Where do they find these people!?!?

[Aquari_Cam]

When I left this forum a whiles back (different name) I honestly felt a little sad but felt it for the best and am happy to say that most of the people I knew here I still speak too elsewhere.

I have spent the last hour or so reading gripes and moans about individuals and companies, touchy subject guys/gals.

I'll leave you all with the thought that I hope (for the sake of the forum owner and certain posters) that Walmart do not have the same troubles with people expressing their opinions online (regardless of proof) that Mr Novak does.

 

[wetwetwet]

....a different name?

 

[Aquari_Cam]

....a different name?

Yes WWW B)

 

[LiquidLife]

Ok, Walmart is a mega corp.; it relies on customers coming back. As someone on another forum did, maybe you have to write a [non-threatening but professional sounding] letter to the Walmart headquarters pointing out that there are animal cruelty issues at your local store, explain what and send along some betta care info. Give them a couple of weeks and then follow up with either another note, email or phone call. If enough customers complain, Walmart will be forced to change their fish handling ways because they are in business to sell goods and if customers are upset about their fish dept, customers will stop buying. It may mean that you'll have to give a lesson or two to the local employees on how to properly care for fish (bettas) so be prepared. The guy who did this says he goes to his local Walmart periodically to do a quality control check and he says his store is doing a great job now of taking care of bettas.

Just because the employees don't have college degrees doesn't mean they are mentally deficient; correct fish/animal care isn't depend on intellect or IQ. Many of them just don't know how to care for fish and since the corp. doesn't expect them to perform more than minimally, they only do what is needed. However, you can motivate the Walmart Corp. to demand that their employees learn correct fish care (maybe from you)--but you have to have the commitment to follow through. Just complaining gets you nowhere.

 

[kevin007]

Ok, Walmart is a mega corp.; it relies on customers coming back. As someone on another forum did, maybe you have to write a [non-threatening but professional sounding] letter to the Walmart headquarters pointing out that there are animal cruelty issues at your local store, explain what and send along some betta care info. Give them a couple of weeks and then follow up with either another note, email or phone call. If enough customers complain, Walmart will be forced to change their fish handling ways because they are in business to sell goods and if customers are upset about their fish dept, customers will stop buying. It may mean that you'll have to give a lesson or two to the local employees on how to properly care for fish (bettas) so be prepared. The guy who did this says he goes to his local Walmart periodically to do a quality control check and he says his store is doing a great job now of taking care of bettas.

Just because the employees don't have college degrees doesn't mean they are mentally deficient; correct fish/animal care isn't depend on intellect or IQ. Many of them just don't know how to care for fish and since the corp. doesn't expect them to perform more than minimally, they only do what is needed. However, you can motivate the Walmart Corp. to demand that their employees learn correct fish care (maybe from you)--but you have to have the commitment to follow through. Just complaining gets you nowhere.

well said, i agree

Kev

 

[val]

They always like to mix up the fish to add diversity, I guess. It's a shame. Bettas are such beautiful fish.


Valerie

 

[baseballfan111]

I was in walmart today and i just went to get some food for my fish and there was a mum and her little son and they were happly geting 2 bettas from the tanks, the walmart guy took -1- bag and put a betta in there and was about to put another betta in that same BAG! i yelled at him! Im not blameing the employes im blaming WALMArT

 

[Lipreader]

baseballfan111, I'm glad you said something to them. I can't believe they would put two betta in the same bag! tsk, tsk, tsk!

 

[sandyd]

I just wanted to say that i went to Walmart the other day and looked at the bettas in there. I was so upset about it. Their cups were half full with such dirty water that i dont know how they were breathing, there were also no holes in the top of the cups at all. I got so upset that i took it upon myself to put holes in the tops of the cups to let in fresh air. I then went to management and told them what i had done. They told me that the "regular" fish person was out with a family emergency. I told them i can understand that, but that the fish still need to be cared for. I explained that they like us need air to breath and believe it or not, he did not know that. He then brought over some employees to help the little guys out.
The mooral of this story, is this. If you see that the bettas are getting poor treatment in your store, then speak up about it. Most of the stores do not want the psople who shop there to be upset about the store. I think if more people were to speak up about what they see going wrong there, they may take more time with the fish in the department.

