I guess it's a good thing I came into work later than usual for my first evening shift in a long while.
As, I checked in with my morning opener before they left for the day.
Asking how the Bedding Changes went and such.
And commented that a cage that I knew to be empty was missing a sign.
To which my coworker acknowledged and then pointed out that there was another cage that had been empty when they went to clean it out.
The Corn Snake Cage.
Alarm bells rang in my head.
The Corn Snake cage was empty?!
That could not be right.
As I'd counted all our animals the day before.
And guess what?
The corn snake had been in there.
Of course it could have been that the snake was sold between then and now.
So I double checked in inventory.
Guess what?
The snake still showed in our system.
which meant.
It was still in the store.
But my coworker swore up and down and left to right that there was no snake in the bedding when they'd cleaned out that cage. They'd gone through it very carefully to ensure that it was not there.
But maybe the other opener had cleaned the cage and the second hadn't realized it.
I seriously doubted that.
I had more trust in the first opener than the second...
And considering that we'd already had had one snake tossed away a couple of months ago.
I wasn't going to dismiss the thought that it too had ended up in the garbage.
Considering that the snake was basically the same color as the bedding it burrowed in.
It was more than likely.
Considering that I know how 'carefully' this coworker goes through things....it was more than more than likely. Their 'careful' isn't very careful.
So I tracked down the garbage bag.
Thankfully this time it hadn't ended up yet in the dumpster, hadn't yet been taken by the garbage truck.
So I was able to pull it out and open it.
And dig through the bedding.
Within like 4 handfuls of bedding.
There it was.
The snake.
Alive and well.
*sighs of relief*
Back into his cage he went.
I'm pretty sure that the one coworker did toss the snake in the trash -total accident of course- as my other opener, I later talked to said they hadn't done the cage cleaning for those cages.
Oh well.
Mistakes happen.
At least this time around we were able to save the snake. :S
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Friday, May 29, 2015
MLAARe -The Guppies
He came in again.
The Tall Asian guy.
The fish guy who had me fish out fish from the display tanks.
I cringe whenever I see him, groan internally because I'm just waiting for him to ask to get some of the fish from our display tanks again.
And honestly, he gets such odd combinations of fish.
I'm assuming he has more than one tank.
But still....
The fish he gets I'm just so confused about.
My other coworkers are too. They know the same problem with this gentleman.
That he buys random fish.
This time around his focus was Guppies.
Who knows why.
But it was.
He ended up buying all the remaining Red Tuxedo Guppies we had in the store (13) -because they were a dollar each. As well as four other guppies.
I don't really understand why you'd want to buy so many of the same color fish....personally I like a lot of variety of colors....but to each their own I guess.
At least the guppies weren't that hard to catch. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
The Tall Asian guy.
The fish guy who had me fish out fish from the display tanks.
I cringe whenever I see him, groan internally because I'm just waiting for him to ask to get some of the fish from our display tanks again.
And honestly, he gets such odd combinations of fish.
I'm assuming he has more than one tank.
But still....
The fish he gets I'm just so confused about.
My other coworkers are too. They know the same problem with this gentleman.
That he buys random fish.
This time around his focus was Guppies.
Who knows why.
But it was.
He ended up buying all the remaining Red Tuxedo Guppies we had in the store (13) -because they were a dollar each. As well as four other guppies.
I don't really understand why you'd want to buy so many of the same color fish....personally I like a lot of variety of colors....but to each their own I guess.
At least the guppies weren't that hard to catch. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Thursday, May 28, 2015
MLAARE -Don't Pinch Me
I got pinched by another Hermit Crab today.
>.<
And again,
I'm not really sure how it happened.
I was holding three of them.
Little hermit crabs. Going to go put them in their container for the customers to take home.
And somehow it's claw and my finger met up at just the wrong moment.
And Wham
Instant Pain.
To the point where I reacted instantly,
Dropping two of the hermit crabs.
While the third clung on.
Oops.
But at least they were all fine.
My finger.
Not so much.
There was a hermit crab once again clinging onto it.
After last time's experience. I knew that just sitting and waiting for it to let go would not work.
I could be waiting there for hours for all I knew.
So I pulled it off.
Painfully off.
And the hermit crab definitely left a mark.
A heart shaped mark.
Little creature definitely took some skin with him.
And drew blood.
Definitely different from what happened the last time. When it just left an angry mark.
Seriously. Note to self, continue to avoid the pinchers on the Hermit Crabs. They hurt.
-Sarnic Dirchi
>.<
And again,
I'm not really sure how it happened.
I was holding three of them.
Little hermit crabs. Going to go put them in their container for the customers to take home.
And somehow it's claw and my finger met up at just the wrong moment.
And Wham
Instant Pain.
To the point where I reacted instantly,
Dropping two of the hermit crabs.
While the third clung on.
Oops.
But at least they were all fine.
My finger.
Not so much.
There was a hermit crab once again clinging onto it.
After last time's experience. I knew that just sitting and waiting for it to let go would not work.
I could be waiting there for hours for all I knew.
So I pulled it off.
Painfully off.
And the hermit crab definitely left a mark.
A heart shaped mark.
Little creature definitely took some skin with him.
And drew blood.
Definitely different from what happened the last time. When it just left an angry mark.
Seriously. Note to self, continue to avoid the pinchers on the Hermit Crabs. They hurt.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
MLAARE -Baby Bird Trouble
A woman called the store today.
An older one, possibly grandma aged by the waver in her voice.
What was her problem?
She'd found a baby bird on the ground.
And wanted to know what to do to take care of it.
I told her it would be best to put the baby bird back in the nest.
And she was like "I can't do that! The mother bird won't take care of it cus it fell out, and if humans touch it to bring it back she won't take care of it."
I didn't quite believe that was true. Cus I remembered hearing that people could put the birds back just fine.
But I also didn't think the woman on the phone -by her voice- was capable of climbing a tree to put the bird back.
So I gave her some suggestions on types of food the bird could eat.
Which she didn't seem to like.
She kept asking to talk to the 'bird person'
Which....I am the bird person. >.< There are no 'experts'
So I went to go consult with my 'bird expert' aka my other coworker.
Who knew nothing about birds.
But they were talking to a customer, who said that when they'd found a baby bird they were told to leave it alone.
So, that's what I told the customer on the phone.
She didn't like that advice. She'd never heard of a mother bird coming back to rescue a baby bird on the ground. How was she supposed to pick it up. Yadda yadda.
Again I went back to the suggestions of what the bird could eat. Insects, seeds, fruits...
And went in a circular conversation with this woman.
About what the bird would eat.
I asked what type of bird it was, asked her to describe the mother....
Such a circular conversation.
I was ready to bang my head against the wall.
Because I have no idea why the woman called in the first place really.
She knew how to take care of the baby bird, knew what it ate because she watched the mother feed the birds. Honestly, she could put two and two together and take care of it that way.
*shakes head*
Sometimes I don't know why people call.....
they know the answers well enough themselves.
Talking to an expert won't change anything if you don't listen to what they say in the first place.....
-Sarnic Dirchi
An older one, possibly grandma aged by the waver in her voice.
What was her problem?
She'd found a baby bird on the ground.
And wanted to know what to do to take care of it.
I told her it would be best to put the baby bird back in the nest.
And she was like "I can't do that! The mother bird won't take care of it cus it fell out, and if humans touch it to bring it back she won't take care of it."
I didn't quite believe that was true. Cus I remembered hearing that people could put the birds back just fine.
But I also didn't think the woman on the phone -by her voice- was capable of climbing a tree to put the bird back.
So I gave her some suggestions on types of food the bird could eat.
Which she didn't seem to like.
She kept asking to talk to the 'bird person'
Which....I am the bird person. >.< There are no 'experts'
So I went to go consult with my 'bird expert' aka my other coworker.
Who knew nothing about birds.
But they were talking to a customer, who said that when they'd found a baby bird they were told to leave it alone.
So, that's what I told the customer on the phone.
She didn't like that advice. She'd never heard of a mother bird coming back to rescue a baby bird on the ground. How was she supposed to pick it up. Yadda yadda.
Again I went back to the suggestions of what the bird could eat. Insects, seeds, fruits...
And went in a circular conversation with this woman.
About what the bird would eat.
I asked what type of bird it was, asked her to describe the mother....
Such a circular conversation.
I was ready to bang my head against the wall.
Because I have no idea why the woman called in the first place really.
She knew how to take care of the baby bird, knew what it ate because she watched the mother feed the birds. Honestly, she could put two and two together and take care of it that way.
*shakes head*
Sometimes I don't know why people call.....
they know the answers well enough themselves.
Talking to an expert won't change anything if you don't listen to what they say in the first place.....
-Sarnic Dirchi
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
MLAARE -Where's The Stuff?
I hate it when we move things around in our store.
I can understand why we do it,
It makes things looks different, draws customer's eyes to knew products that they'd walked right past before.
