Wal-mart sells box of rocks -- twice...

[Kevin A]

I really do not like wal-mart. I rarely go there. The last time I went, they didn't put the items I purchased into my shopping cart. This seemed to be normal, I looked around and other customers were even bagging their own stuff. Did I mention the customer service was excellent, though? I liked how the cashier never greeted me, rang my stuff up, and didn't even tell me the total, leaving me to say ," Uh, I guess that'll be 59.99?" After looking at me like I was crazy, saying "yup" and handing me the receipt, I truly felt like a special customer!

sorry I have to jump in...I can list dozens and dozens of stores, resturants, movie houses, gas stations, beauty salons that this has happened to me. The list is endless All clerks have bad days. I really dont believe that Wal Mart or any store TRAIN their staff to be rude. I know they have training to give good customer service. I would LOVE to have a WalMart where I live.

But, they do train them how to fill out forms to get government assistance to augment their below or near poverty level wages, and how to get government paid health care when they get sick or hurt.

There is a high cost to those low prices.

CD, I assume you have sources to back up your comment?

[Oasis Maker]

I really do not like wal-mart. I rarely go there. The last time I went, they didn't put the items I purchased into my shopping cart. This seemed to be normal, I looked around and other customers were even bagging their own stuff. Did I mention the customer service was excellent, though? I liked how the cashier never greeted me, rang my stuff up, and didn't even tell me the total, leaving me to say ," Uh, I guess that'll be 59.99?" After looking at me like I was crazy, saying "yup" and handing me the receipt, I truly felt like a special customer!

sorry I have to jump in...I can list dozens and dozens of stores, resturants, movie houses, gas stations, beauty salons that this has happened to me. The list is endless All clerks have bad days. I really dont believe that Wal Mart or any store TRAIN their staff to be rude. I know they have training to give good customer service. I would LOVE to have a WalMart where I live.

But, they do train them how to fill out forms to get government assistance to augment their below or near poverty level wages, and how to get government paid health care when they get sick or hurt.

There is a high cost to those low prices.

CD, I assume you have sources to back up your comment?

Unfortunately it's true. I've read reports (and saw a documentary) showing the below link and how they avoid providing their employees with health benefits. (I'm not a conspiracy guy either). The record is what it is with that company.

Scott G.

http://walmartwatch.com/pages/healthcare

[caseydog]

I really do not like wal-mart. I rarely go there. The last time I went, they didn't put the items I purchased into my shopping cart. This seemed to be normal, I looked around and other customers were even bagging their own stuff. Did I mention the customer service was excellent, though? I liked how the cashier never greeted me, rang my stuff up, and didn't even tell me the total, leaving me to say ," Uh, I guess that'll be 59.99?" After looking at me like I was crazy, saying "yup" and handing me the receipt, I truly felt like a special customer!

sorry I have to jump in...I can list dozens and dozens of stores, resturants, movie houses, gas stations, beauty salons that this has happened to me. The list is endless All clerks have bad days. I really dont believe that Wal Mart or any store TRAIN their staff to be rude. I know they have training to give good customer service. I would LOVE to have a WalMart where I live.

But, they do train them how to fill out forms to get government assistance to augment their below or near poverty level wages, and how to get government paid health care when they get sick or hurt.

There is a high cost to those low prices.

CD, I assume you have sources to back up your comment?

Yes, but you won't believe my sources, so do your own research.

Hey, Wal Mart is the biggest employer in America. Is that a good thing? It used to be that a person could work a forty hour week and support a family. Now, two people have to work fifty hour weeks to support a family, unless they are Wall Street investment bankers, who get to get everything wrong and still collect bonuses off of phoney accounting practices.

Wal Mart is the Standard Oil of the new millennium. Billionaire owners making more billions off of people working hard to live in poverty. A Wal Mart age would be a reincarnation of the Gilded Age.

But, I'm a bleeding-heart liberal. I actually believe that a person who works forty hours a week should be able to live above poverty level.

CD

[Miriam C.]

