Another Walmart blast

Dutchie makes a valid point that any fair minded person must applaud and appreciate. I suspect most chain stores vary with their market, customer base, management and most important, the employees that will continue to reflect the basic values of the community...Glen

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Our Wal Mart is in the middle of being upgraded. It's much nicer with larger aisles and much easier on the eyes with less clutter but I've also noticed the prices have upgraded as well.

As for you Kroger lovers.................I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I quit working there over unhealthy food preparation. I worked in 5 of them total. At one store the roaches were so bad that I'd have to pick up the cake I was working on to let the roaches pass. I would undress in my garage for fear of bringing bugs into my home. I saw rat droppings and roaches in this one sink and was horrified as I stood back to wash my hands and this guy said excuse me and dumped a whole case of chickens in that same sink to season and batter for the deli lunch special. I was told by a senior district manager to take molded strawberries off of a cake and just put fresh ones on and put it back out on the floor to sell. When I went to work there I spent my first month scrubbing the filth from the floors, walls and other work surfaces just in my department so that I could stand to work there. I also saw what goes on behind the scenes (out of public view) in the other production areas such as the meat, deli and produce departments and haven't shopped there since. I've told all of my friends, if it doesn't come out of a can, jar or manufacturer prepared package DON'T BUY IT from Krogers.

Our local SuperWalmart has very nice employees and the parking lot is always packed. I have only found one cashier with an attitude and the lines are never long for very long.
As with any store you have to know your local prices and shop around for the prices you are willing to pay.
There are also good stores and "bad" stores within a chain. Some Walmarts are a joy to shop in and others are not worth stepping foot in. I have been in both kinds and appreciate the good stores more for having been in the bad stores.

There was family where I live who sent in some pictures to be developed and had some pictures of their kids in a bubble bath and a piture of the dad hugging his little girl while she was wrapped in a bath towel. Walmart turned this poor family in for child porn and the family had their kids taken away for a month waiting for a judge to sort it out. The judge found in the parents favor and the parent are now sueing Walmart and the state. Umm yeha I will not shop at Walmart EVER. Don't care if I have to drive 100 miles to get to a store.

Reminds me, when we lived in Oregon, a boss of mine took vacation photos in to be developed at the local Walmart. When he got them back, he found that they had been censored! The supposedly "inappropriate content" was his wife on a beach in Europe in a string bikini.

I keep swearing off Walmart only to find myself shopping there because of a lack of local alternatives. I often shop at night after work, and they are open late.

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"Perhaps I'll have them string a clothesline from the hearse I am in, with my underwear waving in the breeze, as we drive to the cemetary. People worry about the dumbest things!"
by Wendy

I took a part time job at WalMart (I also own a small business, so I can see it from both sides), so let me fill you in a bit about some of the misconceptions.

1/ The fabric department closing. This is not just to annoy people. It's because fabric doesn't sell well. Sewing and making things by hand is a dying art, most people just don't do that anymore. Fabric bolts take up a large amount of space, and for the most part just sit there gathering dust...and losing money. Rent/overhead is VERY EXPENSIVE. WalMart cannot afford to have "everything" for "everyone" at all times. They have to stock what sells.

Just because YOU happen to buy fabric, does not mean that the large majority of people do. Hence, the griping that "WalMart doesn't sell what I need" starts. Don't just look at it from your perspective, or from your couple of sewing buddies. Look at it from a countrywide perspective. Like someone noted, ALL fabric stores are hurting, and it's just not practical anymore.

I once had someone come in and want to know where the music on 8-tracks was located, and stomp off mad at WalMart because it had the audacity to not still have Slim Whitman on 8-track. How rude of us. Oh, WalMart sucks!

2/The employees. Think about all the places you've shopped last year. How many were good, how many were bad, in terms of customer service? WalMart does not have the exclusive on poor service. It's the general attitude of people these days, I think. Some are good, some not. It also has to do with if you COMPLAIN (which may get results)....or you just walk away and whine to your friends (which accomplishes nothing, as the employee "got away with" being rude and will likely do so again, as the manager has not been made aware of it).

Employers aren't psychic. They don't know who will or won't be a poor employee. Employees, just like regular folk, can be lazy, rude, dumb, and not care so long as they get paid. Or they can be friendly, polite, and knowledgeable and care about doing a good job. Just like the general population, which leads me to:

What was YOUR attitude like at the time? Was I polite and reasonable, or did I go in there with guns blazing, perhaps using profanity, rambling on about how "WalMart sucks" and basically trashing the employee standing in front of you.

