your next vist to wal-mart (if there is one)

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washerboy

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2007
Messages
469
Location
Little Rock Arkansas
I personally do not shop at wal-mart unless it's a absolute must. They closed all their stores here in mid-town and it's a road trip..by the time I figure gas and time...there's no savings..not to mention I'm an imposition on the employees. Thought I'd share a story my cousin e mailed me awhile back.

A lady purchased a toaster from K-Mart; she took the toaster home and proceeded to make toast. For whatever reason the appliance did'nt work. Naturaly the lady return to K-Mart toaster in hand. Apparently they were no more toasters like the lady purchased so she asked for her money back.
The customer service clerk stated to the lady she would need to return the toaster to the manufactor. The lady replied "I just bought it this morning"..sorry the clerk replied.
The lady in a loud voice said "Pinch my nipples, Pinch my nipples"..the clerk was shocked and customers that heard her stopped to see what was going on. The lady then asked for her money back again..and again the clerk had the same reply. The lady in even a louder voice than before said "Pinch my nipples pinch my nipples"...Now by this time the clerk was beside herself and called for the store manager. When the store manager arrived at the customer service desk the lady detailed by problem. The store manager did'nt want to take the appliance back so the lady resorted to her "pinch my nipples" spill. The manager ask her "why do you keep saying that" (by this time there was a large gathering at the service desk) the the lady replied "When I'm getting screwed I like to have my nipples pinched". The manager promptly refunded the money.

I wished I'd known this story before I tried to return an iron to Wal-Mart. They did'nt want to take it back. What the really pissed me off was the clerk was on a cell phone when I approached the service desk...rather than letting me know she'd be with me in a moment..she turned her back and leaned up agist the counter...and yes!!! I showed my county white trash butt!!!!. Ya'll have a good one!!:)mark
 
Anudder happi Wall Mark custuma!

You jus gon hafta hol' on wit dat iyern, ahm tawkin wit ma mama on da phone. I can imagine that happening.

Underpaid, overworked people that don't really care about their customers. I rather Target or Sears.
 
Sounds like someone is opposed to Wal-Mart... Yay!!!!!

Why do we accept poor service as the norm? I make a point of NEVER going to Wal-Mart. They certainly don't value their employees much, the service is expected to be bad (and rarely dissapoints), and it is such a pain in the neck to drive all the way out there. I live downtown, so I shop downtown. The items I need are more expensive downtown, but the gas I save, not to mention the time I save, makes it worthwhile. I believe that as a whole Americans don't give retail enough credit. I think we deserve MUCH better service, but I also realize that it will cost me more. Honestly, i'll pay the extra 50 cents or a dollar because my time and sanity is worth more than that. One final thought; while it is a nice gesture for Wal-Mart to have a greeter at the door, I don't particularly care that Wal-Mart is glad to see me. I would rather have employees (not team members, if they are employed by the company, they are employees) who are helpful and knowledgable about the wares they sell and where to find them. I don't want the corporation to be my best friend, I want them to sell me the things I need without the whole process becoming difficult, causing me anger, or ruining my day.

Why can't going to the store be pleasnt?,
Dave
 
I have to say the service at our WalMart is not so bad as what you all are describing, but at the McDonald's concession INSIDE the Walmart.....well, that's pretty much as you're describing.
 
yep

the thought of having to set foot in a Wal-Mart makes me break out in hives. I hate shopping anyway as I am not fond of crowds, but Wal-Mart is my worst nightmare.
 
I went to a McDonalds in Birmingham, AL. The skinny little black girl just stared at me like I was crazy. She finally said "Wush you wants?". It was 10:30 and I wanted a burger, fries, and a drink. I started ordering and she cut me off saying "We still doin' brekfass over hyea!". I said it's 10:30, she again interrupted, "Iss ten twenny-faave, we ain' doin no bugga's yet" All this with a snotty little bitch attitude. I so held my tongue from cursing at her so I walked off. It appears Wally World and McDonalds has the same hiring standards and work ethics.

Now, go to a Raisin' Cane's, Starbucks, most Sonics, and you might actually be treated respectfully, and even a smile.

And don't take this as a slight against black people because I've been treated the same way by white @ssholes as well. Bad attitude is bad attitude, regardless of skin color.
 
I don't particularly care that Wal-Mart is glad to see m

Hey Volvoguy87-

FYI- that greeter serves a couple of purposes that are apparent, as well as one that many folks aren't aware of.

1) Greet (duh!)
2) Identify items coming from the outside to be returned, and marking them as such so people can't take goods from the store, walk over to the service desk and return them before they've even been bought (again, kind of duh!)
3) This is the one folks who haven't been in retail management may not realize. They are to make eye contact with each and every customer who comes in. This is a loss-prevention tactic. Thieves like to stealth into a store unnoticed, which is when they're most comfortable doing what they came to do... steal. When they've been greeted eye-to-eye, there's a psychological trigger in their brain that tells them they've been looked at and could be recognized. Ideally they get nervous and leave. Secondary to that, they are a little nervous at the possibility of being recognized if necessary and slip up, allowing the plainclothes loss-prevention staff to catch them either in person or on tape.

