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Old 01-10-2012, 07:09 AM
 
Location: Red Sox Nation
675 posts, read 2,680,628 times
Reputation: 458

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Hi everyone. I had to pop into Walmart yesterday to have a battery changed on my watch. While there, I thought I would grab some food for my 2 Beta boys. I went over to the pet section, and saw something that I can't get past. They were selling Betas in the customary small tupperware type container. The water was filthy yellow and cloudy. Half the Betas were lethargic beyond belief, and 3 of them were dead! There is no way these fish have been fed, cared for or anything. I looked in vain for an employee, and after searching for a few minutes I had to leave to meet my kid's bus. They have no business selling Betas!
My question is, what can/should I do about this? Can I report Walmart to the MSPCA? There is a hotline, so I am thinking of calling this morning. I don't think calling Walmart directly would do any good.
Anyone else witnessed something like this before? I am so upset. Thanks for listening.
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Old 01-10-2012, 07:06 PM
 
Location: North Western NJ
6,591 posts, read 24,816,802 times
Reputation: 9681
you can file a report...
wether anything will be done about it...well thats unlikely.
i would however call the corporate office and let them know what you saw and how upset it made you...

unfortunatly fish art often treated like items rather than live animals, and the people working at walmart have no idea how to look after them (nor do they have time)
some walmarts dont carry ANY fish anymore because people cmplained and people stopped buying them...so id definatly complain.
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Old 01-10-2012, 07:13 PM
 
1,933 posts, read 3,745,263 times
Reputation: 1945
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2KidsforMe View Post
Hi everyone. I had to pop into Walmart yesterday to have a battery changed on my watch. While there, I thought I would grab some food for my 2 Beta boys. I went over to the pet section, and saw something that I can't get past. They were selling Betas in the customary small tupperware type container. The water was filthy yellow and cloudy. Half the Betas were lethargic beyond belief, and 3 of them were dead! There is no way these fish have been fed, cared for or anything. I looked in vain for an employee, and after searching for a few minutes I had to leave to meet my kid's bus. They have no business selling Betas!
My question is, what can/should I do about this? Can I report Walmart to the MSPCA? There is a hotline, so I am thinking of calling this morning. I don't think calling Walmart directly would do any good.
Anyone else witnessed something like this before? I am so upset. Thanks for listening.
Call the manager of Walmart and speak to the Store Manager directly. Tell him you wish to file a complaint regarding the Beta's and if the issue is not taken care of, you want the contact information of the District Manager and that of corporate so you may file a complaint regarding the Store Manager's policy of taking care of fish in the store. Also place the telephone conversation in writing to both store manager, district manager and corporate. If the issue is still not rectified then feel free to go further. Good luck!

Mrs. X
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Old 01-13-2012, 10:05 PM
 
Location: North Dakota
10,307 posts, read 13,840,434 times
Reputation: 18203
Wal-Mart is terrible with their fish. I have seen so many dead ones in our store. It doesn't help that the employees can't even catch fish without harming them.
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Old 01-26-2012, 01:25 PM
 
5,064 posts, read 15,868,092 times
Reputation: 3571
I just complained at my local walmart, there were numerous dead bettas in their inch of green water. The ladies at the front desk already knew about it, they said they had had previous complaints. They called over the manager of the pet department, a young girl. She said flippantly, "it will be taken care of". I went on to say every time I saw those neglected fish they were in green water, and she just repeated in a bored voice, "they will be taken care of". And she turned and walked away. I followed at a discreet distance, and saw her just dump out the dead ones, then wander away chatting away on her cell phone. I hung around a long time but she didn't reappear, so I emptied half the water in 4 bowls, and replaced it with fresh. I didn't want to replace more, it might have been too great a shock. The water smelled HORRIFIC. I added water conditioner, and fed those four bettas. (thankfully they had food and water conditioner sitting out) I feel awful for the rest that I didn't get to, but I was in fear of being arrested. Next I will try to complain to the store manager by phone (he was "at lunch" at the time), but I doubt it will get me very far. It just makes me sick. I see the same thing at Petco. They get them in shipments, and never bother to feed or change the water for weeks at a time, until the poor fish die. I have four bettas that I have rescued from near death, obviously I can't save them all. Besides, after buying those poor things they'll just replace them.
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Old 01-26-2012, 01:38 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,428 posts, read 86,506,480 times
Reputation: 131269
Not theirs, so they don't care. I do not expect much from Walmart workers...
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Old 01-26-2012, 05:41 PM
 
5,976 posts, read 15,231,188 times
Reputation: 6710
Default I caught my own...

Quote:
Originally Posted by andthentherewere3 View Post
I just complained at my local walmart, there were numerous dead bettas in their inch of green water. The ladies at the front desk already knew about it, they said they had had previous complaints. They called over the manager of the pet department, a young girl. She said flippantly, "it will be taken care of". I went on to say every time I saw those neglected fish they were in green water, and she just repeated in a bored voice, "they will be taken care of". And she turned and walked away. I followed at a discreet distance, and saw her just dump out the dead ones, then wander away chatting away on her cell phone. I hung around a long time but she didn't reappear, so I emptied half the water in 4 bowls, and replaced it with fresh. I didn't want to replace more, it might have been too great a shock. The water smelled HORRIFIC. I added water conditioner, and fed those four bettas. (thankfully they had food and water conditioner sitting out) I feel awful for the rest that I didn't get to, but I was in fear of being arrested. Next I will try to complain to the store manager by phone (he was "at lunch" at the time), but I doubt it will get me very far. It just makes me sick. I see the same thing at Petco. They get them in shipments, and never bother to feed or change the water for weeks at a time, until the poor fish die. I have four bettas that I have rescued from near death, obviously I can't save them all. Besides, after buying those poor things they'll just replace them.
True story...

I did not see those things at the Walmart here where I live, but I was with my kids and it was the second time in a week that I went to try and get my kids some fish they could call their own, but no one was around to assist both times.

I took it upon myself to catch the fish. I filled the plastic container with water, hung it on the side, grabbed a net and scooped up the fish I wanted then placed them in bags. Only after I did that did I manage to get an employees attention and explained the situation. She apologized ('was not her department), and all she had to do was write down the SKU number on the tag for me.

Walmart should not be in the pet business, period. The Koi I brought grew big in my outdoor pond, but we had to get rid of them after a couple of years.
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Old 02-28-2012, 01:09 AM
 
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,606 posts, read 55,914,193 times
Reputation: 11862
It is pretty disgusting. What I wonder is why people think that it's acceptable to keep bettas/fighting fish in those tiny containers? Just because they fight doesn't mean you should keep them in containers the size of a milk carton.
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Old 02-28-2012, 01:12 AM
 
Location: southern california
61,289 posts, read 87,253,323 times
Reputation: 55556
people are slow to catch on, corporation have become very very powerful and near invulnerable.
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Old 02-29-2012, 10:50 AM
 
5,064 posts, read 15,868,092 times
Reputation: 3571
I went back to the Shelton Ct. walmart yesterday for the first time since my last visit, and it was horrible, all the bettas were dead in their containers. There were a dozen or more, the water was brown with rotting fish, and only an inch or so of water. I immediately went back to the desk to complain and asked to speak to the store manager. He arrived, and spoke very poor English. I explained the situation, and he finally smiled and said, "would you like to buy some fish?" Again I explained how I'd been there a month or so ago and complained of the dead and suffering fish, how clearly nothing had changed, that I was going to report him to corporate HQ, and he just stood there nodding and smiling. Now I am trying to figure out how to complain to the corporate office, for all the good it will do me.
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