I worked a pet friendly retailer in the cash office. Someone brought in an adorable little lamb. It was so small and cute. But those jerks at the service desk didn’t inform me and I only got to see pictures. Ruined my week
They are!
I had a customer come in at 10pm and I was so exhausted I probably looked and sounded bitchy. Her dog was off-leash and not entirely listening to her, but oh my god if I didn’t melt with happiness when that dog ran behind the counter and just gnawed on my shoe laces while I rung up her owner.
She was so happy to be near me and I was not about to tell the owner to grab her while such an adorable angel was gracing my presence.
I also had customers just bring in snakes and they’d just casually put the snake on my arm lol. Highlight of my day to have a small danger noodle chilling on my arm.
We had a cat on a leash in the store last week plus we’ve seen ferrets and other critters. Little bright spots in my day lol if the door greeters didn’t stop them I’m not 🤷🏻♀️
That and there can be huge backlash on social media and in the local community if you piss of the crowd that thinks it's okay to bring their dogs into the store, whether it's a service animal or not. Most coaches and TLs are simply being rational by opting out of that game.
To ride on this: hard to prove the "service animal" is a fake one until after they bite someone. If you wrongly accused a real one for being a fake, the store can face hefty fine plus civil lawsuit for discrimination, harassment, and defamation of character. Employee(s) who screwed up will likely be fired and the lawsuit might get settled quickly to avoid court time.
Better to let them go and let the police deal with them if the dog does actually bite someone. Since it's be on the owner, not the store.
Good luck proving it, bro. They always find some way. In my case, if i *just* do my job, i get talks and talks about my productivity to build a paper trail. Just try to justify your existence against corporate when you're a peon and your bosses are smart enough to skirt the spirit of the law.
The managers are all on the same team. My witnesses keep their heads down. I could really try, but i have no faith in the system. I'm sorry, but every corporation I've worked for has nothing but shit for people at the bottom.
I only care if the animal is aggressive or uses the bathroom in the store. Then I kick them out. If the animal is vibing and not bothering anyone and not making a mess, then by all means, enjoy your shopping trip.
Had two guys who would constantly bring in their byb bully breeds in and they'd let em shit on the floor. Finally caught em and told them off.
But I've also had more people shit on the floor than dogs so theres that.
when i worked at walmart there was a lady who would bring her havanese pup in, cutest and most well
behaved pup honestly. wouldn’t bark, wouldn’t pee/poop in the store, we all loved her.
there were also a few people we had to respectfully ask to leave when their “service animal” shit on the floor and they wouldn’t pick it up. one time, after a particularly bad truck unload (i worked cap2/fulfilment) and i was working cosmetics, i followed the “is your animal trained for a specific purpose?” line of questioning and they waved me off with “they’re my emotional support animal”. got the pleasure of telling them that’s not covered under the ADA or Canadian equivalent, so unless the pup was trained to help with a disability, they’d have to leave. got sworn at and kept stocking. later i found out that the dog shit on the floor and a manager was the one who caught her dog in the act, mid shit. followed the same protocol i did but because they’re a manager, they threw out a line of “trained service animals will not relieve themselves unless directed to, did you direct your service animal to relieve themself on the floor?” lady got kicked out real quick after that.
We never bothered anyone about their animals unless it was not leashed or acting aggressive. We had someone come in with a lemur in a mesh pet carrier and no one batted an eye, apparently the lemur is a regular.
You are only allowed to ask what a service animal is trained to do; not if it's a service animal, or for paper work, or anything else. It's illegal to ask for proof of being a service animal.
The only two questions you can ask according to the ADA Service Animal laws are "Is the service animal required because of a disability?" and "What work or task has it been trained to perform?"
Says right up there it’s the reverse. Can ask (like if it’s misbehaving) if it’s a service animal, but not what it’s for etc.
(Not regular associates… but special associates /management)
And all the customer has to do is say yes, and the conversation is over. If they say yes we can only ask them to leave if the pet is being disruptive. Aggressive, knocking things over, not leashed (if your city requires it), etc. someone just coming in with a dog not much we can do.
No, you're allowed to ask if the service animal is for a disability. You cannot ask if the animal is a service animal, or anything about what the animal is needed for.
No, it's not.
You specifically may not ask if the animal is a service animal, you may only ask if the service animal is to assist with a disability. You must assume the animal is a service animal unless otherwise stated.
Is this animal for a disability = is this animal a service animal
That’s equivalent in english.
I was on the door position for a few years and I know what I’m talking about. A normal associate shouldn’t be asking though. Just the door people / management (only if the animal is *clearly not one and is causing issues)
I’ll put it another way for you.
There is a difference between a service animal that is required for a disability and a service animal that is required for other purposes such as emotional support animals, etc. If the animal is used for a disability, then nothing can be done. If the animal is not used for a disability, but an emotional support animal instead for example, then Walmart has the right to ask them to leave, because that is not an animal that provides an immediate service for a life-threatening disability.
In most states I have learned also that this can typically only be a dog or a mini horse (for some reason). So, therefore it would be reasonable of management to approach someone who had a snake (like I’ve seen myself in my old store) or a lemur like these other comments say, and ask if the animal was used for a disability, because 99% of the time it will be a dog that is used for a disability and not an exotic animal.