Most times, people have ranted on to me about "your store", as if I personally owned the whole chain of stores, instead of realizing that yeah, I just work here, and I don't have a lot of control over things that WalMart decides to do. I'm fortunate though, as most customers are lucid and intelligent. Serving thousands of people per day does make you come across some real "winners" though: people with alcohol and drug issues, anger management problems, people who end up having a fistfight with someone else because they took the last cheese block on sale, men who scream and curse their wives in the next aisle, parents cursing at their 2 year old kids for crying for being tired 'cause the parent wants to shop at 10pm, customers who "linger" around their "favourite" employees and end up being escorted out of the store and told not to come back, and generally, people who go in there expecting a negative response, so are not willing to be helpful or accept a resolution. They're in there for a fight to "teach WalMart a lesson".

We are required to be polite and reasonable, but when you call us a profanity, or slam your hand down on a counter and scream, yes we will likely be cool. Polite but cool. We won't give you a hug and say "Thanks, come again."

I am amazed at the amount of people who diss WalMart and not other stores, and I can only help but wonder, what town are they in, that WalMart is always the only store with lousy service? In my town, all the stores are pretty much the same. BUT WalMart employees more people than most, so the odds are that you will find good AND bad there. If you want to get rid of the bad, then take it up to the manager. If that doesn't get resolution, then go to the district manager. I find, though, that while most people are quick to complain, they are also generally lazy and don't want to go to the trouble of resolving an issue. "Why bother?" they say, "it won't change anything." And so there it sits, unresolved.

3/Where WalMart buys their stock. Yes, they do buy a lot of items made in China. So do most other department and small retail stores. Think those items you bought that say "Made in Canada" or "Made in the USA" are totally country-committed? Ask where the PARTS to make those items came from. You may be disappointed to learn that your "American" product is made from Chinese innards. And items like Mattel, RCA, Wrangler, etc....all come from the same supplier....it doesn't matter if you buy it from WalMart or Target. Same supplier from the same country. Only the things that WalMart sells exclusively, like the Best Value, etc (which are a small percentage of their stock) are WalMart-only products....so the issue of WalMart selling "junk" doesn't stand in the face of most products, they sell what everyone else does. Yeahhhh, go to the Dollar Store......if you want good quality products that are made in the USA. *snicker* You're kidding, right?

And they sell what people buy.

4/The photo lab censoring photos. It is illegal for the lab to remove part of your photos and just "keep them" because they feel like it. However, there is a requirement for them to contact the authorities if they see something that might be considered to be "illegal activity", and they can hold pictures for a certain time until the authorities can see them. For example: people proudly standing in front of their newly grown marijuana plants, holding a gun to someone's head, fighting pit bulls, naked kids. Sometimes there is a "grey area" such as bathing kids. Is the baby just getting a bath.....or is the father perhaps handling something not appropriate for a pic? Is he hugging his kid in a towel at his chest while he's clothed, or hugging her with the towel open and near his own naked self? The staff sometimes have to take a certain picture as it appears, and it is ILLEGAL for them to NOT report it to police. If they are unsure, they contact the authorities. So keep in mind: all pics you take in to be developed ARE SEEN by the employees, so next time you want a naked shot of yourself in a mirror, someone is going to see that. Amazing what people will take pics of, and brazenly pick up.

Perhaps the thing that galls me the most: people who gripe about WalMart but still justify shopping there. Yeah, "I just go there as a last resort". If you don't like the place, then NEVER shop there. Even if you spend a dollar there, you are supporting WalMart. And funny, how the people who say WalMart never has what they want, are the same ones I see standing in line the next week, with an overloaded cart. Hmmm, guess we had SOME things you wanted. You never hear kudos about that though, they save it for those times they didn't have things you wanted.

Ditto for those who complain that "Oh, man, they're out of my size AGAIN!" as if WalMart has to constantly have every size, every day, just knowing you are coming in....and if you come in a day before school starts, then yes, we might be out of a size 7 shoe." Think about it. If we carried every single thing in every single item 24/7 for the rest of eternity (even if you are looking for a winter coat in June) then the store would be 10 times as larger and the prices (ie. due to increased overhead) would be higher too! *sigh* If you want something and see it on a hanger, buy it...don't come back 4 months later and say, "What happened to that nice red dress I saw, ah sheesh, not in my size, so typical of WalMart!" But that is what happens ALL the time.

I personally think everyone should work in retail at least once. There is nothing that gives people a dose of reality better than serving people. Customers that have done retail are generally more forgiving and understanding. It is very hard to explain to non-retail people about the realities of retail. Many customers are self-centered and short-sighted (it's kinda like dealing with kindergarten kids). You just gotta smile and move on.

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"The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap."

