Walmart??What are thinkin'?

[BrownBullhead]

I am not going to get into this post too much, I just wanted to comment that just about everyone who donates to charity uses it as a tax right off. The money that you get back on your return specifically for that can then go back to charity and so on and so on. IT isn't a bad thing to report charity donations to the IRS as long as you are donating from your heart and not just so you can say you do it.

With a "tax write-off", you're not getting back the FULL amount you donated, which it appears you are implying above.

When you donate say, $100 to charity, it reduces your "taxable" income by $100, meaning depending on your income bracket, you owe about $20 - $35 less in taxes.

So you donated $100 off one of your pay cheques, let's say one time. That's $100 out of your pocket. At the end of the year, your "taxes payable" would be reduced by the $20 - $35 above... so let's assume you were high income bracket... the $100 is gone, you get back $35... you're still out-of-pocket about $65.

You did reap SOME benefit in that you're not out the entire $100, but it's not like you get it all back.

 

[Shaunna]

Right. No point is that if you think it is so bad to report it to the IRS then you can just take whatever money you do get back and donate that to charity and then claim that and so on and so on.... I was really just stating a point that it isn't a bad thing to report donations to charities while filing your taxes.


edit.... that is why I said do it from your heart, not for the money. I don't really understand what you thought I was getting at but that should clear it up!

 

[ninamarie]

ok never mind. I thought that it was all about wal* Mart sorry my bad..::::sneaking off to a corner to hide:::::

 

[Csilover]

Heys guys, lets sign this :

http://www.petitiononline.com/khaki/petition.html

it's not much, just a little grain of sand....

The Walmart near my house is fine with fish, I've only seen a dead fish in the tank once. The filters are always fine, and they feed the fish good.

And Walmart is the closest place to my house that even sells fish, I live in a suburb of Tulsa, and I don't want to go all the way downtown just to get more fish food, or the guppy I want. I like that Walmart sells fish, and I hope it stays that way.

 

[BrownBullhead]

Csilover: Yes, and Wal-Mart does a good job procuring "common" fish at good prices... although, I've started to notice that the larger aquarium chain in Winnipeg, Petland, is now consistently lower than Wal-Mart on many "middle class" fishes such as the few Lake Malawi cichlids Wal-Mart carries and other things such as Silver Dollars and Corydoras catfishes. You will find though that if you ever move into more "advanced" fishes, Wal-Mart will seem "lame" to you. Try finding any one of the 150+ Tropheus variants at Wal-Mart.

That and I can just see Wal-Mart shoppers going... "Oh my god, $25 for one fish? And the label says you need to keep 20+ fishes???"

One thing I must say... Wal-Mart does excellent prices in the 55-gallon kits they bring in locally... I wish they would get some 90-gallon kits... so I could get a few 90's going at a decent price.

On the other hand... you're not going to get "knowledge" at Wal-Mart that you will at 19 of 20 "local fish shops" and try finding any specialty items at Wal-Mart. I suspect that you're not at that stage of fishkeeping yet where you will "snob" Wal-Mart's livestock, but you will, one day.

 

[Csilover]

Ok, but Walmart is the only store in my city that even sells fish, there is one other pet store, but the fish are kept in horrible condition. And the Walmart in my city doesn't sell big fish, or fish for more that $6, and I hope I never become a snob, because I think it'd suck to be like you people.

But hey, that's just my opnion, right? It doesn't matter.

 

[BrownBullhead]

I was one of the unsuspecting people who bought a red belly pacu at wallmart.The tag said that it would get a maximum of 8 inches.It hit that within 6 months.It is now just under a foot and It is a terror.It ate an arowana, a shovelnose catfish,4 tiger barbs,and a gar.The only things it did not eat were the clown knife that I have and my eels.I have a 100 gallon tank so the fish size isn't that big of a deal,but it sure took me buy surprise.I have done a lot of research on the web and cosider myself able to take care of this fish for at least a couple more years,but with the potential size of the knife and the pacu i'm afraid the 100 gallon won't be adequate for either the pacu or the knife.I guess I will just have to get a bigger tank.

Its a lot of fun to feed the pacu.He eats everything from live fish to carrots and he eats it fast *thumbsups

lstrong: A "Red-Belly Pacu" or Colossoma macropomum will indeed grow to 1 metre (36") or more. However, unless your "arowana" and "tiger shovelnose" were obscenely minute, or some other mitigating factors involved, I don't understand or envision a Pacu eating these species.

A Pacu is by nature a herbivore; a plant eater. Some suitable foods for their diet include vegetables; lettuce, peas, spinach; fruits; oatmeal; pellets. If desired, these foods can be supplemented (not substituted!) with chopped meat, live fish, worms, crustaceans and aquatic insects.

Wal-Mart commonly sells Iridescent Sharks ("Pangasius sp.") and these also grow to similar sizes as the Pacu sp.

These are examples of the advice you are NOT going to receive at Wal-Mart. Stick to buying some generic fish foods at wal-mart, but purchase your speciality items, supplies, and LIVESTOCK at your Local Fish Shop.

 

[Csilover]

What if I don't have a LFS???

 

[ferkix]

The only way Wal Mart will change any business practice is through customer complaints. And the best way to get that done is to call 1-800-walmart. If the phone calls are numerous enough, I can guarantee something will be changed.

I do doubt WM will stop selling fish all together, but you might, en mass, convince them to stop selling fish that get ridiculously large. It should be only a "beginners" selection only.

And if any do call to voice their concerns, mention that it would be a great idea to end their Fish of the Month promotion. I noticed that the FOTM for Jan is the clown knife fish *grrr*.

