Your thoughts on shopping in Walmart these days

[Car-Guy]

Our local Walmart does not sell firearms. They do sell ammunition at what appear to be reasonable prices, but I've never bought any, as I suspect it would be a long search to find someone who could actually come over to the special register and sell it to me (in CT, you need to show your pistol permit to buy ammunition and they need to record it.)

Our local Walmart does sell guns and ammo, but you'll need a good bit of time and luck to buy any. It "seems" like there is "never" anyone in the sporting goods dept. I once bought some ammo there and it took about 20 mins. First I had to go ask someone in another dept to "call" someone to the sporting goods dept. Once they arrived they had to find someone with a key to the ammo cabinets. Then they wanted me to pay for it in that dept. (No self checkout for ammo, which I can understand) Yep, then it took a while to get the cash register unlocked and to accept my payment. No ID checks or paper work required for ammo purchases here in Texas.

 

[golfnut]

I hate shopping and rarely do so. That being said, going to Walmart can be enjoyable - just watching the freak show.

 

[ivinsfan]

I'm sure this is true.

I don't know what being well-run (or not) has to do with the type of customer, though. Are the horrible customers everyone is talking about, only attracted to poorly-run Walmarts? Does a better-run store cause people to behave better? Inquiring minds want to know.

It's not the people shopping, it's the condition of the store, is it clean? Are the shelves stocked? It's the quality and the attitude of the employees. I think it comes down to store management.

Wal Mart is generally full of lots of people. You see outliers in every big group of people. I've seen horrible rude customers everywhere, Wal-Mart is definitely not unique.

Having said that. I've never seen a dink in my local Aldi's store...

 

[Ed B]

I avoid Walmart primarily because of its size and a desire to support smaller stores when possible. But for some things Walmart is a reliable source. I usually go there for hunting and fishing license, ammunition and some supplies like game cameras. Any Walmart in a community where hunting and fishing are a big part of the local culture will be a reliable source for whatever I need. In my experience the closer we are to deer season and turkey season the better the customer service is in the sporting goods department.

Walmart is also the best place when shopping for toys for the grandkids. It has its place.

I have also noticed eye-popping differences in the management and condition of various Walmarts depending on the community they reside in. The three closest to me are clean and well staffed. Some (not all) I have stopped at in poor communities have been filthy and cluttered with staff who appeared to hate life.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

I'm sure this is true.

I don't know what being well-run (or not) has to do with the type of customer, though. Are the horrible customers everyone is talking about, only attracted to poorly-run Walmarts? Does a better-run store cause people to behave better? Inquiring minds want to know.

My friend who is a store manager says that stores in more affluent areas are easier to maintain. More affluent customers tend to put items back where they got them when they change their minds, less affluent customers put them on whatever shelf they're next to. Stores in more affluent areas tend to look neater for this (and other reasons)- also you tend to have less theft, broken packages, people eating stuff in the store, trash, that sort of thing.

 

[skipro33]

Regarding no sales clerks in sporting goods, I've found a solution;
I figured out how to use the phone at the station as an intercom. I get on it and say something like, 'we need a check out at sporting goods.' or 'assistance needed in sporting goods'. something like that.

I've sometimes been scolded for doing it, but then I tell them to do their job next time and won't have to intervene.

 

[ivinsfan]

My friend who is a store manager says that stores in more affluent areas are easier to maintain. More affluent customers tend to put items back where they got them when they change their minds, less affluent customers put them on whatever shelf they're next to. Stores in more affluent areas tend to look neater for this (and other reasons)- also you tend to have less theft, broken packages, people eating stuff in the store, trash, that sort of thing.

I understand you are quoting a store manager and not endorsing that opinion, but the entire paragraph makes me uneasy. To say people do these things because they are poor is lumping them into one group. There are lots of reasons why people behave badly but to attribute it too poor people isn't cool IMO. What makes an area or store blighted is a really good question. If your manager friend has poorly behaving customers he needs to figure out a solution not just chalk it off to "poverty".. I grew up without a lot of money but had an English mother who drilled good manners and decency into us daily.

Hey Walmarts are huge stores and I admit to occasionally leaving an item I don't want on an endcap because I don't want to spend 10 minutes hunting for the place I found it.. Nothing perishable though .

 

[MichaelB]

My friend who is a store manager says that stores in more affluent areas are easier to maintain. More affluent customers tend to put items back where they got them when they change their minds, less affluent customers put them on whatever shelf they're next to. Stores in more affluent areas tend to look neater for this (and other reasons)- also you tend to have less theft, broken packages, people eating stuff in the store, trash, that sort of thing.

Barbara Ehrenreich wrote " Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" and mentioned something similar. Working as a retail clerk in WalMart, her job involved picking up clothes off the floor and gathering other abandoned merchandise, folding it and putting it back on shelves. Her interviews with other employees confirmed this was a major time consuming task for floor retail clerks. This has not been portrayed as a similar issue for competing stores such as Target.

