I don't think I will be going to my local walmart anymore....

[Regina]

Hey Obi-Wan, you'll love this Sam's Story.

The lady who checks the receipts was way inside the store yakking with a co-worker. I saw her and thought that if she thinks I'm going to wait for her to come to the door, she's in for a surprise. Sure enough, as I'm exiting, she's rushing to the door and yelling "wait, wait". I don't think so, I kept right on going.

It takes so little to amuse me.

 

[MeanLaureen]

Oh man!!! My blood was boiling just reading that VHoffman!

I've been working in retail for 22 yrs, most of it as a manager. Let me tell you what they did was wrong on so many levels as well as VERY illegal!!

First off, you did NOT have to produce the receipt. The only time that they can demand a receipt (unless it is a store practice that applies to EVERY customer such as Sam's Club) is if they have positive assurance that you have shoplifted something.

The requirements that you have to meet for a legal stop and search of a suspected shoplifter are:

1. You must see the person pick up the item from a shelf or display
2. You must actually see them conceal the item
3. You can NEVER lose sight of them for even a minute
4. You must give them the ability to pass the last possible point of purchase without paying for the item.

I'm sure that none of the above requirements were made for you except for number 4.

In some locations, concealment of products is as good as shoplifting (it is where I work) HOWEVER, the only person legally able to prove that is a law enforcement agent.

That deal with the prescriptions - whoa.. that was wrong in so many ways. If they looked at my prescriptions they would call me a druggie.

I'll tell you, they were damn lucky you didn't pursue that matter. You could be living happily off of WalMarts money for that little fiasco!

Between this story, the OP's story and other horror stories I have heard, I'm avoiding WalMart like the plaque from now on!!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I have always hated Walmart and this just reinforces it.

 

[barbeml]

I despise WalMart and can't believe how they are growing and putting other stores out of business.

The couple of WalMarts I have been in were cluttered, smelly dumps. Merchandise is always lying on the floors in the aisles.

I gave up on Sam's Club years ago because I kept bringing home food that was covered with mold (packaged so that you could not tell), or that went bad within a day. Once I was looking for shredded cheese (Kraft) and every bag I picked up was green and moldy. A great deal of their food has old expiration dates too.

No problems (yet) since we switched to BJs.

 

[Jeanny]

BIG BJ's supporter here too.. Wal-Mart has gone downhill lately in this area... I'm a Target convent.

 

[treesinger]

Originally posted by Deafmedic
We call the Walmart here "Little Mexico". My wife HATES Walmart with a passion. We drive an extra 14 miles just to shop at Target(that's also the closest mall with a Disney Store).

I do the same thing. 'Cept ours is endearingly called "Ghetto-Mart". Our Target is also about 14 miles away, and I'm happy to drive there.

There is a Wal-Mart in nearby Maryland, which is usually pretty good all around. Still rather go to Target.

 

[treesinger]

WalMart also got in trouble with an insurance scam too. I remember hearing about this not more than a year ago . They were taking a deduction from some workers paychecks (not sure if how many stores this happened at. Maybe only one, maybe many) and putting it towards a life insurance policy for them. But WALMART was listed as the BENEFICIARY! Once the lawsuit was brought to them, they had the nerve to turn around and sue the INSURANCE COMPANY for "letting them" buy that policy.

Wow.

 

[Mskanga]

Well, I found the perfect solution today. One of our local supermarkets just opened up in a new location next to the one they were in, it's three times the size of walmart and it's only food. Their selections are heck of a lot better than walmart and their prices are very competitive. I still go to BJ's at least once a month and right next to bj's is target , so I do not think walmart will be seeing me again, or at least not that one.
VHoffman, if that had happened to me, I would have called the police right then and there , and charges would have been filed against them. That is what I call abuse on their part.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I have a problem with Wal Mart too. They often advertise things and then when you get there, they suddenly "had a problem with the shipment".