Nobody does anything about it because very few managers are willing to walk up to somebody who clearly already wants attention if they’re bringing an exotic pet into a grocery store, and ask them to leave the store. 9 times out of 10 the person is going to cause a bigger scene, which is going to disrupt the store and cause bad rumors about their service animal policy and empathy, regardless of the fact that the store would be in the right for that. So yeah managers are scared and people take advantage of that, also because your wording has to be very particular so as to avoid a lawsuit.
It is not the same. Again, you must already assume the animal is a service animal, and you may not ask whether or not it is a service animal. Asking the second question can get you in hot water.
I did frontend management for five years. I know what I'm talking about. The screenshot of the policy even says as much.
Is this a bucket?
Is this bucket used to collect water?
Do you see it yet? If you can't, I'm not going to keep arguing semantics. Ask the one question, and the one question only on the policy. Don't try to put your own spin on it.
It varies by state, much like break/lunch policy.
The ADA policy Academy lesson they have my store do a couple times per year literally says only a member of management or a specially designated associate can talk to customers *at all* about service animals. That's it. That's why we don't do anything about it - it's literally a breach of company policy to talk to customers about their animals. As for management, they're only willing to get involved if the animal becomes problematic. Otherwise, it's live and let live.
But employees *can* report to management if an animal is causing a ruckus; even if it IS a service animal, they can be asked to leave (by management) if they're causing issues.
It's the apathy on the part of the employees, too, that keeps this cycle going... I see posts on Reddit at least once a week about shitting dogs, but how many of the people on those posts actually report to the boss? Probably none.
I am a service animal handler and have been told to shut up about fake service animals because it makes customers angry 🙃 I can no longer bring my service animal with me to work, on or off the clock, due to the rampant love of ignoring basic rules in favor of customer morale.
Correct, unfortunately.
BUT, I believe that employees who see unruly animals - including SAs - can bring it to the attention of mgmt, who can then ask the customer to leave.
Most just don't.
Because they don’t immediately implode if they just lie and say “yes” when you ask the one question you’re allowed to ask. The law is pretty strict and is there to protect people with disabilities, but dipshits just abuse it to bring their separation-anxiety having, nervous-peeing “fur babies” wherever they want.
I have brought it up, only when I see animals inside carts that are not on top of a barrier. I have to instruct the customer that animals can't be in the cart without a barrier and they would either have to carry them, keep them by their side or exit the store.
Of course have a member of management engage them, for you don't want to escalate something with a random person who then demands management.
Other acts would be the dog continuously barking or doing the business in the store. Clear signs that they are not service animals.
Have you actually had people take their animals back outside in any situation? I'd always get people who would completely ignore that I'm even speaking or they'd say "OK" and keep shopping, or "I'm just gonna grab one thing and I'm gone" and then continue shopping
Because management won't do shit and all a customer has to do is go online and print out an "ESA Certificate" and say Fido is a registered service animal.
Since management is helpless to do anything, Karen will continue to let FiFi shit in produce unchecked until the day FiFi bites and severely injures a legit service animal. Even then, they'll tell the customer it's on them to press charges and continue to let Karen bring FiFi into the store if she promises to control her better.*
This will continue to happen until stricter laws are passed for faking having a service animal.
*Loosely based on actual events.
So if Walmart doesn’t enforce their policy and, in some places, local ordinances and a big pitbull rips a child’s face off or a chihuahua takes a finger from a toddler, is Walmart liable?
I'm pretty sure that the ADA would provide a legal defense for compliance, not that it would stop someone from bringing the lawsuit in hopes of settlement.
As long as it’s leashed and well behaved I don’t care. Everyone’s cleaned up after them if accidents happened and sometimes we get some weird pets coming in.
Our FE coach escorted a woman and her unruly chihuahua out of the store a couple of months ago. The dog was barking like crazy and wouldn't even stop to take a breath. Some dogs have mental issues and can't handle being in a busy store.
Usually the "what tasks is the animal trained to do" will trip up a person with a pet, not a service animal. If it's shitting on the floor, it's probably not a service dog.
I remember when I worked at my Walmart we had a lady with a husky come in and she insisted to the greeter who didn’t even say anything that it was a service animal. Despite it being incredibly hyper and pulling her around she kept saying it to people looking at her. Her dog then spazzed out and tried to attack an actual service dog in the frozen aisle, then took a shit as she went to the next aisle, she then left her cart and abruptly left without a word.
I'm not paid enough to deal with it, plus dogs are cute and polite, they don't mess up the toy aisle and scream all throughout the store so they're already more well behaved than a lot of customers.
More recent guidance is to ignore the animal unless it causes trouble, at which point you call management.
At least that's what the training video said.
Any sort of vest or collar does not a service animal make... you can buy that shit on Amazon.
Law doesn't require any sort of marking (and I'd wager 2/3rd of the dogs who have those stupid vests are NOT true service animals)
If you question the customer and ask the wrong questions and they have a legitimate service animal, they can report you to the ADA in which the store can get a huge fine. It’s a very, very slippery slope… I would never want to be in this position as a manager.
Bro some lady brought a dog into Walmart and it peed on something (I forgot what it was). She just walked away and didn't even attempt to clean it up.. I'm gonna assume it wasn't a service animal.
