The Betta nightmare...Walmart

I thought I read somewhere that Walmart was closing down their fish section. I asked when I was there a week ago and the guy said he hadn't heard anything about it. I think they should shut it down. They seem to have no interest in improving the situation much less expanding and it's only a 1/2 aisle as it is.

A week ago I found three Betta in a plastic cup/lil bowl. Yep, 3. The guy said they were dying. But they're not dead. They need to be seperated. He wasn't going to until I said I was going to take them to the manager. I waited around while he messed at the sink with them. He produced 2 bowls. Still he had 2 Betta in one bowl. My boyfriend tries to educate him that you can't keep Betta together. He seemed not like he didn't know that but like he could care less. We finally got him to put all 3 Betta in separate bowls.

How nice....a Betta looks a lil sick so lets throw them all together in a lil bowl cause they're gonna die anyway...

Poor things!! He marked their containers with an x.

Wouldn't it seem like there'd be enough public pressure to do something about this? Walmart's gotten in trouble before...

 

That's appalling!  >  I think I would become physically violent if I saw something like that and the stupid employee DARED to say no to me!  Walmart should be fined heavily for animal cruelty!
I don't shop there. I don't care if there is things there I want and if they are cheaper than anywhere else. I simply WON'T support them! Best thing to do is contact head office and tell them you refuse to EVER shop in their store and will encourage others not to shop there and tell them WHY!  It may seem like a little thing but if enough people boycotted the store it does make a significant impact on their sales. Money talks!

 

or what also works is calling the manager and pretend to be someone much higher up. Tell them that you have received many compaints about their fish section and this needs to be fixed I am sure it would work.

 

That's appalling!  >  I think I would become physically violent if I saw something like that and the stupid employee DARED to say no to me!  Walmart should be fined heavily for animal cruelty!
I don't shop there. I don't care if there is things there I want and if they are cheaper than anywhere else. I simply WON'T support them! Best thing to do is contact head office and tell them you refuse to EVER shop in their store and will encourage others not to shop there and tell them WHY!  It may seem like a little thing but if enough people boycotted the store it does make a significant impact on their sales. Money talks!

Just a thought, we talked about this in school and with a store as big as wal-mart boycotting it wouldn't hurt it much at all, only way would be to get everybody to boycott it because it's such a huge chain and pays it's workers bad wages. Even then it won't work as some people shop their because it's easier for them to afford. Essentially if they have something somebody needs then the store can stand out longer not selling it then the person can without buying it. Small private chains it can work. It doesn't hurt to boycott them, I'm not against it, I'm just saying unless it's a national boycott it won't effect them, best to call and keep complaining untilI they threaten to call the police on you

They don't have many supplies by me so I don't buy much from them, only cp bulbs as it's only place I can find them and I can't buy stuff online.

Haven't seen it that bad at mine. :-\

 

What I want to know is what the ******* is wrong with those stupid people who care nothing for suffering creatures??!!! :'( > I think I should stop there before my language gets too bad......

 

Just one more reason why I won't even step foot into a Wal-Mart. Personally, I don't care if I have to pay much more for any given item, I'm not buying anything from Wal-Mart. Feeling rage welling up inside, I must move on now.

 

I must admit I actually had an emergency last night and had to give the Walmart some money. I needed a heater quick and they were my only option at 4am(I work nights). The problem I have is a lack of a good place around here to purchase fish.

Walmart: terrible fish conditions and many sick fish. Though there is a knowledgeable person who works in our area store that at least attempts to make the best with what he has to work with.

Petsmart: only place I have almost come to blows with "fish specialists" after instructing me to "just let em die", which seemed to be the only solution they could give to every problem I encounted.

Mom and Pop store #1: went in last week as they have large selection of freshwater and marine fish, but had several types of dyed fish , so I guess I will not be shopping there anymore.

Mom and Pop store #2: fish seem well cared for and are larger than most found at other stores however their selection is very limited, but they only had few bettas and all of them were in 2G or larger heated tanks by themselves so kudos to them.

So aside from ordering online or I suppose finding out if M & P #2 could request a certain type of fish I am kinda limited in fish shopping here. But of course every time I walk into Walmart or Petsmart I want to take every poor fish home I can.

 

I'm compelled to go ever since we found the bowls stacked covering the oxygen X in the lid.  

Why are they continuing to sell Betta?  They only get a few dollars for one....

They need to get out of the Betta business!

I'm afraid that until Bettas are protected like dogs and chickens, our complaints (that have no sting) mean little to these kinds of superbig businesses (said something nastier but changed it, too many individuals to make such a broad and negative statement).  Ya know, I'm not even sure what laws are on the books to protect Betta.  Are there any??

