Walmart was so disorganized it was unbelievable!UPDATE PAGE 4! I'm torn!

[ryanshana]

I got there last night for the Power Wheels (hot wheel). Throughout the entire week I asked how is this going to work and such. EVERY time I got a different answer. At that point I chalked it up to they wanted to keep it a secret or that they actually didn't know what was going on. I get there at 1am (actually just to check the line I had intentions of leaving and going to ON but there was already 5 in line and all wanted the boys one so I stayed.) We'd ask questions to our "item" employee. He had no idea about anything. We were supposed to get tickets at 445 (we did, Tvs however weren't getting their tickets till I was almost done w/ the rest of my shopping at 530), so we asked once we got our ticket can we start going to get other stuff...i don't know.....where do we get the item...I'm not sure, etc.....the kid was really nice I honestly don't think it was his fault .....more like lack of explanation on Mgmt part.

Then the lines were so disorganized..people were trying to cut...they would change out people on shift for break (ok I get people need a break but literally cashiers were not doing "anything" until 5am....so shouldn't their breaks have been planned prior to 5? I mean I saw one person taking a break at 5:15 and every time they had to get a new drawer. it took up time.)

So here is my biggest issues.....there was 12 hot wheels power wheels. I ended up getting ticket number 2 cause 3 people ended up leaving our line and never came back. So I shopped after I got my ticket for maybe 20-30 mins and headed to line and waited an hr. Then I was told to drive my car to lawn and garden to get the item. When I get up to the pick up area (long line there but it moved very fast, that was actually well organized) I give them my receipt and ticket. And they are taking much longer then they took for everyone else. They come out we don't have anymore left!?!?!

They did have 2 x barbie jeeps (and offered me them um yeah NO my kid might like tinkerbell and the princess but I'm sure my DH would hurt me if I got him a barbie jeep) which leads me to believe that when they were loading someone who needed 2 barbie jeeps they accidentally gave them hot wheels one. So I wait for a manager. 20 MINUTES later she comes out and says there are none left and what she will do is call me tomorrow and see if anyone returns the hot wheels one for the barbie ones. I was like what are you going to do. Well you will get it before Christmas. I asked can you guarantee me this. She didn't look too sure.

I am sooo pissed right not its not even funny. I didn't really get a sorry (I got one but felt it was a very half--- one) No offers of anything for the inconvenience. I am still just hoping that it is just hectic now and they will rectify it tomorrow. But it just seemed really disorganized, and now they have $88 of my money and I have no product. It just really seems messed up



WHEW that was long sorry. And thanks for letting me vent!

 

[Malisa]

Wow that's crazy that you paid for an item and they ran out. I hope you get it figured out. I would be extremely pissed if I waited for hours and even paid for something and didn't get it.

 

[3boymthr]

Seriously call the walmart corporate offices and complain. 1-800-Walmart
(1-800-925-6278)

Or send what you just posted to them via e-mail:

http://walmartstores.com/contactus/feedback.aspx

I had a non purchase related issue and I was amazed at how well the headquarters respond to these type of issues.

 

[ryanshana]

Seriously call the walmart corporate offices and complain. 1-800-Walmart
(1-800-925-6278)

Or send what you just posted to them via e-mail:

http://walmartstores.com/contactus/feedback.aspx

I had a non purchase related issue and I was amazed at how well the headquarters respond to these type of issues.

Thanks soo much for the info...it's a shame I must be really mad cause I have NEVER written a complaint, in spite of some previous bad service. This was seriously just ridiculous!

 

[kydisneyfans]

I thought Wal Mart was supposed to be more organized this year. I saw TVs in the bakery and the video games were in the Subway restaurant at the other end of the store. They were moving pallets of toys away from the toy department and into the meat department at 8:00.

The difference between Target and Wal Mart is that Target left their video games unlocked for customers to choose what they wanted, WalMart left them locked and you had to stand in line in electronics for the clerk to unlock the case with the game inside. After that, some 90 year old woman had to check off your receipt when you left the store.

I think Target values us as shoppers more.

 

[robb01]

You couldn't pay me enough to go there

 

[3boymthr]

SIL is an employee of Walmart. I'll have to find out what she thought. Whether she felt they were more or less organized at the Walmart she works at.

 

[disneychrista]

I loved that they wanted me to get in line (looked to be about 90 - 2hours) to get the DS they had for $98...but there was no gaurentee that they would still be there when you go to the front. They should have done the same thing (given tickets) so people didnt' waste their time.

