"PetSmart,
Was shopping at PetSmart, Onalaska WI, Thursday evening with my wife. Spent just about an hour in the store, Looked at the birds, the fish, the lizards, the cats, the rats, toys etc. etc. filled the cart with cat food and other items. Just about got to the counter (cart full, done shopping) when your manager, Debbie Pientok walked up and informed us that PetSmart corporate policy is no guns. The stores are not signed, I looked. She said they don't put signs up and she didn't know why.*
She was polite at first. But after we told her we would no longer be shopping there, she became very aggressive and had a rather dismissive, arrogant attitude. Like we didn't matter to her or to corporate PetSmart. I was actually shocked because we had been in the store so many times before with no problem.* Spent money too. So do thousands of my friends. I know you've heard from some of them already.
She did not care that we would no longer patronize the store. She appeared not to care that others might not Patronize the store either. And she certainly did not care who heard our discussion. I told her that it is legal to open carry in Wisconsin. She did not think so.*
As my wife started to empty the cart, and told her that she; the manager, was taking our Constitutional Rights away by doing this, the manager softened her approach, did a 180 and wanted to make nice in her store; I assume, so there would not be any negative PR. Said it wasn't her but rather corporate and she sympathized with us and carried similar views as we do but she also saw corporate's view as well.
Your company is not respecting my right to self defense. I open carry my sidearm day in, day out. Where ever I go. In WI, concealed carry is illegal, so this is my only means of self defense. I will no longer shop at your store or buy from you until you rescind the policy.
While you, as a private property owner, have the right to exclude firearms, I as a private citizen, can choose to not spend my money in a criminal free fire zone. Just to be clear, I am sure you well know that criminals will disobey your policy. You do get that don't you? This makes your store “UNSAFE!” I will be sure to make note of this to whom ever I converse with in the future.
I know you do not provide security. You have no way to protect your customers in your store in the parking lot. There are enough examples; in this dangerous time, of abduction, assault and rape in parking lots of much more upscale stores than yours to warrant law abiding citizens to be able to defend themselves in your store and parking lot. Not to mention the litigation issues considering you stand against state law, virtually stripping your customer of the ability to defend themselves and leaving them open to attack by all manner of unsavory individuals.
I operate or admin. several blogs and will note your stance there and the many forums I write on as well. Best of all, I volunteer with an animal rescue that is linked to thousands of other animal rescues and I will be happy to let them know as well. Several hold the same views I do concerning the Constitution and our own personal safety. The money you loose will probably be just a drop in the bucket but folks are tired of being walked on. I will not just let this go.
As a law abiding individual, I carry my sidearm day in and day out. Every where I go it resides beside me and never once has it just jumped out on it's own to cause mayhem. Criminals carry guns, knives and what have you into your store on a daily basis, disobeying your store rule.
Plentiful evidence demonstrates that criminals prefer to attack where they know people are un-armed and won't be able to defend themselves effectively. I know this to be true because I've seen it but because I; a law abiding citizen, carry mine sidearm on my hip instead of under my thug shirt or down my pants, you display a prejudicial bias. If Wisconsin law does not prohibit their law abiding citizens from carrying a pistol for self-defense, the store should not either.
Consequently, I will no-longer buy from PetSmart, nor will many of my friends and acquaintances until you rescind the policy. Yes, yes, I know that you own the business, and I am sure you do well. Plenty of other customers. However, as private, law abiding citizen, I will decide with whom I do business based on how I am treated, where I will spend my hard earned dollars and I can tell you, it will not be in a store that tramples my basic Constitutional Rights. A gun free zone is nothing more than a shooting gallery for bad guys.
You want to engender some good will and positive PR, Join with the many other businesses across Wisconsin and simply follow state law concerning guns and open carry of same. Till then, I choose to tell all of my readers, friends... business and otherwise, acquaintances etc. of my embarrassing and demeaning experience with PetSmart and encourage them to spend their money elsewhere.
Please do tell me of any change in this myopic policy of yours so I can let everyone know that PetSmart is smart after all and will acknowledge our Constitutional Rights by following Wisconsin State Law. Until then, I shop elsewhere as do my friends.
Please send me a copy of your current policy & notify me when it is changed to reflect non-biased, Constitution friendly, self-defense. (And if it's copied from an employee manual, realize that it doesn't apply to customers, so you need to re-train your staff.)
Thank you:"