But, I'm a bleeding-heart liberal. I actually believe that a person who works forty hours a week should be able to live above poverty level.

No one arguing with that. Just if you boycott Walmart you need to go after all the other stores and restaurants. It is common practice and if we all Unionize we can be like Detroit. Rich Union bosses are as bad a rich Wally world execs. Get that bonus on the backs of the workers.

Just an Independent dummy. Hey what happens if we all go register Independent? ? ? Will they understand? Will they fight among themselves and give us something to laugh at finally..something to applaud???

[Laredo]

No, I don't believe that we would need to boycott all the stores -- just the ones that regularly mistreat customers. This twice-sold box of rocks is just one example, and Wal-Mart (just like those Wall Street outfits) has gotten so big it no longer cares.

Caseydog, are your sources local?

I had a kid brother who worked for Wal-Mart before and after he was deployed to Desert Shield/Storm. At that time the company's policy was to have one employee per store who worked more than 36 hours per week (any less is a part-time job in Texas). The schedules had to be carefully arranged so that employees' time never gave them four consecutive hours off during "business hours" between Monday and Friday. Also at that time Wal-Mart refused to enter a community if they could not be guaranteed breaks on property taxes.

[caseydog]

No, I don't believe that we would need to boycott all the stores -- just the ones that regularly mistreat customers. This twice-sold box of rocks is just one example, and Wal-Mart (just like those Wall Street outfits) has gotten so big it no longer cares.

Caseydog, are your sources local?

I had a kid brother who worked for Wal-Mart before and after he was deployed to Desert Shield/Storm. At that time the company's policy was to have one employee per store who worked more than 36 hours per week (any less is a part-time job in Texas). The schedules had to be carefully arranged so that employees' time never gave them four consecutive hours off during "business hours" between Monday and Friday. Also at that time Wal-Mart refused to enter a community if they could not be guaranteed breaks on property taxes.

I would think that there are differences between rural, urban and suburban stores as to some policies, but my only "personal" contact was with a guy who worked at a Wal-Mart near Port Arthur after a layoff at the refineries and while looking for another refinery job. In his "training" session, they were shown how to fill out forms for things like food stamps and section 8 housing. He was shocked.

CD

[caseydog]

But, I'm a bleeding-heart liberal. I actually believe that a person who works forty hours a week should be able to live above poverty level.

No one arguing with that. Just if you boycott Walmart you need to go after all the other stores and restaurants. It is common practice and if we all Unionize we can be like Detroit. Rich Union bosses are as bad a rich Wally world execs. Get that bonus on the backs of the workers.

Just an Independent dummy. Hey what happens if we all go register Independent? ? ? Will they understand? Will they fight among themselves and give us something to laugh at finally..something to applaud???

It is not so much a boycott -- I will go there but not as my first choice. If I can't find something elsewhere, I'll go to Wal-Mart.

I used to have a Sam's Club membership, but then got a special offer for Costco membership, and switched. The merchandise was pretty much the same stuff, but what I noticed right away is that the Costco employees seemed to be in much higher spirits. They seemed happy to be at work. They smiled and were eager to help me. At the Sam's I used to go to in the same town, the employees seemed to be in a bad mood all the time. They would help me if I asked for help, but they just didn't seem happy to help -- or to be at work at all.

At the three Target stores I go to (I live literally in the middle of a triangle of Target stores), the employees smile a lot, too. I had trouble finding some Dole Pineapple juice at one Target, and asked for help. The employee could not find it, either, but knew that they had it. We gave up looking -- or at least I did. Five minutes later, this guy finds me in the store with an armload of Dole Pinapple Juice. He found a few cases in the stockroom that were not out yet, and searched me out. You can't teach that kind of service -- it's what happy employees do naturally.

When employees are treated well by their employers, they do better work. When I see sloppy work and bad attitudes from retail employees, I have to wonder how the boss is treating them.

[planovet]

When I see sloppy work and bad attitudes from retail employees, I have to wonder how the boss is treating them.

