Sick of WalMart

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Have fun with that, my wife works for one of the biggest department stores in Canada and at this time of year it's all about the bottom line so they run with bare minimal staff. Her store is over 400,000 sqft and sometimes they only have 10 staff on. How do they do that.
Lin
 
Granted I try my best to avoid Walmart at peak business times, only (at best) 10% of my Walmart checkout experiences are pleasant. I usually do Walmart as a last resort, and try to checkout (if only a few items) by adding ammo or electronics to my list and paying for my entire order in an individual department instead of the main checkout. But, the main checkout is ALWAYS understaffed and overcrowded.
 
I will go tomorrow morning at 4am.

I'm betting there will be a lot of people stocking the shelves, but one person running a register. The one they have open near the 'smokes', and I'm guessing the people behind me are not going to be happy.


Good luck, but I don't see the WallyWorld Gaint bowing for you and fixing anything.




Scott (won't be no cuttin' line) B
 
Cmiles1985 said:
Granted I try my best to avoid Walmart at peak business times, only (at best) 10% of my Walmart checkout experiences are pleasant. I usually do Walmart as a last resort, and try to checkout (if only a few items) by adding ammo or electronics to my list and paying for my entire order in an individual department instead of the main checkout. But, the main checkout is ALWAYS understaffed and overcrowded.
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I have found the best time to go to our Walmart is about 9:30pm/10:00pm. Much of the rest of the day even the self checkout lanes are backed up.
 
I know you got all theses people whating to give you money and you only have 2or 3 open
Just don't make sents to me.and a store that big don't have the staff to run it I would be looking at management.to see way.
 
Why not just vote with your dollars and shop at local businesses? Why keep giving your hard earned money to a company that has done everything possible to lower the standard of living for anyone that works for a living?

I'm happy to say I've managed to make it to 57 (soon to be 58) and have never set foot inside a Wally World.
 
dtswebb said:
Why not just vote with your dollars and shop at local businesses? Why keep giving your hard earned money to a company that has done everything possible to lower the standard of living for anyone that works for a living?

I'm happy to say I've managed to make it to 57 (soon to be 58) and have never set foot inside a Wally World.
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That's a two edged sword there - they also have the lowest food prices and the lowest prices for a lot of other things which benefit low income folks. And, to be honest our small business outlets could never handle the traffic if all the customers tried to move from walmart to local shops, nor could the customers ever find parking.
 
When our Walmart opened there were about 15 other stores that also opened and would probably close if Walmart closed - they feed off Walmart's overflow and parking.

I have no idea what they pay but I do know that our local Walmart always has at least two senior citizen greeters who generally are people physically unable to handle typical jobs.

I can also attest if you're low income, they are the best place in town to buy clothes except for used clothes at the thrift stores.

Over all they are the lowest priced food store in the area.
 
Like everything you need to shop. But it isn't always price. Example....one year I bought 4 pairs of work boots from Walmart. This last year I bough one pair of workboots from Red Wing.......and they are still in good enough shape for next year.

You get what you pay for. Now I will also say that if you are using metro transportation, You might only go one/two places to shop. That is when you look to pick up the most at a single stop.

We tend to shop where we get the best price but also where we get the best value. In the throw away world we live in......it gets hard to explain this to others.

Just my opinion.
Wayne
 
When I retired my kids asked me what I was going to do. Told them I was going to be a greeter at Wally World. Borrowed one of those Greeter Vests and wore to a family gathering the kids were horrified. I try to stay out of them as much as possible but I don't shop in store much do most of it on line, except for Lowes or Home Depot and even then I do most online and pickup at store. Ordered 2 Pallets of Pergo Flooring it will be delivered to my house about the 14th
 
Robbers, assaulters and car thieves...that's just the employees!! No...I do not go to Wal-Mart, my wife on the other hand...
 
Well I buy my everyday walking shoes there - for me they fit well, they're comfortable and they're cheap. They only last about 4 months but at 14 dollars a pop I can live with that. I don't go there for dress shoes.

I also buy Wrangler Jeans, shirts and jackets or Levis at Walmart for less than elsewhere. And I like the quality of some of their own shirts for the price.
 
I don't buy my shoes there as I have plantar fasciitis so New Balance basically owns my shoe dollars. I mostly don't buy food there as I need the discounted gas from Kroger. I do buy clothes there from time to time and other miscellaneous stuff. It's a discount department store just like Target. I don't get the hate.
 
