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The ignorance of people...

ZzombieSoxX

ZzombieSoxX

New member
A man came in to my store a few days ago and told me he wanted to get a lizard for his 5 year old son, but told me he had no knowledge of any reptiles and needed my help. I recommended the same two lizards I always do for people who have little to none experience: A bearded dragon or a leopard gecko.

Of course, this man wanted nothing to do with what I had to say and was all about what was cheapest. Our beardies are $89.99 and are leo's are $59.99. Well, all this man saw was our $15.99 Tokay Geckos...

While, yes, they are cheap, they are also NASTY! Probably the least lovable of the geckos and they won't hesitate to bite you! I explained all of this to this ignorant man, and told him if he wanted something for a small child, he in no way wanted this aggressive lizard. He laughed at me and told me all I was trying to do was make a bigger sale and screw him out of his money, that they Tokay's were the "coolest" looking lizard and that he could handle it. Then he told me I had no idea what I was talking about (Because, ya know, this isn't my JOB or anything).


So, I sold him it. I sold him the "cool" looking lizard for his son. There was nothing else I could do. He wanted it, so I had to sell it.


Guess who came in today, wanting to return a really mean lizard?

People amaze me. If you have no knowledge of something, listen to the damn person who has a job in this field! I work there for a reason!


Gahhh, just wanted to vent a bit! Lol, thanks for reading my work drama!
 
People are idiots. Would have been excellent if you'd have told him to try to reach in and pick it up before he bought it... That would've set him straight quick, I bet! LOL.
 
I would have said okay don't believe me then you can catch it and see what happens and when he got bit I would have laughed. When he came in today I would have said I thought you could handle this cool lizard. I have worked for a petstore for 3 years now and if we sold Tokays and that guy came in and wanted one for a 5 year old I would refuse to sell it to him. If I go anywhere near my Tokays they would probably take my finger off, I have seen what they do to a f/t pinkie before they eat it and I don't want my finger to look like that. I am normally not scared any animals but I scream everytime I try to clean their cage and they bark and try to bite me lol.
 
I can't refuse to sell anything. My boss, while he indeed is an animal lover, is a business man and unless it's a USDA licensed animal and they don't have the permit, or they're under 18, we have to sell it. And as I was getting it out of it's tank, with a leather glove on and it's barking at me I turned to him and asked "Are you sure?" Idiot still said yes, as an attempt to show me up, I'm thinking.

Oh believe me, I've had to make some heartbreaking sales to people. These animals are like mine now, and I have to give them to some seriously douchebaggy people.
 
I know exactly how you feel. I work at Petsmart and, while I work in several areas of the store, my favorite is in pet care because of all the little animals.

I get so stinkin attached to the vast majority of these guys that sometimes it breaks my heart to sell some of them, especially if I'm not entirely sure of the intentions of the owner.

Right now I am reeeeeally attached to one of the little corns that has just the best personality.

Luckily though, at this store you can refuse to sell an animal to someone if you think they are not going to care for it right and/or try and use it to feed to some other pet. I refused to sell to one guy who was planning on buying two ball pythons and putting both them and his already owned, and much larger, BP together in the same enclosure e.e
 
I was hoping this was your store, and there will be plenty you can do (like not carrying wild-caught disposable "pets" like Tokay's to begin with). Here is my store's policy as to what I will not even offer the public: http://blueridgereef.com/care/nocarry.pdf I do have a lot of people walk out, and I'm sure some of them go to box stores and get what they "wanted" anyway, but that is out of my control. At least a disappointed child and neglected animal aren't on my conscience for a $6 profit.
 
Would you be allowed...

to make a notation on the receipt? I do that whenever I sell an animal that has anything unusual about it - such as retired breeder, nippy, tail bump, etc. You could say the Tokay is "sold as a display animal only - not for handling purposes". Or something like that. Maybe he would think twice about taking it - or at least think twice before he chooses his NEXT pet!

Also, would your boss allow some truthful - but tactful - signage on the cages? If novices saw notations such as "great starter pet - very personable" on leos and beardies, but "hardy display pets - not for handling" on the Tokay, maybe they wouldn't feel the need to display their testosterone levels when discussing it with employees. And they wouldn't be as suspicious of you trying to sell them a particular animal if the sign backs you up (even if you are the one who wrote the sign, lol!). You can find something positive to highlight about any animal you carry. If not, why would you be selling it? The trick is to match the right animal with the right customer, and good signs and labels can help do that in a low key manner.

