Justjumpit, since you work at a shelter, isn't there something we can do about calling the "animal cops" on these stores or something? No one seems to do it, and I wonder why? Are there policies or something protecting these larger chain stores?
Um, I may not remember the OP's earlier thread about this pet shop, but first, is she being mistreated or neglected? Is the setup correct even if it is large? I don't think you can condemn a pet shop for simply
offering a cham for sale (even though we agree that supporting a responsible breeder is better). Sure the price is high, but this isn't a commonly seen locale and she is relatively valuable. A high price
sometimes does discourage the impulse buyer.
If a pet shop offers a healthy cbb cham for sale, cares for it properly, and is prepared to give correct husbandry info to the buyer, what's the problem? If they are clueless and the cham is obviously doomed, that's another story!
As for calling the animal police about chain stores, remember, depending on where the store is, the regulations and authority to enforce them varies widely. Some regulations are so vague as to be useless. The inspectors often have very few tools available (vague poorly written laws and regs, not enough staff or funding to investigate every complaint, the kind of evidence required to trigger a raid is very strict, etc). I doubt very much there is "policy" that protects the stores compared to independent stores. I've worked for a county "animal control" that had this type of authority and I can tell you trying to get a shop to clean up its act is a lot more complicated that it seems. Not because the inspectors don't care, but because the burden of proof of neglect is hard to build.
