This is a rant, read and laugh!

K

kristalAK

Medium Fish
#1
Feb 9, 2006
70
0
0
Anchorage Alaska
#1
On a midnight run to the other WalMart here in town for some much needed ice cream (feels great on a strep throat) I of course stopped in the fish section to see who was home. And they had dragonfish in a tank with angels, and again no information, just a $6.95 price tag. I waited about 15min before going to a nearby register and asking for assistance. I asked the guy what kind of fish it was and he replied "Some sort of eel" I asked him what water conditions they like and he says "uhh... freshwater" I asked about feeding, breeding, habits.. and all he could do was nervously laugh and look at the ground! I WAS FURIOUS! So unfortunately I layed into the poor kid and he went for his manager whose response was "Without us having the proper education and training ourselves, we cant very well provide our employees with education and training" My jaw almost hit the floor. I directed them to this website and a few others lol and let them know (not as politely as I should have) that their lack of knowledge in their pet section with live fish is apalling and that its stores like that to blame for so many poorly kept fish tanks. The manager just kept blaming his managers and I was just fed up I told him to manup and take some ownership for the failure at his store and take this encounter and go educate yourself and then your staff. If you are going to carry things in your store, how with a sound mind are you going to sell it to someone else not knowing anything about it. He didn't have much else to say, so I went home.


And I didn't even get my ice cream.
 

cakelady204

cakelady204

Large Fish
#2
May 12, 2005
149
0
0
62
Georgia
#2
Man! You didn't even get the ice cream. That stinks! Like so many other people on here, I too am strangely attracted to the Walmart fish section. We are surrounded by 5 different Walmarts but only one near where I work has a fish section. I can't seem to stay away. I know it is going to be bad but I go there anyway. It is like a horrible traffic accident and you just can't look away even though you want to. If my husband is with me he immediately goes in a different direction when he sees me going that way because he knows what is coming! LOL!
 

BettaLove

BettaLove

Large Fish
#3
Jan 19, 2006
143
0
0
#3
I feel your pain! Good for you laying into them-I just did the same thing a few days ago. Maybe with people like us speaking our minds, maybe, just maybe WE can make a difference. *PEACE!*
 

YahooFishKeeper

YahooFishKeeper

Superstar Fish
#4
Jan 14, 2006
2,177
11
0
33
A little town outside Kansas City, Kansas
www.youtube.com
#4
i always go to the fish department too... im bad though....... when people come by, im always like MOM! lokk how many dead ones there are! every time a costomer comes by. its pretty funny, but my mom gets mad sometimes. there was this lady who walked in, and bought one of everything with shark in the name and like three violet gobies... i was like OMG!!! i asked her what size tank she had and she was like i dont know... one of thos ones with the curved fronts from here... A 5 GALLON! :O anyways... i always go there too... it sucks, andi do it anyways.
 

Orion

Orion

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#5
Feb 10, 2003
5,803
3
38
Kentucky
www.thefishcave.net
#5
When I get yelled at for something that is not under my control, I tend to care less about it than care more.

Starting with the store managers is better than going after the guy that works in the pet dept. But do you walk into every LFS and expect the employee's there to know everything there is to know about every fish they carry?
 

CAPSLOCK

CAPSLOCK

Elite Fish
#6
Jul 19, 2004
3,682
33
48
39
Cape Cod
#6
Not necessarily every employee, but the manager should know something about all the fish. Otherwise, why would they order them? I've never seen a dragon fish in a Walmart, which is good since they can't even take care of danios and bettas.
 

homebunnyj

homebunnyj

Superstar Fish
#9
Jul 13, 2005
1,299
4
0
Western NC
#9
At my local W there was a young guy (maybe 17 or 18) who occasionally worked the fish dept., who would tell you to go where he went to buy fish. He'd often send people across the road to Petsmart. He also said that the management made all employees rotate to the fish department, regardless of knowledge or interest. He said that on his lunch breaks he'd come and feed them because otherwise they never got fed, all that got done is occasionally dead ones got dipped out. :(

Last night we were getting hamster food and I noticed that in the rosy red minnow (feeders) tank they had an 8" koi. Boy, he looked fat and happy!!!! :D
 

K

kristalAK

Medium Fish
#10
Feb 9, 2006
70
0
0
Anchorage Alaska
#10
Reading that again today, and going over it in my head I do feel bad for laying into the clerk. I get your point Orion and I do feel like a jerk.

When they only carry maybe 10 different varieties of fish besides the koi and feeders then I should hope they'd at least know a little. Or at least have some information available. Nonetheless.. My husband and I have decided that neither of us are allowed in the fish department. Him for bringing random friends home to the tank, and me for being mean. Haha..

Thanks for reading this all and relating lol
 

Orion

Orion

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#11
Feb 10, 2003
5,803
3
38
Kentucky
www.thefishcave.net
#11
wow, I wasn't tring to make you feel like a jerk or anything. Sorry if you got that impression from me. It just doesn't get alot accomplished bashing the little guy when they can only do so much. But yes, at the time it does make you feel much better. :)
 

Smalltank3

Smalltank3

Large Fish
#18
Dec 23, 2005
961
4
0
Wisconsin
#18
I am only 13 yes, but I know a lot about fish and I think I could easily work at Walmart right now. I would tell the manager to get extra 2.5 bows for ALL bettas inculding females. I would check the temperature and water parameters every day I work. I would give proper advice and redo those tiny information tags that they have on the fish. I would tell them to get a different brand of tanks like All Glass or Top Fin instead of Aqua Culture because of the filters. I would make sure no dead fish are at the bottom of the tanks and mix the fish with their proper tank mates. I'll tell the manager what kind of fish to get so customers won't think of buying Id Sharks or Oscars and put them in a small tank. I bet almost all the people who work the pet dept. in walmart don't know the things I just said. Yes this all may sound a lot for a kid but when I am old enough I'll work there and make a difference.
 

YahooFishKeeper

YahooFishKeeper

Superstar Fish
#20
Jan 14, 2006
2,177
11
0
33
A little town outside Kansas City, Kansas
www.youtube.com
#20
Smalltank3 said:
I am only 13 yes, but I know a lot about fish and I think I could easily work at Walmart right now. I would tell the manager to get extra 2.5 bows for ALL bettas inculding females. I would check the temperature and water parameters every day I work. I would give proper advice and redo those tiny information tags that they have on the fish. I would tell them to get a different brand of tanks like All Glass or Top Fin instead of Aqua Culture because of the filters. I would make sure no dead fish are at the bottom of the tanks and mix the fish with their proper tank mates. I'll tell the manager what kind of fish to get so customers won't think of buying Id Sharks or Oscars and put them in a small tank. I bet almost all the people who work the pet dept. in walmart don't know the things I just said. Yes this all may sound a lot for a kid but when I am old enough I'll work there and make a difference.
Click to expand...
i talked to walmart one time, they said they dont decide what they get. they just get sent. you still could do all the other stuff though.
 

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