# Why Walmart? Why do you sell fish?



## FishWhisperer (Apr 21, 2014)

I have become very fustrated with a store that shouldn'nt sell fish but still sells them. It's walmart. They sell helpless betta fish like they are disposable. Ask walmart this: If you don't sell dogs cats or other small mammals and lizards, why do you sell fish? Fish need the same care and attention every other animal does. If you are fed up at walmart post below. WALMART SHOULD NOT SELL FISH LIKE THEY ARE DISPOSABLE. Fish should only be sold in pet stores


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Fish are kept the same way at Wal-Mart as they are in pet stores. There is really no difference. They may have an educated sales associate and they may not, the same goes for all pet stores. Just because it's a pet store doesn't mean the employee's know what they are talking about.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Don't assume they don't know anything. Our store here apparently sold fish about... 10 years ago? But the manager who was in that department knew what she was talking about and trained her associates accordingly. Even got them to wear gloves for water changes, since one associate found out she was allergic to the fish (the water caused a reaction). Except it wasn't even the store that was at fault for sick fish... It was the shipping. Whoever sent them used a refrigerated truck - no heating. Most froze, or were really sick before getting to the store. And contrary to belief, they DID lose money, and stopped carrying fish.


so really, it's the MAIN people who hire people and don't train them properly. I used to work there. So i know what it is like to be treated like an idiot because I was not trained.


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## FishWhisperer (Apr 21, 2014)

Ok thank you both. Walmart needs to train their fish keepers better so that's the problem. There is a thread that explains how someone found a fish hidden behind betta water in Walmart. But shipping in refrigerator trucks is just wrong.


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## 16kehresmann (Feb 5, 2014)

I don't think "shipping" is the problem. My Wal-Mart gets pretty healthy looking bettas to start off and really just no employee gives a crap enough to clean their water. That goes for every single Wal-Mart I've ever went to. I've also never in my life met a knowledgeable fish person in any Wal-Mart... actually I saw an employee personally throw a sick fish in the garbage while it was still alive. -__-


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Ew. I told the manager who explained to me about it, and I said if they brought back the fish (hopefully NEVER) I'd demand to be in that department. As much as i hate walmart. I would at least be able to make sales and keep the fish alive -_-


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## FishWhisperer (Apr 21, 2014)

I'm glad all the people on this forum care about fish and their well-being.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Well, i plan to open a store. Small scale, then move up from there. If i did not have healthy fish... I would not want to live with myself. Currently between a friend and myself (both like minded in terms of animal care and husbandry), we have reptiles and fish as our start. Not just breeding persay, but decor... Enclosures... Etc.


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## DashingArabian14 (Mar 6, 2014)

I normally used walmarts betta food and feed the bettas they are always hungry.


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## FishWhisperer (Apr 21, 2014)

Those are all amazing ideas and good ways to help fish. If you do open a store Sena Hansler that you should put care sheets for the animals on the products and with the animals. Also direct new betta keepers to this site. I go to a store that sells marine, tropical and cold water animals, so they know what they are doing. If you were in the U.S. I would take one betta if you shipped.  You know what someday I might open a shop just for bettas


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Lol you should. 

Actually I am working on care sheets. Because I would like to move onto small mammals (proper enclosures, proper bedding etc) I'll be doing ones for them too. 

I have gone into the store here, heard stupid advice that would have ruined the lady's grandson's experience. Then Irecommended two compatible fish, plus live plants... They were going to put a Betta and gouramis together if I didn't. Since it was a 50 gallon I helped them stock it lol. Even got them to agree on quarantine, a heater, and decor! "you don't work here??? You should." :lol: even helped a lady in petsmart with her large "unruly" dog. Another person with their guinea pig (went to their home hahaha). 

I am all for customer service. I hate my job right now because the manager got upset about me going out of my way to help a customer. The old staff? Love it. The customers love it.

Think stores like walmart, Staples etc need a life lesson


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Actually it might not be so great to feed them, more foods means more waste so that means more ammonia in their cups.