True in some cases I'm sure, but I believe in most cases it's a lack of a good work ethic. As an employer I see it at times. I don't mean to rag on the younger generation but I have seen that their general work ethic is much poorer. When I was an employee in college, I busted my butt. Not because I liked the boss or not but because it was what you were “supposed” to do. Younger people have a sense of entitlement these days that drags down their whole work ethic. Just my humble opinion.

[caseydog]

When I see sloppy work and bad attitudes from retail employees, I have to wonder how the boss is treating them.

True in some cases I'm sure, but I believe in most cases it's a lack of a good work ethic. As an employer I see it at times. I don't mean to rag on the younger generation but I have seen that their general work ethic is much poorer. When I was an employee in college, I busted my butt. Not because I liked the boss or not but because it was what you were “supposed” to do. Younger people have a sense of entitlement these days that drags down their whole work ethic. Just my humble opinion.

I'm not referring to an age group. I see it in all age groups of employees who don't like who they work for.

CD

[Laredo]

"work ethic" is often a reflection of how well -- or poorly -- an employee is treated at work.

The corporate policies of Wal-Mart range from irresponsible to despicable.
Now that they've eliminated carrying fabric and notions (and since, for years now, they've said that anything they can't sell in Bentonville won't be carried in the stores once current stock is gone) as well as any USA-made products, it gladdens my heart to see local businesses getting more traffic and Wal-Mart less.

People eventually figure out that the price of cheap goods isn't always just the dollars and cents.

[cokebottle10]

Anybody remember Woolco. Then Kmart came along. When was the last time you were in Kmart. If Walmart keeps going like it is going then someone else will knock it off the top for lack of items and service.

Only people with extra money can afford to buy cheap crap that you use a few times then throw it out. Not too many of us have that extra money anymore.

David.

[chorizon]

I really do not like wal-mart. I rarely go there. The last time I went, they didn't put the items I purchased into my shopping cart. This seemed to be normal, I looked around and other customers were even bagging their own stuff. Did I mention the customer service was excellent, though? I liked how the cashier never greeted me, rang my stuff up, and didn't even tell me the total, leaving me to say ," Uh, I guess that'll be 59.99?" After looking at me like I was crazy, saying "yup" and handing me the receipt, I truly felt like a special customer!

sorry I have to jump in...I can list dozens and dozens of stores, resturants, movie houses, gas stations, beauty salons that this has happened to me. The list is endless All clerks have bad days. I really dont believe that Wal Mart or any store TRAIN their staff to be rude. I know they have training to give good customer service. I would LOVE to have a WalMart where I live.

I respect everyone's personal opinion as to whether something is good or bad. My story about my experience at wal-mart was meant to be entertaining, not denigrating a group of people that choose to shop there.

It was indicative of the experiences I've had there over the course of several years (several visits). I would suck at working retail, and I realize everyone has a bad day. I'll grant most places many chances before I figure out its best to avoid them. Since I've had disproportionately more negative experiences at wal-mart than positive, I choose to avoid the place, that's all.

Like CD, I am fortunate enough to live in an area where I have many other more preferable (for me) choices. My company treats their employees well. Most of our employees respond positively. Those that do not are the classic example of those that feel entitled to get something for nothing. Bad apples, and we are better to be rid of them. That being said, I agree with Laredo and Mark in the sense that when I consistently receive poor service from a place, I assume one of two things.

The management is unable to reign in their employees and make them perform their work satisfactorily.

The work conditions are such that the employees just don't care about their job, because their employer does not care about them.

Or more likely all of the above.

Only people with extra money can afford to buy cheap crap that you use a few times then throw it out. Not too many of us have that extra money anymore.

David.

I agree with this as well. We do a lot of research before purchasing just about anything. From cars and TVs to vacuum-cleaners and irons. We eventually always find a better deal on a better product than wal-mart offers. It may cost a little more, but it will be worth it in the long run.

I still do go by and compare prices. As a matter of fact I am going to buy my deep-cycle battery there. But it'll probably be early in the AM, before the place gets busy.