I will never go to Walmart again on Black Friday. I have never bought anythning previously and now I know I never will.

 

[Planogirl]

I went by our local Wal-Mart early this morning and the parking lot was ridiculously full of cars. I can't see comparing their situation to any other store's because they seem to get way more business than the others.

I do hope that they get the problem sorted out for you.

 

[waltsgirl]

Then the lines were so disorganized..people were trying to cut...they would change out people on shift for break (ok I get people need a break but literally cashiers were not doing "anything" until 5am....so shouldn't their breaks have been planned prior to 5? I mean I saw one person taking a break at 5:15 and every time they had to get a new drawer. it took up time.)


I find it hard to believe that the cashiers were doing nothing until 5AM. You may have not seen them doing anything, but my guess would be if they were taking a break at 5:15 they had been at been at the store for some time already. I agree it was not very good planning on but to say that they were doing nothing....

 

[GOOFY26]

Thats why I will NEVER shop at WALMART.

 

[brymolmom]

I don't care what the cashiers were doing - the management does NOT plan a break at 5:15 during likely the highest volume hour of the ENTIRE YEAR! I work for Wegmans and while we don't get Black Friday crowds, we do know how to handle our busiest days.

I, too, had a Walmart experience. Decided not to go in the crazy line at 4:30 (at 5:00 our store was only letting in 20 people at a time, so we would have had a long wait). We went back at 6:30 and found a couple items - not much. Anyway - I asked one guy if the card table/chairs were all gone, figuring they were. He tells me that they're in back bringing out more right then. So I go over to the area where they were and there's 3 different customers waiting for them. ANd I casually mention to a manager who told us it would be 10 more minutes that maybe they should hand out numbers - since now there was a crowd forming and NO ONE was in a line and no one knew who was first (well, I knew - cuz I was talking to the people there before me). Finally - one person tells us to go over to the dock area and another manager tells the guys unloading to bring it over to where we had JUST LEFT! So we follow the guys back and they call over security and a manager cuz now there are at least 20 - 25 customers hanging out and they had about 10 or so sets on the unloader. So one manager's like 'everyone form a line' and I was like 'how are we goign to do that - the people who have waited the longest need to be at the front' (of course, many of these people JUST STOPPED as soon as they realized there was something going on, I had been waiting about 30 minutes and the people before me at least 20 min before me). So I explain to one security woman that the people who were there first - and I pointed to the ones - they had gotten caught behind lots of people cuz they had carts and couldn't get thru. Anyway - it was total chaos - no way should they even be unloading things at that time and definitely not like that (ok to do it - but don't tell anyone and just throw them in an empty area to be grabbed at will).

I did get one.

OP - I would be LIVID in your situation. To have waited all that time....AND did it 'by the book' and end up with nothing. Do NOT let it go - go to the store manager her/himself - INSIST that they reimburse you for the cost of buying it somewhere else if they do not get one to you by a certain date. Keep us posted.

Yet another reason I work for Wegmans and not Walmart....

 

[Abbie]

My DH really got into the Black Friday thing today and ended up going to three different Walmarts (all within 15 minutes in different directions). At the one, I asked him to pick up an advertised game for $15. Well, it wasn't marked at $15, but still $28 and a manager told him it wasn't part of the sale. He called me at work and I pulled up the ad again and told him it clearly was so he tried again. And was told that it was up to each individual store if they would honor the Black Friday ad that was online! How could that be?? This item was ONLY available in the stores and I even had used the zip code for that particular store. He started getting fussy with them and another manager just overrode the price and made the adjustment but I was surprised they tried to tell him that!

 

[raenyny]

Our Walmart was open from 10pm Thursday so I went around 3 for the 5 am sales. What a disaster! They had associates with event staff smocks guarding some of the hot items and a ton of security standing by. I went to ask about a few items and was told I could have a ticket and have to come back and wait at 5 am. Then I got to what I really came for the 32" TV and $198 laptop...they were gone no tickets were given they were just given out! Someone messed up but in the ad it guarantees all products available so they have to have them at 5 am...It took 3 hours and a lot of people complaining and I got a substitution for the tv and a raincheck for the laptop. People were calling 911 and the news. The store was trashed and many items were gone when I got there at 3. They did take care of it but still very unorganized

 

[Leajess99]

OP- I'm sorry that you had that experience.