But it's so annoying when our departments expand or shrink or move around.
Because then I have to field many many many questions about where everything went.
Seriously, if we do this with aisles we should make a sign that says "Bird Food has been moved to this aisle."
It wouldn't stop the questions for sure.
But it would lessen them.
So, my department's aisles have been all messed up, because we're shrinking it down by one aisle.
And in particular, our Bird section of the store.
Has drastically shrunk.
I guess Corporate decided we don't sell a lot of bird things? Who knows.
But because we were shrinking it down, we were selling through a lot of things.
Which means that the shelves looked pretty empty until we reset it all.
So everyday I'd get the question. "Are you guys no longer carrying bird stuff?"
"Are you guys getting rid of your bird section?"
No.
Not quite.
The bird food has moved to by the fish, the bird toys shrunk to a third of it's former size.
Totally crazy.
But we're still carrying bird stuff. Just not in as much variety as before.
Maybe it means we'll get in new product for them more often though....who knows.
I don't think our bird customers are going to be happy though.
Because I don't know about the other stores....but we sell through a lot of birds in ours....
-Sarnic Dirchi
I can understand why we do it,
It makes things looks different, draws customer's eyes to knew products that they'd walked right past before.
But it's so annoying when our departments expand or shrink or move around.
Because then I have to field many many many questions about where everything went.
Seriously, if we do this with aisles we should make a sign that says "Bird Food has been moved to this aisle."
It wouldn't stop the questions for sure.
But it would lessen them.
So, my department's aisles have been all messed up, because we're shrinking it down by one aisle.
And in particular, our Bird section of the store.
Has drastically shrunk.
I guess Corporate decided we don't sell a lot of bird things? Who knows.
But because we were shrinking it down, we were selling through a lot of things.
Which means that the shelves looked pretty empty until we reset it all.
So everyday I'd get the question. "Are you guys no longer carrying bird stuff?"
"Are you guys getting rid of your bird section?"
No.
Not quite.
The bird food has moved to by the fish, the bird toys shrunk to a third of it's former size.
Totally crazy.
But we're still carrying bird stuff. Just not in as much variety as before.
Maybe it means we'll get in new product for them more often though....who knows.
I don't think our bird customers are going to be happy though.
Because I don't know about the other stores....but we sell through a lot of birds in ours....
-Sarnic Dirchi
Monday, May 25, 2015
MLAARE -An Extra Shift
I nearly got called into work on my day off.
Nearly.
Because it didn't happen.
But there I was, minding my own business,
When my phone rings.
Considering my phone basically never rings.
I knew it was work.
Who else calls me, but work?
Not many people.
Sure enough it was.
Hey, Sarnic, would you be able to come in today from 1-6 so and so called in sick again.
I considered. "Who else is there?"
"This person and that person."
"How long are they staying?"
"Til this time."
"Oh...." I considered. My church started at 130. I didn't want to miss church today. And so I told my manager that. But I still wanted to be helpful. "I could come in at 230 and stay til 6." I offered.
But.
It wasn't the 1-6 shift that my manager needed.
If I was in their shoes, I would have asked the person there if they could stay until 230 when I could come in. Just a couple of hours later really. Then they could go home, and I would come in to cover the shift...
Only....my manager didn't see it like that.
They needed the 1-6 slot filled, and since I couldn't come in for the first hour....
Obviously that meant I wasn't available.
So instead of asking my coworker if they could stay just an hour later.
They instead asked if the coworker who opened that morning, could stay the entire day.
Work the entire shift.
Which my coworker accepted (Hey, more money!)
Still.
I think it's rather crazy.
What was so wrong with having two people cover one shift?
I don't know.
I'm just grateful that I didn't have to go into work on my day off. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Nearly.
Because it didn't happen.
But there I was, minding my own business,
When my phone rings.
Considering my phone basically never rings.
I knew it was work.
Who else calls me, but work?
Not many people.
Sure enough it was.
Hey, Sarnic, would you be able to come in today from 1-6 so and so called in sick again.
I considered. "Who else is there?"
"This person and that person."
"How long are they staying?"
"Til this time."
"Oh...." I considered. My church started at 130. I didn't want to miss church today. And so I told my manager that. But I still wanted to be helpful. "I could come in at 230 and stay til 6." I offered.
But.
It wasn't the 1-6 shift that my manager needed.
If I was in their shoes, I would have asked the person there if they could stay until 230 when I could come in. Just a couple of hours later really. Then they could go home, and I would come in to cover the shift...
Only....my manager didn't see it like that.
They needed the 1-6 slot filled, and since I couldn't come in for the first hour....
Obviously that meant I wasn't available.
So instead of asking my coworker if they could stay just an hour later.
They instead asked if the coworker who opened that morning, could stay the entire day.
Work the entire shift.
Which my coworker accepted (Hey, more money!)
Still.
I think it's rather crazy.
What was so wrong with having two people cover one shift?
I don't know.
I'm just grateful that I didn't have to go into work on my day off. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, May 23, 2015
MLAARE -Jelly Glos
Gotta love it when customers don't listen to you.
Really, you tell them something, and they ignore it.
*sighs*
Sooo remember a few days ago, when I talked about the lady who called about the Glofish?
The ones swimming funny when all the others are swimming weird?
Well.
Apparently,
their presence in the tank was too much for the customer to handle.
It was probably like an itch they could not scratch.
Just something that bothered them every time they looked into their tank.
And saw those three glofish swimming along in a odd manner.
It was too much.
The perfect state of the tank ruined.
Something had to be done.
So.
At work.
There my manager was.
Doing the usual work things of helping customers.
When one customer walked up to him.
Bag of glofish in hand.
Yes. The same customer.
"I have a present for you!" She said cheerily.
And gave the bag to my manager.
Like over the phone,
She didn't want to hear that it was a bacterial infection causing the fish to swim odd.
After all, remember, all the other fish were fine.
She wouldn't hear that only certain fish could get sick.
If one gets sick, surely all would get sick.
No.
She'd gotten it stuck in her head, that the fish were at fault. For being altered. For having a fluorescent gene added to them to make them glow. Genetically altered.
And she was upset (still) that we would sell genetically altered fish.
Because obviously something was wrong with them.
They were totally swimming like a jelly fish would now!
She wanted nothing to do with them.
And so gave them back.
>.< Even though I had told her over the phone that we do not accept fish after a certain time period!
*sighs*
I hate it when the customer doesn't listen.
But, she was the sort of customer, where you can tell.
Just accept the fish, smile, wave them out the door, and hope they don't come back again.
And so. The woman has her life back in order again.
The imperfect fish. Gone. Her tank swimming all normally.
*sighs*
If I ever own my own pet store, I will have a big fish tank in the front of the store. Hundreds and hundreds of gallons. With a fancy sign above it that says "Donate Fish."
And anyone who doesn't want their fish any more can just put the fish there.
Walla. Fish tank full of fish for customers to look at..
Customers no longer having to worry about fish they don't want.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Really, you tell them something, and they ignore it.
*sighs*
Sooo remember a few days ago, when I talked about the lady who called about the Glofish?
The ones swimming funny when all the others are swimming weird?
Well.
Apparently,
their presence in the tank was too much for the customer to handle.
It was probably like an itch they could not scratch.
Just something that bothered them every time they looked into their tank.
And saw those three glofish swimming along in a odd manner.
It was too much.
The perfect state of the tank ruined.
Something had to be done.
So.
At work.
There my manager was.
Doing the usual work things of helping customers.
When one customer walked up to him.
Bag of glofish in hand.
Yes. The same customer.
"I have a present for you!" She said cheerily.
And gave the bag to my manager.
Like over the phone,
She didn't want to hear that it was a bacterial infection causing the fish to swim odd.
After all, remember, all the other fish were fine.
She wouldn't hear that only certain fish could get sick.
If one gets sick, surely all would get sick.
No.
She'd gotten it stuck in her head, that the fish were at fault. For being altered. For having a fluorescent gene added to them to make them glow. Genetically altered.
And she was upset (still) that we would sell genetically altered fish.
Because obviously something was wrong with them.
They were totally swimming like a jelly fish would now!
She wanted nothing to do with them.
And so gave them back.
>.< Even though I had told her over the phone that we do not accept fish after a certain time period!
*sighs*
I hate it when the customer doesn't listen.
But, she was the sort of customer, where you can tell.
Just accept the fish, smile, wave them out the door, and hope they don't come back again.
And so. The woman has her life back in order again.
The imperfect fish. Gone. Her tank swimming all normally.
*sighs*
If I ever own my own pet store, I will have a big fish tank in the front of the store. Hundreds and hundreds of gallons. With a fancy sign above it that says "Donate Fish."
And anyone who doesn't want their fish any more can just put the fish there.
Walla. Fish tank full of fish for customers to look at..
