What horror! Oh how I hate Wal-Mart!

[crowntail lover]

Its a shame! I have posted a new thread of pics of the male I rescued in the Betta Pics forum!..

[Duskdog]

Originally Posted by crowntail lover

The thing is.. I know the person who was assigned the job of taking care of the pet section..And I also know that they find Betta Fighting very hilarious! Therefore. I dont believe a customer would take the time to sit there and change around the Bettas and watch them fight..I think it was the worker who did this..

It could very well have been an employee, if they're someone whom you know is this cruel... but believe me, customers can and will do it, too.

I don't work at Wal-Mart, but the same thing just happened at my store the other day. I look at the bettas every shift I work, just to make sure they're all okay, and Thursday morning they were fine... then when I looked at them at 7 AM Friday morning, a cup was empty. And, you guessed it, I found that the female had been dumped into a male crowntail's cup, presumably by a customer sometime Thursday night. I know that none of our employees would ever have done such a thing, especially not the ones who worked that shift (we usually only have 3-4 people per shift).

The female was perfectly fine -- not a scratch on her -- but the male's fins were ripped to shreds. Officially, we wrote him off as dead, but unofficially, they gave him to me so that I could try to take care of him and give him a fighting chance at living and having a happy home.

So he is now Lorenzo "Tatters" De Luca, former mafia strongarm turned government informant, whose death was faked so that he could move seamlessly into witness protection. (All my bettas have weird backstories like this. Don't ask.)

Poor Tatters is having a rough time. He keeps the remains of his fins clamped, and last night was the first time he ate anything -- he ate three pellets, but only picked at the bloodworm. He's swimming around watching me right now, though. He seems a bit depressed, but at least he's moving around and is languidly interested in his environment.

[crowntail lover]

Aww poor Tatters! (love the name) Hopefully he will feel better soon! :]
But yes...I actually found a little immature kid trying to put the Bettas together!!!! Of course I scared the crap out of him and he ran away! But I mean..Some people are truly ridiculous!

[Maryrox247]

What happened to those bettas was animal ABUSE. It is so sick that the pet store doesnt keep a better eye on them, and doesn't take better care of them. "The cats and dogs need very good care the bettas are just fish, plus they don't need much care they are very hardy." Yeah right! Well if they were just fish than why wold they be so popular among people? Hm? And business-wise isn't it important to take good care of merchandise? ESPECIALLY live merchandise! I hate it when people dont take good care of animals. Plus being that wal mart doesnt really sell any live animals other than fish should they be able to stop organizing inanimate objects for a second to take care of LIVING CREATURES! Regardless of species, this is life and death we are talking about... and from what i hear about moth wal marts its mainly death that happens.....

[Feral]

Originally Posted by Duskdog

....he is now Lorenzo "Tatters" De Luca, former mafia strongarm turned government informant, whose death was faked so that he could move seamlessly into witness protection. (All my bettas have weird backstories like this. Don't ask.)

Haww! I love the background stories idea

[crowntail lover]

Originally Posted by Maryrox247

What happened to those bettas was animal ABUSE. It is so sick that the pet store doesnt keep a better eye on them, and doesn't take better care of them. "The cats and dogs need very good care the bettas are just fish, plus they don't need much care they are very hardy." Yeah right! Well if they were just fish than why wold they be so popular among people? Hm? And business-wise isn't it important to take good care of merchandise? ESPECIALLY live merchandise! I hate it when people dont take good care of animals. Plus being that wal mart doesnt really sell any live animals other than fish should they be able to stop organizing inanimate objects for a second to take care of LIVING CREATURES! Regardless of species, this is life and death we are talking about... and from what i hear about moth wal marts its mainly death that happens.....

Couldnt agree more!!

[Jupiter]

The Walmarts around here don't sell fish anymore, except for one place. The conditions aren't the best, but they're not TOO bad.

[dramaqueen]

At my Meijers they had female bettas in a tank with angelfish! They seemed to be in pretty good shape though.

[charlindabob]

Originally Posted by crowntail lover

The thing is.. I know the person who was assigned the job of taking care of the pet section..And I also know that they find Betta Fighting very hilarious! Therefore. I dont believe a customer would take the time to sit there and change around the Bettas and watch them fight..I think it was the worker who did this..

If you know that for a fact, then go to the manager, not just any manager, the store manager and explain to him/her the situation. The pet section person could be moved to another department away from the pets or worse. I have been around exotic animals all my adult life, I'm 64, and have seen just about everything. Whether it be a Wal-Mart employee or a customer, both are your neighbors and friends or at the very least, someone who lives in your town. There are cruel people everywhere, even in Wal-Mart. If someone hates Wal-Mart, then they should make a statement and not shop there. I personally would try educating the salesperson and the manager. Most will listen, and many managers may have no idea what the mindless twit that enjoys betta fighting is doing. Having an upset customer is just not good business. There is definitely a right way and a wrong way to admonish the culprit, but to accuse the employee without proof is foolhardy. And, I realize just how hard it is going to be for you to point the finger and be 100 percent right. Sort of like being between a rock and a hard spot. I feel for you as I also detest hurting animals on purpose with no reason. No, I am not against hunting and I eat meat, but to torture any animal for your pleasure or gratification is sick. All this is my personal opinion of course.

[LikeDiscoSuperfly]

Originally Posted by Duskdog

So he is now Lorenzo "Tatters" De Luca, former mafia strongarm turned government informant, whose death was faked so that he could move seamlessly into witness protection. (All my bettas have weird backstories like this. Don't ask.)

Bwhahahah this made my day! That is AWESOME.. great idea!