Hello, all.
 
I have a question for all of you and would like some input.  I have not
kept up with the PetCo thread, so I do not know what the majority of the
people on the FML feel about PetCo.
 
PetCo recently replaced both locations of PetCare here in Huntsville,
Alabama.  Whereas PetCare did not carry ferrets, PetCo obviously does.  My
partners and I talked it over and decided that it would probably be useless
to get PetCo to stop carrying ferrets.  We instead decided that if we
educated the employees, they might then be able to give customers better
information and maybe keep some of these people from making impulse
purchases.
 
I spoke to the Manager of one of the stores and he was very open to having
us visit and give an after- hours lecture to all of the employees (all
employees from both stores, even the employees who were not scheduled to
work that day).  He even said that it would be possible for us to set up a
display table at the store once a month and have a monthly "ferret day".
We would get to pass out information and answer any questions that people
might have.
 
My initial reaction to seeing a bin containing 25 ferrets with an empty
food bowl was to get my picket sign and set up camp outside the store and
tell every person within hearing range not to purchase ferrets from these
people, but to adopt from us.  I asked one of the employees if they
received any special training about ferrets, the answer was (of course)
"no".  If find this rather disturbing that ferrets are treated just as
another piece of "merchandise", like a bag of food or litter.  This was
what finally led me to think that maybe educating the staff would be a
good idea.
 
What do you think?  If BIG does not want to have this discussed here, then
please feel free to email me.
 
Thanks!
 
-Mark Zmyewski
 Cloud Nine Ferrets
 Huntsville, Alabama
 [log in to unmask]
 
p.s.  As of now, we are scheduled to give our lecture next Wednesday
evening.
 
[Moderator's note: I have no objection to discussing it here.  And while
I'm writing, I think educating the employees about ferrets is a *super*
idea, for many reasons, which I'm sure other readers will cover in more
detail than I would here.  (And if they don't, maybe I'll post!)  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 2511]