Frustrations and COVID-19 - A Plea Rant

Currently in the state of Ohio, plans have been put in place to slowly assimilate the public back into society. The first wave of stores will begin opening with restrictions on May 1st. Pet stores are essential, most of them are open but only offering curbside pick up, fortunately, the LFS where I work will remain closed. I, as an employee am BEYOND THANKFUL to my bosses for their decision to protect their employees opposed to taking risks for profit.

Now, My rant centers around those customers who are now leaving blatantly self entitled negative reviews and comments regarding the decision on our company page. I understand this is an extremely stressful time. I have a snake, 3 (LG) lizards, a rabbit, 3 guinea pigs, 260G of cumulative aquarium water, and 2 parakeets. I know the struggle just like all of those upset about the decision to stay closed.

I ask that we all remain patient and understanding in these hard times. This message may not directly apply to anyone on fishlore regarding my specific situation, but I'm sure each of us has been frustrated trying to find a store that will allow you to purchase your items without hassle. Remember the next time you are frustrated in these situation, that nobody wanted this to happen, and we're all equally frustrated with what's happened. - you cannot blame the owners or the employees of the establishment for trying to keep everyone involved SAFE. Thank you for reading my PSA.

 

Don't worry, this will pass. People in general have a short memory. Once your store opens back up the complainers will be quiet. Things will return to business as usual.

 

Don't worry, this will pass. People in general have a short memory. Once your store opens back up the complainers will be quiet. Things will return to business as usual.

Although I am looking forward to 'business as usual', I do hope that this pandemic changes people. Regardless of whether or not we believe its happening or in its seriousness, we can all agree that it has hit every one of us financially, socially, emotionally, etc and I hope that feeling isn't forgotten. Specifically, the entitlement or lack there-of.

I'm even hearing things like 'this is a violation of our rights'...I wish these people would realize that in some places, they dont have fancy barber shops, fast food restaurants, or advanced hospitals that serve them, and I get 'this is America' but this virus hit all around the world....and some of us need to learn to be a little more grateful and less spiteful - we are all human, regardless of which govt. or religion we belong to.

Before this pandemic hit home, the main issue I had with my job revolved around customer interactions, I have an entire thread (thats locked now...not sure if it was too old or too offensive...oops) dedicated to me crying about customers just.....not knowing about their animals or just outright being rude.

Even though the majority of our customers surely understand and agree with me, the minority have really insulted me, I can only imagine how some of our nurses feel. I really just hope this whole experience makes people stop and think...I personally cannot comprehend how someone could react in such a threatening, negative way to something that is all around negative for all parties, these people need to open their minds.

 

I agree with you FishGirl38 , too many people are idiots. I'm not a negative person, but there is too large of a population of people that literally have zero common sense and live in a proverbial bubble. I've learned this years ago with my line of work. Don't get me wrong, the majority of people are good-hearted, but the percentage of idiots among us is higher than most people realize. Even highly educated professionals I've seen over and over prove themselves to be morons. The "entitled" attitude knows no boundaries regarding people's backgrounds. The entitled attitude is a pandemic of its own!

Don't get me started with these people crying about civil liberties....

When all of the social distancing first started and essential businesses started having to take pre-cautions with altering their workplace policies and practices for employee/customer interactions, I would make it a point to personally thank employees, especially at grocery stores.

A predominate large chain of grocery stores in Texas called H-E-B's was very proactive in their pre-cautions and extremely quick to adapt early on during the start of all this mess. Back in March they had store associates staged at the entrance ready to spray disinfectant on your shopping cart and give you a pump of hand sanitizer. Then they switched to having the carts pre-staged as you walk in already disinfected, with an associate wiping everything down and giving you a pump of hand sanitizer.

I would (and still do) make sure to tell them and other store associates how appreciative I was and thank them for making the shopping experience better for the community while they were in the "front-lines" of all this mess. I would even tell the store CCM's and MOD's what a great job their associates were doing.