 

[BrownBullhead]

But hey, that's just my opnion, right? It doesn't matter.

Your opinions and experiences matter just as much as mine do... I was not attempting to discount your opinion. I was attempting to enlighten you and I openly and unabashedly admit buying 29-gallon kits and Tiger Barbs and other species like crazy from Wal-Mart once upon a time.

You stated that "Dwntown Tulsa" offers an option to purchase fishes, but you "don't feel like going down there." Again, that is your choice, but you will likely find that the LFS in downtown will offer better products and service for your dollars, even if a Tiger Barb (common wal-mart stock item) is $2.99 at LFS and $1.49 at Wal-Mart.

Look at the customer above who bought a Pacu and had a horrible experience with it. Wal-Mart *AND* the LFS have no business selling Pacu, period, since I challenge the manager of the given Wal-Mart to find anyone other than Zoo and similar facilities who can *appropriately* keep a 36" fish by giving it the minimum standards for good health in captivity. A 96" x 30" x 24" aquarium, which would be HUGE by my standards and most other fish keepers, would be sadly inadequate for the ID Sharks or the Pacu species Wal-Mart sells. Instead, the fish will live in moderate to poor health, and that is a biological fact of their living conditions.

 

[BrownBullhead]

ferkix: I guess we're lucky here in Canada... our wal-Mart locations do not sell Clown Knife, Pacu, or some of these other species mentioned by USA customers. However, ours continue to sell "ID Sharks" and that is sad. And I also know we don't have a "Fish-of-the-Month" promotion up here. It doesn't really matter here, in a way, because 50% of the tanks are empty on 50% of my visits to the store... which I am hoping doesn't mean they're "sold out".

 

[Csilover]

I said I don't feel like taking an hour trip to get the right kind of fish food, if they have a fish I want, I'd gladly go down there (if my mom would take me).

I have gotten all my fish from Wal-Mart, and when I bought a guppy from Petsmart, it died. The next day. And I couldn't take it back, at least I could do that with Wal-Mart when my platies died the day after I got em.

 

[BrownBullhead]

CSIlover: Well... "certain" large chains have "less than perfect: reputations for their fish quality. I don't like to name companies in this day-and-age of lawsuits and the like... especially when discussing death of "live animals" which could be as much the customer's fault as the seller's. Something to think about perhaps... a little different to post when you bought widget-x new in the box, and you got the box home and opened it and widget-y was inside. You might see these companies launching a few liability / slander / defamation suits one day... so anyway.

What I was referring to in LFS was more of the smaller, privately owner/operator shops, not a chain or large retailer. Here in Winnipeg, we are blessed that the two Petland Superstores fish departments are run by guys who are hobbyists as well as fish dept. managers. However, some of the jewels to be found are indeed at our small, out-of-the-way, fish shops.

Just a few things to think about. And, for the record, it sounds as though you are young enough to be relying on your parents for transportation, so that would lead me to believe your disposable income for fish purchases is also not on par with alot of the hobbyists on here. Give it 5 - 10 years and if you're still in the hobby, with more cash to spend and more mobility, you may find your preferences for fish stores will change quite a lot.

 

[Shaunna]

csilover, I too have purchased fish from WalMart. Some are good and some are bad. I also like exotic fish that walmart doesn't sell but for guppies or something, yeah, Iw ould probably go to Walmart. My point for this post is that I thought it was rather rude of you to say you think it would suck to be like you people, yet you don't have any problems with asking for advise. BrownBullhead wasn't trying to be an *** or anyhting to you he was just speaking from experience and what has been considerably normal from what he has observed.

 

[Csilover]

That's not what I meant, I meant I don't want to be a snob. Yes, I need advice because I'm quite new at this hobby, but so far, I have gotten none from someone like BrownBullhead.

And if you think I should just take up this hobby again when I'm 18, then I'll just flush my fish, give away my tank, and be done with it for 5 years.

 

[Shaunna]

That isn't what anyone is saying. We are just simply saying that as you get older your tastes will change. But you are 13 right now, a very good age for getting interested in this hobby. You are very capable of making smart choices when it comes to the needs of your fish. We are all very glad you have came to MFT and we hope you stay! Please don't take anything anyone says on here as negative criticism. It is mostly positive, constructive criticism. I ams orry I misinterpretted your post, ok?!

 

[Csilover]

Ok, I'm sorry I got so worked up about it, I have a slight problem with things like that. I really like my fish, and I have a calender that counts down the days till feb 10th! Lol. Sorry I got so mad.

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

some one said earlier... why not work for wal-mart and run the fish department... I like that idea! i am 15 right now but as soon as i turn 16, i am going to apply for a job for the fish dept. i could improve alot of stuff. i also know WAY more than the current people there, and i am relatively new to this hobby! i think that would be cool to get paid to do something i enjoy and improve the lives of the fish, and maybe even inspire some little kid going to wal-mart getting a fish.

 

[Shaunna]

yahoofishkeeper, I think that is a wonderful idea!!! I hope everything works out for you and good luck with your new adventure!! I am sure you will change the lives of many fish for the better!

 

[BrownBullhead]

While there is sincerity and merit in the above posts, you must remember that you are (a) not the manager, thus you only SUGGEST what fish get ordered from a list of only so many species; and (b) Wal-Mart locations have a default configuration to their fish racks, so they're not going to let you upgrade hardware or tank sizes or whatever, even if it improves quality of life for the fishes. That, and as I mentioned a few messages back, I would not CHOOSE to work for minimum wage if I could find a higher paying position somewhere else, fish-related or not.