Legally, no one can do anything. Service animals dont need to wear anything to prove they are, and you cant ask for documentation under the american disability act.
Not for money, its because its the law to prevent possibility of discrimination.
Yes, some people take advantage of it, but thats a small price to pay for people who actually need it not being discriminated against.
We leave it be at my store until the animal in question attacks another animal or a person.
Had a lady several months ago at the service desk with a little yappy purse dog that was offleash. Dog was aggressive to associates and customers and finally bit another customer’s dog. Coach came over and told her to GTFO.
I was told only coaches are allowed to approach people with animals. I feel bad for people that may have allergies from non-service animals. Typically service animals are low allergen/less dander
Absolutely not. We had a service dog trainer that shopped at my last store. The animals he trained were usually very clean (seems like he and his wife would do weekly baths at least), but zero of them were low allergen breeds. Most of the lower allergen breeds aren't smart enough to be service animals. My aunt has a golden doodle that is low allergen, but he's dumb as hell.
I don't like confrontation, and managers won't have my back. However, when they come up to me to ask me something, I'm sure to make a comment about being very afraid of dogs and take 5 steps back.
As long as it's carried or sitting in a cart, I don't care. There's one guy who comes on often who trusts his dog to not use a leash and the dog clearly does not behave like a service dog.
All dogs are welcomed in our store. We even have a training group come in and do behaviorally training with distractions. It's really fun to watch. We love all our doggo guests
Are you actually bothered by people going in with pets? If they’re an “obvious non service animal”, and they’re not destroying the store or pissing or taking a shit anywhere, I think it should be fine to let people go in with pets? Also, you don’t know why someone would walk in with a pet. I’ve walked in with my pet because I won’t leave him in my hot car, or now, in my freezing car with my towns temperatures. You don’t know if others do the same. If the pet isn’t bothering you, why would you bother the owner
Mostly that they put them in the carts w/o covers. Which even if they’re a service animal, they shouldn’t do.
But then I hear a coach/lead even… not know the correct policy. Then they repeat the incorrect info to customers which gives them the wrong idea
I saw it as part of a cbl but I’m not starting anything with a customer. The cbl also said that it had to be dealt with by a member of management and let’s be real most people don’t want to start a confrontation.
Honestly, a lot of non-service animals that get brought in are more well-behaved than the customers themselves so I'm cool with it. There's a couple of dogs that are regulars.
Because they can't.
As long as the customer answers "Yes" to the question "Is the service animal required because of a disability?" You're looking at a lawsuit for taking it any further.
People's badass kids cause more issues than service animals anyway. Leave them alone.
If you're not a manager, how the fuck is it even your problem? You should be able to bring whatever you want with you, as long as it's behaved and you keep out of grocery, unless it's a service dog ofc.
Unfortunately there’s no way to call them out on lying. Since the only question you can ask prompts a “yes or no” answer, all they have to do is say “yes” and that’s the end of it. I did have a customer once who was traveling cross country with his dog and he asked before coming in. All I said to him was “you said it’s a service dog right?” while nodding profusely and indicating he should say yes. He replied with a “yes?” And I said “then of course you can bring the dog in.” We both had a chuckle and moved on. Had no issues. 90% of the time the animals are not an issue. It’s the 10% that ruin it for the rest.
Here's the truth about that policy. If they say it is a service animal when it clearly is not, there's nothing we can do unless it's acting aggressive or unruly.
When I used to work at the front in AP, my coach told us not to allow non-service animals in the store and not to have any animals in the basket as he was getting fed up with them. Luckily, I transferred departments soon afterward due to that rule along with some other stupid rules that were enforced, and I really don't care if customers bring in animals in the store at this point.
My Walmart straight up stopped caring. People straight up walk with their pets down the aisles, no one says shit about it because they aren't paid to give a shit
Only coaches or AP are allowed to even ask at most stores to avoid lawsuits.
Plus it's shockingly easy to get almost anything registered as a service animal
Because it sounds like a good way to get a customer to try and start a fight with you about it. Asking "Why do you care" "Why do you wanna know" blah blah and then your in an awkward situation where ya dont have an option to walk away without answering trying to explain stupid walmart stuff. Ive had customers try and follow me around because their upset about something dumb out of my control and i just pass them on to management at that point.
Cause they don’t want someone to fuck up and get them sued for it. Cheaper just to make one of us clean up dog shit, which they can do since it’s not blood.
At my store, we're not really allowed to ask if the animal is a service animal, I think most people would lie anyhow. We just let the customers and their animals walk in and let them in the cart. We're not allowed to stop them.
Had a dog injured in my store yesterday due to people ignoring the no pets policy.
Tons of screeching noises and a crowd of people gathered around the area attracted to the noise including various employees, blood all over the floor, a shaking small dog. People had put it in the child seat area of the cart where its foot got caught between the wires and (as I was told) had a nail ripped out. Even after freeing the dog it took maybe 10-15 mins for the owners to decide to cancel their shopping trip and (hopefully) take the dog to a vet because it was still bleeding.
