Reader David writes:
Greetings from Austin, Consumerist. I thought y’all might like to hear tale of a visit to a local Walmart (store 1185, for those keeping track).
The journey started last Thursday evening, March 20 at around 10pm. I noticed I was low on food, deodorant, and a few other essentials that guarantee I’m a pleasant person to be around. Seeing how I’ve never had a major problem at Walmart, and its the closest grocery store, I decided I would go to Walmart, as usual.
I arrived to find it busy, as always. So I start getting the groceries. I almost get run over by one of those fork-lift-pallet-carrier things by some negligent employee near the yogurt/cheese area. Still, I survive and decide it’s not worth griping about.
After getting groceries, I decide to finally get that deodorant. They no longer carry my favorite deodorant. I’m forced to accept a second rate brand (tainted with lead?) that makes me slightly unhappy. NO!
These two minor events aside, I arrive at shortest check out line with its light on. I wait patiently in line as the cashier (the soon to be very evil and rude) Shanda checks out the person in front of me. She turns her light off as she finishes checking this lady out. When I start putting my stuff on the conveyor belt thing, she lashes out at me saying “her light was off the whole time” and that “she would not check me out”. Displeased with this result, I calmly remind her of her job responsibilities and I manage to get to check me out, even though “she did not have to check me out, but she would”.
About 2 minute later, her supervisor comes up, telling her to pull out. She then relates a story about how “this idiot is forcing me to check him out”. Of course, I get somewhat upset at this characterization of myself. At this point, however, the supervisor, tells me that “her cashier was already checking me out, so be quiet, shut-up, and don’t come back”.
I basically try to approach the supervisor to talk to her after checking out (at her podium-thing) and she runs off socializing with all the other cashiers. I finally get her to stop, but she refuses to reveal her name to me and had her name-tag backwards. Fortunately, a very friendly cashier in another line gave me the supervisor’s name, Yvonne.
So there you have it Consumerist, I’m not supposed to ever go back, and if I was to come back, I’m supposed to take their corporate draconianism in the a** and “Shut-up”. Thoughts?
David
Well, David. Here is my suggestion:
Isn’t the free market marvelous?
(Photo:Jeff Holbrook)
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@ kpfeif
The US postal system happens to be one the most efficient and effective organizations in our country. How much mail have you lost lately? Any bills that have not gotten to their destination? Tried sending anything to Hawaii or Alaska via those private carriers like FedEx? How much did it cost? 41 cents?
Getting back on topic…
I’m from the land of Target (Minnesota). We’re lucky enough to have beautiful Target stores here that have great selection. I’ve lived in other parts of the country, like Oklahoma, where Target is worse than Kmart and Walmart. In many rural areas of the US there isn’t anything but Walmart.
Until people start following up their outrage by changing how they shop, all the complaining is just online therapy.
I have not stepped foot into a walmart in 6 years.
2 years ago my wife joined me in my crusade, fed up with the lazy staff, crappy loss leaders (she didn’t believe me that once you got past those they were the same as everwhere else)
The final straw was a double whammy. She’d bought a fryer from there, the cord broke. we tried to find a replacement, only to discover that this was a “walmart only” product (basically a loss leader) and every piece was just different enough to not take the risk of purchasing a comparable product.
then a week later, my wife (an avid collector and nurturer of hermit crabs) saw that they had hermies new to their pet section and saw how ill they were treated. She tried to talk to the head of the pet department but was shown indifference.
Finally she gave up on walmart permanantly. turns out she was only saving about $10 a month getting the things she normally got there.
Not a big loss.
@dj_skilz: “Hmm, sounds like they are using another training video instead
”
I wouldn’t put it past them. If I were in David’s situation… Man, you do NOT wanna know.
Dude – just avoid Wal Mart. End of story.
I went to Hotel Hell once for a Hell convention; needless to say, the sheets were made of fire. I tried to complain, but they laughed at me.
The only time I have yelled at someone was a walmart cashier. After waiting in line for 20 min w/ a cart full of dairy and frozen food products, the guy in front of me told me that the cashier told him he was her last customer. I refused to move. When the cashier told me she was closing I yelled to her that I’d been waiting for 20 minutes and am not moving. I was not about to wait another 20 minutes because the milk would spoil by the time I got home! (I had decided at that point that if she refused to check me out I was just going to leave the basket of groceries with her and walk out–but she checked me out anyways).
to add, most stores would make the last person waiting in line the last customer. Apparently that’s not walmart’s policy and it shows it in this guy’s story and mine.