BTW- I don't go to Wal-Mart expecting good service or fast checkout lines. When I go there, it's generally for basic things that I can't see paying more for anywhere else (jeans, t-shirts, briefs, toiletries, et cetera) or for really good clearance prices at the end of the seasons or right after holidays! I must say, though, that I've NEVER had a problem with a return there, no matter why I'm returning!
 
I forgot

The fact that I can get to one in about 10 minues whether I go north, east or west, and that they're near other places I actually choose to shop (BLowes and Homo Depot these days, in case you didn't see the kitchen thread!) makes them awfully convenient!

(forgot to sign) Chuck
 
Ever hear a clerk say "U GOTTA"?

uh, no dear, "I dont gotta nuttin'." but do try~~
"Would you please?" Or
"May I ask you to..." or
"May I suggest"
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

I think we need to have etiquette classes as a requirement to graduate grammar school, intermediate school AND high school.
Class, tact and manners are not expensive. Nor is teaching your little darling DNA replications (or should I say mutations)that they are NOT the center of the universe, ever. There are, after all, other people on the planet. :-)

As I tell my nieces, any sentence that starts with "I" can probably be restated better. "I Don't want any" Meaning: (I am the center of the world) rather than .... "No, Thank you. (As in thank YOU for thinking of ME. i.e. I acknlowledges that is it not an obligation to think of your needs, it is a courtesy and kindness.)

Enough rant!

Well, if my retiremnt goes badly, I can simply go postal on some nasty-@$$ clerk. Get put into jail, have three square meals handed to me a day, on YOUR tax dollar,get a free wardrobe, shower with the boys, and get a new boyfriend named Bubba! Simple enough.

 
Toggle

YES, I agree! I have tried and tried to have my 7th grade English and reading students say things like: Please, thank-you, may I and God forbide, "Please raise your hand to ask a question." One would think I have asked them for the moon.
Please, don't get me started, my blood pressure is high enough already. I told one of the little dears "That if I was your father, you would have had a good spaking by now." This fossile is retiring in May. Have fun. Gary
 
and that is one of the reasons i love my vintage washers....they take me back in time to a more kinder and gentler way of life.....

ross
 
Lets hear it for the old Dairy Queen

NO NO NOT me!!! Remember when ma and pa ran the Dairy Queen and gave a damn about the food and service and the burgers were always so fresh and soft...and the crinkle fries were great ..not some shoestring thing..
 
4 r's readin, ritin, rithmetic, respect?

I recently read that some college kids take courses to basically communicate face to face. Of course we all do our best, most often I think I can write a grammatically correct sentence. Hand write a paper. When I worked in a hotel, I could make change with the power out, and the electronic register failed. I know the magic words, please, thank you, can i help you? Remember the home ec classes offered to boys in the 70's at least you learned basic survival, cooking, laundry, Table manners and correct use of silverware were also discussed. Just my 2 cents but i really feel we have lost something along the way. Chromacolor, you are SO right, If there is anyway I can grab what i need at the dollar general, in/out in 5 minutes,it just makes my day. clothing? housewares? I buy on line. Walmart is Nerve wracking to me, just think slightly less than 5O days till Christmas, when the real LIGHTNING ROUND shoppers are out and about.
 
Service...

Having worked in a retail environment for a number of years in high school and college, it is a tough line of work, often made more difficult by the policies of the management of the chain/stores. Wal-Mart has been very successfull because of low cost to the consumer. In order to do this, they have cut every corner possible from selling cheap merchandice with planned obsolescence to cutting operating costs. The customers and employees tend to get the worse end of the deal. In order to save money, the employees aren't paid much (if there isn't much money to be made they tend not to get the best employees for the front lines). By paying low wages and treating the employees poorly, there is a high turnover rate of low-level employees. This ensures that there is a disproportionately large portion of the employees earning entry-level wages, or close to it, resulting in cheaper payrool for the company. Sadly this also ensures that the employees we meet tend to be inexperienced and uninterested in learning enough about their store to help the customers. In years past retail could pay enough to live on, but not anymore. The difference can be seen when comparing an unhelpful clerk at a big-box store to a guy who has been working in his hardware store fo a few decades. Which person will find what you need, even if it is obscure, and have you on your way sooner?

Just some thoughts and observations,
Dave
 
Supposedly there is much anger among WalMart employees, and some sort of action is being threatened, because they're saying they're only being scheduled for six or so hours a week (this is not up East, where I live)...

What I don't understand is, how could there be a job action if there's no union, and how could that be done across a section of stores without there being something, somewhere, in writing about it?
 
U GOTTA

Yes, I've heard dat.

ONe time I was at Circuit City returning a DVD player. The little black missy was back there (sorry, this is New Orleans, most people there are black), "Whuss wrong wit dat?".