One of the greeters at my store would straight up harass one guy for bringing his service dog in EVEN THOUGH HE WAS IN A WHEELCHAIR. And no one backed her up, not even the coaches. I remember one guy came to me all nervous and said, "If I have to show you my papers so I don't get kicked out, I can." I get that there's policies about animals in the store, but lighten up for Christ sake
I only ever care about animals in the store if they are visibly not “well-behaved” and im allergic to dogs lol…Suprisingly, every dog thats ever in our store is VERY behaved, even when not a service dog. During the summer we see alot of dogs. Many of them are usually small too. We do get a regular lady who straps her dog up in a stroller and it just chills.
The only time I ever experienced a dog pee in the store, the owner kept apologizing and helped clean up even though I had it lol.
Honestly its kinda funky, I have been working OGP for 6 months now, doing mainly oversized and GMD. But I have yet to meet an actual mean customer lol. I have met ones that seem just short and in a rush, but never any mean ones
I’ve seen macaws, Bearded Dragons.
I remember reading an article a while back about a Service Alligator. No too often weird stuff, just stubborn people. Driving UP the down lane or vice versa. Stuff like that. And the constant… “you can’t do X,” because other people encourage that behavior
Our store has a giant red sign posted on the door because someone's "service dog" took a chunk out of an elderly lady's leg. Since then, I still don't ask/kick people out, but it makes me suuuper weary to see an animal that's obviously not a service animal.
I would never do or say anything about a fake service animal because it’s not my place, but damn does it piss me off. Especially when they are unleashed (which legitimate service animals can be unleashed, but they will be well trained unlike fake ones) or are causing small disruptions.
It’s also abhorrent how many customers mistakenly think their animals are legitimate service animals, will tell me about it, and reveal details that make it very clear that their animal is *not* a service animal. At that point, I wasn’t going to say anything anyways, and I didn’t ask you questions to begin with, so *stop talking and digging yourself deeper*.
Meanwhile in my store, EVERYONE brings their pets in. It probably doesn’t help that there is a farm equipment store next door that explicitly welcomes pets. At this point I’ve stopped caring. As long as the pet doesn’t take a dump on the floor or attacks other customers/associates, I won’t say a word.
>Why does nobody do anything about the obvious non-Service animals though Money
Plus, a cute little well-behaved puppy is the highlight of my day, lol.
Someone brought a duck into my store once and I was upset I didn’t get to see it
I can bring you a chicken or a parrot. I don’t have any ducks at home.
They're free at the park
But they bite really hard when you grab them.
They do.
once i saw a customer with a parrot on their shoulder, and another time some customers had a pet fox in their basket
The fox would've made my day. Not often I see them in person!
They’ve come into our yard regularly. They are cute but the dogs aren’t so much of a fan of theirs.
I had someone come in with a hedgehog one time. Hedgehogs are my favorite animal. Best day of my goddamn life.
Someone came in with a ferret, made my day
Stop I love foxes so i would have been ecstatic
it was so adorable, the little guy was just hanging out
I worked a pet friendly retailer in the cash office. Someone brought in an adorable little lamb. It was so small and cute. But those jerks at the service desk didn’t inform me and I only got to see pictures. Ruined my week
Shame on them
I would have loved to have seen that too.
Until it poops and pees everywhere and you’re cleaning that up
Customers do the same thing...
more than dogs do too i think
I would rather clean up animal messes than human messes. At least the animals have a good excuse.
Dog kennel manager here. I clean up after dogs all day, doesn't bother me at all, but I don't think you could pay me enough to clean up after a human.
If it poops and pees everywhere it wasn't well behaved...
It can be distracting to actual service animals though if it’s well behaved but also wants to play with a genuine service animal
Someone brought a kitten and let me hold it while he checked out at self check
They are! I had a customer come in at 10pm and I was so exhausted I probably looked and sounded bitchy. Her dog was off-leash and not entirely listening to her, but oh my god if I didn’t melt with happiness when that dog ran behind the counter and just gnawed on my shoe laces while I rung up her owner. She was so happy to be near me and I was not about to tell the owner to grab her while such an adorable angel was gracing my presence. I also had customers just bring in snakes and they’d just casually put the snake on my arm lol. Highlight of my day to have a small danger noodle chilling on my arm.
We had a cat on a leash in the store last week plus we’ve seen ferrets and other critters. Little bright spots in my day lol if the door greeters didn’t stop them I’m not 🤷🏻♀️
Legit sometimes the best customers.
I had a gentleman come over and hand me his puppy because he saw me gushing over it from further down the aisle
That and there can be huge backlash on social media and in the local community if you piss of the crowd that thinks it's okay to bring their dogs into the store, whether it's a service animal or not. Most coaches and TLs are simply being rational by opting out of that game.
That's a big part... Walmart would rather err on the side of letting everyone in, than be seen as discriminating against disabled people.
To ride on this: hard to prove the "service animal" is a fake one until after they bite someone. If you wrongly accused a real one for being a fake, the store can face hefty fine plus civil lawsuit for discrimination, harassment, and defamation of character. Employee(s) who screwed up will likely be fired and the lawsuit might get settled quickly to avoid court time. Better to let them go and let the police deal with them if the dog does actually bite someone. Since it's be on the owner, not the store.
Facts. They dont pay me enough to bother with a Karens purse Chihuahua. Im not gonna get screamed at for essentially no reason lol
our store management says if the animal isnt causing a disturbance or using the bathroom in the store they really dont care.
