What IS it about Walmart??

[Rock'n Robin]

There are 3 Walmarts in the Toledo area, none particularly close to me. I got $25 in Walmart cards for having my students fill out a survey and decided to go buy some things DD#2 needed for a class project while they were at dance class. I was so grossed out! It was SHOPPING WITH CARNIES!!! On the way to the car a woman on her cell was yelling at her boyfriend and swearing like 10 sailors--I had DD#2 with me and I tried the evil glare(didn't work) before I finally yelled "HEY POTTYMOUTH! I HAVE A KID HERE!!!!" so she would at least lower her voice! Next time I'll give the gift cards to a needy student and stick to Target (which is 2 miles from me and much cleaner and nicer).
Robin M.

 

[kimisabella]

WOW - I didn't know about all this wal-mart contoversy. We just got a Walmart in our area about 5 months ago, and it's still a good 25 minute ride from our house. Only in the past couple of years has walmart ever appeared on LI. I have to say we love it. It isn't a super walmart and doesn't have a grocery store, but we find everything we need from soap, socks, paint, gardening supplies, ect..., and it is much lower than any other store. There is a target around the corner, but walmart has better selection and prices - we spoke w/a walmart employee and she said someone goes to the target around the corner every day to check prices and make sure their prices are lower.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

WOW - I didn't know about all this wal-mart contoversy.


Not really controversy more complaint and a tad of amazement b/c it is almost a culture unto itself. You will see!!

 

[toto2]

Wow , 5 walmarts in a 20 miles radius !


I have seen the future: evrybody dressed the same with inexpensive clothes from Wally !


Theyre is something almost...communist about having now One major store that sell just one type of cheap stuff !

What kind of society are we living in where we need to go shopping at 11 at night for a bed , a tv or our grocery ( this is not a comment about walmart , but more a comment on the crazy life we live !)

We can live and a capitalist world and dont agree with some pratice of the business and corporation aroud us ! It doesnt make us " socialist" or "communist".


I ralise that from one paragraph to the other , there is no link between them , but they are reactions to different things that were said on this thread.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

We have 2 wal-marts in our area. One is older and has been the only one until a few months ago. It served a pretty big area so is obviously showing some wear. Still, it's not that bad. The new one is great, but it is so huge! I feel like I walk for miles just to pick up a few things.

Our SuperTarget is great, but doesn't have the selection I like. I do shop there if I just need a few things. I do like it better overall.

 

[kerrynic78]

When we lived in CT my DH always told me never to go to Walmart alone after dark, the people in the store as well as the ones hanging out in the parking lot were pretty scary, not to mention that there was always a cop there arresting someone for shoplifting.

Now that we are in FL they are building one 5 minutes from our house and I just really hope that it is not as bad.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

YOu know I have posted this before but I truly think that there are special "vibes" that attract wackos to this store. Maybe it is the stale popcorn smell but really someone should do a study concerning the psychological state of Wal Mart customers. Hey if there is someone out there looking for a doctoral dissertation I am more than happy to let you use this one. You do not even have to cite me .

 

[missypie]

Yes, the "door greeters." What IS their purpose? They sure don't pull a cart out and give it to me. They sure don't dry the carts off on a rainy day. What do they tell them at orientation? "Your job is to stand in this spot and exist for 8 hours."

 

[Tinkim]

Tinkim,

Think about the p.t. people that are employed at WM? Many of them are looking to belong. They re ripe for the picking and if WM gives them a sense of belonging they "kill" themselves to support the group. Same as a cult mentality.

Sad but true. My DH was very excited about working for Wal*Mart in the beginning until they start sucking the life out of him. He went to a couple of the national meetings and if anyone has seen the documentary about Wal*Mart on TV you know what I am talking about. If you don't think that looks like a cult then I don't know what does. I don't know how far the p/t people get sucked in but I know management spends 70-80 hours there a week and gets nothing in return. They are on a salary because if they weren't they would be making a killing in overtime. My best friend just started working for Wal*Mart out of desperation as there aren't many available jobs around here right now for her. She knows what to expect though.

 

[chewbacca]

We are getting a new Super Wal-Mart here. I cannot wait to see how long it takes until the place is trashed like the old one...I give it a couple of months. I usually go in just long enough to buy formula and diapers then get out of there as soon as possible. My DH likes to walk in the door and say VERY LOUDLY "I need to get some propane!" (he sounds just like Hank Hill) I just walk away like I don't know who the heck he is!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I've never been inside a Wal-Mart, and from the sounds of it, I'm not missing anything! I always thought it was a version of K-Mart, and I don't go in those either.

 

[Stitchfans]

I hate Walmart also, but still shop there on occasion, cause even though I hate to admit it they often are cheaper than Target. Target is much closer to my home though so I do shop there more.

 

[luvindisneyworld]

I guess I am in the minority here,but I love my 2 Walmarts and I hate Target.I have been in our Target maybe 3 times and I have not bought anything.They do not have near the selection as Walmart and are way more expensive.The workers there are non existant and if you do find one they are very rude.
We just got a new SW and I go there every week and get my groceries.

So I guess I am considered one of the non bathing dirt on dirt stinking toothless Clampett.But I thats OK,maybe people will steer clear of me .