Customers no longer having to worry about fish they don't want.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Friday, May 22, 2015
MLAARE -Up and Down
I had our Sister Store call us today.
Asking if we had a particular Terrarium in stock.
Which we did.
So they said a customer would be coming by shortly to get it.
So, with the help of another, I lifted the heavy tank and got it all ready, on a cart, for the customer to come pick up.
Only to get a call from the Sister Store again like 10 minutes later.
Saying that they had actually found that particular Terrarium in their store, in their back room, so the customer was not coming to grab the tank.
Which meant.
That I had to go grab the Terrarium and again with some help.
Put it back where it had been in the first place.
*sighs*
Ah well.
At least the customer was happy. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Asking if we had a particular Terrarium in stock.
Which we did.
So they said a customer would be coming by shortly to get it.
So, with the help of another, I lifted the heavy tank and got it all ready, on a cart, for the customer to come pick up.
Only to get a call from the Sister Store again like 10 minutes later.
Saying that they had actually found that particular Terrarium in their store, in their back room, so the customer was not coming to grab the tank.
Which meant.
That I had to go grab the Terrarium and again with some help.
Put it back where it had been in the first place.
*sighs*
Ah well.
At least the customer was happy. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Thursday, May 21, 2015
MLAARE -Climbing
How did he even get up there?!
No idea, but I admire his accomplishment. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
MLAARE -A Little Snack
There are always those coworkers that do crazy things.
Where you wonder....why in the world, would you do that?
Today,
I was told by one of the cashiers, something she'd seen my coworker do as they were opening the department today.
That she was pretty sure that she'd seen this coworker....
Eating some of the Hamster food.
O.o
This particular coworker is crazy.
But could they be that crazy?
O.o
I'm not sure.
Eating Hamster food?
I double checked with the cashier "What did it look like they were eating?"
She described it, drew a picture.
Yah....it looked a lot like the hamster food.
Still.
I had my doubts.
Why?
Because I'd passed by the food cart multiple times as my coworker was opening up the department.
I'd seen them also back at the vending machine as well,
and upon the cart.
Was a packet of Fruit snacks.
I'm pretty sure this is what my cashier saw them eating.
And the cashier couldn't be for sure what she saw, as there were some displays hiding the cart from view.
It was odd that she described the hamster food though.
Because it looks nothing like the fruit snacks.
Still, I hope that it was just fruit snacks my coworker was eating.
O.o
-Sarnic Dirchi
Where you wonder....why in the world, would you do that?
Today,
I was told by one of the cashiers, something she'd seen my coworker do as they were opening the department today.
That she was pretty sure that she'd seen this coworker....
Eating some of the Hamster food.
O.o
This particular coworker is crazy.
But could they be that crazy?
O.o
I'm not sure.
Eating Hamster food?
I double checked with the cashier "What did it look like they were eating?"
She described it, drew a picture.
Yah....it looked a lot like the hamster food.
Still.
I had my doubts.
Why?
Because I'd passed by the food cart multiple times as my coworker was opening up the department.
I'd seen them also back at the vending machine as well,
and upon the cart.
Was a packet of Fruit snacks.
I'm pretty sure this is what my cashier saw them eating.
And the cashier couldn't be for sure what she saw, as there were some displays hiding the cart from view.
It was odd that she described the hamster food though.
Because it looks nothing like the fruit snacks.
Still, I hope that it was just fruit snacks my coworker was eating.
O.o
-Sarnic Dirchi
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
MLAARE -The Sideways Glofish
Sometimes I wonder if people call work just because they liked to complain.
I had a woman call the store, because she was having a problem with her fish.
Three fish specifically.
Three Red Glofish Tetras that had begun to swim funny after like 6 months of owning them. (Which meant that we would not accept them back as a return because it had been too long.)
Their swimming was described both as "swimming on their sides." but also "swimming vertically" with their heads pointed to the ground.
Plus she was quick to point out that none of her other fish were acting funny. Just those ones.
That everything in the tank was the same, nothing had changed.
And I was like. "Well....it could be an air bladder issue."
Because the fish have these organs that control their buoyancy so they could float or sink as they wish.
Most of the time. Sideways swimming fish have that problem. Especially if they float to the top.
But she was quick again to point out that that wasn't it. That they were the ONLY fish acting funny, that all the others were acting fine.
So my guesses that it could be a parasite, a bacteria, a fungus,
Were shot down as quickly as I brought it up.
On the simple fact that all the other fish were fine.
Obviously it was something wrong with those particular tetras. Just them.
To which I agreed.
But again I still thought it was a bacteria sort of thing or one of the options I mentioned. After all. Just because one fish gets 'sick' doesn't mean that all the other fish will get sick too. Especially since we don't know what's causing them to swim weird anyways.
She finally said "We think it may be their genetics."
Which it could be. I agreed with her.
Sure. It could be that. The GloTetras are after all just regular Tetras that have a gene (from a jellyfish I think.) spliced into their DNA so they are genetically altered or however that explanation works. I know they're genetically altered.
And she seemed surprised at the information.
That GloTetras were just regular Tetras.
*cue rolling of the eyes*
Obviously....GloTetras...are Tetras....that's why they have the same name.....
In any case. She got rather mad at me.
That we were genetically altering fish. And that they weren't staying healthy because of it! That we should stop!
And I was like. "Ma'am...all animals have their medical problems. Genetically altering fish is just like breeding dogs. You breed them to get certain characteristics, and with those characteristics you get side effects. It's nothing that hasn't been done for years before."
Seriously.
Then she was like "So who will take our fish!"
Because obviously sick fish had to be gotten rid off.
So I listed off a couple of stores, but said that since they were sick, they probably wouldn't take them.
She was still unhappy when she finally hung up.
Unhappy that she had no real solution to her sick fish. (Because she wouldn't listen to actual solutions nor could I accurately diagnose it over the phone without seeing it.)
Basically....I consider her to be a perfectionist.
And to have living animals not be perfect.......definitely wasn't her ideal.
Especially only after six months of them being in her tank.
Sometimes....fish just die. Fish just act weird. It's not easy to say why they were randomly swimming sideways....
-Sarnic Dirchi
I had a woman call the store, because she was having a problem with her fish.
Three fish specifically.
Three Red Glofish Tetras that had begun to swim funny after like 6 months of owning them. (Which meant that we would not accept them back as a return because it had been too long.)
Their swimming was described both as "swimming on their sides." but also "swimming vertically" with their heads pointed to the ground.
Plus she was quick to point out that none of her other fish were acting funny. Just those ones.
That everything in the tank was the same, nothing had changed.
And I was like. "Well....it could be an air bladder issue."
Because the fish have these organs that control their buoyancy so they could float or sink as they wish.
Most of the time. Sideways swimming fish have that problem. Especially if they float to the top.
But she was quick again to point out that that wasn't it. That they were the ONLY fish acting funny, that all the others were acting fine.
So my guesses that it could be a parasite, a bacteria, a fungus,
Were shot down as quickly as I brought it up.
On the simple fact that all the other fish were fine.
Obviously it was something wrong with those particular tetras. Just them.
To which I agreed.
But again I still thought it was a bacteria sort of thing or one of the options I mentioned. After all. Just because one fish gets 'sick' doesn't mean that all the other fish will get sick too. Especially since we don't know what's causing them to swim weird anyways.
She finally said "We think it may be their genetics."
Which it could be. I agreed with her.
Sure. It could be that. The GloTetras are after all just regular Tetras that have a gene (from a jellyfish I think.) spliced into their DNA so they are genetically altered or however that explanation works. I know they're genetically altered.
And she seemed surprised at the information.
That GloTetras were just regular Tetras.
*cue rolling of the eyes*
Obviously....GloTetras...are Tetras....that's why they have the same name.....
In any case. She got rather mad at me.
That we were genetically altering fish. And that they weren't staying healthy because of it! That we should stop!
And I was like. "Ma'am...all animals have their medical problems. Genetically altering fish is just like breeding dogs. You breed them to get certain characteristics, and with those characteristics you get side effects. It's nothing that hasn't been done for years before."
Seriously.
Then she was like "So who will take our fish!"
Because obviously sick fish had to be gotten rid off.
So I listed off a couple of stores, but said that since they were sick, they probably wouldn't take them.
She was still unhappy when she finally hung up.
Unhappy that she had no real solution to her sick fish. (Because she wouldn't listen to actual solutions nor could I accurately diagnose it over the phone without seeing it.)
Basically....I consider her to be a perfectionist.
And to have living animals not be perfect.......definitely wasn't her ideal.
Especially only after six months of them being in her tank.
Sometimes....fish just die. Fish just act weird. It's not easy to say why they were randomly swimming sideways....
-Sarnic Dirchi
Monday, May 18, 2015
MLAARE -Not A Solution
It's part of the work thing really,
To complain about your coworkers.
Those particular coworkers that just drive you crazy and up the wall.