I understand that that DOES happen in retail sometimes. BUT, with WM it seems to happen a lot, on items they have advertised that are going to be big sellers and that they have advertised really cheap.

The last case for me was a nice curio cabinet that was advertised for $56 . Well, my boyfriend and I have been looking for a cheap curio for a while, and this one looked perfect.

When we got to the local Wal Mart - no curio cabinet. Not sold out of it; they never ever had it. Same with the one near my mom.

This sort of thing has happened a lot with them. I think they falsely advertise things on purpose to get people in the store.

 

[RitaZ.]

he told me that I was wasting my time and his time , but I can waste an hour of my time to exchange something , because they have only one person working customer service and there are 6-8 people on the line no matter when you go.

MsKanga, go to PlanetFeedback.com and write Walmart a letter, if anything to get it out of your system.

The Walmart where I live is actually quite nice, very organized and clean. I know that's not typical, but it is really nice. The difference is the area in which it is located, many residents and the city put up quite a fight when Walmart decided to build where they did. In exchange, Walmart practically had to kiss their behinds to go ahead with the project, which has resulted in a clean and organized store which is barely visible from the main road.

I don't blaming you for not wanting to go back there though. I would be just as upset.

 

[Keli]

I had a problem with my walmart one time and did the same thing that RitaZ suggested. I got a letter from the corporate office and I got a letter response from my local walmart manager with a full apology. He stated that the employee involved would be given some more training and a $20 gift certificate was inclosed.

And my problem wasn't nearly as bad as some of you guys. I had picked up some notebooks and they rang up at a higher price than on the shelf. I told the cashier that and she said it wasn't the same notebooks so I told her ok, that I'd run back there and get the cheaper ones. I went to the shelf and checked it out and it was the same notebooks, the sign even had the same numbers under the upc code. I went back and stood in line again (only lane open, very early in the morning, about 5:45 or 6:00 am). The clerk argued with me and refused to go look herself (would have been hard for her to do, she was the only cashier and there was a line of 2 or 3 people behind me) but she wouldn't call a manager or anything. An employee that was getting off work was behind me in line and offered to go check, she did and came back and said I was right, the sign did say that but that it was a mistake on their part (?) and the cashier gave me the cheaper price but by then I was seriously ticked off. I got home and fired off a letter to corporate on planetfeedback.com and this is how they worked it out. I was happy enough with the response and I still go to walmart all the time.

 

[LScot]

I'm very fortunate to have a nice, clean Walmart. I don't think I have ever had a bad experience with anything suggested on this thread. It even sounds like the stores you all were talking about were completely a different world from mine. I hope I stay lucky!

Sorry you had trouble, Ms. Kanga. Our store always keeps 3 people at returns. It usually is no problem to do a return. I hope you get some satisfaction!

I have seen 2 people shoplifting at our store in the past 6 months. I did take care of both I saw.

 

[FatCow]

I don't go to Walmart because they mostly carry DVDs in pan-and-scan only.

WIDESCREEN is the proper and the only way to go

 

[Goofymum]

I went to a Wal-Mart that was close to an hour away from house a few months back. The cashier forgot to hand me one of my bags and since they had the new turnstile type bagging area I didn't see it either. After I got home and realized it I called the store to see if they could just send me a gift card with the amount of the items so that I could use it in my local Wal-Mart. The total was less than 5.00 so I don't think they would have been out much. Needless to say they told me they couldn't do that and I would need to drive the hour back to the store if I wanted my stuff. I have yet to go back there to get my stuff.

I also actually was a CSM at Wal-Mart in Springfield IL about 9 years ago. I couldn't imagine telling a customer THEY were wasting anyone's time. That service desk sure was exciting though! LOL Talk about drama!

