Comments on: Special In Aisle 13: Pygmy Rattlesnakes

By: korollocke

korollocke — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:47:55 +0000

Gives new meaning to urban jungle doesn’t it. maybe some cryptids will arrive with the christmas stock…. “uh dave we need management here, we have a bigfoot trashing the cereal isle.”

By: maceman444

maceman444 — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:58:25 +0000

Now I’m all for not shopping at Wal-Mart (I hate that corporation more than the rest, which is saying something) but you can’t fault the store’s for these rare occurrences. I know the business so let me explain how it works. Most of the flowers, fruit’s, or vegetables are picked in Mexico or in the US by illegal immigrants(that’s not racist, that’s fact and for everyone who wants to get rid of all the illegal immigrants, you will have no food because these people do extremely hard work for $2-$3 an hour. If an American did that job they would be asking for $20 an hour, that’s how hard this job is) these places obviously do not have the best precautions. It is then repotted or put in a crate or box(the boxes for plants are usually kept together by 2 plastic straps, no tape to seal it) then put with a bulk of other’s of the same type. It is then shipped to a distribution center and loaded again to go to another distribution center, until it is finally shipped to the store. With all the different places these unsealed box’s go you can’t expect things like this not to happen. If you think OSHA will save you, you need to realize OSHA is a joke. They show up when a new store opens and after that they never show up again unless a customer contacts them about something unsanitary(and in most cases the customer’s complaint is ignored by OSHA). Almost every grocery or retail store you go to has mice(and yes they urinate on everything and the store’s usually still sell these items) and almost every restaurant you go to has rats and cockroaches. Businesses are very unsanitary and it would cost them a fortune to keep it sanitary, but hey you are all still healthy and alive. Remember since the small businesses are dead, in a corporation the store manager is held responsible and if that store manager fails in anything he/she is just replaced with a new one, so there is no accountability from the corporation.

Also, Shumway I was in the Grocery business for 3 years and although I never did produce I heard many of the same stories of Bananna Spiders as you mentioned.

By: Andrew Minnesota

Andrew Minnesota — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:59:34 +0000

Red_Pill_Junkie I can already see it “woman opens armoire at Wal-Mart and rouses sleeping bear” :p

By: Saint Vitus

Saint Vitus — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:54:35 +0000

Pygmy rattlers are native to Florida. These snakes probably lived in the area before it was bulldozed so a Wal Mart could be built there, so they are not “out of place animals” at all.

By: cryptidsrus

cryptidsrus — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:18:41 +0000

Whether these are native individuals or not, this is all really maddening. I’ll be extra cautious at WallyWorld next time.

To Red_Pill_Junkie:

I think the answer to the question is:

Black Widow Spiders. Small enough to not be detected.

By: Munnin

Munnin — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:47:51 +0000

Considering that the species of venomous snakes encountered in the FL and TX Wal Mart garden centers differ, but seem to occur locally in each case, perhaps these are just native individuals looking for water and cover.

By: Rogutaan

Rogutaan — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:08:46 +0000

Few months back there was a scorpion mixed with the water melons, now this. All the more reason to avoid Wal-Mart.

By: red_pill_junkie

red_pill_junkie — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:08:02 +0000

Gee… first it was spiders, then scorpions, NOW snakes?

What’s next, Bears??

By: Rappy

Rappy — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:36:39 +0000

Shumway: Pygmy rattlesnakes, referred to in some places (like where I come from) as “ground rattlers”, are found in various parts of the Southeast USA, including, yes, Florida. A pygmy rattlesnake, most likely a native dusky, could have slithered right in from the widlerness if the area didn’t have any precautions.

By: shumway10973

shumway10973 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:32:57 +0000

okay, question (hand raised…) where does pygmy rattlesnakes originate from? I’ve only read a couple of the accounts above (I think here), but only thought they were baby rattlers. Definitely not the size of snake I hit last night. I drive a Honda Civic (mid nineties) and it reached from front passenger wheel to back driver’s wheel. I know about the importing of plants too. I work for a grocery store. Every once in awhile shipments of bananas (let’s say) either didn’t get fumigated or something and out pops who knows what. Remember Arachnophobia (the movie)? Those were banana tarantulas. Oh, and they do hiss (nervous giggle). Anyway, is the problem originating from the supplier of the plants or is there a small infestation back at Walmart’s central warehouse?