It gives rather entertaining stories to tell your friends and family when they ask how work is going.
So, I've been writing a friend on her mission.
Talking about work and coworkers and such.
and brought up the fact that there is some tension between me and a coworker currently. Moreso than usual. Enough that it has stressed me out to the point of getting sick.
Because really, I find it difficult to mesh with this coworker, to get on the same page, wavelength, so that we can communicate and work together effectively.
To have things break down further....not good. Seriously, if I could avoid having the same shifts as this coworker, I would be super happy.
In any case, I told my friend the updates on what's been going on between me and this coworker.
And her solution totally through me for a loop.
And not a happy loop.
She suggested that in order for me to see the good qualities in this coworker, because we've been opposites for so long.....
That I should go on a date with him.
Basically see him in a different environment, get to know him.
O.o
Uh.
No.
Never.
Ever.
Ever.
Not a good idea at all.
Because honestly the coworker gives off the "Beware of me!" Radar alarms and, I find it hard to be too comfortable in his presence.
Definitely not a solution. At all.
A solution that filled me with....I can't explain it, but nearly sent me in a panic.
Considering that we're not quite meshing well in work, the thought of being alone with this guy in a date situation, even hypothetically has me shivering. No. No.
Not a thing I will do ever.
I don't see how dating someone you don't get along with can ever be a solution.... O.o
I mean, I guess it probably works for some people out there.
But for me....not going to happen.
-Sarnic Dirchi
To complain about your coworkers.
Those particular coworkers that just drive you crazy and up the wall.
It gives rather entertaining stories to tell your friends and family when they ask how work is going.
So, I've been writing a friend on her mission.
Talking about work and coworkers and such.
and brought up the fact that there is some tension between me and a coworker currently. Moreso than usual. Enough that it has stressed me out to the point of getting sick.
Because really, I find it difficult to mesh with this coworker, to get on the same page, wavelength, so that we can communicate and work together effectively.
To have things break down further....not good. Seriously, if I could avoid having the same shifts as this coworker, I would be super happy.
In any case, I told my friend the updates on what's been going on between me and this coworker.
And her solution totally through me for a loop.
And not a happy loop.
She suggested that in order for me to see the good qualities in this coworker, because we've been opposites for so long.....
That I should go on a date with him.
Basically see him in a different environment, get to know him.
O.o
Uh.
No.
Never.
Ever.
Ever.
Not a good idea at all.
Because honestly the coworker gives off the "Beware of me!" Radar alarms and, I find it hard to be too comfortable in his presence.
Definitely not a solution. At all.
A solution that filled me with....I can't explain it, but nearly sent me in a panic.
Considering that we're not quite meshing well in work, the thought of being alone with this guy in a date situation, even hypothetically has me shivering. No. No.
Not a thing I will do ever.
I don't see how dating someone you don't get along with can ever be a solution.... O.o
I mean, I guess it probably works for some people out there.
But for me....not going to happen.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, May 16, 2015
MLAARE -Communication Mishap
Do you ever have those situations where things just get crazy hectic and things are misunderstood and you don't have time to properly explain them nor are you sure you want to in the moment?
Yah.
Got that today.
>.<
So there I was, at the fish wall.
Bagging fish.
There were like 3 different people waiting for me.
I was helping an older gentleman.
There was a wife/husband/child nearby. Child was screaming.
So in a half conversational way I just said.
"Sounds like he needs a nap."
As I was trying to talk to the wife.
Just to empathize you know? Screaming kids. No Bueno.
But I said it just as the girl moved away.
And the older gentleman came up behind me.
And was like "Oh, is he yours?"
O.o
I have no idea why he thought that at all.
I told him no.
He wasn't mine. He was the woman's over there. (which she probably didn't take kindly too...I said it quickly, but I can see how it can be taken in a "I can't believe she brought her kid here!' sort of way.)
I wouldn't be allowed to bring my kids to work. O.o I have no idea why he'd think he was mine....
So weird to even think about.
And it wasn't like I was purposely having a conversation with this guy about the woman's child.
I was going to try and say to the woman "Sorry I meant to be talking to you, he just was there all of a sudden."
But it was noisy.
It was hectic.
I was just conversing so I didn't go crazy with how noisy the store was being and having screaming kids not helping.
And the woman basically said to me. "Don't say my child needs a nap. He doesn't." Something along those lines. A basic "I can't believe you were talking about my child to other people! Don't do it."
Which I wasn't trying to purposely. I was trying to talk to her. To empathize with her having to deal with her kid and that was the first thing that came to mind.
I couldn't help that the other gentleman decided to comment, nor that he continued to do so.
I didn't have time to correct the situation beyond saying a quick "I'm sorry."
As I didn't mean for it to be mean nor demeaning nor whatever way she took it. I can understand why. But I didn't mean it that way. At all. Just trying to converse that backfired. >.<
Sometimes I hate talking to people... *sighs*
At least the sorry seemed to help.
When I finally came back to her I had no desire at all to explain what I meant, because by that point the time had passed, and it would be awkward to try and explain.
Thankfully, it seemed the sorry helped to sweep things under the rug.
As she was polite and gracious as I helped her get her own fish. And I feel like we left things on a good note. Hopefully she hasn't been mulling over the situation all day like I've been doing.
*sighs* >.< Brain needs to stop blowing things out of proportion.
In any case. I helped them out.
All was well.
It also helped the gentleman quietly apologized for getting me into trouble as he was leaving. I think he recognized the situation had gotten slightly out of hand and took partial responsibility for that.
So all around.
It's good.
I hope.
I think.
Yah...it's good. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Yah.
Got that today.
>.<
So there I was, at the fish wall.
Bagging fish.
There were like 3 different people waiting for me.
I was helping an older gentleman.
There was a wife/husband/child nearby. Child was screaming.
So in a half conversational way I just said.
"Sounds like he needs a nap."
As I was trying to talk to the wife.
Just to empathize you know? Screaming kids. No Bueno.
But I said it just as the girl moved away.
And the older gentleman came up behind me.
And was like "Oh, is he yours?"
O.o
I have no idea why he thought that at all.
I told him no.
He wasn't mine. He was the woman's over there. (which she probably didn't take kindly too...I said it quickly, but I can see how it can be taken in a "I can't believe she brought her kid here!' sort of way.)
I wouldn't be allowed to bring my kids to work. O.o I have no idea why he'd think he was mine....
So weird to even think about.
And it wasn't like I was purposely having a conversation with this guy about the woman's child.
I was going to try and say to the woman "Sorry I meant to be talking to you, he just was there all of a sudden."
But it was noisy.
It was hectic.
I was just conversing so I didn't go crazy with how noisy the store was being and having screaming kids not helping.
And the woman basically said to me. "Don't say my child needs a nap. He doesn't." Something along those lines. A basic "I can't believe you were talking about my child to other people! Don't do it."
Which I wasn't trying to purposely. I was trying to talk to her. To empathize with her having to deal with her kid and that was the first thing that came to mind.
I couldn't help that the other gentleman decided to comment, nor that he continued to do so.
I didn't have time to correct the situation beyond saying a quick "I'm sorry."
As I didn't mean for it to be mean nor demeaning nor whatever way she took it. I can understand why. But I didn't mean it that way. At all. Just trying to converse that backfired. >.<
Sometimes I hate talking to people... *sighs*
At least the sorry seemed to help.
When I finally came back to her I had no desire at all to explain what I meant, because by that point the time had passed, and it would be awkward to try and explain.
Thankfully, it seemed the sorry helped to sweep things under the rug.
As she was polite and gracious as I helped her get her own fish. And I feel like we left things on a good note. Hopefully she hasn't been mulling over the situation all day like I've been doing.
*sighs* >.< Brain needs to stop blowing things out of proportion.
In any case. I helped them out.
All was well.
It also helped the gentleman quietly apologized for getting me into trouble as he was leaving. I think he recognized the situation had gotten slightly out of hand and took partial responsibility for that.
So all around.
It's good.
I hope.
I think.
Yah...it's good. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Friday, May 15, 2015
MLAARE -Goldfish Mishap
Once a week or so, we receive in a shipment of Goldfish.
The feeder ones. (Otherwise known as the Carnival goldfish cus you often find them there.)
We carry them in three different sizes.
Because animals of different sizes eat them as food.
-Or else people want different sizes for their ponds/fishtanks other random things....
In any case.
We got in a shipment this week.
On my day off.
So I wasn't there to receive it.
I didn't think there would be any problems.
But I forgot that I don't think I've shown any of the other coworkers how to put the fish out. I think I did...but maybe I forgot to tell them sizes? I don't know.
I do know that we were out of like....all our sizes.
A handful left if that when our shipment came in.
So all the tanks were basically empty.
And on the paper it said that they sent us 3 different sizes of fish.
So I would think it would be clear enough....
Which fish go where.
Plus they're in three different bags.