 

[m&m's mom]

But.... the sad thing is Wal-mart is a publically, held for-profit, company and they do cater to a more cost-conscious crowd. If they let lose of their loss controls they, and they share holders, would suffer greatly.
I think it is a dirty store as well but they are significantly less expensive than the local Target. Being the incredibly cheap person I am, I usually go once a month and stock up on all essentials- mostly hair products, cleaning products, etc.
I also have noticed my local WM seems to target minorities. I can walk out and a Mexican person can walk out and every time they are asked to show their receipt and I never am. That bugs me.

 

[vhoffman]

Actually, the experience I wrote about in my previous post wasn't my first encounter with the greeter, or whatever she's called, at that WalMart in Nevada. Seemed just about every time I went shopping there she'd stop me and rudely demand a receipt, which I always produced. I usually bought a lot of items, and standing there while she checked off each and every one against the receipt took a lot of time. Needless to say, I was already tired from a long shopping trip, usually with two small children in tow. Also, I have arthritis and a bad hip. I was often in pain and barely able to make it to the car when I was expected to stand there for sometimes 5-10 minutes or more while she went through each and every item. Once she made an issue out of a 78 cent pair of shoelaces that weren't on the receipt. I had bought those seperately with cash after my major purchase was rung up and guess I had dropped or misplaced the receipt. I told her to just take the #%&*! shoelaces if she was so convinced I had stolen them. Shen then replied with a sickening smile "why sweetheart (I'm 48 years old and nobody's sweetheart!) nobody's accusing you of stealing" I then took the shoelaces and left. I would have made more of an issue about the incident I wrote about previously, but we were in the process of packing and moving (I was never so glad to leave a place in my life!) and had other things on my mind besides writing bi--- letters to WalMart. However, I was told later by someone who used to work at WalMart that I was a victim of profiling. Seems disabled people are on some sort of "profile" list at WalMart (and many other stores as well). Apparently there's a stereotype that disabled people are living on a pathetic disability check and steal to supplement their income. Well, it just so happens between dh and myself we bring in over 200k--I'm a CPA and dh's a computer consultant. I don't need to steal shoelaces! I really wish I had of made an issue about that incident. Perhaps a 20/20 segment? My 15 minutes of fame! However, I was more interested in packing up and moving out of there! However, I must say that the WalMart's I shopped at here in Texas are much nicer (when I lower myself to shop there). I go there whenever I need to pick up some shoe laces! I still wouldn't buy their meat!

 

[phillybeth]

Originally posted by vhoffman
However, I was told later by someone who used to work at WalMart that I was a victim of profiling. Seems disabled people are on some sort of "profile" list at WalMart (and many other stores as well).

That is the most horrible, pathetic thing I have ever heard.

The Walmart near me only checks reciepts for items not in a bag, like TVs, storage totes etc.

 

[HappyMommy2]

I just have to add that, though IMO the majority of Wal-Marts offer pretty poor customer service and are somewhat dirty and disorganized, once in a while I come across one that is a wonderful place to shop. We have about 7 Wal-Marts within an hour's drive from our house, and over time I've visited most of them. There is one that is always very clean, organized (no stuff sitting in the aisles, etc.), and well-stocked. The customer service is very good--it seems like this Wal-Mart is better staffed than others, which helps a lot. I avoid the other Wal-Marts in our area. They're not worth venturing into (one is actually quite disgusting IMO--dirty diapers in the changing rooms, trash and French Fries all over the floor near the in-store McDonald's, etc.).

It's too bad the company can't seem to hold ALL its stores to a sufficiently high standard.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Another thumbs-down for Walmart !!! Our store isn't even that old yet but it's so dirty and nasty inside that you feel like you need to shower after you've been there. No offense to anyone on these boards that works @ Walmart, but the employees at our store always look and smell like they don't even understand the concept of hygiene. I really do prefer Target over Walmart or Kmart.

 

[frustrated]

You all are so blessed to have Targets! We were thrilled originally just to get a Walmart. When they opened everyone was so nice and sweet and helpful. Well, that all ended!

Can't believe that disabled people are profiled! Good Grief!

Tessa