I told the little store about HEB because telling someone a sincere "thank you" during these times who works at an essential business that is still operating goes a long way with helping everyone have a better attitude during the pandemic, be it telling someone at a gas station, grocery store, pet store, a first responder, a medical professional, a customer service rep call-taker etc etc. Ha, if you need to call a customer service rep for your credit card, cable company, insurance, etc, etc, just ask them how their day is going, sincerely tell them thank you for working during all this mess, make a little joke about it and the CSR will basically get you what you ask for because you were not like the previous 50 idiots who called acting like entitled jerks!

Luckily where I live, even though it is a fairly large City, it hasn't gotten out of control with people wanting to protest or a huge increase in crime. Probably because Texas is literally the "Friendship State", the official State motto (and no, our State motto is not "Remember the Alamo"!). I can't even count the number of people I've met from other states who either visit Texas or move here, and tell me how surprised they initially were with how friendly Texans were. I usually ask them if they were more surprised with how friendly we are, or more surprised when they realized how people were jerks where they came from, HA!

 

Ovehere all pet stores (so, also every lfs) didn't close for in our country they belong to the vital stores like supermarkets. But I do understand why a store wants to close during this period.
Me being a patient myself with a number of illnesses won't add any further commotion to the global commotion we're all dealing with. Try to be yourself before the whole COVID-19 threat crossed our path. And do the things you'd like to do but stay safe...

 

I agree the entitlement is ridiculous.

I really miss going to the lfs too. If they are closed that is for the health of the employees. Jeesh. It will be over soon, everything will just be different for awhile.

 

I hate to admit this, but I honestly don't think this will be over soon. I believe we all need to embrace this. It won't last forever, but will it affect our future for years to come? Yes, just like 9/11. Just like 2008/9. At least I hope it does and I think it will be for the better. Maybe we'll see more people act on fact opposed to emotion. Maybe more people will vaccinate their fn kids. Maybe we'll see more charitable acts and empathy from one another. I really just hope.

 

Yep, I agree! Texas is a friendly state! I have been here for 5 years now. The folks here are doing there best to serve us with Pet supply's and food ,gas, And even cable tv and internet. The cable company had a bad day when all the folks lost there service. The workers came out anyway and fixed it for us. Above and beyond!! Thanks for all the folks who do work in hard times we are going threw. I think this will be longer than folks think. With that in mind, Be thankful that some folks will serve, and take chances with working for us. Thanks and God bless!!

 

Hey everyone, we all know this can be a touchy subject

Please keep politics, name calling and stereotypes out of it or we will close this this thread along with the rest of them.

Whatever happens in your state, be safe, think smart and be kind. You never know what someone is going through and why they may be passionate about a viewpoint you disagree with.

Thank you.

 

First, the negative comments were not warranted, a store choosing to close for the health of their employees is not a bad thing.

Second, people need to calm down. Imho, most of the panic is media fueled. As an older lady, this is not the first pandemic I've been through, it's just been the worse because we have too much access to the media. And I see this every day when I go to work in the meat department of a grocery store. Today alone I watched people haul away hundreds of pounds each of ground beef, chicken and pork because the media is screaming that meat is running out and they were panic shopping, the same way they panic shopped toilet paper when it all started. Hey, guess what, there is still toilet paper and there will still be meat when it is all said and done.

Third, I feel for you. I'm also a multi type of pet mama. Yes, we do need our lfs for special needs. But DO NOT feel guilty for your store closing for your health. I agree with other comments that this is not going away soon, but I also feel things will level out and in the end we will all look back and shake our heads at some of the stuff we did during it all.

P.S. Ohio here too.

P.P.S. I miss my rabbits. I use to have a small farm, but age kind of got to me and for the health of my critters, I had to cut way back. I had French, English and Mini Lops. Have boxes of ribbons and trophy somewhere from when I use to show them.