They've gotten some bad press that seems to make some people think they treat their employees worse and pay them less than other retailers. Personally I think abody would ge hard pressed to actually show that either is true.
 
Our Wal Mart works that way year around. Never any cashiers out. We have just quit going to wal mart because of it. It takes us 15 minutes to get what we need and 30 minutes to check out. My wife will drive 25 or 30 minutes across town to go to target, she likes them better anyway.
 
Mike Powell said:
Our Wal Mart works that way year around. Never any cashiers out. We have just quit going to wal mart because of it. It takes us 15 minutes to get what we need and 30 minutes to check out. My wife will drive 25 or 30 minutes across town to go to target, she likes them better anyway.
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Well our stores are all pretty close so we use 4 grocery stores, a dollar store, WAWA and Southern States for gas, ACE Hardware for a lot of stuff you can't get at Wal Mart and several local stores. We also do Lowes and Home Depot but they are not real close, then for certain items we use specific stores -- TV one store has our business, Cheaper than Walmart and great service. And of Course - on line.
 
When my Dad was alive, walmart was the only place he could afford the prescriptions he needed. My Dad was a staunch believer in buying local whenever you can. We can travel an hour to the North to find several stores including Walmart and Target, but not pass a single option for clothing along the way. There are options closer to our South but at much higher prices with limited supply.
 
walshjp17 said:
edicehouse said:
... they have 5 registers open 6PM on a Friday night, 20 or so people in each line.
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Obviously they are not clued in to typical customer experience management tools such as queuing theory.
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John, there is an obvious trade off being made.

Walmart's stock in trade is low price - low price is what their customers expect and low price/large selection is what brings most of their customers to the store.

In order to hold the price line, Walmart must control costs and reducing the number of staff in the store is one way of doing that. So their customers make the trade off of low price and slow checkout or higher price and faster checkout. Walmart must have data that shows the customers will choose the lower price more often than the fast checkout.

If I am in a hurry for something, I will not go to Walmart to get it even though I might pay more somewhere else. In fact if they have it at WaWa I'll probably go there and be in and out before I'd have even gotten from the parking lot to the right asile in Walmart.

They didn't get to be the biggest company in the world by making dumb decisions about how to handle store traffic. Their logistic control is the envy of the free world.
 
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While we're on the subject of Walmart, this was sent to me recently. Hope you enjoy as much as I did.



[FONT=&quot]Charley, a new retiree-greeter at Wal-Mart, just couldn't seem to get to work on time. Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late. But he was a good worker, really tidy, clean-shaven, sharp-minded and a real credit to the company and obviously demonstrating their "Older Person Friendly" policies. [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]One day the boss called him into the office for a talk. [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]"Charley, I have to tell you, I like your work ethic, you do a bang-up job when you finally get here; but your being late so often is quite bothersome." [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]"Yes, I know boss, and I am sorry and am working on it." [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]"Well good, you are a team player. That's what I like to hear." [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]"Yes sir, I understand your concern and I will try harder."[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Seeming puzzled, the manager went on to comment, [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]"I know you're retired from the Armed Forces. What did they say to you there if you showed up in the morning late so often?" [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The old man looked down at the floor, then smiled. He chuckled quietly, then said with a grin, [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]"They usually saluted and said, Good morning, General, can I get your coffee, sir? [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
 
Smitty37 said:
They've gotten some bad press that seems to make some people think they treat their employees worse and pay them less than other retailers. Personally I think abody would ge hard pressed to actually show that either is true.
Click to expand...

No BS - I have a good friend that works for Walmart. Started as a cashier, worked her way up and is now in management.

The stories you hear about how bad they treat their employees are true. Some of from corporate level, some from local management.

Smitty37 said:
Well our stores are all pretty close so we use 4 grocery stores, a dollar store, WAWA and Southern States for gas, ACE Hardware for a lot of stuff you can't get at Wal Mart and several local stores. We also do Lowes and Home Depot but they are not real close, then for certain items we use specific stores -- TV one store has our business, Cheaper than Walmart and great service. And of Course - on line.
Click to expand...

we get it - you patronize the ONLY Walmart in the USA worth going to.
 