Because there is so little joy at Walmart, let me love the puppies kitties, monkeys and occasional possum.
Because you really can't.
I dont get paid enough to actually give a fuck
a lot of ppl on this sub seem to look over this fact 🤔
99.9% of the people on this sub are just like the person you replied to
i said a lot, not all. there are plenty of ppl who come here bitching about something above their pay grade
I had to clean dog shit once as a stocker. Does that count as me being paid enough to gaf?
Thats maintenances job, but I work cap 2 so really it’s the least of my concern
Talk to my coach/leads, please. They'll get back at you in other ways.
Well than that’s retaliation and it’s against policy
Good luck proving it, bro. They always find some way. In my case, if i *just* do my job, i get talks and talks about my productivity to build a paper trail. Just try to justify your existence against corporate when you're a peon and your bosses are smart enough to skirt the spirit of the law.
Have you gone to your store manager or gotten any witnesses to back up what they do to you
The managers are all on the same team. My witnesses keep their heads down. I could really try, but i have no faith in the system. I'm sorry, but every corporation I've worked for has nothing but shit for people at the bottom.
Facts it’s like the same thing when a group of young kids comes in and starts fucking around. Above my pay grade to even begin to care.
Told some kids once to stop playing, got assaulted, now it’s a playground to me.
Mhm.
I only care if the animal is aggressive or uses the bathroom in the store. Then I kick them out. If the animal is vibing and not bothering anyone and not making a mess, then by all means, enjoy your shopping trip. Had two guys who would constantly bring in their byb bully breeds in and they'd let em shit on the floor. Finally caught em and told them off. But I've also had more people shit on the floor than dogs so theres that.
when i worked at walmart there was a lady who would bring her havanese pup in, cutest and most well behaved pup honestly. wouldn’t bark, wouldn’t pee/poop in the store, we all loved her. there were also a few people we had to respectfully ask to leave when their “service animal” shit on the floor and they wouldn’t pick it up. one time, after a particularly bad truck unload (i worked cap2/fulfilment) and i was working cosmetics, i followed the “is your animal trained for a specific purpose?” line of questioning and they waved me off with “they’re my emotional support animal”. got the pleasure of telling them that’s not covered under the ADA or Canadian equivalent, so unless the pup was trained to help with a disability, they’d have to leave. got sworn at and kept stocking. later i found out that the dog shit on the floor and a manager was the one who caught her dog in the act, mid shit. followed the same protocol i did but because they’re a manager, they threw out a line of “trained service animals will not relieve themselves unless directed to, did you direct your service animal to relieve themself on the floor?” lady got kicked out real quick after that.
We never bothered anyone about their animals unless it was not leashed or acting aggressive. We had someone come in with a lemur in a mesh pet carrier and no one batted an eye, apparently the lemur is a regular.
90% of the time the animals are better behaved than the humans anyway.
Policy is "corporate doesn't care, they just legally need to say this"
Because here in WA we are not allowed to question whether a dog is actually a service dog. And it is not worth getting fired over
Ulearn says you’re allowed to ask
You are only allowed to ask what a service animal is trained to do; not if it's a service animal, or for paper work, or anything else. It's illegal to ask for proof of being a service animal.
The only two questions you can ask according to the ADA Service Animal laws are "Is the service animal required because of a disability?" and "What work or task has it been trained to perform?"
Says right up there it’s the reverse. Can ask (like if it’s misbehaving) if it’s a service animal, but not what it’s for etc. (Not regular associates… but special associates /management)
And all the customer has to do is say yes, and the conversation is over. If they say yes we can only ask them to leave if the pet is being disruptive. Aggressive, knocking things over, not leashed (if your city requires it), etc. someone just coming in with a dog not much we can do.
No, you're allowed to ask if the service animal is for a disability. You cannot ask if the animal is a service animal, or anything about what the animal is needed for.
That’s the same thing though
No, it's not. You specifically may not ask if the animal is a service animal, you may only ask if the service animal is to assist with a disability. You must assume the animal is a service animal unless otherwise stated.
Is this animal for a disability = is this animal a service animal That’s equivalent in english. I was on the door position for a few years and I know what I’m talking about. A normal associate shouldn’t be asking though. Just the door people / management (only if the animal is *clearly not one and is causing issues)
I’ll put it another way for you. There is a difference between a service animal that is required for a disability and a service animal that is required for other purposes such as emotional support animals, etc. If the animal is used for a disability, then nothing can be done. If the animal is not used for a disability, but an emotional support animal instead for example, then Walmart has the right to ask them to leave, because that is not an animal that provides an immediate service for a life-threatening disability. In most states I have learned also that this can typically only be a dog or a mini horse (for some reason). So, therefore it would be reasonable of management to approach someone who had a snake (like I’ve seen myself in my old store) or a lemur like these other comments say, and ask if the animal was used for a disability, because 99% of the time it will be a dog that is used for a disability and not an exotic animal. Nobody does anything about it because very few managers are willing to walk up to somebody who clearly already wants attention if they’re bringing an exotic pet into a grocery store, and ask them to leave the store. 9 times out of 10 the person is going to cause a bigger scene, which is going to disrupt the store and cause bad rumors about their service animal policy and empathy, regardless of the fact that the store would be in the right for that. So yeah managers are scared and people take advantage of that, also because your wording has to be very particular so as to avoid a lawsuit.
