Sadly, so true. I live in a rural area where Wal-Mart is literally the only option most of the time. If I didn’t have to drive over two hours to find the nearest Target I wouldn’t shop at Wal-Mart nearly as much.
i got a chuckle out of this, even though i don’t share the sentiment expressed.
@AnotherLaura, what’s so sad about WM providing low prices in your rural area that you might otherwise have to drive 2 hours to find? sounds like good news to me…
I feel like because they are the only option, they take the customer for granted. The customer service is pitiful. I say this as someone who worked there one summer while in high school. Even as an employee, the upper and middle management is incredibly inaccessible. I worked there four months and never once saw the store manager. I had little to no training on what I was supposed to be doing. I once ran into a customer service issue and it took about an hour to even get a response from an assistant manager. (I waited with the customer while incessantly calling for a manager.) I have never once seen human cashiers outnumber the self check lanes available. Also, the reason they are the only option is usually because local companies can’t compete with their prices, and are driven out of business when they arrive.
you make some good points. I would not argue that the customer service is sub-par. that said, most people don’t go shopping @ WM for the great customer service:) if you want that, go to an expensive restaurant. i can’t speak to the inaccessibility of management since i have never worked there, but i can say that a lack of effective employee training is a common complaint accross the spectrum of employers…retail, service, etc. as far as self-checkout lanes outnumbering human cashiers goes, what bugs you about that? you might be interested to read up on the impact a new WM has on local communities; contrary to popular opinion and talking heads, small business growth and a strengthening of the local economy is the norm not the exception.
To quote you “people don’t go shopping at WM for the great customer service.” EXACTLY the point, people go shopping at Wal-Mart because we have no other choice available.
Lack of training may be a common enough problem, but Wal-Mart goes above and beyond, and should probably win an award for how bad they are at it.
What bugs me about lack of human cashiers? “Please place your item in the bagging area.” ‘Nuf said.
I know of at least one local grocery store that closed as a direct result of a Wal-Mart super center being built.
see my reply to Ken below.
who knows? it could be that WM’s poor customer service leads to it’s own creative destruction eventually.
hah haven’t we all wanted to yell at the automated chekout voice one time or another? all things being equal, i’m choosing the human cashier over the computer every time. but if there’s no line at the self checkout, i’m there.
I have to say that there are some things that WM is good for. I mostly just hate having to actually be in the store. Can I still get the prices but get it delivered to me?
I shop at Target because it’s headquartered in MN. Both Target and Walmart import from China- Hopefully that’s not the ‘principle’ you’re against’ by not shopping at Walmart.
No, it’s not true. I hate Walmart AND I don’t shop there. I probably step foot in Walmart once or twice a year when I have to make a midnight run for something.
Walmart isn’t that much cheaper than Target – certainly not enough to make me shop there instead. Besides, Target is actually starting to beat Walmart.
I hate Walmart and only go in there when I absolutely have to, which is a few times a year. My father (who is neither young nor thin) says he goes there to feel young, rich, slim, and smart. It’s terribly true.
I haven’t shopped at Walmart in seven years. We stopped going because of how horribly they treat their employees (in some cases, denying bathroom breaks and stuff like that) and the fact that because they pressure their suppliers to produce products for rock-bottom prices, it leads to the use of sweatshops and child labor. I’d rather pay $10 more for a t-shirt that wasn’t sewn by a seven-year-old working in dangerous conditions.
I hate both wal mart and target, and never go there unless its totally necessary. I ditto what everyone says about WM and Target is the cliched land of washed up, can’t hack it designers. Plus, kids every where have the same shirts on all the time. I went to the library one day and there were 4 kids with the same monkey shirt on as my son. So now I pay extra and buy online or go to the good will with all the old school vintage clothes for kids. It’s absolutely worth it to locate my son in a pile of little boys with the paul frank monkey shirt at story time.
I disagree because the reason I vastly prefer Target over Wal-Mart has nothing to do with the morality or economics of big box stores. It completely has to do with the store atmosphere. Target (at least in my city) is relatively clean and quiet and although it’s not pleasurable to shop there, it’s certainly not painful. Wal-Mart on the other hand is disorganized, crowded, and consistently leaves me with a huge headache as I leave. Not worth it.
personally, i don’t care if people don’t shop at WM. that’s their perogative. what annoys me is the ‘big business is a bully and a bogeyman’ line of thinking that says if small businesses go under b/c a WM comes to town, it follows that WM is necessarily evil. most of the time, small businesses can innovate and adapt to changes in the local ecomony and adjust their product offering or services accordingly to stay in business. if they can’t…well maybe its time to reconsider their business model.
also, i own exactly 0 shares of WM stock :) and i am certainly not on their payroll.
