selling babies

kittani79 · Post by **kittani79** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:24 am

Hey, I work at a chain and I've been cussed out many a time because I either wouldn't sell an animal or wouldn't give a replacement on one.

I know it's not unique to my store location, either, because when I was in training at another store, a guy was looking at keets -- I went to ask if he needed help and got stopped by my trainer (the manager in charge of birds/small animals etc). She said whatever you do, that guy doesn't walk out of here with so much as a cricket. I guess he'd been in there before

.

It made me laugh.

I think it depends on which store you walk into. As much as the chain stores are "the same", they are all really different depending on who works there.

fairestfinches · Post by **fairestfinches** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 3:41 pm

Even with being a retail store we wont sell birds just for the sake of making a sale. We will not sell to someone that is not educated or willing to be educated in the proper care of the birds.

Sean

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:30 pm

Sean, you don't have a retail store chain! I wish there were more stores like yours around where I live where when you walk in, the staff is knowledgeable and friendly and really know what they're talking about.

The chain stores around here hire younger kids who are paid minimum wage and don't seem to know what they're talking about. There are obvious exceptions....but around these parts, they don't know much. They are good for dog food and mealworms.

fairestfinches · Post by **fairestfinches** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:02 pm

Well . . . I guess we don't have a chain yet.

Interested in opening a franchise?

I often kid Michele about offering something like that. Maybe someday.

At any rate, if we did something like that there would be a finch skills aptitude test before the franchise would be allowed to open it's doors to the public.

Sean

bonnies_gouldians · Post by **bonnies_gouldians** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:40 pm

Kittani - my manager is so sales oriented, she sold a pacman frog to a guy that admitted straight up to having killed the first one he purchased just a few weeks before, and even after explaining the proper care to him again, he said something to the affect of "yeah, I think he was just a bad frog...I dont think I did anything wrong". We had had that frog for months before he purchased it and he was pretty small when we got him so he was not old enough to have died as an old man, he was neglected in my opinion. I felt bad that he got the new one, I forsee him coming back to get a third eventually as he will probably kill this one too.

kittani79 · Post by **kittani79** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:29 pm

Wow, does she know that affects her loss?

Not to mention that pacman frogs are like, invincible. I've never had one die, ever.

BillD · Post by **BillD** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:41 pm

Sally wrote:You always have the right to choose not to sell. I think you can tell in conversation with someone whether or not they sound like they will be a good owner. Even at a Mart, you get a feeling about people, and can always say you have changed your mind and the birds are not for sale.

You are a responsible 'parent' Donna.. I agree with Sally.. I've talked with her in this forum regarding Goulds and I don't think I would be good with candidate for them with my current environment..

I wouldn't give my 'kids' away to someone that didn't know how to take care of them.. let alone sell them..

You did the right thing.

Ooopss.. I hope Sally will like me when I meet her at the next Bird Mart..

bonnies_gouldians · Post by **bonnies_gouldians** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 2:23 am

In this case I dont think it affected her loss. The guy killed the frog after the 14 days so he just bought the second one, not caring that he killed the first one

Jerk...

kittani79 · Post by **kittani79** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 11:12 am

Guh.

I wouldn't have, not unless I was completely satisfied that he knew what went wrong and had corrected it, and was going to be more responsible with this one. Everybody messes up sometimes, but the difference is between people who learn from it and improve, or people who shrug it off and say "it's just a frog/fish/bird/mouse/etc".

sean · Post by **sean** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 8:00 pm

you mean you guys don't use your finches to make sure the air is breathable in the mine shafts?

every chain store around me (Petco, Petsmart, etc.) keeps their birds in unhealthy living conditions. the majority of the time, the problems are: inadequate lighting, overcrowding, and/or unacceptable mixing of passive and aggressive species.

i would also agree that, generally, most of the employees are younger high-school age kids. these kids have good intentions but inadequate training for avian care.

i wonder if the ASPCA would take action about stuff like this? if anyone is familiar with ASPCA regulations why don't they talk about their experiences here.

kittani79 · Post by **kittani79** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 12:06 am

It has been my experience that even between chain stores, every store is different, and a lot of it depends on the region you live in.

gomer · Post by **gomer** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 1:37 am

its about fifty fifty this way.Some try to look after them, the others just want to move them,and spend no money on them.