Things I Hate About Wal-Mart
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I have to preface this by acknowledging the amount of animosity towards Wal-Mart. Some people downright loathe Wal-Mart with a white-hot hatred for all sorts of reasons: its allegedly strong-armed business tactics in bullying producers to sell to the retailer for the cheapest price possible; it's reliance on China for a vast percentage of its goods; the fact that Wal-Mart does not allow unions; its outdated image of being associated with rural or redneck America; and the fact that when a big box retailer such as Wal-Mart opens in town, it makes it harder for small business in that community to stay alive.
Well, I don't hate Wal-Mart for ANY of those reasons. One, I applaud that they forbid unions. Two, while I like mom and pop businesses, people have to accept the fact that society and commerce change all of the time. While it's nice to be nostalgic about the "good old days", its ridiculous to think that things are going to stay the same just to make you feel warm and fuzzy. Adapt! And who knows, this current model of big-box superstores could change in 10, 20 or 30 years to a completely different paradigm.
A good case in point would be an example from my generation, the biggest chain of video stores, Blockbuster. If you don't remember, in the mid-eighties, mom and pop video rental shops popped up out of no where all over the country. Well, within ten years, Blockbuster - a big, mean nationally-known brand - was fast becoming a juggernaut and put a damper on the individually-owned video shops. Now, thanks to Netflix, Redbox, the internet, and cable and satellite providers, Blockbuster has filed for bankruptcy and is quickly fading away into distant memory. So who knows what retail model will exit on the future that may pose a threat to Wal-Mart?
But I digress. Below are the real reasons I despise te world's largest retailer, and most of it orbits around one main problem: poor customer service and the misallocations of employees.
What I Hate About Wal-Mart
1. The People Greeters.
Yes, I know Wal-Mat prides itself in employing senior citizens, but are you telling me these older folks are incapable of doing anything except standing there and mumbling out a forced "hi" (if they even bother to do that)? I guess they're there to also keep an eye on those who try to shoplift goods out of the store (and this would only be a psychological deterrent, as those security cameras and those electronic security things you walk in between would be the things to actually catch you).
If there is a more useless job on earth than a people greeter, please let me know. How about taking these folks and filling all of the empty checkout lanes so that I don't have to wait in line for 15 to 20 minutes?
2. Wal-Mart Attracts the Worst Riff-Raff Customers in the World.
Slow, lumbering people at Wal-Mart - totally obvious that you're trying to walk around then and actually get something accomplished
Now, I'm not a bigot and I'm not prejudiced against the elderly, the morbidly obese, those who have physical afflictions, huge redneck or ethnic families, and those who are borderline carnival sideshow freaks at all. People are people, and some of these folks are actually some of the nicest humans you'd ever want to meet. But unfortunately, most of the ones I'm referring can be classified as being in the aforementioned groupings.
You walk into a Wal-Mart at any hour or on any day, and you would think that a fleet of buses dumped these weirdos off to do their semi-annual shopping. And you'd think that with the way some of these knuckleheads act, that they only get out of their houses once or twice per year:
- They will slothily stroll down the middle of parking lot lanes instead of scooting to one side.
- They take forever to make a payment when they're checking out.
- A group of two or three of them will stand smack dab in the middle of the entrance (or exit) and decide to stop and have a conversation
- They'll walk extra slow in down the middle of aisles.
I'm not even talking about the oddball-dressed freaks featured on People of Wal-Mart. I'm referring to normal, socially-inept nuts that you would encounter everyday at Wal-Mart. What rocks have these people crawled out of? You just don't see these kinds of folks ANYWHERE else in public. Well, except for maybe McDonald's.
God bless our senior citizenry, but they act as if they'd never been to a store before.
3. Wal-Mart's Auto Centers' Lack of Customer Service
I've got to single this one out. It may sound silly, but this small department really ticks me off.
I think having to maintain cars are a pain in the ass. So I'm willing to spend a few bucks to have someone else do it. For the longest time in the '90s and early '00s, I would get my oil professionally changed, because when you factor in the price for oil and oil filter (not to mention topping off the fluids and vacuuming out the car), it was a no-brainer for my personal situation. You grease monkeys feel free to change it yourselves.
Anyway, I would go to Wal-Mart because it was the cheapest place in town. The problem is, there has always been a complete lack of customer service at the cash register desk in Wal-Mart's Auto Centers. People would come in and out of the garage bays numerous times, and TOTALLY IGNORE anyone standing there either wanting to have any service done or wanting to purchase something automotive-related. When I was married, I'd often have my wife go do some shopping while I waited 10, 15, and even 20 minutes before a Wal-Mart employee would even acknowledge any customers standing back there (with the exception of the mechanics bringing in someone's car keys and calling the customer's name). And then I'd often had to wait more than an hour to actually have the service done on my vehicle!
But I was a dumb sucker, just like anyone else, to put up with Wal-Mart's no-service just to save a buck or two. I've wised up and will do this no more. Wal-Mart's jacked up their auto service prices. So I go to my local JiffyLube; they acknowledge me as soon as I drive up and will usually have my oil changed in 15 or 20 minutes, tops.
