Pleasantly surprised at Meijer

[Cardeater]

I usually avoid looking at fish at chain stores and I was surprised this Meijer still had an aquarium section. I just walked through and I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't see any sick fish. The fish looked pretty healthy to me. I wonder how many people actually buy fish here. I guess it's enough to justify having this section. I shop at this store regularly for groceries but forgot they even had an aquarium section.

 

[tlindsey]

I usually avoid looking at fish at chain stores and I was surprised this Meijer still had an aquarium section. I just walked through and I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't see any sick fish. The fish looked pretty healthy to me. I wonder how many people actually buy fish here. I guess it's enough to justify having this section. I shop at this store regularly for groceries but forgot they even had an aquarium section.View attachment 1498972

Last month my Wife sent me pics of the fish at Meijer in near us. She asked me did I want to buy fish I told her no. Tbh if they had something rare I may have purchased it.

 

[DrownedFishonFire]

Meijers in Dekalb IL when I was in town visiting my mother had so many sick dead fish and the fish was potential stunning specimens if they weren’t sick/wasting away two months ago I havent been back to see if its still the same.

 

[GolemGolem]

Dunno, I did about 8 years at Wal-Mart, this is my guess at what it takes to have a good aquarium department at a big corporate box store:
First you need a dept manager who is actually into it, and does not want a promotion.
They will need at least one employee mostly under them who is also into doing a good job.
Now for the hard parts
You will need salaried members of management who are okay with a dept having two whole employees who are actually allowed to work in their dept the vast majority of the time. (normally only the meat dept, hunting/fishing desk and garden center in AR, pets has not had a dedicated person at all since a couple years before the pandemic)
Once things are going well you'll need regional managers who won't see this and then slash staffing by 75%
There will have to be an actual usable budget for replacing broken things, or your good but misguided dept manager sneaking in functional things behind the Salaried Members of Managements back out of their own .50$ above minimum wage pocket.

 

[tlindsey]

First you need a dept manager who is actually into it, and does not want a promotion.
They will need at least one employee mostly under them who is also into doing a good job.

Agree but it never stays consistent.

 

[GolemGolem]

RIght, Home Office hates that stuff.

 

[DrownedFishonFire]

RIght, Home Office hates that stuff.

Then why approve this stuff if they dont like it makes no sense to restart this. It costs $ to maintain a central unit water food etc

 

[Cardeater]

Meijers in Dekalb IL when I was in town visiting my mother had so many sick dead fish and the fish was potential stunning specimens if they weren’t sick/wasting away two months ago I havent been back to see if its still the same.

That sucks and what I expected I would see. This is the Rolling Meadows IL location.

 

[DrownedFishonFire]

That sucks and what I expected I would see. This is the Rolling Meadows IL location.

Ill check the round lake IL location one and see as its nearest meijers in the area for me

 

[GolemGolem]

Then why approve this stuff if they dont like it makes no sense to restart this. It costs $ to maintain a central unit water food etc

I agree. However the people who approve what is sold are not the same people who control labor, they are not allowed to talk openely, that would be fraternization and insubordination. Building maintenance is simply not done, remodels are for a new look. I spent my time in produce, I tried to get a leak and moldy insulation fixed for seven of those years, never happened. If assistant managers were freaked out because the regional manager was making his rounds I got yelled at to put the lettuce back directly under the leak because that is where it goes.