And if you display the items needed to successfully keep the species near the cage (If you don't already do so, you can make your own kits - "good", "better", and "best" sets / kits are nice), along with a FEW (not too long, or nobody reads it) notes, customers will have an idea of how expensive it will be to set up for one species vs another species. Again, they won't have to argue with the employee or be as suspicious if they see it all laid out before they decide which species they want. Makes your job easier, customer happier, and probably sells more "stuff" that is actually needed for the new pet.
 
When I still lived in Calgary, the pet store I always went to did that sort of thing.

It was always first person, though, like "I am very friendly and not fussy at all."

When I picked up Cerberus, I was grilled for like 15 minutes about what kind of habitat I had set up for him.
 
Hi Chip!

I just read your statement about animals you don't carry. It is refreshing to see a shop put some thought into it and try to deal with the subject in an ethical manner.

Each shop has to make individual decisions, of course - some of which might be different than yours. Our herp society in the SW Florida area does a lot of rescues, many of which are the "do not carry" animals on your list. While I would love to see more shops decide NOT to add to the problems of giant snakes and lizards that become homeless, it does seem that it could add value to everyone if a herp shop got together with a rescue and offered in store adoptions on a very limited number of adult iguanas, red ears, etc. Although few people are equipped to keep the adults, there are a few who can. And in a climate such as south Florida, many can easily keep some of those species outdoors - especially iguanas and spur thigh tortoises. But even further north, an adult display of iguanas or other giants would be a nice attraction for a shop, and a graphic lesson to novices about what their PetCo / PetsMart, etc, baby lizard, snake, or tortoise will eventually grow into. And occasionally, a good home could be found for such an animal. A win / win for everyone. Although your shop may not have the space or interest for such a project, maybe a few others shops would want or be able to do such a thing. The local herp society or rescue would hopefully be happy to cooperate.

Cheap, imported herps used to cause some debate back when we owned part of Glades Herp, back in the early '90s. On one hand, over collection CAN cause conservation and environmental problems. OTOH, in some places (such as Madagascar, which I am somewhat familiar with), the collection is primarily of certain common species that seem to be artificially abundant near agricultural areas (or edge zones between agriculture and forest), such as some day geckos and chameleons. Their sale supports local people who may be less likely to cut down the forest and graze cattle, if the forest can help feed their families. So it is not a cut and dried argument to me.

But what I really hate is to see the more difficult or delicate animals sold cheaply. Many geckos (whether Tokay or the hardier day geckos) are not really that difficult to keep, and can make hardy vivarium pets. They are just not the best first pets for your 7 year old kid. So I would hate to see people label Tokays as terrible pets. They just aren't the same kind of pet as a leo. Maybe the prices on those low end, specialty pets should be raised to discourage novice buyers from buying them just because they are cheap.

We produce a few spur thigh tortoises each year. But I usually sell them in places where people can keep them outside most, or all, of the year. You can hardly get a better pet herp IF you can keep it outside, IMO.

Each shop needs to do what works in their climate and with their own clientele. I would just like to see each shop put as much thought into their own policies as Chip has obviously done for his own shop.

Maybe your boss could read Chip's policy, or possibly this thread, for some ideas - if he is open to suggestions.
 
Kathy, I have gotten some venomous snakes, a gila, etc. for an experienced keeper I have gotten to know that was plenty capable of caring for them. And do I get a couple iguanas left on my doorstep a year that I have to find homes for! The biggest misconception I deal with is the size issue. Whether it's red ears or iguanas, SO many people will downright argue with me that they only grow to the size of their enclosure. This myth is one of the biggest frustrations I face. And it's even more ingrained in the aquarium folks.

Yeah, I too would have liked to have been there for his return of the Tokay!
 
At the Pet store my husband works at they get a few tokays in but they are for pest control. They have a population that live in the store along with house geckos. They are nasty little boogers. They don't sell them for pets to people.
 
Tokay for a 5 year old?!? Eeek! I thought I was learning about reptiles the hard way, but this guy has me beat by a yard!
 
Also wanted to ask, did the Tokay not growl and slap it's head and body side to side when you cupped it to sell? Dumb luck if it was perfectly agreeable after you told him what a terrible pet they are! Hope he shelled out and got his kid a leo!
 
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