I have to say that the first Walmart we went to was somewhat unorganizaed as well and their maps did not even match where half the stuff was located. It said the bikes were in the candy isle yet they were over by the Christmas stuff on the whole opposite side of the store. The chaos with the televisions was ridiculous. I wanted the Girl's track suits for my little one and every employee asked early this morning said they did not get them or could not find them. The employee asked when we went back later after the rush subsided was rude and said they were already sold out and basically said we should have been there earlier. Our response was "when we were here earlier we were told they couldn't find them and hand't gotten them in." We went to another store and foud some in the next size up from what my daughter wears so I bought some of them in hopes they would be adjustable enough but they will be put up for later as they are too big.
I did have a blast with the stock gguys who were giving out the toys before 5am. These poor guys did not know what half the toys were so the moms that were waiting for the bikes were helping them. They were funny and just wanting to get off right at 5. Thankfully the "event staff" person was smart enough to get those wiating for the bikes out before taking the caution tape down so people could get to the toys themselves.
Many people were really decent and worked together but there were some rude ones as well. I had one woman say "excuse me" as she was elbowing me in the back to push me out of the way. I was in line for checkouts and I would gladly have moved given a second. There were a few others trying to jump in line or trying to run you over with their carts but not all bad.

 

[polkadotminnie]

The walmart I went to was fairly organized. The ipods weren't on the map but a security guy called and found them for me in jewlery with the GPS systems. The aisle was roped off so no cutting in line. At 4:45 you could hear a roar and people unwrapping pallets. I saw security run toward the back of the store. I never knew why. I got my 2 Ipods with Itunes giftcards. You had to check out there so by that time I did that I did not want to stand in a longer line if I bought something else so I left the store.

 

[Inigo]

People were calling 911 and the news

Seriously? People were calling 911 for this? Unless there was a riot, that is not the purpose of 911!

 

[ryanshana]

Our Walmart was open from 10pm Thursday so I went around 3 for the 5 am sales. What a disaster! They had associates with event staff smocks guarding some of the hot items and a ton of security standing by. I went to ask about a few items and was told I could have a ticket and have to come back and wait at 5 am. Then I got to what I really came for the 32" TV and $198 laptop...they were gone no tickets were given they were just given out! Someone messed up but in the ad it guarantees all products available so they have to have them at 5 am...It took 3 hours and a lot of people complaining and I got a substitution for the tv and a raincheck for the laptop. People were calling 911 and the news. The store was trashed and many items were gone when I got there at 3. They did take care of it but still very unorganized

I don't get this....Price guarantee is that they will price match other stores. all the tvs and such say limited quantity? I mean that's cool that you all got what you wanted but i don't understand why they did

I still haven't gotten a call from them today...here to hoping for tomorrow! I was too tired to think I am going to call corporate tomorrow regardless. It is just very unsettling to me that I paid them money and I have nothing to show for it

 

[pixidustmom]

That really sucks. I am sorry you didn't get it.
I have to say my local Walmart was very organized compared to prior years. I got there at 3:30am they had the areas marked from where the map said the big tickets items would be. Each area was roped off and many staff members around. When you entered the line they asked how many you would be getting of the item and let you through. They still had the items in the back at at five minutes to five they began to roll them out and distribute them to each customer in line. I liked that you didn't wait in a line that had no items left and I also liked that I wasn't there forever for the 32 inch flat screen.
While my DD took turns waiting, both went looking around to find other deals, $3 pjs for grandson.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

I don't get this....Price guarantee is that they will price match other stores. all the tvs and such say limited quantity? I mean that's cool that you all got what you wanted but i don't understand why they did

I still haven't gotten a call from them today...here to hoping for tomorrow! I was too tired to think I am going to call corporate tomorrow regardless. It is just very unsettling to me that I paid them money and I have nothing to show for it

You did get your money back, right? I would still call them and let them know what happened because it's just wrong.

The walmart that I went to was fairly organized when I got there at 12:00am, but by five it was a zoo. At 12:00am, they passed out tickets at the beginning of the line for those of us lucky enough to get the item that we wanted. There was three of us trying to get three laptops for my kids and there was only 14 tickets. We had our tickets and we waited five hours in line but it went by pretty fast. They would only let us out of line for one, twenty minute bathroom break. I would have been LIVID if we had waited that long and not gotten them.

By the time that we checked out that place was wild. People were fighting over the towels and the sheets. There were so many people in there that it was hard to even get through to get out of the store. It was crazy.

I really think that even though everything went fairly smooth for us, they should have let us out of line with our tickets so that we could have shopped for other things before it got crazy busy. I was there for 5 hours and didn't buy anything else except for the laptops. I would have spent more money, but oh well. I go back later for those items I guess.