I hate WM and I avoid going there. I think I’ve been maybe 3 times in the last year (possibly less). They never have enough check-out lanes open and they are as slow as Christmas. And personally, I can’t stand the old person(s) at the door wanting to check your receipt if you have items in your cart that are not bagged. They have no right to detain me and I’m pretty sure if I wanted to steal something, I wouldn’t have it out in plain view anyway. Its not like they are high level security or anything. Another waste of 30-60 seconds. I’d rather spend more money at another store than set foot in there. If my family was in financial crisis *maybe* I’d re-evaluate. I’d at least go to the next town over because their WM is much cleaner and better managed. I do love me some Target though.
I have actually never been to a Wal-Mart, because I have lived in the S.F. Bay Area for decades and we are much too cool and hip to allow Wal-Mart to set foot within 50 miles of our ‘hood. Instead, we support “Mom and Pop” shops, which makes completing your shopping list extraordinarily time-consuming, inconvenient, expensive, and sometimes physically impossible, but also makes us morally superior to the rest of the country, so it’s all good. I would like to visit a Wal-Mart just for the sake of curiosity. However, if Wal-Mart is anything like the now-blown-up Mega-Lo Mart in Arlen, Texas, the critics may have some valid points.
Sadly, so true. I live in a rural area where Wal-Mart is literally the only option most of the time. If I didn’t have to drive over two hours to find the nearest Target I wouldn’t shop at Wal-Mart nearly as much.
You got me beat. We drive 30 minutes just to get to the Wal-Mart.
‘Cause Target is sooooo much better!
Target is better because you can by many items made in America there. WalMart has turned into Chinas outlet.
NOT ME. i get by without shopping there…even in the late hour night when i just need a toothbrush.
I hate it when it’s 2 AM and I realize “Holy crap, I don’t have a toothbrush! No choice now but to go to Walmart.”
i got a chuckle out of this, even though i don’t share the sentiment expressed.
@AnotherLaura, what’s so sad about WM providing low prices in your rural area that you might otherwise have to drive 2 hours to find? sounds like good news to me…
I feel like because they are the only option, they take the customer for granted. The customer service is pitiful. I say this as someone who worked there one summer while in high school. Even as an employee, the upper and middle management is incredibly inaccessible. I worked there four months and never once saw the store manager. I had little to no training on what I was supposed to be doing. I once ran into a customer service issue and it took about an hour to even get a response from an assistant manager. (I waited with the customer while incessantly calling for a manager.) I have never once seen human cashiers outnumber the self check lanes available. Also, the reason they are the only option is usually because local companies can’t compete with their prices, and are driven out of business when they arrive.
you make some good points. I would not argue that the customer service is sub-par. that said, most people don’t go shopping @ WM for the great customer service:) if you want that, go to an expensive restaurant. i can’t speak to the inaccessibility of management since i have never worked there, but i can say that a lack of effective employee training is a common complaint accross the spectrum of employers…retail, service, etc. as far as self-checkout lanes outnumbering human cashiers goes, what bugs you about that? you might be interested to read up on the impact a new WM has on local communities; contrary to popular opinion and talking heads, small business growth and a strengthening of the local economy is the norm not the exception.
To quote you “people don’t go shopping at WM for the great customer service.” EXACTLY the point, people go shopping at Wal-Mart because we have no other choice available.
Lack of training may be a common enough problem, but Wal-Mart goes above and beyond, and should probably win an award for how bad they are at it.
What bugs me about lack of human cashiers? “Please place your item in the bagging area.” ‘Nuf said.
I know of at least one local grocery store that closed as a direct result of a Wal-Mart super center being built.
see my reply to Ken below.
who knows? it could be that WM’s poor customer service leads to it’s own creative destruction eventually.
hah haven’t we all wanted to yell at the automated chekout voice one time or another? all things being equal, i’m choosing the human cashier over the computer every time. but if there’s no line at the self checkout, i’m there.
