Anyone feel like dissing wal-mart?

[M.A.G.]

hey
just wanted to know what awful things your wal-mart does in your area. i know there are some that are getting better but mosty they are terrible.any horror stories lol . mine is that way back when 11 , they sold mea bowl, some turle food, a fake wood ornament with plastic plants glue to it and 2 firebelly newts. try and guess the rest

 

[Pretender]

I'm only upset that they closed the convenient store in my town and place a sign outside telling me the address of my new Wal-Mart 20 minutes away in the most crime-ridden part of the county. "No. You closed MY Wal-Mart."

 

[bubblewrap]

yes I bought some neon tetras from walmart to add to my tank, and they has some kinda horrible something they infected my tank and alllllll of my fish died except 4 one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[OrionGirl]

Or, third option--realize that shopping at a big box store for living animals requires an informed consumer, and that each one varies by location and employees in how good the service and product are.

This topic had been absolutely BEATEN to death. Nothing new. Let it go!

 

[FisheyLisa]

I refuse to shop their or support their store. They are dead to me already.

and I agree, it isn't the store, it is the consumer that is at fault for letting them keep up their practices.

 

[kittyhazelton]

Nothing would do too much in my area about it. (half of the people there already smell like dead fish.) There was only one person I knew who worked there that actually knew what they were doing. They quit of course.
My most frustrating experience at walmart was I went in there to pick up some food and things, and they had some betta's. One of them was AWESOME colored. Had very unique coloration, and was absolutely slendid looking. I of course had to get it.
Now let me give you an idea of how it's set up. They have the tanks, and then they have the betta's in little betta containers hanging inside the tanks, so basically all they have to do is take the container and pour it into a fish bag.
Now, the guy they sent over had absolutely no idea what he was doing, and was genuinely retarded. (No offence to anyone who is close to someone like this) basically the last person you would want hadnling fish.
He ended up dumping the entire container onto the concrete floor, and the betta died on inpact. I was pissed and made a very upset complaint to the manager (Who I happened to know at the time) who gave me one of the less pretty ones for half the price. That fish is still alive.
One other time we went there and they had a little cichlid in with the goldfish. The girl they sent over also had no idea what she was doing, so my BF ended up being the one to catch it. We ended up paying goldfish price for an electric yellow. She is now the queen of the tank.

 

[phoenix]

While I don't belong to the crowd that thinks it's hip to hate wal-mart, I wouldn't go to wal-mart to buy my fish (or much of anything else for that matter). When I am there, however, I do go over and check out the fish department and see how things are going.

Their tanks are certainly not outstanding, but I would say that they appear to be on par with the other large retail pet stores in my area. Many of my LFS's appear to take better care of their systems than my wal-mart does, but there are also some that do worse.

As OG said I believe that conditions may vary greatly by location and that, in any condition, consumers should be well informed before making any significant purchase.

 

[M.A.G.]

i have so admit i have been to wal-marts that were making an effort .they had several plants and no dead fish in the tanks. i have to agree that its up to the consumers not to encourage wal-marts but they dont make their money off of experienced aquarists but off people that have never had an aquarium or that have a snotty child that want a fishy.

 

[Yoemen]

hmm

Well, not everyone has a nearby LFS for them and Wally world is the only option. I will also say, that walmart beats the heck out of Fish stores when it comes to tank prices. Mine right now has a 55 gallon deluxe setup-everything but fish, substrate, and decorations that you need for your aquarium- for just over $100. The problem is, I have to also buy a $70+ stand for the 55 and that is a lot of money at this time :dive:

 

[tricksterpup]

yes I bought some neon tetras from walmart to add to my tank, and they has some kinda horrible something they infected my tank and alllllll of my fish died except 4 one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the reason why many of the old timers here use something called a Quarantine tank. It can be small 10 gallon tank with plants and a nice gravel setup some where to house your new fish for 3-4 weeks before you introduce them to your tank. This is a major mistake even people who have been in the hobby for 30 plus years will do at times. I have even made this mistake and that is why I rarely introduce something into my main tank until it’s been quarantined. So do not be made at Walmart or anyone else, its a mistake we all have made once or twice.

I agree with Orion Girl this horse has been dead and beaten so many times its not even worth the discussion here.

We all know these big box stores require a trained eye when buying a pet and 9 out of 10 not even worth buying from.