Misty

 

[Chattyaholic]

It would be interesting to do a search and see just how many "Wal-Mart Bashing" threads there are here. A new one comes up every few weeks.

I LOVE our local Wal-Mart, and others nearby that I've been in are fine too. I am waiting for them to build a Super Wal-Mart here. Our store is clean, most of the workers are nice and helpful, and the shelves are well stocked.

I think it depends on the AREA WHERE YOU LIVE....AND....management, as to the conditions of your Wal-Mart.

Management HERE won't tolerate a dirty store. Also, REGIONAL manager has a lot to do with it as well.

My DH is primarily a farmer but several years ago crop prices were at an all-time low for too long and he had to find employment off the farm as well. Wal-Mart hired him even though he had no "skills" other than in the farming industry. He was a good worker and they appreciated him. It was WONDERFUL having our health insurance paid for, since we had been paying it OURSELVES for many years. He was able to start a 401K while working there, had paid vacations/personal days, and was able to add quite a few shares of stock to our retirement portfolio.

Also, they were good enough to allow him TIME OFF EVERY SPRING AND FALL for farming, usually 4 weeks in the spring and 6 weeks in the fall. What other company will allow its employees to do something like that?? Not many!!

He worked for them more than 3 years, and although he enjoyed it and the people he worked with, it was getting harder on his body since most of his job was physical. They wanted him to get into management, but he knew he would have to give up farming if he did that and he wasn't willing to. But he learned a lot while he was there, and it was a good experience for him.

I don't agree with the poster who said something about the "quality" of the people who work for Wal-Mart, that wasn't very nice. Not everyone can be a doctor or lawyer, or they don't WANT to be. It's not the JOB that makes up a person's character. And my DD has worked at our Wal-Mart for 5+ years, in the accounting office. She has a college education but decided she didn't want to work in her field. She ENJOYS her job.

Oh, and the greeters here DO their job. We have several elderly men and women who work as greeters and they are ALL very nice and friendly. They smile and say hello when you walk in, they have carts lined up individually and keep adding more as they are taken by customers, and they have one that smiles and tells you goodbye and/or "thanks for coming in" when you leave!! Like I said, I CAN'T WAIT until ours goes SUPER-CENTER!!!

 

[Michie]

As much as I gripe about Walmart, they do have the cheapest prices for the things I buy for my household. There are few Walmarts in my area that are dirty and the employees are not very helpful. There is another one that is in a community the opposite way from my home and office so I do drive out of my way to shop there.

 

[happybratpack]

What kind of society are we living in where we need to go shopping at 11 at night for a bed , a tv or our grocery ( this is not a comment about walmart , but more a comment on the crazy life we live !)

Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I just don't have enough time to get everything done during "normal" hours.

 

[Michie]

Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I just don't have enough time to get everything done during "normal" hours.

Me too! Also I would rather shop in the evening instead of during the day when it is 100 degree outside.

 

[disneymom3]

Target pays it's employees more than Wal-Mart does theirs. It really makes an impact on the quality of people who apply for work. I think that makes a HUGE differance! Target also (at least they did when I worked there 10 years ago) offers health benifits to both p/t and f/t employees, and they pay a rather large share of the cost. Really makes a differance, I think!

Sadly, Target benefits for pt are not as good as they used to be. DH worked there in the time that we consider him to have been unemployed--he did nightstocking--and he started out with good benefits, but they announced a change was coming in a certain amount of days just before he got his reg. job. I will say though, that he found Target to be obsessive about the cleanliness of their stores. Floors had to be polished to a certain shine every single night, they had a certain (very short) amount of time to respond to spills and things like that.

The Walmart near us used to be really nice when we first moved in. In this last year though it has gone down down down hill! It is a pit now and I hate shopping there. It's so close that I tend to go there anyway, but there is a SuperTarget under construction about 5 min away and I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I actually had talked to the Walmart mgr a couple of years ago and told him how impressed with the store I was because it was so clean and they didnt' have a bunch of junk in the aisles. Not anymore! I can't even walk down any of hte main aisles adn have my 5 yo hold onto the side of the cart without crashing into junk. I hate that!

 

[disneymom3]

My husband had a friend who was at a Super Walmart in Arkansas I think. It was opening day and his friend worked for a big food company so he was there getting samples ready to give out before the store opened. Half hour before the store opened they had like an employee rally. My husband's friend was a little unerved b/c he felt it was so cultish. They all got together and joined arms in a circle and began chanting "Wal-Mart" over and over. The manager was like the cheer leader. Stuff like this went on for about the full half hour. My husband's friend was amazed and a little afraid. LOL

If you think Target doesn't do this, you are sadly mistaken. And this was opening day at least. When DH was a Target, they had one of these little cheering sessions every single day! It was the thing he hated most about his job.

And, I have to admit that the Walmart here does have a vastly better selection of everything than Target. It's just the crowdedness of the aisles that drives me crazy. Not much difference in the people shopping in either store here. And the employess are also fine at our WM.

 

[safetymom]

I am a fan of Wal Mart. Daughter also worked for them and doesn't have a bad word to say about them either.

I am also one of those that shop late at night or very early in the morning. I like Target but Wal Mart is our favorite store.