I hate WalMart on priniple.
But I love my $$ more than my principles so……
Win.
I have to say that there are some things that WM is good for. I mostly just hate having to actually be in the store. Can I still get the prices but get it delivered to me?
I shop at Target because it’s headquartered in MN. Both Target and Walmart import from China- Hopefully that’s not the ‘principle’ you’re against’ by not shopping at Walmart.
No, it’s not true. I hate Walmart AND I don’t shop there. I probably step foot in Walmart once or twice a year when I have to make a midnight run for something.
Walmart isn’t that much cheaper than Target – certainly not enough to make me shop there instead. Besides, Target is actually starting to beat Walmart.
I hate Walmart and only go in there when I absolutely have to, which is a few times a year. My father (who is neither young nor thin) says he goes there to feel young, rich, slim, and smart. It’s terribly true.
Ahahaha! The comment about your dad cracked me up. Quite true, especially in the city.
I haven’t shopped at Walmart in seven years. We stopped going because of how horribly they treat their employees (in some cases, denying bathroom breaks and stuff like that) and the fact that because they pressure their suppliers to produce products for rock-bottom prices, it leads to the use of sweatshops and child labor. I’d rather pay $10 more for a t-shirt that wasn’t sewn by a seven-year-old working in dangerous conditions.
what ‘assurances’ do you have that:
a) the shirt you bought at WM was made by a kid in a sweatshop
b) the shirt you paid $10 more for wasn’t??
If I could live at Walmart, I would.
I hate both wal mart and target, and never go there unless its totally necessary. I ditto what everyone says about WM and Target is the cliched land of washed up, can’t hack it designers. Plus, kids every where have the same shirts on all the time. I went to the library one day and there were 4 kids with the same monkey shirt on as my son. So now I pay extra and buy online or go to the good will with all the old school vintage clothes for kids. It’s absolutely worth it to locate my son in a pile of little boys with the paul frank monkey shirt at story time.
I don’t hate Wal-mart.
I disagree because the reason I vastly prefer Target over Wal-Mart has nothing to do with the morality or economics of big box stores. It completely has to do with the store atmosphere. Target (at least in my city) is relatively clean and quiet and although it’s not pleasurable to shop there, it’s certainly not painful. Wal-Mart on the other hand is disorganized, crowded, and consistently leaves me with a huge headache as I leave. Not worth it.
YES! It’s almost like they’re trying to serve the customer or something.
@a and d
Actually,WM does drive small stores out. Do you own a lot of WM stock?
“actually, WM does drive small stores out”…via creative destruction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_destruction#Schumpeterian_Creative_Destruction.
personally, i don’t care if people don’t shop at WM. that’s their perogative. what annoys me is the ‘big business is a bully and a bogeyman’ line of thinking that says if small businesses go under b/c a WM comes to town, it follows that WM is necessarily evil. most of the time, small businesses can innovate and adapt to changes in the local ecomony and adjust their product offering or services accordingly to stay in business. if they can’t…well maybe its time to reconsider their business model.
also, i own exactly 0 shares of WM stock :) and i am certainly not on their payroll.
I hate WM and I avoid going there. I think I’ve been maybe 3 times in the last year (possibly less). They never have enough check-out lanes open and they are as slow as Christmas. And personally, I can’t stand the old person(s) at the door wanting to check your receipt if you have items in your cart that are not bagged. They have no right to detain me and I’m pretty sure if I wanted to steal something, I wouldn’t have it out in plain view anyway. Its not like they are high level security or anything. Another waste of 30-60 seconds. I’d rather spend more money at another store than set foot in there. If my family was in financial crisis *maybe* I’d re-evaluate. I’d at least go to the next town over because their WM is much cleaner and better managed. I do love me some Target though.
I have actually never been to a Wal-Mart, because I have lived in the S.F. Bay Area for decades and we are much too cool and hip to allow Wal-Mart to set foot within 50 miles of our ‘hood. Instead, we support “Mom and Pop” shops, which makes completing your shopping list extraordinarily time-consuming, inconvenient, expensive, and sometimes physically impossible, but also makes us morally superior to the rest of the country, so it’s all good. I would like to visit a Wal-Mart just for the sake of curiosity. However, if Wal-Mart is anything like the now-blown-up Mega-Lo Mart in Arlen, Texas, the critics may have some valid points.