I use all of my efforts to not use walmart for several reasons. The sneaky ways of pricing things to where the large quantities are actually more expensive per ounce, the occassional ways they have of marking the generic higher than the name brand. I was visiting family in CO and saw that milk was 1.53 per gallon. This was at a transition point where were trying to decide if milking our own cows was worth the work and sacrifice. I thought, hey, if it's only saving me approx 6 bucks per week then it won't be too bad. We get back to Kansas and the milk was priced at 3.00 per gallon! This and we even have dairies in our yellow pages so I know it's not because they have to ship it. I think it's unfair to charge higher prices just because there's no competition in a small town. I also noticed the graham cracker price hike, had to look twice at it! Since I have started shopping the local grocery store sales I spend closer to 50 bucks per week to feed my family of 5 where I was spending more like 150. Plus I've been told a dollar spent locally is recycled 7 times in the community.

Don't blame wally world for that. In most (all?) states a photo developer are legally required (think BIG fines and prison) to contact police with any questionable pictures. So wally world followed the law, it was the police who went overboard.

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the police are just MINUTES away!

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Milk here for 4L is generally about $3.50...however, when I went to a local convenience store, I bought milk there as I didn't want to go into town...and they charged me $6!!!! Last time I will buy milk there, I would have saved even counting the gas I used. But having a different price than your neighbour isn't illegal.

And of course, prices vary by area. Milk here is what I stated, but go to Ottawa (an hour away) and it's pretty typical to see it closer to that $6 in many places.

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"The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap."

My nearest walmart is in a small town 23 miles north of me. I like this walmart even though I am sure others concerns are valid. I know a lot of the people who work there and the ones I don't know are usually very nice and helpful but, hey we all have a bad day every now and then. There are 4 grocery stores in this town plus a dollar general, a fred's and a family dollar store. They all seem to do a good business. I have a digital camera so don't use their photo lab. Their prices are as good or better than the other grocery stores. I can buy a lot more groceries at walmart than at the other stores. ETA: I forgot to mention the fabric department. It is alive and well. There are a lot of sewers and quilters in my area and even though it could close, I believe it would be a loss for this store and the associates say they have no word on it being closed.

Great post Dixy! Having worked retail I know exactly what you mean. Walmart is pretty much the only place to shop in our small town for clothing, and we still have a fabric dept and they even sell sewing machines here. Employees and management are usually friendly and helpful with a few exceptions.

I did have a problem once with getting them to print some pictures for me because they thought they were too professional looking (I have a home studio) but once I explained the situation for the manager and invited her to stop by my place and see for herself she took care of the issue, and I didn't have any further problems.

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Wags Ranch Nigerians


"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West

I've had.... issues... with our Walmart.
(First, I have to say, that I worked for Walmart for a time.
It may have been the shortest job in the history of the world. I worked there for 45 minutes and QUIT.)

I get so frustrated with Walmart- many of the employees seem to think you want to hear all their gripes. I ask for help from someone at a counter, and they answer, "I don't know, I'm just covering for someone else. I asked them to train me here, but that would have meant more money, I'm just a body to fill the space, all I've been taught to do is scan stuff in-" and it goes on, ad nauseum.

Then, I was there one day and needed a crochet hook. I'd picked up some fine crochet thread, there, I might add, and they didn't sell the size hook that you need for that thread weight. Yeesh. Then, another day, I picked up a tatting shuttle. I got it to the front to pay for it, and the girl swiped it... nothing. She swiped it again. Nothing. She sets it aside and says, "I can't sell you this."
I said "Can't you call for a manager or someone to check the price?" I had already told her how much it cost, and where in the store I found it. She said, "Nope. If it don't scan, we aren't allowed to sell it." ExCUSE me? But I've run into that kind of thing many times, just that feeling that the employees can't be bothered to actually do their job or be helpful. Not all of them, of course, but a strong majority.

I liked that their brands foods are marked Gluten Free if they are safe, but they ruin it by pumping HFCS into almost everything they sell. Which I avoid like the plague.
And they are more expensive than many other stores. Ergh.

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The POLICY is actually that if you don't have an answer, you are supposed to get/find/page someone who does. The employee you spoke to is probably just lazy.....pretty typical of a LOT of stores, not just WalMart.

WalMart does not "pay more money" to train someone on a specific job at a counter. The get pay raises on their year's end (date they are hired) unless they are moving up, such as in management.

Not sure what you meant by they just "scan stuff in".....you were at a cash, what were you expecting exactly? If an employee cannot do a job, they are to find someone who can---and they are not supposed to be on cash alone unless they can do that job---there is also someone called a "customer service manager" who can be paged for such problems.

However, what an employee is doing when a manager is not present, can be against policy. Some staff are just not very productive, and won't do more than they have to, if they suspect they can get away with it. Any time you are not happy, file a complaint. A lousy employee will remain that way if you are unhappy and just walk away. The manager is supposed to know this by being psychic? I also own a business myself, and yes, employees can shirk their duties if they aren't called on it. If you get an unsatisfactory answer, ask to speak to someone who CAN answer your question and/or the manager.

THAT is NOT how WalMart operates. They are supposed to page the department it came from, and get the information. The staff there WILL have that information, as they have UPC books that have every item in their department.

