok, I won't lie, I was banned from there ).
But I guess I kind of understand what your saying, but I will stick to what I believe and you can stick to what you believe, so its all good

ABSOLUTELY.
And I'm so glad that you aren't upset by my response.
I ALWAYS hate ranting and raving. Well, not when it's to a store or someone who really deserves it.

I know what you're saying, and I completely agree with you 100%, in the cases where we buy the fish and take them home and don't let them know why we're buying them or that we've stopped shopping there because of how they treat their fish - that benefits no one... Not everyone is as psychotic about it as I am or just isn't comfortable enough in bring it to the attention of the management.

LOL - you got banned from there?
I wonder what the heck they'd do to me over there. I've never been on that forum, for sure.
LMAO

I might have to stop by and just lurk for a while.
heh heh heh

 

[MegTheFish]

Yah, actually, I've been banned from a lot of boards including aquamaniacs, flippernfins, fishprofiles and another one...I think its called the tropical fish tank or something. I just get into arguments over something and because I'm not a mod (its usually a mod that I get into a fight with for some strange reasen...) I'm the one that gets kicked out. To tell you the truth, that will probebly happen here too, but I hope it doesn't. People just need to let me know when I need to shut up (or they need to shut up in most cases!). It's already happened here actually... Mawhahahaha.....

 

[BettaMomma]

I just went to petfish.net and it drove me CRAZY.
The layout of how that forum is seems like it's 2nd grade compared to this site.
I couldn't even stay to post more than once.

UUUGH

What a nice forum we have here.