On approximately September 17th I entered the Milford, Ohio Petsmart store to check prices on cat litter & food. I walked past the reptile enclosures and noticed a $4.00 price (with Petsmart card) on Bahaman Anoles. I thought that this would be the perfect food for my Eastern Kingsnake, as it only accepts snakes and lizards as food.
I approached the pleasant young lady in the fish department and told her that I wanted to purchase one of the Bahaman Anoles. She began to prepare by going in the back for a container. I wandered around browsing and waiting for her. She eventually arrived with a notebook and container.
The young lady handed me a contract to fill out and caught one of the Bahaman Anoles while chatting pleasantly with me. I briefly read the contract, recognized it as data mining, and waited for her to finish catching the B. Anole. She asked me if I had filled it out yet. I told her that it was not necessary, as they already had the information on file and I intended to use it to feed my snake. She told me that they would not sell me one unless I filled out the contract. She then told me they don't sell animals for food.
I found this insulting to my intelligence on at least a couple of levels:
The Bahaman Anole is an invasive species in the U.S. It is not endangered or threatened. They are considered pests to be eradicated by the U.S. Government, as they displace the less aggressive native Green Anole. There is no reason that they shouldn't serve as food if I purchase them.
They $4.00 price was contingent upon using one's PetPerks card, for which, the information required on the Pet Contract had already been given. The personal information would be linked to the purchase in their system as the sale was made, thus rendering the contract info redundant and a waste of time.
The statement that they do not sell animals for food is false. They sell crickets, goldfish, minnows, and baby mice ALL as food for pets. The ridiculousness of the entire situation is beyond insulting to the intelligence of all customers at Petsmart.
I left the store feeling insulted and annoyed at having to indulge stupid policies and practices. Stupidity is when policies are substituted for a brain. I will shop elsewhere in the future and loudly proclaim to others that they should also. What a ripoff!
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