Kiyisha
Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2014
- Messages
- 325
First off let me say not *all* pet store employee's are bad, in my recent time I have met at least a couple nice ladys who knew what they were talking about, genuinely cared about the animals. But of course, the morons stick out more than the saints, so here was my weekend.
Upon being THAT customer with smallpetselect (you know the one who needs the schedule and save every 9 weeks instead of every 8 or 10, I figured we'd just stretch to 10 and run out of pellets, suppliment with some pet store ones until the new order comes in, as they'd only really have to suffer a couple days without the good ones. So we made the trip to the pet store, the second I walked in I saw guinea pigs, rabbits, hampsters, all on a table seeking adoption, full grown babies in need of a good home, so naturally I wander my way over there, I'm a sucker for rescue babies.
As I'm looking over this adorable little piggy with long black hair and talking to this cute little boy of the parent talking to a employee about guinea pigs, I turn my attention the employee and kind of hone in on the advice he's giving her. My hackles were instantly raised. The conversation went something like this.
Unknowledgable Mother of 5 small children (all huddled at her legs) : Do they need a cage mate?
Employee: Nah just give him lots of attention, he'd be great with children
Mom: Oh ok, well how big of a cage should I get?
Employee: (Looking over the 2sq foot cage he's in now, a tiny pet store cage) I wouldn't go smaller than that
Mom: *nods* and looks over the piggy then her kids
Me: Um.... Actually, you can't cage them alone, unless it's a special case...because most guinea pigs get depressed and lonely alone, some even stop eating and... (I trail off - getting a very irritated look that I ignore from the employee)
Me: (ignoring the look I continue) And each pig needs 7.5 sq feet of run space, add - (Was getting ready to say add 2sq feet per pig)
Annoyed Employee: (Throws his hand up at me and in a menacing tone) I got this.
I turn around and give him a seething glare, because not only is he giving this mother the completely wrong advice about this guinea pig who has already been homed AT LEAST ONCE - and is looking for another forever home, the completely wrong advice. Guinea pigs are not good children pets, they are high maintenance, we all know this. I bust my butt taking care of my boys in excruciating pain weekly because of the deterioration in my back, but they're not the kind of pet you can *put off* until you feel better. I'm getting mad.
Me: Wow, way to put the health of the animals first. (Shaking and seething with anger I turn and march quickly over to the guinea pig pellets where my husband is, and try to calm down.
On my way to the pellets I bump into a very sweet employee who see's immediately how pissed off I am, she pulls me aside and we talk about it, she talks about her 2 boys at home, and her pets she adores and obviously takes well care of. She shares her anger with me that he is putting these animals in another potential situation to be abandoned because he's not giving them good advice at all.
So, on my way out, pleased and calmed down from talking to the sweet employee, I asked her for his name, and a number to call to have this employee fired, reamed, SOMETHING. Oh and I willlll be calling back to make sure something is done about this guy. First - the lying about the animals was bad enough, but to be rude to a customer who jumps in and is 100% trying to help the ANIMALS (what it's ALL about) ...uh uh, nope. Not gonna be ok, so I'm waiting for my phone to be turned back on today, and I'm super eagerly awaiting the chance to speak with someone up on the foodchain about this person.
I know that jumping in and dealing with one person won't make a huge difference about pet stores, but god da**it, I'm not going to sit by and do nothing. So why not take that chance right? If I can get ONE employee taken care of for not doing his job right, then heck, maybe one at a time we can change something here and there. If nothing else, maybe they'll get someone who cares about the abandoned animals to get them GOOD new homes, and not just stick them in anywhere you can just to get rid of them. There's rehoming, then there's rehoming with the intent that they never be rehomed again.
End rant : I just felt this worthy of sharing
Upon being THAT customer with smallpetselect (you know the one who needs the schedule and save every 9 weeks instead of every 8 or 10, I figured we'd just stretch to 10 and run out of pellets, suppliment with some pet store ones until the new order comes in, as they'd only really have to suffer a couple days without the good ones. So we made the trip to the pet store, the second I walked in I saw guinea pigs, rabbits, hampsters, all on a table seeking adoption, full grown babies in need of a good home, so naturally I wander my way over there, I'm a sucker for rescue babies.
As I'm looking over this adorable little piggy with long black hair and talking to this cute little boy of the parent talking to a employee about guinea pigs, I turn my attention the employee and kind of hone in on the advice he's giving her. My hackles were instantly raised. The conversation went something like this.
Unknowledgable Mother of 5 small children (all huddled at her legs) : Do they need a cage mate?
Employee: Nah just give him lots of attention, he'd be great with children
Mom: Oh ok, well how big of a cage should I get?
Employee: (Looking over the 2sq foot cage he's in now, a tiny pet store cage) I wouldn't go smaller than that
Mom: *nods* and looks over the piggy then her kids
Me: Um.... Actually, you can't cage them alone, unless it's a special case...because most guinea pigs get depressed and lonely alone, some even stop eating and... (I trail off - getting a very irritated look that I ignore from the employee)
Me: (ignoring the look I continue) And each pig needs 7.5 sq feet of run space, add - (Was getting ready to say add 2sq feet per pig)
Annoyed Employee: (Throws his hand up at me and in a menacing tone) I got this.
I turn around and give him a seething glare, because not only is he giving this mother the completely wrong advice about this guinea pig who has already been homed AT LEAST ONCE - and is looking for another forever home, the completely wrong advice. Guinea pigs are not good children pets, they are high maintenance, we all know this. I bust my butt taking care of my boys in excruciating pain weekly because of the deterioration in my back, but they're not the kind of pet you can *put off* until you feel better. I'm getting mad.
Me: Wow, way to put the health of the animals first. (Shaking and seething with anger I turn and march quickly over to the guinea pig pellets where my husband is, and try to calm down.
On my way to the pellets I bump into a very sweet employee who see's immediately how pissed off I am, she pulls me aside and we talk about it, she talks about her 2 boys at home, and her pets she adores and obviously takes well care of. She shares her anger with me that he is putting these animals in another potential situation to be abandoned because he's not giving them good advice at all.
So, on my way out, pleased and calmed down from talking to the sweet employee, I asked her for his name, and a number to call to have this employee fired, reamed, SOMETHING. Oh and I willlll be calling back to make sure something is done about this guy. First - the lying about the animals was bad enough, but to be rude to a customer who jumps in and is 100% trying to help the ANIMALS (what it's ALL about) ...uh uh, nope. Not gonna be ok, so I'm waiting for my phone to be turned back on today, and I'm super eagerly awaiting the chance to speak with someone up on the foodchain about this person.
I know that jumping in and dealing with one person won't make a huge difference about pet stores, but god da**it, I'm not going to sit by and do nothing. So why not take that chance right? If I can get ONE employee taken care of for not doing his job right, then heck, maybe one at a time we can change something here and there. If nothing else, maybe they'll get someone who cares about the abandoned animals to get them GOOD new homes, and not just stick them in anywhere you can just to get rid of them. There's rehoming, then there's rehoming with the intent that they never be rehomed again.
End rant : I just felt this worthy of sharing