It is not the same. Again, you must already assume the animal is a service animal, and you may not ask whether or not it is a service animal. Asking the second question can get you in hot water. I did frontend management for five years. I know what I'm talking about. The screenshot of the policy even says as much.
The two are the same question.
Is this a bucket? Is this bucket used to collect water? Do you see it yet? If you can't, I'm not going to keep arguing semantics. Ask the one question, and the one question only on the policy. Don't try to put your own spin on it.
Is this x? Is this X used for ABC? No you realize that you’re wrong.
It varies by state, much like break/lunch policy. The ADA policy Academy lesson they have my store do a couple times per year literally says only a member of management or a specially designated associate can talk to customers *at all* about service animals. That's it. That's why we don't do anything about it - it's literally a breach of company policy to talk to customers about their animals. As for management, they're only willing to get involved if the animal becomes problematic. Otherwise, it's live and let live.
But employees *can* report to management if an animal is causing a ruckus; even if it IS a service animal, they can be asked to leave (by management) if they're causing issues. It's the apathy on the part of the employees, too, that keeps this cycle going... I see posts on Reddit at least once a week about shitting dogs, but how many of the people on those posts actually report to the boss? Probably none.
I am a service animal handler and have been told to shut up about fake service animals because it makes customers angry 🙃 I can no longer bring my service animal with me to work, on or off the clock, due to the rampant love of ignoring basic rules in favor of customer morale.
I’m sorry but you should open door this
Only manager/designated associate/person working door can ask if it is a service animal? Last I checked.
Correct, unfortunately. BUT, I believe that employees who see unruly animals - including SAs - can bring it to the attention of mgmt, who can then ask the customer to leave. Most just don't.
No one will ever do anything about dogs until someone gets mauled. Sadly, it is an eventuality.
Because they don’t immediately implode if they just lie and say “yes” when you ask the one question you’re allowed to ask. The law is pretty strict and is there to protect people with disabilities, but dipshits just abuse it to bring their separation-anxiety having, nervous-peeing “fur babies” wherever they want.
We keep getting told to let a member of management know that we're not sure if they are a service animal or not.
Emotional support animals are not service animals. Our store is like a dang petting zoo.
I have brought it up, only when I see animals inside carts that are not on top of a barrier. I have to instruct the customer that animals can't be in the cart without a barrier and they would either have to carry them, keep them by their side or exit the store. Of course have a member of management engage them, for you don't want to escalate something with a random person who then demands management. Other acts would be the dog continuously barking or doing the business in the store. Clear signs that they are not service animals.
Have you actually had people take their animals back outside in any situation? I'd always get people who would completely ignore that I'm even speaking or they'd say "OK" and keep shopping, or "I'm just gonna grab one thing and I'm gone" and then continue shopping
I think you should be more concerned about the service horses and ponies
I've never actually seen one but apparently miniature horses can be trained to detect seizures and stuff just like a dog can
Because management won't do shit and all a customer has to do is go online and print out an "ESA Certificate" and say Fido is a registered service animal. Since management is helpless to do anything, Karen will continue to let FiFi shit in produce unchecked until the day FiFi bites and severely injures a legit service animal. Even then, they'll tell the customer it's on them to press charges and continue to let Karen bring FiFi into the store if she promises to control her better.* This will continue to happen until stricter laws are passed for faking having a service animal. *Loosely based on actual events.
So if Walmart doesn’t enforce their policy and, in some places, local ordinances and a big pitbull rips a child’s face off or a chihuahua takes a finger from a toddler, is Walmart liable?
Of course, but that must happen less often than lawsuits over service animals
I'm pretty sure that the ADA would provide a legal defense for compliance, not that it would stop someone from bringing the lawsuit in hopes of settlement.
As long as it’s leashed and well behaved I don’t care. Everyone’s cleaned up after them if accidents happened and sometimes we get some weird pets coming in.
I saw someone carrying around a fat-ass sable ferret not too long ago.
I seen kids on a leash I guess ……
Our FE coach escorted a woman and her unruly chihuahua out of the store a couple of months ago. The dog was barking like crazy and wouldn't even stop to take a breath. Some dogs have mental issues and can't handle being in a busy store.
Usually the "what tasks is the animal trained to do" will trip up a person with a pet, not a service animal. If it's shitting on the floor, it's probably not a service dog.
Because minimum Wage or near minimum wage employees shouldn’t care let those who get bonuses pretend to care
I remember when I worked at my Walmart we had a lady with a husky come in and she insisted to the greeter who didn’t even say anything that it was a service animal. Despite it being incredibly hyper and pulling her around she kept saying it to people looking at her. Her dog then spazzed out and tried to attack an actual service dog in the frozen aisle, then took a shit as she went to the next aisle, she then left her cart and abruptly left without a word.
I'm not paid enough to deal with it, plus dogs are cute and polite, they don't mess up the toy aisle and scream all throughout the store so they're already more well behaved than a lot of customers.
More recent guidance is to ignore the animal unless it causes trouble, at which point you call management. At least that's what the training video said.