 

I think as long as we keep the 6 foot deal and using masks we should be ok for now. I went out shopping two days in a row and thats all i did. Now i am on Oxygen but the mask over the nose helped me keep the little thingy in my nose and not coming out all the time. I didn't get anything for the babys as they have everything they need right now. I am mostly spending funds on auto parts and a couple of things for this computer. My video card is acting up so i have a new one coming. I have had to stop gaming for now. The video shuts off when i try to game so i have to wait for a few days to get it. no biggie That 6 foot thing is not any issue and as long as people do that i don't see why they have to worry much about shopping. This is the most i have been shopping in a couple of months. Was good to be outside again.

 

Hey everyone, we all know this can be a touchy subject

Please keep politics, name calling and stereotypes out of it or we will close this this thread along with the rest of them.

Whatever happens in your state, be safe, think smart and be kind. You never know what someone is going through and why they may be passionate about a viewpoint you disagree with.

Thank you.

Say what??? what you talking about??? Reread what we have said, i don't see anything wrong with this!! Quit playing Gestapo!!!

 

Say what??? what you talking about??? Reread what we have said, i don't see anything wrong with this!! Quit playing Gestapo!!!

And you know that something hasn’t been deleted? And therefore you couldn’t have read it?

 

Although I am looking forward to 'business as usual', I do hope that this pandemic changes people. Regardless of whether or not we believe its happening or in its seriousness, we can all agree that it has hit every one of us financially, socially, emotionally, etc and I hope that feeling isn't forgotten. Specifically, the entitlement or lack there-of.

I'm even hearing things like 'this is a violation of our rights'...I wish these people would realize that in some places, they dont have fancy barber shops, fast food restaurants, or advanced hospitals that serve them, and I get 'this is America' but this virus hit all around the world....and some of us need to learn to be a little more grateful and less spiteful - we are all human, regardless of which govt. or religion we belong to.

Before this pandemic hit home, the main issue I had with my job revolved around customer interactions, I have an entire thread (thats locked now...not sure if it was too old or too offensive...oops) dedicated to me crying about customers just.....not knowing about their animals or just outright being rude.

Even though the majority of our customers surely understand and agree with me, the minority have really insulted me, I can only imagine how some of our nurses feel. I really just hope this whole experience makes people stop and think...I personally cannot comprehend how someone could react in such a threatening, negative way to something that is all around negative for all parties, these people need to open their minds.

I completely agree with you. Until EVERYONE uses some common sense, the restrictions that have been in place will continue to some extent. Or possibly get worse.

There was an example of this today (California maybe?). . . Beaches and parks are being closed because folks chose to ignore the guidelines. Those same folks will soon be screaming that their rights are being violated.

 

I work at a vet hospital that is still very much open and operating. We take some serious precautions - people are told to wait in their cars and we will retrieve their pets and bring them inside for whatever they need, among many other things.

People are taking advantage of us every day. We aren't allowed (per state government) to do non-emergency/illness things like nail trims. People are still calling every day asking if we do nail trims. "No, we're sorry, per the state government's COVID-19 protocol we are only allowed to see emergencies or sick pets." "But Fluffy's nails are SO long! Isn't that an emergency? His nails are tearing up my leather couch and hardwood floors!" Yes, people have said this. They say it every day. People throw fits about this. So we've resorted to letting them come in for things like that as long as they're willing to pay an appointment fee (four times the cost of a nail trim fee) if it's a "medically necessary" nail trim (like if they're so long they're growing into pads or preventing mobility). About 95% of the time, it's definitely not medically necessary. This is government protocol - we don't have control over it! And people ignore that!

People are also BORED... They call and clog up our phone lines and understaffed, emergency-riddled office just to talk about their animals. AND they're bringing in their pets for annual vaccines that haven't seen a vet in five years because it's "finally convenient" for them. My boss is actually in the process of trying to hire more people because of this insanity.

