Walmart's Fish

[MHunt]

Yeah, knowledgeable staff is key to a good fish store but what experienced hobbyist wants to work for $7.35 an hour (if you're lucky) at Wal-Mart?

Did you see his first post, $8 an hour! I would do that job if i was paid £8 an hour in the UK! I know exchange rates are different, but they only matter to most people whan they travel or purchase stuff from abroad.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

sorry to burst your bubble MHunt, but $8x40hrsx50 weeks is only $16k a year--which isn't very much in the US.

 

[qwikimpss]

I work in the TLE department as a "service Tech" part time cuz I'm in school. I make 8.45 an hour but that's only because I have been working in automotive shops since high school. I make more than people who have been there a year....which is kinda sad, I'm the 3rd highest payed.....I just can't stand Wal-Mart. It is the most morally corrupt corporation on the planet....anyway, I'll shut up now.

Ya, 8 bucks an hour sucks but I guess he said it's only part time after school so he doesn't have a lot of bills.

 

[MHunt]

£16k pa isn't that much in the uk either!

 

[SugarQube]

Money is okay for a young person to start maybe show them what your made of then ask for a mega rise Good for you anyway

 

[halfbloodprincess]

I sent in a complaint last week about my local walmart on walmart.com about the fish at my location (they were selling dyed fish; pacus, bichirs, oscars, and other large fish; and were keeping incompatible fish with each other i.e. gouramis and tiger barbs). I just got off the phone with the manager of the location and he actually offered me a job 3-times a week after school from 3:30-6 PM maintaining the tanks for them at $8 an hour.

Wow thats awesome! I would love to do that, since local walmart is just as bad a that! How old do you have to be?

Yeah, I work at a Wal-Mart here in Maine (In the Tire-Lube Express department) and the fish section can be pretty bad. At my store it's not horrible, it really depends on the store itself. In my store we have a couple of people who work part time who really know their stuff and are trying to get things in the department turned around.

I just can't wait to find a new job....I hate Wal-Mart!!!

Yeah I live in maine too. My walmart is the supercenter in brewer. They are horrible to their fish! Where in maine are you?

 

[Mr.September15]

Yeah wal-mart is crap. Unless your going to buy something other than live pets then its usually always at bargain price...There tank kits are extremely cheap...

 

[eschaton]

You do realize they're essentially buying you off so you don't cause a big public stink and drive their universally bad reputation even further through the floor, right?

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

You do realize they're essentially buying you off so you don't cause a big public stink and drive their universally bad reputation even further through the floor, right?

May not be the case, see the manager knows that he knows what hes talking about when it comes to fish. He thinks he must have friends who have fish tanks and will come and buy stuff from the store because it will be better quality fish and their friend will be working there.

How could he cause a puplic stink anyways? he is a kid and no one will pay attention to him.

 

[ImperfectFaerie]

Well good work getting the job offer! It IS hard to find an experienced hobbiest that can even afford to work for 8$ an hour, so shoot if they can find someone who only needs parttime it's a win-win situation. The fish there will thank you (or tank-you hahaha i'm so punny) I'm sure!

 

[Egmel]

You do realize they're essentially buying you off so you don't cause a big public stink and drive their universally bad reputation even further through the floor, right?

No, they're offering him a job to help make it better. If things don't improve he can still cause a big public stink. Buying him off would have been saying, here's a discount card if you don't make a fuss. Admittedly they could be thinking about their reputation but if it means they're willing to change then what does it matter.

 

[eschaton]

You do realize they're essentially buying you off so you don't cause a big public stink and drive their universally bad reputation even further through the floor, right?

No, they're offering him a job to help make it better. If things don't improve he can still cause a big public stink. Buying him off would have been saying, here's a discount card if you don't make a fuss. Admittedly they could be thinking about their reputation but if it means they're willing to change then what does it matter.

We'll see how he finds his work, but the thing that chain stores (and a lot of LFS) care the most about is making money. He'll keep the tanks and fish in better condition and make sure incompatable fish aren't housed together, but I'll be amazed if he can do anything about overcrowded tanks, dyed fish, etc. Those are purchasing decisions generally made out of HQ, not by the local manager. And if any of his other decisions result in increased costs (more testing kits used, medication, etc) without a corresponding increase in sales, he'll probably be overruled as well.

Another store might have more lassitude, but Wal-Mart stores are commanded by national headquarters to cut their operating costs constantly. I hope for the fishes sake he does make some headway though.

 

[Griz]

There is a Walmart a few miles from where I live and I'm actually pretty impressed with the condition of the fish in that store. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase fish from there except that the selection is pretty limited and there is nothing I want to buy. Also, I just tend to avoid the place on other grounds. I think it all comes down to who is in charge of that department in the individual stores. Lets face it, the majority of the population wouldn't know how to look after fish properly and frankly wouldn't much care about their welfare. Therefore, the majority of Walmarts tend to have poorly run fish departments - it's just that simple. Walmart has one goal - to make profit for their shareholders. They care little about human beings so it's not surprising that they place little value on the welfare of fish stock unless it effects the bottom line.

 

[chibi]

My Walmart is HORRIBLE! There are always atleast 2 dead fish in each tank. They sell painted/dyed fish, oscars with guppies, and they always look sick. Sometimes, I'll see a dead fish on Monday and it will still be there on Thursday! Walmart fish are never a good choice. I've gotten maybe one or two healthy fish there, but most of the time, they're very sick. The bettas are in little tiny itty-bitty cups too. It's really sad. D:

 

[MoMa]

Not only am I taking the job, but I get a 20% discount on all of their fish and pet products.

Good Luck.
The problem with 'Big Box' retailers (i worked for one in corporate for many years) is their staffing allotments. Most of the Big Boxes work on a 60/40 ratio, meaning 60% of their employees are part-time, while 40% work full time. The benefit to this is that when a store is selling below "sales plan" (meaning not making as many millions of dollars as they're supposed to) they can tell part-timers to stay home. This is why it can be so hard to find an employee sometimes.
What will most likely happen to you, even being the "Fish Person", is that you will inevitably become "Cross-Trained", meaning you will have knowledge of other departments, usually the departments closest to yours.
When the store falls behind sales plan, less people will be scheduled, and you will have to cover multiple departments, leaving you less time for the fish.
Generally at WalMart, this is the reason the Fish Area is so poorly run, not so much because of apathy, but because of staffing issues.

I truly hope this won't be the case for you, as it sounds as if you really care about this.

keep us posted (or at least me!), because I'd like to be proven wrong.