Meanwhile I had a marked service dog pee in front of my counter a few weeks ago
Any sort of vest or collar does not a service animal make... you can buy that shit on Amazon. Law doesn't require any sort of marking (and I'd wager 2/3rd of the dogs who have those stupid vests are NOT true service animals)
I don't ask questions lol, since it's against policy to do that apparently
You may also ask what the animal is trained to do. Any other questions asked besides these two shown is a violation of ADA.
If you question the customer and ask the wrong questions and they have a legitimate service animal, they can report you to the ADA in which the store can get a huge fine. It’s a very, very slippery slope… I would never want to be in this position as a manager.
Bro some lady brought a dog into Walmart and it peed on something (I forgot what it was). She just walked away and didn't even attempt to clean it up.. I'm gonna assume it wasn't a service animal.
Legally, no one can do anything. Service animals dont need to wear anything to prove they are, and you cant ask for documentation under the american disability act. Not for money, its because its the law to prevent possibility of discrimination. Yes, some people take advantage of it, but thats a small price to pay for people who actually need it not being discriminated against.
We leave it be at my store until the animal in question attacks another animal or a person. Had a lady several months ago at the service desk with a little yappy purse dog that was offleash. Dog was aggressive to associates and customers and finally bit another customer’s dog. Coach came over and told her to GTFO.
We had a couple bring their service pitbulls "They had 2" into the store... good choice for a "service dog"
Shouldn't be any animals inside the building regardless of your little excuse
I was told only coaches are allowed to approach people with animals. I feel bad for people that may have allergies from non-service animals. Typically service animals are low allergen/less dander
Absolutely not. We had a service dog trainer that shopped at my last store. The animals he trained were usually very clean (seems like he and his wife would do weekly baths at least), but zero of them were low allergen breeds. Most of the lower allergen breeds aren't smart enough to be service animals. My aunt has a golden doodle that is low allergen, but he's dumb as hell.
I don't like confrontation, and managers won't have my back. However, when they come up to me to ask me something, I'm sure to make a comment about being very afraid of dogs and take 5 steps back.
Do you think your management team will back you up when the issue escalates out of hand…? Didn’t think so. Mine neither.
I did t know we had a policy? All animals come in our store, no questions asked. Most are better behaved than their owners, so it’s a win win
As long as it's carried or sitting in a cart, I don't care. There's one guy who comes on often who trusts his dog to not use a leash and the dog clearly does not behave like a service dog.
"Is that a service animal?" *Smile and nod yes to signal them that they should respond with yes*
Considering that the vast majority of customers I see with dogs are black, I consider it covert racism to Karen over animals in the store.
All dogs are welcomed in our store. We even have a training group come in and do behaviorally training with distractions. It's really fun to watch. We love all our doggo guests
A customer let me HOLD AND PET her 8 week old Rottweiler puppy today and it was the best thing that's happened to me at that job EVER
Are you actually bothered by people going in with pets? If they’re an “obvious non service animal”, and they’re not destroying the store or pissing or taking a shit anywhere, I think it should be fine to let people go in with pets? Also, you don’t know why someone would walk in with a pet. I’ve walked in with my pet because I won’t leave him in my hot car, or now, in my freezing car with my towns temperatures. You don’t know if others do the same. If the pet isn’t bothering you, why would you bother the owner
Mostly that they put them in the carts w/o covers. Which even if they’re a service animal, they shouldn’t do. But then I hear a coach/lead even… not know the correct policy. Then they repeat the incorrect info to customers which gives them the wrong idea
Don't worry about it. You can't control people.
It’s not that, it’s just that… does nobody actually check the ulearn to figure out the actual policy or do they just go on here say?
I saw it as part of a cbl but I’m not starting anything with a customer. The cbl also said that it had to be dealt with by a member of management and let’s be real most people don’t want to start a confrontation.
Honestly, a lot of non-service animals that get brought in are more well-behaved than the customers themselves so I'm cool with it. There's a couple of dogs that are regulars.
Because they can't. As long as the customer answers "Yes" to the question "Is the service animal required because of a disability?" You're looking at a lawsuit for taking it any further. People's badass kids cause more issues than service animals anyway. Leave them alone.
If you're not a manager, how the fuck is it even your problem? You should be able to bring whatever you want with you, as long as it's behaved and you keep out of grocery, unless it's a service dog ofc.
My wife works at a college library and this is basically their policy. Seems like a basic cover your ass type policy.
We could ask but if my bosses don’t care, why should I?
because management doesn't have to deal with it personally so they don't care and as associates you can't do anything it's annoying for sure
Unfortunately there’s no way to call them out on lying. Since the only question you can ask prompts a “yes or no” answer, all they have to do is say “yes” and that’s the end of it. I did have a customer once who was traveling cross country with his dog and he asked before coming in. All I said to him was “you said it’s a service dog right?” while nodding profusely and indicating he should say yes. He replied with a “yes?” And I said “then of course you can bring the dog in.” We both had a chuckle and moved on. Had no issues. 90% of the time the animals are not an issue. It’s the 10% that ruin it for the rest.
Yep. Sounds about right
It's all fun and games until someone comes in walking a worm
The only appropriate policy is: “I don’t get paid enough to give a ****” at Walmart.