We've had our first two confirmed-positive clients in the past week. It's scary, knowing that you're coming in contact with people who tested positive for COVID-19. We take enormous precautions, but you just never know - we certainly are not wearing N-95 masks when there's already a shortage of regular surgical masks!

 

Say what??? what you talking about??? Reread what we have said, i don't see anything wrong with this!! Quit playing Gestapo!!!

Excuse me?
Follow the rules and we'll be just fine. Did I attack you? No, so please don't attack me.

Take a moment to review this link.
FishLore Forum Rules | Forum Announcements/Suggestions 227 Particuarly rule #1.

 

People are taking advantage of us every day. We aren't allowed (per state government) to do non-emergency/illness things like nail trims. People are still calling every day asking if we do nail trims. "No, we're sorry, per the state government's COVID-19 protocol we are only allowed to see emergencies or sick pets." "But Fluffy's nails are SO long! Isn't that an emergency? His nails are tearing up my leather couch and hardwood floors!" Yes, people have said this. They say it every day. People throw fits about this. About 95% of the time, it's definitely not medically necessary. This is government protocol - we don't have control over it! And people ignore that!

We're having customers call asking to come in because "their kids are bored and they'd like to browse" I believe you 200% dear.

Yes, Exactly, This is exactly what I'm talking about. Its bad enough they have the gall to make the phone call in the first place, but then to argue with staff over the situation - when it is out of our control. and Its rooted in consumer entitlement 'My needs are greater than the other guys''. While nail trimmings ARE something the vet should do, they can be done at home and if they ARE bad enough to where it's a medical EMERGENCY then that's basically regular negligence....but I'm not here to spill that tea.

EDIT: UNLESS there's some kind of rare condition where the collagen grows at a faster rate or some other significantly special case...BUT these are not the examples we are talking about...these are understandable outliers...

Say what??? what you talking about??? Reread what we have said, i don't see anything wrong with this!! Quit playing Gestapo!!!

While I agree with your sentiment, I understand where our Moderator is coming from. I think what you felt is more related to how it was said than what was said. She's asking us to be respectful of each other, nothing wrong with that. Its basically what I was calling for to begin with. What you read into, was the fact that most of us posting are passionate about staying home and have distressing stories of our own, yet she is asking us to consider ALL viewpoints. Its not easy considering that ALSO means accepting the fact that we have to cater to those who don't want to heed the warning. But this is the fair reality, and we'll just have to do our best.

I didn't write this post to make people angry or to drive people against one another, I wrote this as an observation of what I am seeing from my perspective as an employee at a LFS and how I feel about it. My call to action was for consumers, those visiting (or trying to visit) the establishments under major stress right now, to have patience and understanding with the staff and owners, we want to make things convenient for everyone, but right now it just may not be feasible. That was all.

 

Sometimes things are removed before it is seen by the general membership (and thank goodness for that )

 

I don't know but the local Petsmart is open for business! I went in and looked at the fish to see what they had and got a few cricketts. We wear masks but thats all. I am not looking forward to this coming winter. They say it will be worse than this year. God, help us!!!

 

It must be a regional thing. My stores here everyone gives each other a wide berth. I've seen max 3-5 ppl total in a pet store over the last month. Most ppl are just doing chewy or amazon.

inner city area a pizza store closed itself down because ppl would not listen, but inner city areas is a different type of individual. That pizza palor likely won't re-open ( their statement) because they were on a shoe string budget anyway.

I think the important thing to realize is that the longer this drags out, the more emotionally worn down ppl are.

Retail is built on repeat business. I'd focus on 'iron fist in velvet glove,' as it's all about delivery of message. if too many infractions just ban the person because they were always gonna be trouble anyway. IMO

I feel for small business owners. This is not something anyone could ever prepare for financially as it's gone on a long time now. Few ppl have that much capital saved for rainy day, they usually churn it back into the business.