I've done that too Sena! Feels great when people actually listen and learn from you! :-D


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Sure does =D

I still feel they should change the water in those cups more than once a week, to never. :lol: I know that there are many times that Walmart employees are standing around because it is dead, there's nothing left to do... I know this because I was one ;D


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## DashingArabian14 (Mar 6, 2014)

I'm sad they had to many bettas today I couldn't feed them all, but they all looked healthy


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

There is a walmart in Fairbanks, alaska and they would get in the most awsome bettas - they could rival some from aquabid. Too bad no one ever took care of them. :evil: Petco was even worse. Some lady to me if I wanted to breed them I needed to keep one male with 3 females because the male needs to pick his mate.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

..... Or the females could be all like "hey, let's team up on that guy there and kill him." I've seen females join together to take down another female... I don't see why it wouldn't happen :lol:
(Though some breeders do use multiple females... And it works for them. I can't  my girls are absolutely nasty...)


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## NozzALa (Apr 10, 2013)

I work at a Walmart, and I don't know if its true of all stores, but they are terrible at keeping bettas. My local Petco is miles better. They keep them in cups as well but the water is always clear and the cups mostly filled, and ive seen the same bettas there for weeks so I know the cups are cleaned. Walmart has slightly smaller cups and half of them have barely an inch of water, and several bettas are dead every time you look. Ive only seen dead bettas at Petco a couple of times. It must be the management\associates for each store but Walmart sucks at it.

One day another associate found me and told me someone had put two bettas in one cup, so I went over there and fixed it, and used that as an excuse to fill all the cups with a bottle of betta water. I wish these places took better care of live creatures.


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## FishWhisperer (Apr 21, 2014)

Well...that was a bad idea. I am to guess they tore each other up.


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## BlueLacee (Dec 8, 2013)

Some peoples ability (or more specifically lack of) surprises me every day. There are times (ok, often) when I am ashamed to be human


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## Morgyn (Mar 7, 2014)

lilnaugrim said:


> Fish are kept the same way at Wal-Mart as they are in pet stores. There is really no difference. They may have an educated sales associate and they may not, the same goes for all pet stores. Just because it's a pet store doesn't mean the employee's know what they are talking about.


+1 (for any store- reference different sources and listen to your gut)

The sales clerk at big pet store chain actually answered my water care question with "Just add water conditioner, don't worry about it". *Holy Duck - Red flag parade*


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## myexplodingcat (Apr 9, 2014)

Every time this comes up, I want to get my first "real" job at a pet store more and more. That was my childhood dream job, anyway. I think I'd get hired. My house is full of all sorts of animals and I'm pretty good with people.

I think PetSmart is hiring, but they already take pretty nice care of their bettas where I live. I don't stop by weekly or anything, but every time I'm there, their bettas look active and well-colored, in generous and fairly clean cups.

Maybe I should work at the PetCo here--their animals are always sick and dirty, and they need someone who kinda knows what they're doing. :/ My family and I rarely go in there, but last time we did, there were a few sick ferrets in a community habitat and nobody was doing anything about it. Their cats were dirty and not well cared for. So were their fishtanks, if I remember right.

Both of them sell "betta bowls," though. DX And those vases.

IDGI. If you want a decoration, buying a painting or a lava lamp or something is cheaper and far more ethical than buying a living creature who'll die quickly under crummy care. And where's the fun in a pet if you're not going to take care of it?

Ugh. I need to get my driver's license.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Because pet stores make money - they don't really care about the animal's health. When we do open our store, any enclosures will be made appropriately for the animal.


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## FishWhisperer (Apr 21, 2014)

Ouch! There are some pretty bad stories on petco out there


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## aselvarial (Feb 21, 2014)

Was in my walmart tonight, and there were AT LEAST 50 dead fish in the community tanks. Not to mention 3 bettas in a random fish bowl with 3 empty containers (very likely a customer) and a betta in one of the community tanks. If it weren't for the dead fish, i'd say leave him there. He looked happier and healthier than all the others in the little bowls. And the water in that tank was at least warm. Spent time getting someone over there, she had to get someone ELSE over there, who had to contact, YET ANOTHER person. After 45 minutes my 4 year old was DONE, so I left before it got fixed (though I did separate the 3 bettas into separate bowls again). AAAND emailed walmart, yet again. I wonder if I will hear back again.


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## Cara (Apr 27, 2014)

I wasn't even aware Wal-Mart even still sold bettas. I know my local walmart only has a very small section with fancy goldfish and some tetras, I just assuming all wal-mart's stopped carrying bettas.

I will give my local store props, their tanks are always clean with healthy fish so there's that.


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## Pippin (Apr 11, 2014)

I know that one o my local Walmarts doesn't sell fish at all. The other does, but the last time I went they had someone who actually knew how to care for the fish. I think that she was impressed that I took one look at the fish selection there and said what species each fish was. without looking at the labels.


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