 

[ivinsfan]

Barbara Ehrenreich wrote " Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" and mentioned something similar. Working as a retail clerk in WalMart, her job involved picking up clothes off the floor and gathering other abandoned merchandise, folding it and putting it back on shelves. Her interviews with other employees confirmed this was a major time consuming task for floor retail clerks. This has not been portrayed as a similar issue for competing stores such as Target.

I'm going to put that book on my reading list.

So I've seen this stuff in department stores too. The difference is someone is usually standing there ready to restack and refold so it doesn't get out of control. I'm not certain about Target, I've seen some pretty messed up clothing displays and dressing room areas... I wonder what the different in item count is between and Target and a WalMart store?

 

[Another Reader]

I think I was in my first Walmart around 1991 in Texas and again in Arkansas. It was on a trip to a family reunion with my mother. Neither one of us was impressed with what they sold or what the stores looked like. We thought that business model would never fly in California. A couple of years later, one or two Walmarts opened up on the periphery of the Bay Area. I thought they would fail, but after a few years the chain started to expand quickly. I think they learned how to make the business work in a HCOL area.

My mother died over 20 years ago, but she really disliked Walmart to the end, especially the customers. [mod edit - sentence deleted]

I'm kind of neutral on them. I don't shop there regularly, but I will buy their bargains, especially on-line. The delivery process is adequate.

Their local grocery store is located in a planned community of expensive homes and condos. The previous grocery tenant could not make a go of it and the City got involved in finding a new tenant. Many if not most of the customers appear to be from less affluent areas rather than the immediate neighborhood. The produce is usually old and expensive. I don't think the freezers are maintained, as there is often ice on the ice cream and frozen pizzas. Not a welcoming environment.

 

[MichaelB]

I'm going to put that book on my reading list.

So I've seen this stuff in department stores too. The difference is someone is usually standing there ready to restack and refold so it doesn't get out of control. I'm not certain about Target, I've seen some pretty messed up clothing displays and dressing room areas... I wonder what the different in item count is between and Target and a WalMart store?

It's not clear to me if the problem with such disarray on the shelves is the result of local shopper culture or in store management standards. The local Kohls is like that (very disorganized shelves).

A bit off topic, the book is interesting because it looks at people in low paying jobs that struggle to get ahead, but without the class profiling and stereotyping that often accompanies that type of analysis.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

I understand you are quoting a store manager and not endorsing that opinion, but the entire paragraph makes me uneasy. To say people do these things because they are poor is lumping them into one group. There are lots of reasons why people behave badly but to attribute it too poor people isn't cool IMO. What makes an area or store blighted is a really good question. If your manager friend has poorly behaving customers he needs to figure out a solution not just chalk it off to "poverty".. I grew up without a lot of money but had an English mother who drilled good manners and decency into us daily.

Hey Walmarts are huge stores and I admit to occasionally leaving an item I don't want on an endcap because I don't want to spend 10 minutes hunting for the place I found it.. Nothing perishable though .

I'm sorry you were offended. I choose not to be offended at lots of things- including that you assumed my store manager friend was a he.

 

[Amethyst]

This was always an issue with Kmart when I was a youngster. Haven't shopped in Kmart since my early 20s.

Another place where I observed this behavior was a Penneys, in a formerly "upscale" mall where we lived in MD (are there any upscale malls left?) where we shopped during a big Christmas sale. Certain customers, in packs (e.g. mom, grandma and couple of daughters) were tossing the clothing dept like a bunch of pillagers...grabbing armloads of stuff off the shelves, tossing what they didn't want on nearby displays or even on the floor. We got the heck out of there. I felt sorry for anyone working in that store!

picking up clothes off the floor and gathering other abandoned merchandise, folding it and putting it back on shelves. Her interviews with other employees confirmed this was a major time consuming task for floor retail clerks. This has not been portrayed as a similar issue for competing stores such as Target.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Having said that. I've never seen a dink in my local Aldi's store...

What do they look like?

 

[ivinsfan]

I'm sorry you were offended. I choose not to be offended at lots of things- including that you assumed my store manager friend was a he.

I'm not offended, just pointing something out. In the manager vain I can't figure out the correct term.. it is they or he/she or perhaps simply repeating the word manager? I agree a person can always find something to nitpick or get offended about …

As far as your manager friend blaming the behavior of problem customers he/she has for being poor seems like biting the hand that feeds you..

 

[ivinsfan]

What do they look like?

I guess from reading here if you go to Wal'Mart you will see plenty of them

 

[ivinsfan]

This was always an issue with Kmart when I was a youngster. Haven't shopped in Kmart since my early 20s.

Another place where I observed this behavior was a Penneys, in a formerly "upscale" mall where we lived in MD (are there any upscale malls left?) where we shopped during a big Christmas sale. Certain customers, in packs (e.g. mom, grandma and couple of daughters) were tossing the clothing dept like a bunch of pillagers...grabbing armloads of stuff off the shelves, tossing what they didn't want on nearby displays or even on the floor. We got the heck out of there. I felt sorry for anyone working in that store!

