sometimes bribery isn't such a great idea ...

To the overly enthusiastic young lady at the pet store,

Thank you for all your help yesterday. You were very nice, sweet and extremely helpful. This is probably your first job, and I'm sure your boss appreciates your enthusiasm and knowledge. Lord knows, my kids think you are just about an animal god. I'm even sure when you go home tonight and tell your parents how many animals you suckered people into buying today they will beam with pride.

But let fill you in on a little secret sweetie. We came in for a hamster. They are cute and their life expectancy is relatively short. It was a carefully thought out decision of two parents who carefully manipulated their child into wanting a particular pet. It was a form of bribery to my 8 year old son who need a little push (ok, a shove) into passing a writing test and using his little brain to its fullest capacity. A hamster.

It is quite apparent that you have studied up on domesticated animals. You deserve your job. Your knowledge on how wonderful rats can be for pets was amazing. You had my kids complete attention. They only give this attention to me when I am offering them ice cream. I knew right then and there when my 8 year old son who has ADD tendencies , couldn't take his eyes off of you as you spewed on and on about how a rat would be his best friend, that I was in trouble. At that exact point I had this overwhelming feeling that I needed to round them up and leave because this visit to the pet store wasn't going in my favor.

So here I am writing you this letter while a rat climbs over my keyboard. If I think of him as something like Stewart Little I am okay, but then I snap back to reality and realize that at the end of the day Lionel is a rat. With a long tail, he is a rat. And he lives longer than a hamster. And should or when he gets lose, to quote you, I will have a little more of a chewing problem, thrills me to death.

Oh don't get me wrong, my son is happy. Ecstatic, he loves Lionel. And because my son did his best and passed that test, he deserves his reward. I just want to make sure you understand that I am a kind person, a nice mom and mostly a pushover. Be careful because the next Mom you con into taking a rat home may not be as nice as me!!

Former Customer,
Mom with a rat