So therefore, the largest go in one, the middle in the middle, the smallest in the other....
Even more so, the numbers were so different. 1200 of these, 600 of those, 250 of the rest.
So it would be obvious just looking at the bags...which ones go in which tank.
When I came in the next day though....
Things were not well at all.
In that, none of the fish had been put into their right tanks.
In fact 2 of the three bags.
Had been put into the 'smallest' fish tanks.
When only one bag should have gone there.
That was 1800 fish.
Over crowded fish.
As 2/3 of them had been placed into one tank.
While our largest fish, had been placed in the mid sized fish tank. Not as big of an issue as they weren't over crowded, but still in the wrong spot.
Talk about a YIKES!! Moment.
I mean. Honestly?
Why would you not FIX that as soon as you realized the mistake?
It's simple really.
Time.
By the time the mistake was realized, my coworker was out of time. It didn't help that they had to run the store by themselves because another coworker called in sick, leaving the first to open all by themselves. :S A time consuming and stressful task.
So I can understand why the mistake wasn't fixed by them....
Then it could have gotten busier later....with the night people possibly not knowing that anything was wrong....
In any case.
I came in and saw the problem.
And sprung to action.
Moving 3/4 of the fish into their proper tanks, so that, for one, they get sold correctly. And two so the fish have more room to move in their proper locations.
Such a time consuming task.
But one that needed to be done, immediately.
Yay for getting the fish into their right tanks. :D
-Sarnic Dirchi
The feeder ones. (Otherwise known as the Carnival goldfish cus you often find them there.)
We carry them in three different sizes.
Because animals of different sizes eat them as food.
-Or else people want different sizes for their ponds/fishtanks other random things....
In any case.
We got in a shipment this week.
On my day off.
So I wasn't there to receive it.
I didn't think there would be any problems.
But I forgot that I don't think I've shown any of the other coworkers how to put the fish out. I think I did...but maybe I forgot to tell them sizes? I don't know.
I do know that we were out of like....all our sizes.
A handful left if that when our shipment came in.
So all the tanks were basically empty.
And on the paper it said that they sent us 3 different sizes of fish.
So I would think it would be clear enough....
Which fish go where.
Plus they're in three different bags.
So therefore, the largest go in one, the middle in the middle, the smallest in the other....
Even more so, the numbers were so different. 1200 of these, 600 of those, 250 of the rest.
So it would be obvious just looking at the bags...which ones go in which tank.
When I came in the next day though....
Things were not well at all.
In that, none of the fish had been put into their right tanks.
In fact 2 of the three bags.
Had been put into the 'smallest' fish tanks.
When only one bag should have gone there.
That was 1800 fish.
Over crowded fish.
As 2/3 of them had been placed into one tank.
While our largest fish, had been placed in the mid sized fish tank. Not as big of an issue as they weren't over crowded, but still in the wrong spot.
Talk about a YIKES!! Moment.
I mean. Honestly?
Why would you not FIX that as soon as you realized the mistake?
It's simple really.
Time.
By the time the mistake was realized, my coworker was out of time. It didn't help that they had to run the store by themselves because another coworker called in sick, leaving the first to open all by themselves. :S A time consuming and stressful task.
So I can understand why the mistake wasn't fixed by them....
Then it could have gotten busier later....with the night people possibly not knowing that anything was wrong....
In any case.
I came in and saw the problem.
And sprung to action.
Moving 3/4 of the fish into their proper tanks, so that, for one, they get sold correctly. And two so the fish have more room to move in their proper locations.
Such a time consuming task.
But one that needed to be done, immediately.
Yay for getting the fish into their right tanks. :D
-Sarnic Dirchi
Thursday, May 14, 2015
MLAARE -Sleeping Anywhere
Oh the random places you find animals when you work in a Pet Store....
This is meant to hold hay. :)
The bird wasn't trapped, she got out easily.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
MLAARE -A Smelly Entryway
There is one disgusting thing I hate about working in a petstore that allows people to bring their pets into the store with them.
The messes.
The messes that the animals make.
And the owners do not clean up.
>.<
Seriously?
Do you think I want to clean up after your pet?
No.
No I do not.
I mean, going out in the grass outside is one thing.
I hardly care if you don't pick up after your pet then.
But in the Store?!
And you just act like nothing has happened, or expect us to clean it up for you?
>.<
Totally a peeve of mine.
Understandable if a pet parent is distracted enough that they don't notice.
But when they see it, and try to avoid cleaning up after themselves.
That's when it gets annoying.
Today for example.
I happened to be walking up to the front of the store.
And noticed lumps in the entry way of our store.
Lots and lots of lumps.
A doggies unfortunate gift.
Bleh!
And it wasn't in just one convenient spot.
Oh no.
This trail of 'gifts'
Was like 10 feet long.
From the beginning of the sidewalk to a couple of feet past the main door.
Seriously!
I don't know if the dog was coming or going.
But it was disgusting!
Starting out semi solid, but becoming a liquid mess really really quickly.
And no Dog or Owner in sight to clean up the mess!
I mean, how inconsiderate could you be!
Would you stand for it if someone brought their dog into your work place or your home, let them go willy nilly wherever they wanted to, and leave you to clean up afterwards? No.
Seriously.
Is it so hard to comprehend "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?"
It's not.
I mean, it was in the ENTRY WAY.
Where people could easily step into it.
(I didn't get there in time before one lady actually did, but managed to keep others from getting their feet in the mess.)
Honestly. Honestly?! Leave without cleaning up!?
Gah!
It was disgusting.
It was time consuming.
And oh. So. Smelly.
>.<
Some people.
If you bring your pet to the store...CLEAN UP AFTER IT!
-Sarnic Dirchi
The messes.
The messes that the animals make.
And the owners do not clean up.
>.<
Seriously?
Do you think I want to clean up after your pet?
No.
No I do not.
I mean, going out in the grass outside is one thing.
I hardly care if you don't pick up after your pet then.
But in the Store?!
And you just act like nothing has happened, or expect us to clean it up for you?
>.<
Totally a peeve of mine.
Understandable if a pet parent is distracted enough that they don't notice.
But when they see it, and try to avoid cleaning up after themselves.
That's when it gets annoying.
Today for example.
I happened to be walking up to the front of the store.
And noticed lumps in the entry way of our store.
Lots and lots of lumps.
A doggies unfortunate gift.
Bleh!
And it wasn't in just one convenient spot.
Oh no.
This trail of 'gifts'
Was like 10 feet long.
From the beginning of the sidewalk to a couple of feet past the main door.
Seriously!
I don't know if the dog was coming or going.
But it was disgusting!
Starting out semi solid, but becoming a liquid mess really really quickly.
And no Dog or Owner in sight to clean up the mess!
I mean, how inconsiderate could you be!
Would you stand for it if someone brought their dog into your work place or your home, let them go willy nilly wherever they wanted to, and leave you to clean up afterwards? No.
Seriously.
Is it so hard to comprehend "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?"
It's not.
I mean, it was in the ENTRY WAY.
Where people could easily step into it.
(I didn't get there in time before one lady actually did, but managed to keep others from getting their feet in the mess.)
Honestly. Honestly?! Leave without cleaning up!?
Gah!
It was disgusting.
It was time consuming.
And oh. So. Smelly.
>.<
Some people.
If you bring your pet to the store...CLEAN UP AFTER IT!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
MLAARE -Display Tank Catching
So we have these three display tanks at work.
Each filled with a different type of fish.
One is filled with Goldfish.
The next has Semi-Aggressive Fish.
The Final has the Tropical Community (the Nice Fish)
They're display fish.
Which means.
We don't sell them.
Or.
We usually don't.
The Gold fish are easy to catch, so we place fish in there where people can get them if they want them.
The other two tanks.
Those fish are soo difficult to catch, we don't catch them. They're display fish.
>.<
Only, some customers don't realize that.
The other day, I had a customer come in. Tall fellow, doesn't speak much English.
Who said he wanted some of the fish in the display tanks.
And they weren't Goldfish.
He wanted some of the Bala Sharks in our tanks.
And I explained to him, that those aren't for sale, that we have other Bala's in tanks of fish that were for sale.
But he insisted.
He wanted those Bala Sharks.
Why?
Because they were bigger of course. They'd been in there for a while.
Basically I'd been speaking and wasting my breath. Because he kept pointing to the fish in the display tanks. *sighs*
I wasted like 10 minutes trying to catch those fish >.< The display tanks are not set up for easy access to the fish. >.<
Honestly I was hoping the guy would realize that I wasn't going to catch said fish anytime soon and change his mind.
But he didn't.
So I finally caught them. Yay.
Bagged them up.
To find him staring at our other display tank of the tropical community fish. (The Bala's were in the Semi Aggressive Tank.)
And he points to like three Zebra Danios and a couple Red Minors in that tank and indicates that he wants them too. (And those Danios are Old. They've been there since before I came to the store.)