The wife and I went to get some things at Walmart New Year's eve and happened to be there at midnite (Yeah, we lead a wild life!!!) :party: :drink:
The staff in the store outnumbered the customers (wonder why??)
On the wild side, we yelled "Happy New Year" and then heard someone on the loud speaker repeat the wish.
What a way to welcome the new year.....................:bananen_smilies051:
Didn't have to wait at a register!!!!!!! :cool:
gordon
 
joek30296 said:
While we're on the subject of Walmart, this was sent to me recently. Hope you enjoy as much as I did.



[FONT=&quot]Charley, a new retiree-greeter at Wal-Mart, just couldn't seem to get to work on time. Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late. But he was a good worker, really tidy, clean-shaven, sharp-minded and a real credit to the company and obviously demonstrating their "Older Person Friendly" policies. [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]One day the boss called him into the office for a talk. [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]"Charley, I have to tell you, I like your work ethic, you do a bang-up job when you finally get here; but your being late so often is quite bothersome." [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]"Yes, I know boss, and I am sorry and am working on it." [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]"Well good, you are a team player. That's what I like to hear." [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]"Yes sir, I understand your concern and I will try harder."[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Seeming puzzled, the manager went on to comment, [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]"I know you're retired from the Armed Forces. What did they say to you there if you showed up in the morning late so often?" [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The old man looked down at the floor, then smiled. He chuckled quietly, then said with a grin, [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]"They usually saluted and said, Good morning, General, can I get your coffee, sir? [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
Click to expand...
like most internet stories, I doubt that there is any truth to be found in this one.
 
LeRoy, Maybe here in Oklahoma Walmart's carry a completely different line of men's ware. Never seen Levis or Wrangler, are you sure your in Walmart? :rolleyes:

Smitty37 said:
Well I buy my everyday walking shoes there - for me they fit well, they're comfortable and they're cheap. They only last about 4 months but at 14 dollars a pop I can live with that. I don't go there for dress shoes.

I also buy Wrangler Jeans, shirts and jackets or Levis at Walmart for less than elsewhere. And I like the quality of some of their own shirts for the price.
Click to expand...
 
The Penguin said:
Smitty37 said:
They've gotten some bad press that seems to make some people think they treat their employees worse and pay them less than other retailers. Personally I think abody would ge hard pressed to actually show that either is true.
Click to expand...

No BS - I have a good friend that works for Walmart. Started as a cashier, worked her way up and is now in management.

The stories you hear about how bad they treat their employees are true. Some of from corporate level, some from local management.
Click to expand...
She started out as a cashier and now she's management. Sounds like she's being treated OK.

Smitty37 said:
Well our stores are all pretty close so we use 4 grocery stores, a dollar store, WAWA and Southern States for gas, ACE Hardware for a lot of stuff you can't get at Wal Mart and several local stores. We also do Lowes and Home Depot but they are not real close, then for certain items we use specific stores -- TV one store has our business, Cheaper than Walmart and great service. And of Course - on line.
Click to expand...

we get it - you patronize the ONLY Walmart in the USA worth going to.
Click to expand...

Our WalMart is pretty acceptable. It's true that lines can get long, but I just go during off hours or use the self checkout.
 
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OKLAHOMAN said:
LeRoy, Maybe here in Oklahoma Walmart's carry a completely different line of men's ware. Never seen Levis or Wrangler, are you sure your in Walmart? :rolleyes:

Smitty37 said:
Well I buy my everyday walking shoes there - for me they fit well, they're comfortable and they're cheap. They only last about 4 months but at 14 dollars a pop I can live with that. I don't go there for dress shoes.

I also buy Wrangler Jeans, shirts and jackets or Levis at Walmart for less than elsewhere. And I like the quality of some of their own shirts for the price.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

According to their website, they sell both brands.
 
joek30296 said:
While we're on the subject of Walmart, this was sent to me recently. Hope you enjoy as much as I did.



[FONT=&quot]Charley, a new retiree-greeter at Wal-Mart, just couldn't seem to get to work on time. Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late. But he was a good worker, really tidy, clean-shaven, sharp-minded and a real credit to the company and obviously demonstrating their "Older Person Friendly" policies. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]One day the boss called him into the office for a talk. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]"Charley, I have to tell you, I like your work ethic, you do a bang-up job when you finally get here; but your being late so often is quite bothersome." [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]"Yes, I know boss, and I am sorry and am working on it." [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]"Well good, you are a team player. That's what I like to hear." [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]"Yes sir, I understand your concern and I will try harder."[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Seeming puzzled, the manager went on to comment, [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]"I know you're retired from the Armed Forces. What did they say to you there if you showed up in the morning late so often?" [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The old man looked down at the floor, then smiled. He chuckled quietly, then said with a grin, [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]"They usually saluted and said, Good morning, General, can I get your coffee, sir? [/FONT]
Click to expand...