I explained, "It stutters when it's playing a movie."
"Fer realll???",
"Yeah, for real, can I exchange it for another one?"
"Yeah, U GOTTA go ova dere an' tell da man whass rong wit it an he gon' git cha anudda one".
She WAS nice but the Blinglish LOL.
 
And on the good side of town

Where the BB, CC and the Target is, the people are actually nice. You can't walk down the aisle of a Target and not get "Can I help you find something?". I guess it depends on the company, the way they treat their employees, and the type of people that live around the area.
 
Dairy Queen/ Brazier Burger

My first job in the previous century (1972 to be exact) was at a Dairy Queen in Buford GA right by the rail road tracks. The first owner by the time I was hired really let the place go down hill. The place eventually had a fire then new owners came into play. The one thing the new owner REQUIRED the workers to do was greet the customer in a friendly matter NO MATTER WHAT. Didn't matter if you were dying and on your last leg. When the customers picked-up their order we were to Thank them and ask them to come back to see us. He litterally fired a girl for not doing just that. His other work motto was "when you clean something clean the hell outta of it, don't just wipe CLEAN IT!" I learned a lot from the new owners of the DQ. I still rely on it to this very day. Hard work never killed anyone!

Fast forward 34 years to 2006 kids now a days just don't seem to get it. First they are so interested whose going thru the parking lot or whose friend is with who ever and the management let's them get away with it. When you get your food it basically "here's your food". Now Chik-filet has the right game going on here in the south. Each cashier/server always respond with "my pleasure" whether they mean it or not. Went to a KFC last week. While waiting on my 6 piece box of chicken the cashier disappeared. I finally noticed she was to the side of the drink dispenser talking to her bo friend. She went and talked to someone else, washed her hands then slowly got my order together. I waited about 10 minutes for my order which if "Miss Hot Pants" had done her job corretly I would have been in there and out in five minutes all the while my wife was in the car waiting! GEEZ!

One other thing and then I'll shut my BIG MOUTH! Kids now a days do not know how to count money. If you even ask for change for a $1.00 they have to stand there and think about it. The cash register does all the work for them.

I'm all for the good ole days!
 
Personal entertainment , or Dave's revenge for poor serv

I agree about kids not being polite and not knowing how to count money and give change. For personal entertainment, I sometimes give odd amounts to the cashier to make them make change. Say, my purchases cost $5.10, I might hand them $8.35 - then I just watch and enjoy their expression while they figure out what to do (keep $5.10 and give me the rest back, idiot). Call me mean, but I also make up words and use them in everyday conversations. Some people notice, but you would be surprised at how many people don't catch it.
 
Underpaid kids

Well, back when I was an underpaid kid bagging groceries at Schwegmann's (pronounced "SHA-WAGGA-MAN'S" by native New Orleanians), while I didn't really have an outgoing personality, I was actually afraid to talk to most people, I just did the job and said "Thank you" or "You're welcome" when thanked. This was the late 80s and it got a real bad taste of bad attitude and poor work ethic. But considering how overworked these people are, it's almost understandable but never acceptable.
 
As much as I don't like Wal-Mart's policies, the one in Worthington, MN, is clean and well-run. Of course Worthington is a small town--about 11,000, so standards may be different. I don't shop there often, but they have a couple of things I can't get anywhere else in the area, one of them being whole-milk mozzarella cheese. I'm probably in there once every six weeks or so.
 
Shop at Costco

They take returns without a stitch of trouble, they are good to their customers AND their employees. The quality of the goods is way better too.
 
I live no less than 5 miles from 5 Super Walmarts...yes, 5!

Their bathrooms smell worse than an outhouse, ALWAYS (SM) and the parking lot is littered with trash, and dirty diapers. I am appalled by this, and have spoken to management on several occasions....

I went just last night to pick up a plastic saucer for a huge plant that I got at work. I like to go through the Garden Dept, usually is less of a wait....WRONG!

I had to wait in line 15 mins for one lady who bought all her Turkey dinner trimmings various cleaning items, and a large bag soil. I thought to self: "Hmm, I bet her dinners taste like dirt".

Checker was sllllllllllow, and to top it off....decided to read this ladies birthday cards.....THAT sent me fuming, but still had to wait for the guy in front of me...who was buying 12 bottles of knock off window cleaner and 6 cans of bug spray.

She HAD to ask him...."Are you doing alot of housecleaning" And then ask him if he had a alot of Mobile homes....WTH????Back & forth these 2 went....by the time she got to me...I let her know how I felt.

Good lord, I had just ONE plastic plant saucer!
 
Going out to the parking lot is another story. My mom got her wallet stolen and some dumb@$$ was panhandling for money, "I'm driving a church bus and it broke down, I needs some money to git gazz". What do the WM people do about it? NUTHING!
 
Why do the Walmarts down south sound so horrible, compared to the ones up here?

We have ones up here that aren't so nice, but nothing so horrible as what you guys are describing!

(Our supermarkets are pathetic, though....)
 

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