Annadvn

My husband went to walmart to by some synodontis catfish (i tried talking him out of it but no!), whilst there there was a guy buying some goldfish to add to his 10gallon tank (he had picked out 3), then he saw this "cute" little african cichlid and wanted this also. So he asked the lady if these were ok to go together surprise, surprise she said yes!! I naughty jump in and explain that cichlids are aggressive and arn't best suited to be with goldfish for various reasons (listed at least 3). so he decides to put the goldfish back and just get the cichlid but the lady said once out of the tank they can not go back in so he had to buy them!!

She mentioned that he could get the cichlid and the goldfish and dispose of the goldfish when he got home, when the man asked how she recommended the garbage disposal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was so shocked i made a big scene and got my self kicked out of walmart and banned for the next 3 months!!!

The guy didn't buy any of the fish and followed me out to ask for advice so i advised him of the LFS which is pretty good with advice.

Im sorry to those of nervous disposition (when mentioning garbage disposal)

Moderators if this isn't a suitable post please delete, i just had to vent to like minded people.

Anna

mrsmuffin

Anna- that is HORRIBLE I can't believe they suggested that. I don't think that I have ever heard of someone getting banned from Wal Mart though, I thought that they would take your money no matter who you were!!

MissMTS

Oh my gosh, Anna, that is awful! I can't believe that lady said that. They should have fired her instead of banning you! You did the right thing. At least the man didn't buy the fish and listened to your advice. That lady is an idiot. I cannot believe she would suggest something like that!

Lucy

Good for you, Anna! Those fish and the customer need all the help they can get.

sirdarksol

Wow, that's just awful.
I'd send a (polite) letter to the location's manager (and, if you can find it, the area manager, as well), apologizing for flipping out, and then explain precisely why you flipped out, that not only is the "once it's out of the tank, it's yours" policy unethical (and I doubt it's legal), suggesting that a customer dispose of unwanted pets in the garbage disposal is animal abuse.

Chief_waterchanger

Actually it is not a legal policy, to the best of my knowledge, because until money changes hands no contract (written or oral) to purchase said item has taken place, so ineffect he should have laughed at the woman and walked away or said the sale has not been completed and therefore he would not be buying fish from "her" establishment.

Either money must change hands or he must sign something agreeing to use their service or buy their merchandise for there to be a requirement that he buy it.

sirdarksol

That's kind of what I thought, Chief, though I couldn't put it in so many words.

Darlene

That's terrible, I think you did the right thing, I'm sorry you got banned though.

Annadvn

I can easily live with being banned from Walmart. Except its the only place to get food for 1/2 hour drive.

I hate being stuck in middle of missouri, it sucks!!

Anna

Angela_96

I have opened my mouth several times when seeing someone getting the wrong fish for a tank or bad advice, I actually told a woman in front of a fishstore worker that all the fish I bought from that place were sick, and to go to a diff place because they were cheaper, and cleaner.

Im sorry you got banned from walmart, IMO it was worth it!

Coryd55

That's ridiculous...all of it.

I'm appalled at the things people say.

luna

Definitely contact the store management, and the regional manager, and tell them exactly what happened, and that the EMPLOYEE was making fraudulent and ILLEGAL claims, and instructing a customer to commit a horrific act of animal abuse (which is also a crime), and that you expect a formal, written apology from both the store and that employee, and suggest immediate dismissal of the employee.

Don't let them walk all over your rights because their employee is an unethical imbecile.

Angela_96

Its sad that the people that get stuck in places to sell stuff in walmart don't know what they are doing.
I worked at walmart going through college, and ended up in sporting goods because I knew more than most of the men there about the hunting supplies... especiallly the guns and fishing gear.

They would at times put me in a diff department like oh say infants and I was lost! I hadn't even had my first son yet. So I can imagine what kind of idiots they put in the fish sections

Trio123

I think you should be able to file a report to the ASPCA. Fish are animals too, contratary to certain people who call themselves vegetarian then eat fish (I hate that). But they dont cover fish abuse unfortunately, only fuzzy animals. But that is ridiculus, please send a letter to Walmart.

hooflady

Hey there Anna, Luna is right. I'm married to a federal employee (DOD) and accoding to the law; unless the merchandise has passed the registers or installed detection device or doorway (each store has a range of how many feet is acceptable) then there is no provable intent of purchase or retail theft. Hence: if it's in the store, it belongs to the store. You can decide not to buy chipped ham at the register and they can't do a thing right? Same with fish...and it sounds as if this lady viewed them a pieces of meat as well! SICK!!!!! That is animal cruely to some degree and I surely would send duplicate copies to WAL MART mag. and regional mgr. stating your intentions of reporting this to a local paper. That should wake them up! Take what you can get. Your civil rights may have very well been violated in this transaction as well as you right to freedom of speech in a public venue. If you want to get crazy again (I love to shock people in public) then walk into wal mart-one nearby not that one-don't say a word-and carry a sign that says wal mart supports animal cruely-strut right back to the pet dept. and wait to be asked to leave again! lol!!! Walk out quietly because the guard has the right to ask you to leave but if you comply he can't site you! HA,HA,HA....Good luck!