As an emlisted guy its usually "where is breakfast late guy?"
 
The Walmart clientele are so typically wonderful in my neighborhood that Walmart has done away with greeters in trade for police at the door. As for buying local, I do as best as I can. There are several produce markets that are locally owned, a couple of meat markets, etc. I only end up at Walmart if it's late and the other options aren't available hence why i go to walmart outside of peak shopping hours. Also, shopping local helps build my Spanish skills!
 
When the Wal Mart came into my little home town of Bunkie Louisiana there were at least a dozen if not more mom and pop businesses that closed up shop within a year because they could not compete. I know this is free enterprise, but after a few years Wal Mart closed up too and left town. Now there is hardly anything left there for the residents to shop at. They have to go out of town for many essentials. At least there is a sizable grocery store still open and Wally World didn't affect the auto parts stores, or banks, so they are still there.
 
I had the same issue as you, OP. My local stores, so backed up at checkouts
that I set my stuff down and walked out. more than once. p.o.'d!
So, I used WM's website
and "contacted them". Detailed what and how, let them know I was going to quit
trying, Target was nearby and I could get in and out for only a few cents more.
They called, said they visited the stores local, saw the problem. And told me they would address it.
And a few months later, I believe they have tried and you can actually go now and not have the "oh geez" reaction when you see the lines now.
I was amazed that a company so large actually responded and to me, looks like has made measurable efforts at my store, to fix the problem that I complained about.
I always like giving someone the chance. They may not know or see what I do.
 
The Penguin said:
Smitty37 said:
They've gotten some bad press that seems to make some people think they treat their employees worse and pay them less than other retailers. Personally I think abody would ge hard pressed to actually show that either is true.
Click to expand...

No BS - I have a good friend that works for Walmart. Started as a cashier, worked her way up and is now in management.

The stories you hear about how bad they treat their employees are true. Some of from corporate level, some from local management.

Smitty37 said:
Well our stores are all pretty close so we use 4 grocery stores, a dollar store, WAWA and Southern States for gas, ACE Hardware for a lot of stuff you can't get at Wal Mart and several local stores. We also do Lowes and Home Depot but they are not real close, then for certain items we use specific stores -- TV one store has our business, Cheaper than Walmart and great service. And of Course - on line.
Click to expand...

we get it - you patronize the ONLY Walmart in the USA worth going to.
Click to expand...
I would certainly have no way of knowing that, but it seems lkely that yours is a minority opinion.

In my life I have only been in 3 Walmart stores. One in Athens Pennsylvania that opened when all Walmart Associates were still owners as well. That was many years ago so before Walmart started making Super Walmarts that included groceries.

The second one was here in Milford before it closed after building a new Super Walmart at that time it did not carry groceries and didn't have any auto services.

The third is 1 mile from my house here in Milford also - it replaced the store above. It's at least 3 times as large and carries groceries, has an auto service center and overflows into it's parking lot all summer with it's "garden center".

I know nothing about how they treat their employees other than that they do hire senior ciizens as greeters.

When I go there they often, but not always have less folks on the registers than they ought to have. However areond 9:30 or 10:00 pm I've found you usually just walk through. With me being able to see the store from my house it's no big deal to shop at that time of day. Otherwise the parking lot is often so full we won't even go near it.
 
We now buy almost all our grocerys at Krogers. We have actually run total cost comparisons on the identical products from both stores and routinely find Kroger to be cheaper. My son and grand daughter work at WallyWorld so I do have some knowledge of their conditions. Kroger is a union store with good pay and benefits. W-W promises low prices and when they come to town, they do hold prices down until the local shops lock their doors due to the competition. Once they are gone, the prices start to go back up to what the locals were charging or even above. If there is anywhere else to buy products we need other than W-W, then we stay the heck away from W-W's doors. They have caused enough harm to our home town, thank you. All their big charity promotions where you leave a buck or two here for some good reason goes into a bulk gift to that charity from WalMart for a tidy tax deduction for guess who, Wal-Mart. No THANKS, if I wish to make a donation to something, I'll just write it on my own check book. when Mr. Sam was alive and running the company, things were very much different.
 