Anyone need to know who their congressman is?

((Everyone))

 

chickens? clearing your have not read much about factory farming >

 

Oops, I guess they're called ****...and **** fighting. I couldn't think of the name when I was posting before.

A trip to PETA's website illuminates clearly what animals go through. I forced myself through a lot of it and was vegetarian for a couple of years after. Would like to be again and am sorta anyway.

 

I would love to be a vegetarian, but meat TASTES SO GOOD. (IMO). I'm working on weaning myself off of it. I am currently at "If I eat this hamburger now, I won't have meat for dinner or tomorrow." Unfortunately, since most of my meals come from the school cafeteria, I am limited on vegetarian options that don't involve olives. And when I'm at home, I'm expected to eat what my mom cooks.

My dad used to work in a factory that processed turkey meat, and has a few friends who are hog farmers. I can't remember what conditions the turkeys were in, except that they were in a REALLY REALLY crowded barn, but I think it was kept as clean as possible. Many hog lots are also kept immaculately clean (though many are not as nice). Feed lot cattle are not kept in as nice of conditions as far as I know. It seems to me that there is a fundamental problem in the mindset of the average American consumer (and probably others) that allows us (in general, not all individuals) to ignore the cruelties suffered by anything that ends up on our plates. There is an idea that if it is edible or costs less than $5 (such as fish or mice), it is utterly disposable and has no emotions or thoughts. This is a REALLY big idea to change. Unfortunately, organizations such as PETA get a bad rap because of the extreme radicals within their membership, so a lot of the "I don't feel like dealing with knowing how my food used to be a living thing" people don't take their message seriously. And people who truly don't believe that animals have feelings completely mock them (OK some of the stuff they say is funny, like "Vegetables have feelings too!" but that's beside the point).

 

I only buy lightbulbs at wal-mart, because surprising there the only ones that sell them and my parents don't let me buy them online, besides that they don't have anything. I really think instead of talking about it because these things come up so often to do something about it, it sure does lots more than just talking, maybe make a board were people can rant appropiately about these types of things and if they say anything bad they get a warning and next time banned to save moderators trouble of patroling it, I don't know

 

I do not think that it would be appropriate to have a board that is not moderated especially since we have young members. There have been a few posts that have had to be removed lately due to inappropriate content and it would not be good to have no supervision, it encourages poor behavior.

Rose

 

emilai

You hit the nail on the head Dear One.
You said, "This is a REALLY big idea to change."

Yes, it's huge. Compounded by the food pyramid that children are subjected to in grade school. Remember when meat used to be at the top? Did you know that they've changed the pyramid?

Then there's the milk thing that keeps so many cows in horrible conditions (I won't go into the details of dairy cow torments). Humans are the only being on earth that continues to consume milk past infancy, and worse, the only animal that consumes milk from creators unlike itself.

Then there's the growth hormones they add to cows too which cause major obesity problems.

Getting off the subject of how Betta are treated at Walmart. You're right again when you said that anything under $5.00 is often considered disposeable. Weird how some humans can care sooooo much and others not care at all.

 

Well I couldn't hold back tonight when I was at wal-mart looking for fluorescent bulbs (which failed by the way), I ended up buying a young double ray crowntail tonight... there was another one there that I would have loved to get, but looked like he was on his last limbs - he had a nice chunk out of his tail and his rays had black nubs on each of them. He had maybe an inch of water... I wish I could have gotten him too.

We COULD just steal all their bettas... no profit for them and they'd be in good hands... everyone wins, except wal-mart. Ohhh I hate legalities sometimes.

 

[high jack]

I missed meat when I became vegetarian, but it has been over 3yrs now and meat doesn't even resemble food any more

[/high jack]

 

Guess what? Your wish has been granted. Walmart will be shutting down their fish department. The reason behind this is money. They are not making money in this area. I just read it in our L.A Times newspaper this week. I live in southeren cailfornia. They said that some Walmarts will keep fish but not all stores. Just so ya know Iam not a Walmart fan.

River

 

WHOOPEE YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ahem sorry
That news just made my day ;D
Well as for the ones that will not be shutting down their fish section, rather than sitting here complaining about it how about if we do something? (not that there's anything wrong with complaining... ) I for one am getting the address of whoever is in charge of my Walmart's fish section and saying that if they don't change the horrible conditions and stop selling dyed fish, I'm writing the newspaper about it. Who's with me?

 

Walmart will close the LIVE FISH area in 620 of its more than 3000 stores and will continue to carry aquariums and fish supplies in all their stores.

I just called them.

Rose