Sandy

 

[baseballfan111]

did they stack the cups

 

[sandyd]

No, they were not stacked this time, as i already had that conversation with them, but they were all tightly closed with NO air holes in tops at all. I took one of the decorations off the shelf and poked holes in the tops of every one of them. I asked management if they could breath through a plastic bag. LOL I went back there today and all of the water had been changed, even if the cups are not full. They said they dont fill them so that there is an air pocket on top for them to breath, and so that the water does not spill out. They all have my air holes in them, so they are happier. Sandy

 

[baseballfan111]

good job keep it up

 

[SneakBetta]

That would be a great if you could--your Walmart bettas would appreciate it. However, I doubt the Walmart allows its workers to use bigger tanks for individual bettas--limited space and cost. You'd also probably be taking home (buying) more bettas then you planned on just to save them from dying slow deaths. But at least the small cups would be cleaned every day and they'd have appropriate lids, and you'd dispense legitimate, helpful advice.

yeah, they would never put in a 5 gallon (or whatever sized tank) for a betta.

 

[HooDude]

Umm, I work in livestock at Petcetera.

I'd like you to realise... sir.... that we (the targets of middle-management abuse and customer ignorance) are paid minimum wage, to do a job that we are not trained to properly do.

You implied in your post that the people who work in the fish departments of large chains are stupid or incompetent, because of their actions. Well I would like to present you with a similar situation:

You are a sales associate in an automotive products store. However, you know nothing about cars or how they work, just the basics. Your guess is as good as anyone else's on what they can or should do for their car. Now, you have customer after customer come in and tell you all about their car and the problems they have with it, and expect you to know how to fix it, or to advise them on something they can do. You don't know, so you make an educated guess, or ask your manager. These customers go away shaking their heads thinking you must be retarded or something because you don't know where they can find a choke rod for a 1993 Ford Taurus.

Does this make you stupid and incompetent? In your customer's eyes, yes. But are you? Well if you got the job then probly not. You're probly trying hard to answer the questions people ask you, and do your best to help, but it just isn't enough because there is no way, that without plain old experiance, that you can know how to help everyone.

Now how would you feel if someone went online and ranted about how dumb you were because you couldn't fix their problem? Would you feel frustrated, that you try so hard and yet some people are just so inconsiderate? Would you be angry that somebody thought you to be a lesser person just because you don't know as much as they do?

Now ask yourself this: Who is the actual stupid person in this scenario? And who is the actual stupid person in the Wal-Mart fish scenario?

____________________________________________________________________

I hope you understand the point i'm making.

____________________________________________________________________

 

[cichlid_freak]

HooDude,

I'm very proud of you. It was a delight to read a spirited post from you on a subject you obviously care much about, and it not leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

Now, in reply... If memory serves me right, you have had several years of experience with fish, correct? This would lead me to believe that you would be able to answer some generic questions about common fish or apply common sense gained from experience to situations. You may not know the best situation for animals you seldom carry or have never encountered, but who could blame you? However, I do have some modest requirements (reads expectations) of ANYONE who sells a live animal, or really anything for that matter, "Know your product."- As someone who is depended on to sell an item, or creature, you must be able to inform your potential customer about the product and proper use/maintinance. If selling a vacuum, you must be able to tell the customer how to change the bag; if a tv, how to turn it on; if a CD player, how to use it; if a fish, how to care for it.

Now, I know that you "consider" fish a product, and if you have that opinion, I can't change it. But, you still have an obligation to the customer to care for that product. Would you knowingly sell a broken product? Would you throw mirrors around, and claim that you didn't know it could break?


In my opinion, Ignorance is no excuse! I don't mean stupidity, I mean ignorance, or having the ability and capacity to learn but choosing not to.

I'll get off my soapbox now.