4. The Complete Lack of Customer Service and the Ignoring of the 10-Foot Rule
The only time I'll see Wal-Mart employees (or, as they call them, "associates") are random ones milling about or occasionally stocking store shelves. Yet when you need help with something, are you able to find an employee without trekking halfway across the store? I've often had to get assistance in the electronics department to retrieve a locked-up video game for one of my boys, but it's always a frustrating, miserable experience. No employee is on duty in Electronics (what else would you expect?), so I walk to walk a quarter mile over by the kitty litter just to find a worker. Said employee will act mildly irritated that you bothered them, and (of course!) won't have access to a key that would unlock the video game case. After calling for an Electronics employee over the intercom twice, five minutes later someone will come bumbling over to get the video game that my son had been saving up his allowance for.
This is not an isolated incident, but typical for me and my family whenever help is needed at Wally World.
Did you know that Wal-Mart has what is known the 10-Foot Rule? What is the 10-Foot Rule, you might ask? It is the customer service principle enacted by founder Sam Walton that makes all Wal-Mart employees take this oath: "I promise that whenever I come within 10 feet of a customer, I will look him in the eye, greet him, and ask if I can help him."
Uh, have you ever been approached and greeted by ANY Wal-Mart employee with the store while perusing the aisles in all the years you've been shopping there? I didn't think so. In fact, I don't think that you can find a single Wal-Mart in the U.S. where most employees adhere to the 10-Foot-Rule. The hilarious and sad thing is, the 10-Foot Rule is lauded as "one of our secrets to customer service" and that they've "kept Sam's promise" of doing this on Wal-Mart's own corporate website! Unreal. That's about as ridiculous and outright fraudulent as Burger King claiming that they offer free soft drinks any time when you go through the drive-thru to order food, when you've been a customer of them for years or decades and know for a fact that they don't.
There's a video with a "hidden camera" showing just how often Wal-Mart "associates" use the 10-Foot Rule (spoiler...none!):
5. Very Few Checkout Lanes Are Ever Open.
Okay, most new Wal-Marts are equipped with 26 checkout lanes, but are there EVER more than six of them open? It doesn't matter if each lane is ten customers deep, and each person claims a full cart - there will rarely be extra lanes opened. Even if I stand in the express lanes just to purchase a few items, I'll have often to endure a 10 to 15 minute wait, very easily making it the longest part of my shopping experience.
And go to a Wal-Mart around Christmas time? Fuggedaboutit! I'd much rather have a crochet needle shoved in my eye than deal with the holiday crowds of slowpoke riff-raff and the never-ending long lines at Wally World.
Oh look! They've redesigned Wal-Mart and have added more checkout lanes! Too bad they'll never be used!
6. Returns and Exchanges
I've had WAY too many bad experiences trying to get a refund on returned items. Long lines and 20-30 minute waits...understaffed counters...and employees with a nasty chip on their shoulders giving me problems about returns, even when I was pleasant to them and had my receipt for the item in question. It finally became the last straw of me EVER patronizing the Fenton, Missouri Wal-Mart ever again. Great job, folks! You've lost thousands of dollars a year in lost revenues from me, because you can't properly train and manage your associates. I'll go to Target and give them my money instead.
What Do I Like About Wal-Mart
Hey, not all is bad with the Bentonville, Arkansas-based giant. Here are a few positive points:
1. They're a Good One-Stop Shopping experience. If I have limited time to pick up both grocery and household items, Wal-Mart is definitely the place to go. Even though other competitors like Target and K-Mart have a grocery section, they are extremely limited at best when it comes to selection.
2. They Often Have the New DVD/Blu-Ray I Want at the Lowest Price. Yeah, I don't buy many movies anymore, but when I do, Wal-Mart will always have it at some ridiculously low price for the first few days it's out.
What About You?
Do you have any Wal-Mart horror stories? Do you think my arguments against them are unfounded? Let me know in the comments below!
Comments
2012-07-05 09:01:37
I do like being able to get my fishing license quickly there when I visit Florida, though.
2012-07-05 09:01:59
2012-07-05 09:08:40
I really hate the arm swinging fat people who take up the whole aisle because they are so fat they have to swing their arms with each step or...the people who rest their elbows on the buggy...you just know they will be in your way at some point. Don't get me started on the Hispanics who don't pay attention to their kids...
2012-07-05 09:15:38
2012-07-05 09:21:52
2012-07-05 10:13:45
2012-07-05 16:13:36
I'm an associate at a nearby Walmart. I've been there for a year and I'm to the point that I can't stand to shop at Walmart. Especially the one I work at!
I personally try to be courteous and friendly but the way they overwork us and what they expect us to get done, makes it hard to uphold the 10 foot rule. Especially right now. We're in the middle of the hottest stretch of weather we've had in years and management has decided there's not enough business during 3rd shift to run the AC. So it's been put on a timer. Off at 9pm back on at 5am. So us 3rd shift stockers roast all night.
I've seen several ":people of walmart" nominees in there on 3rd shift. Unreal what some people will wear out in public.
We have 19 registers and only one is open during 3rd shift. I've overheard many complaints about that and the wait to check out. Also have seen several people just leave their stuff and walk out. The biggest complaint I've heard is that the register open is the very last one, farthest from the doors. People coming in to get just cigarettes are out of breath by the time they hike halfway through the store to buy them. Hell, we didn't even have all 19 open on "Black Friday"
2012-07-05 16:32:50
It would be nice to have a complete isle of hot sauce!!!
2012-07-05 17:20:35
2012-07-07 13:35:43
2012-07-09 13:26:49
2012-07-23 06:02:22
2013-04-24 19:52:06
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