# Why the **** do you work here?



## Mimzy (Apr 21, 2008)

Ok, so i just came back from the Grand Opening of Petsmart by my house. It's really nice in there, everyones all happy. First place I go is to look at the rats. There are two little boys in there...dead asleep up against the glass. So I`m staring at them (Tempation almost made me buy them..but I didn't have enough..plus i have two girls).

So an employee walks up to me, and I ask if I may see them. So she opens it up, and holds the cage out and asks me, "Do you have any rats?" I`m like yes i have two...two girls. "So you know how to pick them up I guess." and she held the cage open for me to put my hand inside and get it. I look at her like she's an idiot, and go to reach in, but another employee comes up and offers to grab it. 
"Yeah I`m not used to um...picking up rats...yet." I scowl at her and play with the scared baby in my hands, he's all licking me and stuff. All the people around me made me look like a superstar because i was holding a rat.

I wanted to work there...why the **** did she get the job!? Had to rant. Sorry. :lol:


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## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

When my mum picked up Holly and Fran, the two girls showing her the rats supposedly refused to put their hands in to get any of the rats out. My mum had to reach up into a top tank (she says there should be a step used) because the two assistants "didn't like rats".

:roll:

What is with these people? Why work somewhere where there are animals you don't like?!


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## AceYourFace (Jan 4, 2008)

OMG! this is what I was talking about a while back and some people didn't believe me. I dunno if it's a petsmart policy but the same thing happened to me when I got cinnamon. I asked the girl if they were handled a lot and she said well we can't pick them up but we hand feed them carrots. And I pretty much had to go behind the display and pick her out myself. not that I minded but yeah kinda weird.


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## courtuhknee (Jun 18, 2008)

I work at Petsmart. I will never understand why managers sometimes hire people to work in the PET CARE department when they're such.. babies about certain animals. I know a few people who REFUSE to take care of the crickets, because they're afraid of them. CRICKETS! I'm one of the few people that works there playing with the rats, since a lot of people are just too afraid they'll bite because of their big old teeth. 

I don't know why you'd apply to work in Pet Care if you're afraid of certain animals! Be a stocker or something.  AND, there are plenty of retail stores that don't have animals at all!! 

The worst thing, though, is when customers come in and are looking at the rodents and they get to the rats and they shriek "EWWW. You sell RATS?! Who BUYS those?!" It happens way too much for me. I don't know why poor rats are seen as so much different than gerbils! They have tails too!


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## AceYourFace (Jan 4, 2008)

Its good to get input from someone who actually works there. Yeah when they interviewed me for petco years ago they asked if I was ok with animals and the thought I could get bit. Because they can't take a chance on workers freaking out and hurting the animal. Like if you think your gonna get bit and freak out then clip a nail to far or something. They need people to do their job. So yeah I think some people get a job there thinking oh it's just animals. I can look at the cute ones all day pretty simple. Hmmm not that simple sorry.


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## JulesMichy (Apr 8, 2007)

courtuhknee said:


> I know a few people who REFUSE to take care of the crickets, because they're afraid of them. CRICKETS!


Hi, I'm one of those people who is afraid of crickets. I own rats, foster reptiles, and can have a tarantula on my shoulder with no problem. Crickets and grasshoppers, however, freak me the **** out. There's no explanation for it, but then there rarely is a logical reason for a phobia.

You might want to work on that foot in mouth thing.


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

JulesMichy said:


> courtuhknee said:
> 
> 
> > I know a few people who REFUSE to take care of the crickets, because they're afraid of them. CRICKETS!
> ...


i was just about to say the same thing. crickets terrify me.


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## JulesMichy (Apr 8, 2007)

MariHxc said:


> i was just about to say the same thing. crickets terrify me.


Dude, I almost had to foster a beardie last month. That would involve keeping them _in my house_ and feeding them!  He died, though, before I could get him. Stupid "classroom pets", stupid teachers, stupid kids.


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

i had a bullfrog in my room once who, obviously, ate crickets... my dad fed him one day and two crickets got out and he didn't tell me. later that day, i picked up a shirt off my floor and the crickets were underneath it. you have no idea how fast i left that room. i didn't sleep in there for at least two days. sounds totally ridiculous to some people, but i was honestly scared out of my mind.


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## Randi (May 25, 2008)

Nobody's gonna believe me, and that's cool, but this is true.

I used'ta not be scared of crickets, but one time I had one on my skin, and I guess that crickets don't bite or whatever, but I swear that it did something that HURT. I screamed and hit it off of me. I had a little welt on my arm.

I didn't think they bit, and I guess that I'm not saying that he bit, BUT I know for a fact that before the cricket, everything was fine... after the cricket, I had a welt on my arm. 

So yeah, I'm scared of crickets. Definitely.