Maybe it was Black Friday..according to tradition no one needs to use good manners on Black Friday.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

As far as your manager friend blaming the behavior of problem customers he/she has for being poor seems like biting the hand that feeds you..

Or maybe it's simply an observation by the manager. I have been to Wal Mart locations in highly affluent areas and as I mentioned earlier were very neat and clean...stocked well, polite staff. I have also been to one that isn't in a affluent area and it's 180 degrees off...and I have seen people been taken away in cuffs on 3 different occasions. Yes, there are bad apples in affluent areas and there are good apples in not so affluent areas but there is a trend and it can't be denied...look at any crime map.

 

[Amethyst]

Ivinsfan, do you mean DINK?

How would you know?

I

Having said that. I've never seen a dink in my local Aldi's store...

 

[ugeauxgirl]

I'm not offended, just pointing something out. In the manager vain I can't figure out the correct term.. it is they or he/she or perhaps simply repeating the word manager? I agree a person can always find something to nitpick or get offended about …

As far as your manager friend blaming the behavior of problem customers he/she has for being poor seems like biting the hand that feeds you..

She wasn't. I mentioned that I had been to a very nice Walmart in an upscale area and I also commented what a lovely selection of cheese and wine they had at that store, and also how neat an clean it was compared to another store I mentioned. She explained that Walmart allots wage hours based on the total sales of the store so a store selling the same amount of product that doesn't have tons of customer maintenance issues is going to be cleaner and better stocked that one that requires a lot of straightening. There are of course differences due to management.

 

[ivinsfan]

Ivinsfan, do you mean DINK?

How would you know?

Not I meant jerk or bad behaving customer...I guess the work dink is old school.

 

[ivinsfan]

She wasn't. I mentioned that I had been to a very nice Walmart in an upscale area and I also commented what a lovely selection of cheese and wine they had at that store, and also how neat an clean it was compared to another store I mentioned. She explained that Walmart allots wage hours based on the total sales of the store so a store selling the same amount of product that doesn't have tons of customer maintenance issues is going to be cleaner and better stocked that one that requires a lot of straightening. There are of course differences due to management.

Interesting as in many issues when you dig deeper it's always about corporate chasing the dollar. WalMart making a manager choose between staffing the checkout and keeping the store in good condition. And of course the worse the store looks the more people get turned off and don't shop there.

This detail you included makes me understand why a few certain WalMarts consistently look grubby and unkempt and in reality there is little the manager can do to combat that.

 

[ivinsfan]

Or maybe it's simply an observation by the manager. I have been to Wal Mart locations in highly affluent areas and as I mentioned earlier were very neat and clean...stocked well, polite staff. I have also been to one that isn't in a affluent area and it's 180 degrees off...and I have seen people been taken away in cuffs on 3 different occasions. Yes, there are bad apples in affluent areas and there are good apples in not so affluent areas but there is a trend and it can't be denied...look at any crime map.

Did you the post about WalMart not giving the managers money leeway to make sure they can spend the money on necessary store upkeep. That was an interesting detail. I've never seen anyone arrested period.

 

[Amethyst]

I'm trying to understand this business model. Telling a local manager how many wage hours he/she is allowed to pay out, sounds more like government than business. I guess it is to prevent managers from over-hiring, and not leaving a big enough cut for corporate. But if it also results in smaller sales (due to people staying out of crummy stores) it means killing geese, instead of encouraging them to lay golden eggs.

I suppose if I were a manager in that plight, I'd hie myself and dependents over to the store and clean up the durn place ourselves. That is how it often works in govt (donated service), although we're not supposed to do it

She explained that Walmart allots wage hours based on the total sales of the store so a store selling the same amount of product that doesn't have tons of customer maintenance issues is going to be cleaner and better stocked that one that requires a lot of straightening. There are of course differences due to management.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

They let local managers make a lot of decisions (there is a lot of oversight though) knowing that their bonuses - which can be nearly half of their total income- is based on profitability, low shrinkage (theft and inventory loss) an increase in sales etc. My friend works 60 hour weeks and that isn't counting all the phonecalls she takes at home. I've seen her leave a party to go unload a truck or solve some other problem. Lots of corporate BS too. I wouldn't have her job for double the pay.

I'm trying to understand this business model. Telling a local manager how many wage hours he/she is allowed to pay out, sounds more like government than business. I guess it is to prevent managers from over-hiring, and not leaving a big enough cut for corporate. But if it also results in smaller sales (due to people staying out of crummy stores) it means killing geese, instead of encouraging them to lay golden eggs.

I suppose if I were a manager in that plight, I'd hie myself and dependents over to the store and clean up the durn place ourselves. That is how it often works in govt (donated service), although we're not supposed to do it