ShaynaB

Good for you Anna.

That lady was WAY out of line. If I were you, I'd be calling the manager of that store, then the district manager, then writing to corporate!

People like that make me so mad... I'd probably have gotten myself banned too if I'd heard something like that.

Tom

And some people call me crazy for not going to Wal-mart. The fish store I go to on my way home, they really like my fish knowledge and really want me to work there. So good for you, and at least you made someone think twice about the purchase they were going to buy and will do some research the next time they go to get some fish.
Tom

Lonely Angel

That's truly disgusting that she would suggest a garbage disposer! I don't care if she doesn't like fish - everyone is entitled to their own opinion - but to do that or tell someone else to is cruelty, plain and simple.

You should speak to a manager about this even if you don't care about being banned. You could stop the woman from making the same suggestion again when a kind-hearted soul like you isn't around to stop her. And if they aren't paying you any attention, tell them you're going to write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.

By that logic, if someone takes a shirt into the dressing room to try it on and it doesn't fit, they have to buy it anyway

Darlene

We are moving to Missouri, St. Joseph area, when hubby gets back from his recruiting school. It will be a change to get used to the mid west again, we are from Iowa but in Texas right now.

Annadvn

Darlene,

We live just out side of Fort Leonard Wood and will be moving next july, let me know when you arrive and i can point you in the direction of a good fish shop for this area (and which ones to avoid).

Anna

Amanda

lol, you sound like me. I got banned from a local pet store after stating my opnion that the people buying pups from the establishment were supporting the horrible puppy mills in the west. I was kindly asked to leave and not return.

Slug

To her defense the garbage disposal is a decent way to cull fish, its quick and painless. More so then the freezer.

The rest though is bad, but not totally shocking, its Wal-Mart. Luckily the walmarts here have stopped selling livestock. Good on you for stepping in. I'd be writing/calling corporate right now if i were you.

au01st

Walmart here no longer sells fish either. It's down to one pet store in this town...Petco, though the people there seem to know what they're doing. I've been offered a job on multiple occasions there, including this morning. They were busy back in the fish dept and some lady was walking around and asked me if I knew anything. I asked her question, and she wanted to know what she could put in her 5gallon hex in her kitchen. I told her a betta or some guppies, that's about it. Explained the whole nitrogen cycle. After she left the store without buying anything because she wanted to go home and do research, the manager approached me and asked what other animals I had experience with (turtles, tortoises, frogs, toads, birds, rabbits, ferrets, cats, and dogs, lol). Asked me where I was currently working, and offered me a job (based on previous experience and current employment), but they couldn't even come close to matching my current pay, and since it's already $5 in gas to get to work and back, I was not looking for a pay cut. I told him I would continue to be a customer though, and he said that was good enough.

Sorry for what you had to go through, but see how you get along without Walmart; after the 3 months, if you've made it work, still avoid Wall(of-China)mart because you can.

Lonely Angel

But there's no reason for those fish to be culled! That she would suggest doing that rather than just put them back in the tank... it boggles the mind.

Darlene

Thanks, I will. We are planning on getting a big tank so we can get at least one oscar and maybe jack dempseys. I have been looking on line and found one in St. Joseph that sells tattooed fish I will be staying away from there.

livetowin

People who have know idea about fish SHOULD NOT!!! be selling fish a.k.a. walmart and any other non-pet chain stores (target, k-mart etc.)

tanker83

Is wall-mart like the equivalent to the woolworths or Big W of Australia? lol
you did such a great thing by speaking up! What that stupid lady at wall mart said was disgraceful and you should DEFINITELY contact one of the big wigs and get that lady FIRED!!!!

Allie

I have to keep my mouth shut whenever I am in anywhere that people buy fish. My bf always tells me to be good before we go out.
The things I have heard, oh my You don't need a thermometer with betta, LOL

Allie

Someday, the laws will change and fish will have some if not the same rights as fur pets. Maybe they will all get more. Scientists are proving that fish have feelings, intelligence and memories.
There is a connection between animal abuse and people abuse...people both do it. It says a lot about a perosn's character in the way they treat other living creatures.

Allie

Clove oil is better, then they go in the garbage. Flushing pollutes the waters.