well TKOS, I'm not sure they actually own the fish. I know all the products on their shelves belong to the manufacturer/distributors, not wal-mart but I'm not sure on their fish or plants. the companies must sell their products at very cheap prices to be allowed to display on wal-mart shelves. Being that wal-mart is such a good place to get your product into the public eye, this works and the companies all do what they are told. As for the fish, I know my local stores hire out to a local business that maintains their fish. I'm not sure this is company wide or maybe just regional but it is local for sure. As for people's opinions, they're just that, opinions. all in all, I've had a better survival rate from wal-mart than any petsmart or LFS. Granted, I buy more fish at LFS's or petsmarts because of selection and the fish I want. I buy some equipment from wal-mart, some from petsmarts, some from LFS's and some online, just depends on what I want, price, how fast I need it and convenience. I do not see a problem corporate-wide with wal-mart and their fish department, at least in my area and areas I've traveled and happened to stop and browse. Sure, there are some wal-mart fish departments that need to have a lynching but not all of them. They are all managed and staffed by different individuals, just like LFS's. In fact, there are more local LFS's that I refuse to buy from than there are wal-marts. Plus, only one LFS I have been to can even get close to the return policy that wal-mart has and that's how they sell fish so readily. As far as pricing, the wal-mart prices are sometimes cheaper but not by much if at all. In most cases I can get the same fish at petsmart or an LFS cheaper but if they don't have THE fish I want, I head back to wal-mart anyway. I don't see how people on here can lump every wal-mart, every petsmart, every petsco, or whatever the store all together and shotgun blast their way to a bad reputation. they're not all bad, just like all aquarium keepers aren't all "fish geeks". everyone has an opinion, some may be wrong, some may be right but don't jump up and tell them not to buy anything from a place just because you may have had a bad experience. Let them make that decision for themselves, theirs might be better than yours and it might be the best choice they have. Where my inlaws are from, they have 2 LFS's and 2-wal-marts. the wal-mart was the best of the 3 after I checked them out although we gambled on a firemouth from the LFS because wal-mart didn't have one. Just look at the big picture before jumping in. Kyle
p.s. EVERY wal-mart I've EVER been to has up to 55gallons and some I've seen had 72 gallon bowfronts.
p.s. EVERY wal-mart I've EVER been to has up to 55gallons and some I've seen had 72 gallon bowfronts.
