Good question!
 
>What would happen if we organized pickets & protests at businesses that
>sold Marshall Ferrets - specifying the breeding for lab purposes, early
>de-sexing & descenting w/related problems?  Yes, maybe on that given day
>or days, those ferrets would not be purchased.....but do you think there's
>any chance that the store owners or management might not get in contact
>with Marshalls and say "Hey, this isn't good for my business" and demand
>change, threaten to buy elsewhere, or possibly just not carry ferrets?<
 
I already thought of this at the Petco where I go.  Petco is the largest
supplier of ferrets in this area, Petsmart does not carry ferrets (hooray
for them!) I spoke with the Manager and District Manager at Petco in
Washington, they agree that carrying ferrets has been a bad thing and
they don't like MF especially (due to shipping and MF shipping ferrets far
too young to be eating kibble or being handled by consumers).  The Store
Manager has been particularly irritated by it.  In addition, I spoke with
the Store Manager at two other Petcos and they feel the same.  All of them
claim they have voiced concerns to Petco's corporate office, but Petco
buyers keep purchasing ferrets.  It is the corporate office of Petco that
is the source and they are the ones to complain to, not at the store level
since they have NO control over what the store is required to sell.
 
I have complained, to no avail.  I have also spoken with a higher-up at
MF about my concerns (many times), to no avail.  In addition, I have been
told that those numbers at the top of the guarantee card are so that
Marshall Farms can track the ferrets for breeding purposes.  This is
hogwash.  I found a guarantee from two years ago and mailed it in to see
what would happen (I expected to be told that it was no longer valid since
it only lasts a year), low and behold, a letter arrives in my mailbox from
MF congratulating me on my purchase and explaining the guarantee, etc....
Now, if what they said is true and they are tracking those numbers, why
would they consider my guarantee card valid?  Just as I thought, I have
been told BS, and this came directly from a higher up.  Never has MF been
able to prove to me that they have an "elaborate" computer system used
for tracking and breeding.  Now I have proof for myself.  I requested that
the person who signed this letter (Mr. Reid), contact me immediately.  Of
course, one month later, still no phone call.  I think MF needs to take
some customer service classes from theferretstore.com!
 
I have been nothing but civil in my dealings with Marshall Farms, but when
I get told BS and then nothing to back it up, and no return phone calls,
it really does not put me in a position to be nice.  I wont even go into
my dealings with the people in customer service who don't know squat
about ferrets (except what they are told to say).  You can read those
conversations in the archives.
 
So the answer is, yes, I have been trying to change MF and also educate
Petco about it.  However, it is not doing much good.  These companies are
just that, and appear to care more about profit margins than ferrets.  It
is really sad.  I have even been present when a Petco Store Manager has
contacted corporate about MF ferrets and how they are shipped (one was
dead in the crate) and corporate said it would be "handled".  Oh yeah,
that probably means that they would get refunded by MF on the dead one.
Great.  I don't necessarily have anything against Petco, per say, but I
wish they would listen closely to their employees at the store level who
deal with these shipments on a daily or weekly basis.  Buyers don't always
get first-hand experience with what they order and I wish that Petco would
change this.
 
Thus far, all I have been able to do is keep calling Marshall Farms, keep
dealing with the ferrets they ship to my local Petcos and keep educating
store employees.  I don't know what else to do, so if someone has some
better ideas, spill.  Now picketing outside Petco's corporate offices,
might have more impact.  I don't know.  I am trying and frustrated!
 
Again, those who want to read more about my dealings with MF, can find it
in the archives.  I could write a book about it and if I were more
web-savvy I would create a website where people could enter their
experiences.  Maybe this would get MFs attention?  That is the only other
idea I have thought of.  It might actually hurt their pocketbook with the
bad press and they might actually take the time to evaluate their
practices.  It's a thought.  Another idea is to lobby to change the
regulations in the neck of the woods.  I don't live anywhere near there,
so I am not sure that my "petition" or lobbying would be considered.
Particularly the fact that altering is performed by unlicensed entities.
Yikes!
[Posted in FML issue 3615]