Btw, staff are not allowed to punch in a price at their cash just because a customer tells them how much it is, for obvious reasons.

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"The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap."

I tried GV gramcrackers from Walmart!!! yuck. A hour to get sewing supplies. Prices on the rise FRI... Why do I want to return to WALMART....?????

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Take care and God Bless,
Sewing Nana

I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AT WALMART NO LAMP OIL OR LAMPS. I WALKED ALL OVER THAT STORE LOOKING EVERYWHERE AND NOTHING. I ASK A MANAGER AND HE SAID THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANYMORE. I JUST THOUGHT HE REALLY DIDN'T KNOW AND DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TO LOOK. THIS WAS IN 1 OF THOSE WALMARTS THAT STILL SELLS GUNS. CINDY

It is common knowledge that Wal Mart wants you to have to wait for your prescriptions. This is marketing at its best. You drop off the script, then you have to wander around the store and all those wonderful impulse sale items just waiting for you to snatch them up. If they were concerned with getting you out of their as soon as possible they would have a drive through like walgreens and CVS.

You all have valid arguments, pro or con for Walmart. Depends on where you live and what you need. I don't shop there for one reason: my company does business with Walmart and since the days that Sam Walton died, things have become very difficult indeed for the small "made in USA" supplier.
I can share with you a few things about the retailing at Walmart. That low price you see and just crave? Its low because they threaten the supplier with cutting off their product line in Walmart unless they get the profit margin they are looking for. So many of the smaller suppliers really can't afford to do business with Walmart. And if you are a food supplier, watch out for the big name brands - especially the snack foods - the bigger guys actually pay for shelf space, thereby forcing out of the market (and reducing your choice) of products that you used to enjoy.
So if you want to continue to support that type of business ethic, then by all means, shop Walmart. But do realize that the 'other' stores might cost a bit more because they are allowing the supplier to make some profit on their own product. Being small they realize that they -need- the smaller supplier with local brands that sell well, not just store brands that are made with the Walmart label on them by a supplier that is happy to cut something out of the product in order to make the sale.
Jobs are jobs, no matter where you shop and buy, buy MADE IN USA and know that you are supporting some persons job here. Even is its a "part" its still part "USA". Far better than having a product that is all Chinese and is cheap labor from an overseas factory that provide few benefits and hardly any hourly wage to make the product.

Bull, You take a prescription in to say a regular "pharmacy", and you WILL WAIT, 5 minutes, maybe 10 minutes, maybe as long as 15 minutes~~~ the SAME amount of time a person waits at WM 10 to 15 minutes, which I have used for 3 years now getting my prescripts filled. And today I just spent another 100 bucks at WM as I needed to pick up a few things.

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When Walmart moved into the area they had very low prices and put all the small stores within 40 miles out of business. Once the comptetition was gone Walmart prices went up. They tried to beat out Aldis by lowering prices on milk. Aldis matched them and we were buying a gallon of milk for 15¢!!!!!!! Didn't last long but I appreciated that Aldis beat Walmart at their own game. Of course, Aldis doesn't sell locally produced products either. I'm not sure any of the supermarkets do.

My dh worked many years in retail. As an assistant manager at a large Walgreens in Des Moines and later as manager of a TSC. He complains bitterly about the poor customer service at Walmarts. On a couple of occasions we've left a full cart and left the store because dh could not stand waiting any longer (after standing 20 minutes) for check out.

Also when we've asked for an electric cart for dh the person at the door said he didn't have one but they did at the other door. Now if a person needs an electric cart why would you suggest he walk clear across the store to find one. He should have called and had it delivered. Dh won't ask for an electric cart (although he REALLY needs one) because they always seem to make heavy weather of providing it. That means we have to cut our shopping short which certainly does not benefit Walmart.

Why do we shop there if we don't like it? Because options are limited to Walmart or Target for many things. I've gone into Target to get 5 things and after they were out of the first 3 I told dh we're going to have to go to Walmart so we might as well get everything there. Until recently Walmart has not had empty shelves very often.

Walmart isn't the only store that leaves people standing for a half hour at check out. I stood for that long at Hobby Lobby last week and the clerk tried to charge me full price on items that were half off. I've had that happen there many times. I've also had it happen at Walmart. Plus one time at Walmart I had a bunch of coupons that I handed to the clerk to ring up and when I got home and looked at my receipt I discovered she had only rung up a couple of the coupons. Cost me around $5 or $6 and I would not have purchased the products at full price. I sometimes think stores deliberately have waits at checkouts so you feel rushed and either don't want to keep people behind you waiting for an error to be fixed or don't check the receipt while you're standing there.

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This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Our Wal-Mart has a huge selection of tortillas in the bread isle.

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Blessings,
Jean