What is it with Walmart

[BigC]

What is Walmart, reading between the lines it's a pet supermarket chain. Would I be correct. What is it with them that has so many people posting on this forum. Are the staff not trained in fish husbandry, or is it something else. Just curious to find out more.. What exactly would I expect to find If I were to enter one of these stores. Would I get informative answers from the staff. Please enlighten me.

 

[guppygirl]

Well, most fish people working for walmart are just plain dumb! They're working for minimum wage at an easy-to-get job. You can't expect that much of them, they're in it for the money, not the well-being of the fish.
I actually like walmart for everything else... it's clothes, it's prices, etc. The fish department is just lousy though!
Edited for grammar. )

 

[MAM]

Its a discount department store basically, they sell everything. Often its lower quality stuff, or stuff bought in bulk so they can sell it for less. Great for household supplies and even groceries, but not fish. They don't know or train employees on proper care, fish are just another item on the shelves essentially

Here's their website:

http/www.walmart.com/

 

[gale]

Walmart is a chain discount store with a small pet department. The thing is, most towns have a walmart nearby and many small towns don't have lfs or don't have many, so people tend to buy fish at walmart. I have bought fish there and they all died except my betta. I won't buy fish there anymore.

 

[gale]

Well, most fish people working for walmart are just plain dumb!

You know now that I think of it, every time we bought fish at walmart it was someone from another department who netted them out for us. I don't think I've actually ever seen a pet department employee there.

 

[BigC]

Thanks Guys, now I get the picture.

 

[rdd1952]

Walmart sells $1.99 tetras (what have they lost if they die) to get people to buy tanks, filters, supplies, etc. The fish are what the retail sector calls a loss leader. You don't make nay money off them but you get people to buy something else that does net a profit. It all comes down to the all might dollar.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

No, they often don't have someone who works just in the fish department. However, people should learn to research their fish before they buy them, no matter where they buy them from. And it's not just walmart, their are plenty of stores that sell nothing but pets stuff and the workers there still don't know crap. Besides, I doubt anyone who has to work at walmart is willing to risk their job just because someone wants an oscar for their twenty gallon.

 

[Blue Lobster]

Fish supplies from walmart are fine, it's the same stuff as the LFS, just cheaper. Buying fish there is risky at best, their tanks are disgusting and their fish often are disease carriers.

If you don't have a good fish store nearby, I suggest mail ordering fish online from the likes of wwwliveaquaria.com or a smaller breeder.

I ran into a breeder in my loacal pet store yesterday, he had 10X5 gallon buckets with beautiful blue cichlids and rams he was dropping off.

Do a google search for a fish club in your area and see what they have posted as "Sponsors", these are usually solid fish suppliers.

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

incidentlly wal mart now own asda so i guess that gives u an idea if u like how asda as cahnged recently much more ten food these days

 

[BigC]

Can't imagine Asda selling tropical fish though, I shudder to think.

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

well i think thats the point lol

 

[Paul_MTS]

on thew UK side of things, the wal-mart pet section is the equivalent of our Sea Pet stores or Pets@Home stores.

generally unknowledgeble staff, no care for fish or health but cheap prices and have the power to get hold of most things.

 

[colegamby]

it makes me sad when i go in there. if im buying something for the tank i try to not look at the fish. Those fish are basically tortured to death. They have like 40 fish ni a ten gallon tank the fish get their food from the dead fish. they had a huge oscar in a ten gallon tank, not to mention the pond goldfish they had in a 20 gal. Its really disappointing to see people treat animals like that. I'm not an activist or anything like that but my walmart is just terrible.


heck id work their once a week just to take care of the tanks

 

[PappyJones]

Wahtsup guys, my first post here. i just wanted yall 2 hear, they just started a new thing at our wal mart in town called, *Fish of the month* where they actually get good decent fish. This is their first month (march was) and they had Peacock Eels. they are pretty nice. my set up in my tank is, 30 gallon tank, dark gravel bottom, 1 Gymnothorax tile (snowflake eel), 2 peacock eels, 3 hybrid silver dollars, and 1 Raphael cat. (kinda stuffed but it works out well). thanks.