I again told him, that we have those same fish (albeit smaller) in other tanks. And that he shouldn't get those anyways.
Why?
Because the Bala Sharks could kill the Danios and Tetras because it's semi aggressive with non aggressive fish!
But he didn't comprehend a word of that.
Because he again indicated that he wanted those fish.
So I spent like 20 freaking minutes trying to catch the little guys.
All the while the guy is patiently waiting.
I nearly wanted to just drop the net and say "I'm sorry I can't catch these fish."
But I didn't.
I persevered and caught the things.
Thankfully that was all he wanted, and he hasn't asked me to catch any of the other display fish yet. *sighs in relief* Even though I've seen him in the store again since that point.
Also, the manager Sirch has also indicated that he doesn't want us catching fish for the customers in those two tanks anymore. YAY! (The goldfish tank is still fine, those are easy fish to catch.)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Each filled with a different type of fish.
One is filled with Goldfish.
The next has Semi-Aggressive Fish.
The Final has the Tropical Community (the Nice Fish)
They're display fish.
Which means.
We don't sell them.
Or.
We usually don't.
The Gold fish are easy to catch, so we place fish in there where people can get them if they want them.
The other two tanks.
Those fish are soo difficult to catch, we don't catch them. They're display fish.
>.<
Only, some customers don't realize that.
The other day, I had a customer come in. Tall fellow, doesn't speak much English.
Who said he wanted some of the fish in the display tanks.
And they weren't Goldfish.
He wanted some of the Bala Sharks in our tanks.
And I explained to him, that those aren't for sale, that we have other Bala's in tanks of fish that were for sale.
But he insisted.
He wanted those Bala Sharks.
Why?
Because they were bigger of course. They'd been in there for a while.
Basically I'd been speaking and wasting my breath. Because he kept pointing to the fish in the display tanks. *sighs*
I wasted like 10 minutes trying to catch those fish >.< The display tanks are not set up for easy access to the fish. >.<
Honestly I was hoping the guy would realize that I wasn't going to catch said fish anytime soon and change his mind.
But he didn't.
So I finally caught them. Yay.
Bagged them up.
To find him staring at our other display tank of the tropical community fish. (The Bala's were in the Semi Aggressive Tank.)
And he points to like three Zebra Danios and a couple Red Minors in that tank and indicates that he wants them too. (And those Danios are Old. They've been there since before I came to the store.)
I again told him, that we have those same fish (albeit smaller) in other tanks. And that he shouldn't get those anyways.
Why?
Because the Bala Sharks could kill the Danios and Tetras because it's semi aggressive with non aggressive fish!
But he didn't comprehend a word of that.
Because he again indicated that he wanted those fish.
So I spent like 20 freaking minutes trying to catch the little guys.
All the while the guy is patiently waiting.
I nearly wanted to just drop the net and say "I'm sorry I can't catch these fish."
But I didn't.
I persevered and caught the things.
Thankfully that was all he wanted, and he hasn't asked me to catch any of the other display fish yet. *sighs in relief* Even though I've seen him in the store again since that point.
Also, the manager Sirch has also indicated that he doesn't want us catching fish for the customers in those two tanks anymore. YAY! (The goldfish tank is still fine, those are easy fish to catch.)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Monday, May 11, 2015
MLAARE -Bloated
I noticed the smell when I went to turn on the reptile lights.
The smell of something dead.
Something had died. It had to be it.
Yet, when I glanced in the cages where I thought I smelt the smell.
There was nothing out of the ordinary.
Maybe it was a remaint of something that had died before, a scent that would still linger until we changed out the bedding....
So I put the matter from my mind.
Until I went to feed the reptiles.
And I looked down in our turtle tank.
And saw big foaming bubbles building up in front of the pump there.
I could smell that the smell was coming from there too.
Had one of our turtles died in front of the pump? Was that why it was foaming?
I could see another turtle in the water on the far side of the tank. So I knew it wasn't from there.
So I grabbed a spray bottle and some gloves, and sprayed at the foam, and felt about in the water there (I was not about to touch a dead thing with bare hands.)
But there was nothing there.
O.o
Well the other turtle was over there....
So where was the second? Why was it smelling?
Maybe...
I don't know why I moved over to the other turtle.
But when I picked it up (again with gloves)
I immediately saw the problem.
Smelt the problem.
That Turtle.
Was dead.
And bloated.
Literally it's body had swollen up to twice if not thrice it's normal size, squished into the shell so awkwardly.
Dead.
*gags*
Oh that smell.
I usually am pretty good with smells. I work in a pet store after all.
but catching a strong whiff of that rotting body.
*shudders*
Totally had trouble not gagging.
Thankfully, my coworker, took the turtle away from me, before I saw my breakfast. Taking care of it.
-He hadn't understood why I was gagging, until he was finishing bagging it up and caught the rotten smell of it. *shudders*
I can't believe no one noticed it before now!
Surely someone would have noticed a non moving turtle.
Especially if it hadn't moved in a day.
Maybe two.
I had no idea how long it takes for a body to bloat in water.
But I'm pretty sure when I left for the weekend, he was alive, and when I came back...he was dead.
Honestly. The smell alone would have given it away after a day....
*sighs* I need to tell my coworkers to be more observant....
In any case.
I gave myself the fun task of cleaning out said turtle tank.
Because of however long the turtle had been there...I was pretty sure the water had been tainted beyond anything we'd want to stick another turtle into. :S Yikes.
So...smelly water. Smelly decorations all went to be cleaned/dumped. While the cage spent much of my shift being air dried and cleaned like twelve times.
Ugh. I could still smell that scent...I think it was just a memory of it though.
:S Definitely not something I was expecting to do today.
But at least it got done today when I had time to do it. :)
*fingers crossed* I never have to do that again any time soon.
-Sarnic Dirchi
The smell of something dead.
Something had died. It had to be it.
Yet, when I glanced in the cages where I thought I smelt the smell.
There was nothing out of the ordinary.
Maybe it was a remaint of something that had died before, a scent that would still linger until we changed out the bedding....
So I put the matter from my mind.
Until I went to feed the reptiles.
And I looked down in our turtle tank.
And saw big foaming bubbles building up in front of the pump there.
I could smell that the smell was coming from there too.
Had one of our turtles died in front of the pump? Was that why it was foaming?
I could see another turtle in the water on the far side of the tank. So I knew it wasn't from there.
So I grabbed a spray bottle and some gloves, and sprayed at the foam, and felt about in the water there (I was not about to touch a dead thing with bare hands.)
But there was nothing there.
O.o
Well the other turtle was over there....
So where was the second? Why was it smelling?
Maybe...
I don't know why I moved over to the other turtle.
But when I picked it up (again with gloves)
I immediately saw the problem.
Smelt the problem.
That Turtle.
Was dead.
And bloated.
Literally it's body had swollen up to twice if not thrice it's normal size, squished into the shell so awkwardly.
Dead.
*gags*
Oh that smell.
I usually am pretty good with smells. I work in a pet store after all.
but catching a strong whiff of that rotting body.
*shudders*
Totally had trouble not gagging.
Thankfully, my coworker, took the turtle away from me, before I saw my breakfast. Taking care of it.
-He hadn't understood why I was gagging, until he was finishing bagging it up and caught the rotten smell of it. *shudders*
I can't believe no one noticed it before now!
Surely someone would have noticed a non moving turtle.
Especially if it hadn't moved in a day.
Maybe two.
I had no idea how long it takes for a body to bloat in water.
But I'm pretty sure when I left for the weekend, he was alive, and when I came back...he was dead.
Honestly. The smell alone would have given it away after a day....
*sighs* I need to tell my coworkers to be more observant....
In any case.
I gave myself the fun task of cleaning out said turtle tank.
Because of however long the turtle had been there...I was pretty sure the water had been tainted beyond anything we'd want to stick another turtle into. :S Yikes.
So...smelly water. Smelly decorations all went to be cleaned/dumped. While the cage spent much of my shift being air dried and cleaned like twelve times.
Ugh. I could still smell that scent...I think it was just a memory of it though.
:S Definitely not something I was expecting to do today.
But at least it got done today when I had time to do it. :)
*fingers crossed* I never have to do that again any time soon.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, May 9, 2015
MLAARE -Fish Flake Sizes
I had a guy come into the store today with a very specific question.
You see, he had been shaking out fish flakes for his fish to eat.
But some of the flakes were too large for the fish to eat.
So they ended up sinking to the bottom of the tank.
Therefore, he came into the store, looking for a different sort of fish food that would have smaller flakes for him to feed his fish with.
I had to tell him that the size of the flakes really just depends on what is dumped into the container when. That each container will be different really. Some flakes would be bigger or some would be smaller.
But that I had no idea what or if any containers had flakes that came smaller.
And instead I gave him the solution we use at the store, for those pesky big flakes that the fish don't eat.