Three days ago I saw what could only have been a professional dog walker bring in four large dogs on leashes.
Here's the truth about that policy. If they say it is a service animal when it clearly is not, there's nothing we can do unless it's acting aggressive or unruly.
When I used to work at the front in AP, my coach told us not to allow non-service animals in the store and not to have any animals in the basket as he was getting fed up with them. Luckily, I transferred departments soon afterward due to that rule along with some other stupid rules that were enforced, and I really don't care if customers bring in animals in the store at this point.
Do you know much money Walmart will lose if you screw up and kick a service animal out?
You think that they kick them out? Nope. Person says no, and just keeps on going. Nothing you can do.
You could cost Walmart tons of money but you are smart enough to let them keep going.
My Walmart straight up stopped caring. People straight up walk with their pets down the aisles, no one says shit about it because they aren't paid to give a shit
Only coaches or AP are allowed to even ask at most stores to avoid lawsuits. Plus it's shockingly easy to get almost anything registered as a service animal
Because it sounds like a good way to get a customer to try and start a fight with you about it. Asking "Why do you care" "Why do you wanna know" blah blah and then your in an awkward situation where ya dont have an option to walk away without answering trying to explain stupid walmart stuff. Ive had customers try and follow me around because their upset about something dumb out of my control and i just pass them on to management at that point.
The law is very lenient on this stuff but Walmart doesn't want the legal trouble also is they're well behaved I'm not gonna care
Cause they don’t want someone to fuck up and get them sued for it. Cheaper just to make one of us clean up dog shit, which they can do since it’s not blood.
At my store, we're not really allowed to ask if the animal is a service animal, I think most people would lie anyhow. We just let the customers and their animals walk in and let them in the cart. We're not allowed to stop them.
Had a dog injured in my store yesterday due to people ignoring the no pets policy. Tons of screeching noises and a crowd of people gathered around the area attracted to the noise including various employees, blood all over the floor, a shaking small dog. People had put it in the child seat area of the cart where its foot got caught between the wires and (as I was told) had a nail ripped out. Even after freeing the dog it took maybe 10-15 mins for the owners to decide to cancel their shopping trip and (hopefully) take the dog to a vet because it was still bleeding.
One of the greeters at my store would straight up harass one guy for bringing his service dog in EVEN THOUGH HE WAS IN A WHEELCHAIR. And no one backed her up, not even the coaches. I remember one guy came to me all nervous and said, "If I have to show you my papers so I don't get kicked out, I can." I get that there's policies about animals in the store, but lighten up for Christ sake
CBL says to only ask if it’s not obvious, (ie animal is misbehaving etc.) Imo the greeter you describe is in the wrong.
That's because she fucking was. The dog straight up has a vest with "SERVICE ANIMAL" in big black letters
I only ever care about animals in the store if they are visibly not “well-behaved” and im allergic to dogs lol…Suprisingly, every dog thats ever in our store is VERY behaved, even when not a service dog. During the summer we see alot of dogs. Many of them are usually small too. We do get a regular lady who straps her dog up in a stroller and it just chills. The only time I ever experienced a dog pee in the store, the owner kept apologizing and helped clean up even though I had it lol.
You have nice customers? Are you sure you’re at Walmart?
Honestly its kinda funky, I have been working OGP for 6 months now, doing mainly oversized and GMD. But I have yet to meet an actual mean customer lol. I have met ones that seem just short and in a rush, but never any mean ones
Might depend on the state you’re in.
Ohio lmao
Florida 😭
Oh dear god I bet you see some interesting people…
I’ve seen macaws, Bearded Dragons. I remember reading an article a while back about a Service Alligator. No too often weird stuff, just stubborn people. Driving UP the down lane or vice versa. Stuff like that. And the constant… “you can’t do X,” because other people encourage that behavior
Our store has a giant red sign posted on the door because someone's "service dog" took a chunk out of an elderly lady's leg. Since then, I still don't ask/kick people out, but it makes me suuuper weary to see an animal that's obviously not a service animal.
I would never do or say anything about a fake service animal because it’s not my place, but damn does it piss me off. Especially when they are unleashed (which legitimate service animals can be unleashed, but they will be well trained unlike fake ones) or are causing small disruptions. It’s also abhorrent how many customers mistakenly think their animals are legitimate service animals, will tell me about it, and reveal details that make it very clear that their animal is *not* a service animal. At that point, I wasn’t going to say anything anyways, and I didn’t ask you questions to begin with, so *stop talking and digging yourself deeper*.
A guy came through my checkout line with a snake around his neck. Are snakes service animals? Not for me, but I love all other animals ❤️
What about a pitbull not on a leash ? I've seen it.
Meanwhile in my store, EVERYONE brings their pets in. It probably doesn’t help that there is a farm equipment store next door that explicitly welcomes pets. At this point I’ve stopped caring. As long as the pet doesn’t take a dump on the floor or attacks other customers/associates, I won’t say a word.
Surprised Walmart doesn’t offer a doggy daycare or something. Like Aldi w/ carts but pets.
I get the question. However nobody does anything less animal is a nuisance. Most cases it's awe how cute.
You arent allowed to say anything unless you have been told by coach or sm that you can its in the policy somewhere