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## courtuhknee (Jun 18, 2008)

Sorry guys.  I was just trying to apply the irrational fear of crickets thing to the irrational fear of rats thing. 

Although I don't know how well I would sleep if there were crickets loose in my room, either!


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

but, if you think about it.. yeah fear of rats may be irrational to us, but what about to the people who are afraid of them?

yes, i do agree that they shouldn't work in a place where they have to work around the things they are afraid of, but, people can't help what they fear.


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## JulesMichy (Apr 8, 2007)

Randi said:


> Nobody's gonna believe me, and that's cool, but this is true.
> 
> I used'ta not be scared of crickets, but one time I had one on my skin, and I guess that crickets don't bite or whatever, but I swear that it did something that HURT. I screamed and hit it off of me. I had a little welt on my arm.
> 
> ...


I know crickets can and will eat their way through almost anything, so yeah, I think they probably bite.


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## courtuhknee (Jun 18, 2008)

Randi said:


> Nobody's gonna believe me, and that's cool, but this is true.
> 
> I used'ta not be scared of crickets, but one time I had one on my skin, and I guess that crickets don't bite or whatever, but I swear that it did something that HURT. I screamed and hit it off of me. I had a little welt on my arm.
> 
> ...


I wouldn't put it past them. I just don't think it happens that often, so people don't really think they bite at all. Unlucky! 

I had to feed the reptiles meal worms, and before I got wise and started using tongs I would use my hands. One of them was wriggling around and got up to my finger and bit me. That definitely freaked me out.


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## Volkl (Feb 14, 2008)

OMG lol when i worked at petco once upon a time, a girl got hired who hated crickets. we told her if she was going to work there, she would have to get used to it because it was part of the job. she went over by the crickets and stared at them. a couple tried to climb out and she started BAWLING her eyes out. it was so hysterical. i laughed for an hour. she quit the next day.

its like...you saw the crickets when you walked in the store...how did you think they get there?.....

(nothing against people who dont like crickets. ive never had one bite me but its probably possible. i just thought it was super lame that she cried without even trying to touch one)


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Ouch, that's a bit harsh, volkl. I've had people laugh at me about my phobias before (terrified of crowds to the point of sobbing in the bathroom when we go to dance clubs...)


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## Randi (May 25, 2008)

I have a CRAZY phobia... people make fun of me for it all the time. I'm not really scared of anything to the point of hyperventilating, but there is one thing that will make me scream, cry, not be able to breathe, etc.

Ready for this one?

Escalators.

Don't know what it is, I really don't. I like roller coasters, I like elevators, I don't mind those "rolling sidewalks" in airports, either. Just escalators, for some reason, make me start crying my eyes out any time I get near one.

People think that they can just make me get over my fear by trying to push me on to an escalator, but they don't understand that it's such a HUGE phobia, that pushing me near one just makes me that much worse.

Anyway, fears are usually caused by something (i.e. a past experience), but phobias, on the other hand, tend to be irrational and inexplainable. At least mine is.


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## JulesMichy (Apr 8, 2007)

Randi said:


> People think that they can just make me get over my fear by trying to push me on to an escalator, but they don't understand that it's such a HUGE phobia, that pushing me near one just makes me that much worse.


My mom thought it was no big deal to force me into a haunted house at a theme park when I was a kid. The kind so dark you can't see your hand in front of your own face, and you have to navigate by touch alone? Ten minutes later, when I was rigid with shock and screaming hysterically (none of which I remember because the rational, thinking part of my brain where memory apparently is stored took a hike), she had to reconsider that decision.

Phobias = all consuming, bypasses the brain and goes straight to your guts, inexplicable terror.


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## Randi (May 25, 2008)

It makes me think that some people just don't have any phobias, or maybe, haven't discovered them yet. If they did, they'd understand that there are just some things that you should NOT EVER make people do, regardless.


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

I have a friend who is SCARED SHITLESS of therapists. He went to one once, and spent the entire night and morning before throwing up and sobbing.

So yeah, phobias aren't just silly, they're real. Personally? I hate bees, they terrify me.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i guess it depends on how much you let them control you. when i was younger i had a phobia of heights. i would cry if pushed too high on swing. would have to go down tall staircases on my butt because my knees were too wobbly. one day i decided i had enough of being afriad. it made no sense for me to be afraid of such silly things. so i took a big breath and refused to let my legs get wobbly and walked down the stairs. that day at school i got on a swing and pushed myself as high as i could go and refused to let myself cry. when i was focusing on not letting myself do the things i normally did when i was high up and afraid i wasn't afraid anymore. once i realized that i got better and better about. eventually i was climbing trees, repelling off cliffs and walking on tight rope way up in the trees. i was so disgusted with myself for letting a fear take that much control over me that i stopped letting it. i've been told by many people that when i get it in my head to do something though i can be very stubborn. 

now, i need to work on walking on ice without skates and shaking hands. ice makes me nervous but i've gotten myself to the point that i can walk on a rink and i've never had a problem with skating on it. last winter i was able to get myself to not make a detour around the ice that was in my path. the shaking hand thing i've gotten down to i'll do it, but i don't really like it. but i'm not trying to avoid it anymore either. and i'm certainly not telling people that i don't shake hands anymore (its amazing how many people get offended by that...). so for me, stubborness has won out i guess.