We crumble them.
And make them smaller that way.
It seemed like a novel idea to him.
But he was happy with the solution as it didn't require him to spend more money, though who knows how he felt about having to go an extra step in feeding the fish besides shaking it out lol.
-Sarnic Dirchi
You see, he had been shaking out fish flakes for his fish to eat.
But some of the flakes were too large for the fish to eat.
So they ended up sinking to the bottom of the tank.
Therefore, he came into the store, looking for a different sort of fish food that would have smaller flakes for him to feed his fish with.
I had to tell him that the size of the flakes really just depends on what is dumped into the container when. That each container will be different really. Some flakes would be bigger or some would be smaller.
But that I had no idea what or if any containers had flakes that came smaller.
And instead I gave him the solution we use at the store, for those pesky big flakes that the fish don't eat.
We crumble them.
And make them smaller that way.
It seemed like a novel idea to him.
But he was happy with the solution as it didn't require him to spend more money, though who knows how he felt about having to go an extra step in feeding the fish besides shaking it out lol.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Friday, May 8, 2015
MRS -Foolishness
Sometimes I wonder about other people....
There I was driving, trying to enter the parking lot to my apartment complex.
And there was this girl. Walking along the entrance.
She walked in such a way that it nearly seemed like she was day dreaming.
And if I hadn't been watching.
>.< She could have seriously been injured.
Because she walked RIGHT OUT IN FRONT OF ME!
Acting like I wasn't there.
And when she did notice me?
She gave this empty headed smile.
And continued on.
Honestly, girl.
You need to pay better attention.
>.< Walking out in front of a car isn't a smart thing to do.
Especially when the sidewalk is RIGHT THERE.
-Sarnic Dirchi
There I was driving, trying to enter the parking lot to my apartment complex.
And there was this girl. Walking along the entrance.
She walked in such a way that it nearly seemed like she was day dreaming.
And if I hadn't been watching.
>.< She could have seriously been injured.
Because she walked RIGHT OUT IN FRONT OF ME!
Acting like I wasn't there.
And when she did notice me?
She gave this empty headed smile.
And continued on.
Honestly, girl.
You need to pay better attention.
>.< Walking out in front of a car isn't a smart thing to do.
Especially when the sidewalk is RIGHT THERE.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Thursday, May 7, 2015
MLAARE -Orandas
I have another 'fun' customer I have to deal with.
I call him the "Oranda Guy."
Why?
Because he has a big interest in the Oranda Goldfish.
And therein lies the problem.
Something about his tank is making the fish he buys, unhappy.
Where they just sit at the bottom, not moving.
I would think that would mean his tank isn't getting enough oxygen.
But everything I ask him... He says he already has.
Though I can't be sure.
Because English isn't his first language. So I'm not sure how much he actually understands of what I say. *sighs*
If I had the choice to gain any super power....the ability to speak to people in their native languages....would be among my choices. It would make things a lot easier. When it comes to communicating with others who's language I haven't learned yet...
In any case.
In the middle of trying to communicate with him, some how things came across wrong when I was explaining how to care for his fish.
And he thought, we here at the store, would care for his fish, and when they got better...he could come back and buy them.
*sighs* Certainly we do that within 14 days of any purchase of other animals...unfortunately....fish aren't like that.
Unfortunately...I ended up taking them to one of our tanks where we place fish that aren't feeling well, to treat the two oranda's anyway. Mostly because I was tired of trying to talk to the guy.
His fish looked fine enough once I got them into the tank.
And after a few days, I called him in to come get the fish.
O.o and somehow between the call and him coming....One of the fish randomly died.
>.< So not cool fish. so not cool.
Apparently, in the mean time he'd come and gotten some more Orandas.
Also ones that weren't doing well... *sighs* (Really...I have to wonder what is up with his tank.)
And so we basically just exchanged two Orandas (one of his original ones and a new one) for his other two he'd gotten soon after leaving the others with us.
I thought that was the end of him.
But just like the Turtle guy...
He keeps coming back.
The Very Next Day.
He came back in to return his fish that he'd gotten yesterday.
THE NEXT DAY! Gah!
And instead got some more smaller fish.
*sighs* Hopefully the smaller fish are doing better.
It's gotten to the point with this gentleman, that I don't want to deal with him. And I'm thankful when one of my other coworkers encounters him before I do.
Though apparently he knows me as "the skinny girl."
Hmmm Yah, hopefully his fish are doing better....
-Sarnic Dirchi
I call him the "Oranda Guy."
Why?
Because he has a big interest in the Oranda Goldfish.
And therein lies the problem.
Something about his tank is making the fish he buys, unhappy.
Where they just sit at the bottom, not moving.
I would think that would mean his tank isn't getting enough oxygen.
But everything I ask him... He says he already has.
Though I can't be sure.
Because English isn't his first language. So I'm not sure how much he actually understands of what I say. *sighs*
If I had the choice to gain any super power....the ability to speak to people in their native languages....would be among my choices. It would make things a lot easier. When it comes to communicating with others who's language I haven't learned yet...
In any case.
In the middle of trying to communicate with him, some how things came across wrong when I was explaining how to care for his fish.
And he thought, we here at the store, would care for his fish, and when they got better...he could come back and buy them.
*sighs* Certainly we do that within 14 days of any purchase of other animals...unfortunately....fish aren't like that.
Unfortunately...I ended up taking them to one of our tanks where we place fish that aren't feeling well, to treat the two oranda's anyway. Mostly because I was tired of trying to talk to the guy.
His fish looked fine enough once I got them into the tank.
And after a few days, I called him in to come get the fish.
O.o and somehow between the call and him coming....One of the fish randomly died.
>.< So not cool fish. so not cool.
Apparently, in the mean time he'd come and gotten some more Orandas.
Also ones that weren't doing well... *sighs* (Really...I have to wonder what is up with his tank.)
And so we basically just exchanged two Orandas (one of his original ones and a new one) for his other two he'd gotten soon after leaving the others with us.
I thought that was the end of him.
But just like the Turtle guy...
He keeps coming back.
The Very Next Day.
He came back in to return his fish that he'd gotten yesterday.
THE NEXT DAY! Gah!
And instead got some more smaller fish.
*sighs* Hopefully the smaller fish are doing better.
It's gotten to the point with this gentleman, that I don't want to deal with him. And I'm thankful when one of my other coworkers encounters him before I do.
Though apparently he knows me as "the skinny girl."
Hmmm Yah, hopefully his fish are doing better....
-Sarnic Dirchi
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
MRS -DishWasher Woes
Our Dishwasher quit working.
It took me forever to realize that.
I mean. You stick the dishes in, hit a few buttons twist a nob, and walla, I heard the machine going.
So I thought all was fine.
All was not fine.
It shows how often I use the dishwasher to realize that it wasn't fine.
Apparently, our dishwasher was no longer putting water inside of itself to clean the dishes.
>.<
So even after multiple runs of the dishwasher.
The dishes weren't getting cleaner.
Or getting cleaned at all.
Ugh.
Thankfully, placing in a work order to get it fixed was simple, and easy, and the dishwasher was back in working order just fine the next day. *shakes head*
Good thing I don't need Dishes that often....
Of course, If I did....I would have realized faster that it wasn't working correctly. *sighs*
-Sarnic Dirchi
It took me forever to realize that.
I mean. You stick the dishes in, hit a few buttons twist a nob, and walla, I heard the machine going.
So I thought all was fine.
All was not fine.
It shows how often I use the dishwasher to realize that it wasn't fine.
Apparently, our dishwasher was no longer putting water inside of itself to clean the dishes.
>.<
So even after multiple runs of the dishwasher.
The dishes weren't getting cleaner.
Or getting cleaned at all.
Ugh.
Thankfully, placing in a work order to get it fixed was simple, and easy, and the dishwasher was back in working order just fine the next day. *shakes head*
Good thing I don't need Dishes that often....
Of course, If I did....I would have realized faster that it wasn't working correctly. *sighs*
-Sarnic Dirchi
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
MRS -Contract Fine Print
So I found out an interesting tidbit about the place I live at, about my one Roommate who moved out after only living here for like 3 weeks. (because she got engaged.)
Apparently...she basically walked out on her contract.
I mean, my apt has a Marriage Contract where if you get married, you can leave the apartment without being charged.
BUT
Something hadn't gone through right.
Because after rent was due...
We got a notice on our door that this roomie was getting 'evicted' for not paying rent.
Considering she'd already left...
I knew something was wrong. That there'd been some miscommunication.
So I tried to contact my roomie, to no response.
And so later after the second notice, I called the office to inform them of the situation. That said roomie no longer lived here, that I'd heard she'd talked to them already about the situation...
And experienced the 'fun' ness of having random people coming to check out the apartment/her room -apparently she hadn't moved out properly either....
