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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #181




>Ah yes, the Robin Hood ethic: if you steal from Huge Monolithic
>Faceless Evil Corporate Entities, it's not *really* stealing.

Paying the price requested by the salesperson ISN'T really stealing, no
matter who the store is owned by.

>The plants at the local Petsmart are in generally decent shape, and
>some of the employees are even knowledgable and can identify the
>plants.  I'm amazed at their gonzo selection of fish, but I do get
>dismayed when I see a tankful of dead white clouds.  They're not quite
>as bad as Wal-Mart, though.
>
>What's the experience elsewhere?  The selection and pricing is hard
>to beat, though the quality at one of the "local" stores is almost
>always better.  YMMV.

My experience is that the chains vary, store by store. We should patronize
the ones that do a good job, and avoid the ones that don't. The local
Petsmart (Vista, CA) is a depressing place to be, no matter what the prices
and selection.  I wouldn't go in there and offer to pay more money than
they were asking just so I could pat myself on the back for being
"ethical." The Petco in San Marcos, CA is a nice store and I wouldn't want
to see it fail. I do try to buy their merchandise even when it costs more
than I can get elsewhere, because it's worth it for me to keep them in
business.

>Petsmart probably started out as a mom and pop.

So did General Motors, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go buy a Corvair
out of a sense of duty.

>The
>individual stockholders are certainly mom's and pops, and even
>institutional investors represent fundholders (such as myself) who are
>saving up for their retirement.

Perhaps some I the funds in which I have my retirement money invested hold
Petsmart stock. I hope Thomas's actions do have an effect on the short term
profitability of that store, so that Petsmart management wakes up and does
something about sales staff training at that store and others. This is no
way to run a business! You can't depend on knowledgable Thomases to go in
and reëducate the sales staff. If I in ignorance went in and bought "those
plants there" for $1.49, would that be unethical? Is it unethical to buy
things you can't identify and don't know the market value of?

>Richard "sorry about the rant, communists just rub me wrong" Masoner
>in Champaign Illinois where it's cold and rainy.
>------------------------------

Who's the communist here? The person who tries to negotiate the best price
possible or the person who feels the customer must render to the ignorant
salesperson according to his "need?"

Michael Schmidt
California State University, San Marcos
San Marcos, CA