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## Susinko (Apr 29, 2008)

I have a phobia of deep water. I can swim just fine ... unless I know that I can no longer touch the bottom. I freak and end up almost drowning.

I was annoyed at this lady at Petco. She was working around the small pet area when I started talking about the rats. 

She looked at me and said, "I hate the rats." 

I looked at her and said, "Hate the rats? But rats are wonderful animals that make great pets!"

She then replied, "Well, I've been cleaning their cages for eight years."

I was like, "So?"

I will never understand people.


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## MariHxc (May 23, 2007)

Susinko said:


> I have a phobia of deep water. I can swim just fine ... unless I know that I can no longer touch the bottom. I freak and end up almost drowning.


i'm the same way. when i get in water that's too deep, i almost forget to swim and just start to freak out. same goes for if i'm in a boat or something of the sort. i freeze up. big bodies of water in general freak me out.


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

this is why i don't take my rats into a lot of stores with me, or if i do, i don't make it a point to show them off to people unless they come up to me. i LOVE my rats, but i totally understand that some people don't like them. now, that's different from a complete phobia, yes, but i know that i would be mildly unhappy if someone stuck their hairy tarantula under my nose. we could go off on a whole 'nother tangent about people who are just irrationally rude about rats, but if rats really just freak people out, i won't try to push them on people. i'm only going to get my own feelings hurt, ya know?


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## collisiontheory89 (Apr 16, 2008)

Randi- escalators suck. When I was a kid, I was sitting down on them (yeah, yeah, I know you're not supposed to but I was young) and to cut a long story short my fingers got caught in the end bit where the stairs slide under the grate. Wow.


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## amandahoney (May 14, 2007)

KayRatz said:


> So yeah, phobias aren't just silly, they're real. Personally? I hate bees, they terrify me.


me too! well, i USED to be terrified of a single bee buzzing anywhere near me. but then, my dad decided a few years ago to get a new hobby- beekeeping. ugh. he came home with what was essentially a cinder-block sized box, made of screen and wood, of 30,000 bees. and that multiplied into three hives in our backyard. so yeah, i still run in the house hyperventilating and swatting and blacking out sometimes when i get too close to the hives while gardening, and my family just looks at me like i'm totally nuts, and i have to sit down until i stop shaking and the tunnel vision clears. but i panic! there are SO MANY bees in there! anything that lives in a hive is scary, because it's like one brain ruled by chemicals in the air... they're docile until you accidentally squish one and it alerts the troops.


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## Randi (May 25, 2008)

collisiontheory89 said:


> Randi- escalators suck. When I was a kid, I was sitting down on them (yeah, yeah, I know you're not supposed to but I was young) and to cut a long story short my fingers got caught in the end bit where the stairs slide under the grate. Wow.


I've heard so many similar horror stories. I've heard of children dying because their clothes have gotten caught. I've heard of adults having limbs amputated due to shoelaces or loose pieces of clothing/jewelry getting caught.

While I'm aware that this is likely an irrational thought, I swear to you that I am convinced that if I ever go on an escalator, my clothing or shoelaces would be sucked in, and I would literally get sucked under. I have such a huge fear of that, and falling on one, or not being able to get on/off at just the right time. I feel that if I didn't time it perfectly, I'd die. Terrifying.


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## Mimzy (Apr 21, 2008)

It's not even that. I know some people have a general fear of rats, but you filled out an application that says you will be dealing with multiple types of animals, and you have to pick them up, when a customer asks you to. I mean if you can't do it, asks someone else who is fine with it. But don't make a customer reach their hand inside and grab it, because you just wanted somewhere to work, not because you generally love and care about animals.


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## Marysmuse (Apr 28, 2008)

Wish that stubborn "I'm just not going to be afraid anymore" approach would work for me...

Crowds... gunshots... certain sounds... particularly children screaming, set me off. I've had days where I literally could not come out of my room. Inconvenient when your body's functions continue... functioning. And even more when your toddler NEEDS you, and you're not able to respond appropriately. Thank God for supportive friends and family.

I avoid certain situations. My kids don't understand why they can't have latex balloons. It took me a long time to let them have the foil kind that don't pop as easily or as noisily. After a couple years of counseling, oddly enough, never for the actual symptoms, but for other issues, like my temper and learning better parenting skills (I took the classes on my own, not forced by DSS or anything), things are better. Not perfect, by a longshot, but better.