Multiple times, as apparently there isn't much communication between everyone *shakes head*
But, I found out an interesting 'clause' in this marriage contract.
Apparently, you can only get out of the lease via getting married.
IF
You have lived in the apartment longer than 6 months.
My roomie....had only been there 3 weeks.
I have no idea how the issue's been resolved...
Or when/if I will be getting a new roommate.
But it makes sense why I haven't gotten one before now.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Apparently...she basically walked out on her contract.
I mean, my apt has a Marriage Contract where if you get married, you can leave the apartment without being charged.
BUT
Something hadn't gone through right.
Because after rent was due...
We got a notice on our door that this roomie was getting 'evicted' for not paying rent.
Considering she'd already left...
I knew something was wrong. That there'd been some miscommunication.
So I tried to contact my roomie, to no response.
And so later after the second notice, I called the office to inform them of the situation. That said roomie no longer lived here, that I'd heard she'd talked to them already about the situation...
And experienced the 'fun' ness of having random people coming to check out the apartment/her room -apparently she hadn't moved out properly either....
Multiple times, as apparently there isn't much communication between everyone *shakes head*
But, I found out an interesting 'clause' in this marriage contract.
Apparently, you can only get out of the lease via getting married.
IF
You have lived in the apartment longer than 6 months.
My roomie....had only been there 3 weeks.
I have no idea how the issue's been resolved...
Or when/if I will be getting a new roommate.
But it makes sense why I haven't gotten one before now.
-Sarnic Dirchi
Monday, May 4, 2015
MLAARE -Goldfish In A Bucket
I automatically have a dislike of people who come into the store just as it opens and have need of me ASAP. Seriously....who wakes up in the morning with the urge to come buy fish? I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Who does that?
In any case, I had one such situation again, where I was called to the front. Why?
Because there were these two woman there with a bucket in hand.
What was in the bucket?
Oh, like 300 Goldfish.
Why?
Because apparently last night they came to buy said goldfish, and were told that it would be alright to keep them in a 5 Gallon Bucket overnight.
They were coming in today.
Because guess what?
A bunch of them had died.
>.<
WELL DUH!! You can't keep THREE HUNDRED FISH in a FIVE gallon bucket and EXPECT THEM TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT!
Not when there was no oxygen circulation. That water would grow toxic sooo quickly.
>.< Ugh. People.
In any case, they were coming in to try and return all the dead fish.
Dead fish, btw, that were still in the bucket.
With the live fish.
Also not good.
Dead fish = rotting fish = more toxic water. >.<
Unfortunately for them.
We don't have a return policy on our Feeder Goldfish.
That's why they're feeders. They're meant to be fed.
But they still needed a bunch of Goldfish for whatever thing they were doing.
But first.
They asked if I could fish out all the dead fish first.
>.< FISH THEM OUT YOURSELF!
Geez. How lazy could the people be? They killed their fish and wanted me to fish them out for them? That's what a net is for. *shakes head*
But I did it anyway.
I spent like 10 or 15 minutes fishing out near 100 fish it seemed like from the swirling mass of live ones in the bucket.
Why? Because even if I couldn't return their dead fish, I could work to make the experience as good of one as I could for them.
So I fished out all the dead fish.
And for added measure, did a quick water change on the fish remaining in the bucket. That way they would have cleaner water than what they were forced to be in all night. So at least their continued survival would be a little better....
And then...*sighs* I got them more fish. >.< Boo.
With strict instructions on how to keep the fish in better condition of course.
I mean my goal is ensure the fish live as long as possible.
Still though.
I can't believe they thought that living in a 5 gallon bucket for 12 plus hours would be alright for so many goldfish. They need more room than that. Flowing water certainly would have helped. *sighs* Guess I'll be talking to the Greenies about that too......
-Sarnic Dirchi
In any case, I had one such situation again, where I was called to the front. Why?
Because there were these two woman there with a bucket in hand.
What was in the bucket?
Oh, like 300 Goldfish.
Why?
Because apparently last night they came to buy said goldfish, and were told that it would be alright to keep them in a 5 Gallon Bucket overnight.
They were coming in today.
Because guess what?
A bunch of them had died.
>.<
WELL DUH!! You can't keep THREE HUNDRED FISH in a FIVE gallon bucket and EXPECT THEM TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT!
Not when there was no oxygen circulation. That water would grow toxic sooo quickly.
>.< Ugh. People.
In any case, they were coming in to try and return all the dead fish.
Dead fish, btw, that were still in the bucket.
With the live fish.
Also not good.
Dead fish = rotting fish = more toxic water. >.<
Unfortunately for them.
We don't have a return policy on our Feeder Goldfish.
That's why they're feeders. They're meant to be fed.
But they still needed a bunch of Goldfish for whatever thing they were doing.
But first.
They asked if I could fish out all the dead fish first.
>.< FISH THEM OUT YOURSELF!
Geez. How lazy could the people be? They killed their fish and wanted me to fish them out for them? That's what a net is for. *shakes head*
But I did it anyway.
I spent like 10 or 15 minutes fishing out near 100 fish it seemed like from the swirling mass of live ones in the bucket.
Why? Because even if I couldn't return their dead fish, I could work to make the experience as good of one as I could for them.
So I fished out all the dead fish.
And for added measure, did a quick water change on the fish remaining in the bucket. That way they would have cleaner water than what they were forced to be in all night. So at least their continued survival would be a little better....
And then...*sighs* I got them more fish. >.< Boo.
With strict instructions on how to keep the fish in better condition of course.
I mean my goal is ensure the fish live as long as possible.
Still though.
I can't believe they thought that living in a 5 gallon bucket for 12 plus hours would be alright for so many goldfish. They need more room than that. Flowing water certainly would have helped. *sighs* Guess I'll be talking to the Greenies about that too......
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, May 2, 2015
MLAARE -Escaped Bird
So apparently....forgetting to place a "This Cage is Empty" sign in a cage.
Made a lot of my coworkers think that one of our most expensive birds...
Had escaped.
Because they saw a bird flying around the store -as my coworker had let one out earlier in the week while cleaning the bird cages.
And automatically assumed it was our Expensive bird.
*shakes head*
Honestly coworkers....if you mistake a Parakeet for a Conure....you really need to pay more attention to the birds. *shakes head*
It was the Parakeet that was flying around.
As our Conure (such the sweetest bird) had not yet been brought onto the floor yet.
Considering we haven't had a Conure in the store for basically all winter.
(None of my Greenies had seen one in the store yet, that's how long it's been.)
I can understand my coworkers concern when they see an empty cage with the Conure sign sitting below it. And seeing a bird flying around loose in the store...pieces can be placed in such a way to make it seem like it was the Conure that escaped.
Thankfully both birds (Loose parakeet and the non loose conure) are now in their proper homes. For all the customers to see. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Made a lot of my coworkers think that one of our most expensive birds...
Had escaped.
Because they saw a bird flying around the store -as my coworker had let one out earlier in the week while cleaning the bird cages.
And automatically assumed it was our Expensive bird.
*shakes head*
Honestly coworkers....if you mistake a Parakeet for a Conure....you really need to pay more attention to the birds. *shakes head*
It was the Parakeet that was flying around.
As our Conure (such the sweetest bird) had not yet been brought onto the floor yet.
Considering we haven't had a Conure in the store for basically all winter.
(None of my Greenies had seen one in the store yet, that's how long it's been.)
I can understand my coworkers concern when they see an empty cage with the Conure sign sitting below it. And seeing a bird flying around loose in the store...pieces can be placed in such a way to make it seem like it was the Conure that escaped.
Thankfully both birds (Loose parakeet and the non loose conure) are now in their proper homes. For all the customers to see. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Friday, May 1, 2015
MLAARE -Blue Fish
A woman came into work today,
With the intention to buy specific fish.
"Blue Tiger Barbs" she called them.
Only one problem.
We don't carry 'Blue' Tiger Barbs.
We have the regular ones, the green ones, the platinum green ones....glofish green ones...but no blue ones.
"No, you do because I bought them here last week."
"I'm sorry Ma'am...we've never carried Blue Tiger Barbs."
I should know. >.< I've worked there for a couple of years now.
I'm guessing she actually got the Platinum ones. I think they could kinda maybe be mistaken as Blue...but who knows....
All I know is...we don't carry Blue Ones. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
With the intention to buy specific fish.
"Blue Tiger Barbs" she called them.
Only one problem.
We don't carry 'Blue' Tiger Barbs.
We have the regular ones, the green ones, the platinum green ones....glofish green ones...but no blue ones.
"No, you do because I bought them here last week."
"I'm sorry Ma'am...we've never carried Blue Tiger Barbs."
I should know. >.< I've worked there for a couple of years now.
I'm guessing she actually got the Platinum ones. I think they could kinda maybe be mistaken as Blue...but who knows....
All I know is...we don't carry Blue Ones. :)
-Sarnic Dirchi
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)