It is documented that WalMart employees are paid low wages and can not manage without food stamps and medicaid. They are one of the richest families in the country and they have made their money from keeping their overhead so low. They also drive local businesses away, their prices are no less then many stores, their food prices are comparable to other stores and they have a stranglehold on many towns once they have driven out the local businesses.
I don't shop their and I think that I should not have to support their employees because they are not paid a decent living wage.
 
Smitty37 said:
The Penguin said:
Smitty37 said:
They've gotten some bad press that seems to make some people think they treat their employees worse and pay them less than other retailers. Personally I think abody would ge hard pressed to actually show that either is true.
Click to expand...

No BS - I have a good friend that works for Walmart. Started as a cashier, worked her way up and is now in management.

The stories you hear about how bad they treat their employees are true. Some of from corporate level, some from local management.

Smitty37 said:
Well our stores are all pretty close so we use 4 grocery stores, a dollar store, WAWA and Southern States for gas, ACE Hardware for a lot of stuff you can't get at Wal Mart and several local stores. We also do Lowes and Home Depot but they are not real close, then for certain items we use specific stores -- TV one store has our business, Cheaper than Walmart and great service. And of Course - on line.
Click to expand...

we get it - you patronize the ONLY Walmart in the USA worth going to.
Click to expand...
I would certainly have no way of knowing that, but it seems lkely that yours is a minority opinion.

In my life I have only been in 3 Walmart stores. One in Athens Pennsylvania that opened when all Walmart Associates were still owners as well. That was many years ago so before Walmart started making Super Walmarts that included groceries.

The second one was here in Milford before it closed after building a new Super Walmart at that time it did not carry groceries and didn't have any auto services.

The third is 1 mile from my house here in Milford also - it replaced the store above. It's at least 3 times as large and carries groceries, has an auto service center and overflows into it's parking lot all summer with it's "garden center".

I know nothing about how they treat their employees other than that they do hire senior ciizens as greeters.

When I go there they often, but not always have less folks on the registers than they ought to have. However areond 9:30 or 10:00 pm I've found you usually just walk through. With me being able to see the store from my house it's no big deal to shop at that time of day. Otherwise the parking lot is often so full we won't even go near it.
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minority opinion where?

look back through this thread. I briefly counted more people more people that responded that DO NOT like WalMart.

you go right ahead.

as for me - I'll shop elsewhere when I can. Though I did stop there yesterday because I needed a 50# scale...and they didn't have one.
 
I live relatively near Ed, yet there are probably a half dozen walmarts between us depending on which route you were to take. All of them that I have been to are the same in this area. There are no self checkout lanes, and it's a miracle if the cashier even looks up to grunt at you. Panhandlers are a big problem, we've almost had to call the police. The general population here is what, I think, really drives the poor quality of the stores. I have lived in 5 states and traveled thru many others in the last decade and not yet seen a place like this. Yes I still shop there because the prices are 10-20% lower on almost everything than the competing stores.
And to attest for the how they treat their employees, my best friend has worked for the SAMs club/walmart company for almost 14 years now and gone from night maintenance to assistant manager. Not too bad I think.
As for walmart changing their policy, probably not going to happen unless it makes them more efficient (richer). And even if everyone fed up with waiting in line so long were to shop somewhere else, it wouldn't even put a dent in their total sales.
 
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We don't have a Krogers close enough to get our business so whether they're cheaper or not is a moot point. I'm not sure there is a Krogers food store in Delaware - I couldn't find one.

I read up on it and the only study that I would consider a valid comparison found Walmart in one city to be roughly 10% cheaper on exactly the same items.

There were a number of people who said that with careful menu planning and using coupons and taking advantage of Buy one Get one free they came out better at Krogers.

Some complained that Krogers doesn't have a varied enough selection and they found far more choices at Walmart - none said the opposite.

Btw a few of the places where they did 'comparisons' Krogers finished behind Target as well as Walmart.

All of that being said, if you have a Krogers and like them by all means shop there. I can almost guarantee that if we had one, my wife and I would find some things that we would buy there. We're not thrilled with Walmart's Deli and usually get Deli items elsewhere.
 
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