There's a pet store in Portland, OR (Scamps, to be exact, in the Lloyd
Center Mall, for those out there who may be from around here) that is
currently carrying about 7 or 8 baby ferrets.  7 weeks old, according to
the manager.  I thought that was a little young for ferrets?
 
I went there the other day and saw these cute little things all squirming
and sitting on top of each other (in a small cage at the front of the store,
maybe 3 by 4 feet).  I went to the manager to inquire their age, and got the
curt and disinterested response "7 weeks".  Then I went back and looked at
them a while longer.  One ferret was trying to eat what looked like soft
food, but it had soaked all the water so it really was just food stuck to
the bowl like a solid mass.  I went back to the counter and got the asst.
manager, and asked her if those ferrets should be on soft food.  "Not at
THIS age they're NOT" is the response I got.  Then i said, well it looks
like they have some sort of soft food but the ferret is having a really hard
time eating it.  She goes over, about 3 feet from the cage and says, "huh.
That is soft food", turns around and goes back to make a phone call.
 
This needless to say made me mad!!  First of all, should they be carrying
such young ferrets?  And of course they're all stuck in pine shavings w/no
litter box.  Scamps ALWAYS does that.  Second of all, the manager and asst.
manager have absolutely no customer relation skills...for all they know, I
might have wanted to buy those ferrets, but they showed absolutely no
interest in that possibility.  Completely ignored me, and didn't care that
the food the ferrets preferred was too dried out for them to eat it.
 
Aargh, I've tried saying stuff to them before but they don't seem to care.
And their employees don't strike me as being very knowledgable.  I went back
a second time and asked a 16-year-old employee if she could tell me what sex
one of the ferrets was.  Her response was, "well, they're neutered and
descented, so they really aren't either, but I'll check for you".
 
I just had to get that off my chest...
 
Minta
[Posted in FML issue 2229]