The best I can say is... don't "baby" your phobia(s). Push yourself to overcome it. But also, try to understand it. Give yourself a bit of kindness. 9 times out of 10, a phobia is rooted in some trauma. The phobia doesn't always match up with what happened, but it's triggered by the trauma. They don't call it "Post Traumatic Stress" for nothing. If you're having physical symptoms, seeking counseling is a Good Thing. 
After all, if you have a pain, you see a doc, right? Why shouldn't you take care of your emotional needs as carefully?

Recognize your limits. Ya, if you're terrified of crickets/rats/bugs/scorpions (one of mine!!! I can't even look at them in an aquarium at the petshop. I've tried.), don't work at the petstore. Duh.

Rejoicing in the day,
-Mary


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## JulesMichy (Apr 8, 2007)

Marysmuse said:


> Wish that stubborn "I'm just not going to be afraid anymore" approach would work for me...


It doesn't work for anyone with a true phobia. Not just being a little scared, or even very scared, of something. If you're paralyzed by fear, break down in tears at the sight of something, vomit, etc. then constantly exposing yourself to it and trying to _make_ yourself not be afraid anymore, a process called "flooding", won't help you. Flooding has long been debunked as a suitable treatment for phobias.


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## Randi (May 25, 2008)

I would say that if you have a "fear" of something, then yeah, you can try to push yourself to overcome it. I just don't know if I can say the same for a phobia. It's just a whole other level. I don't see a need to try to get over mine, I can live with it just fine. I just take the stairs.


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## Marysmuse (Apr 28, 2008)

JulesMichy said:


> Marysmuse said:
> 
> 
> > Wish that stubborn "I'm just not going to be afraid anymore" approach would work for me...
> ...


Yeah... I sure don't hang out on the gun range...

It's possible to improve, depending on whether the work is worth the results. Easier... if any of it's easy... with help of someone trained. You'd be suprised what the human mind can overcome, the healing that is possible. 

There's a lot of what was once lauded in psychiatry (sorry for my bad spelling) that's now considered wrong, and in some cases, more harmful than helpful. Sad, how many people were and are damaged by "treatments", and then 20 years later, we're going "oops, guess that didn't work out so well, did it?" 

Like the experiment they did decades ago... I'm forgetting dates now, I could look it up. Or one of you psyc majors can answer . But they took a bunch of babies and put them in an orphanage setting (can you imagine?!!) where the nurses weren't allowed to interact with the children except to feed, bathe and clothe them. They were trying to see if the kids would develop language. The results? Every single child died. 

Now they know that physical and vocal affection is a basic human need. Go figure. Stupid waste, really. They could've asked any mother. 

But now I've strayed way off topic...

It's really too bad the petshops don't offer some at least basic training on the animals to their employees. Like how to pick up a rat properly. :roll: At least PetCo has petcare "specialists" (ha, that always makes me laugh) who're supposed to help people learn about their pets. Of course I'm of the opinion that the time to learn about a pet is not in the petshop when you're considering buying it! Duh. Sure, check out the animal in the shop, but read and research before actually buying. Geesh.

Rejoicing in the day,
-Mary


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## badashe (Jun 5, 2008)

i also work in a pet store...it always makes me made when i watch new workers cringe when trying to take care of the rats. when i started i was a little creeped out by the infamous cricket bin, but i still did it w/o hesitation and now crickets dont bother me at all, now if i come across a palmetto bug, ill scream like a little girl. If you dont live in the south and are unfamiliar with palmetto bugs, its like a roach on f-ing steroids. 

anyway, i always tell the workers from the start, if you have a fear of rats you better get over it real fast or find another job. i have nothing against people who are afraid of them, but its just dumb to work at a place that you have to handle them on a daily basis.


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## Vixie (Jul 21, 2006)

Randi said:


> People think that they can just make me get over my fear by trying to push me on to an escalator



That type of therapy actually works with some people.

I used to scream bloody murder and run as fast as I could the instant I saw a bee or wasp, but when I was 11 my dad bought a beehive and put it in our backyard. Now I'm 17 and I am completely calm when a been lands on me. I'm the one that goes out with no bee suit or mask and drugs them up to harvest some honey.


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## Vixie (Jul 21, 2006)

Oh-- I also wanted to say I applied at a few different petstores as their petcare specialists but I haven't gotten any word so I went in the store to talk to the manager and find out they are already 'fully staffed'. Ugh. I go over to the ratties to coo over them and the person who works there as the petcare specialist came up to me and was appalled that I wanted to pick one up. They went to pick the ratty up by the tail and I grabbed their arm and made them put the rat down.

Ugh, that just irked me to no end! I specifically stated I'm willing to work with whatever is put in front of me and yet this freak who knows NOTHING get s the job? GRR. lol


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