Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Walmart Woes

I've developed an unnatural love/hate relation with Wal-Mart. I love the low prices, but I HATE everything else about the store.
How to I hate Wal-Mart, Let me count the ways!
1. Dirty stores -- not all the stores are dirty, only the old ones. The new ones are usually relatively clean, but NEVER trust the bathrooms. Even in the newest stores, the bathrooms rival bus stations and rest stops for dirtiness. I think I've been in cleaner port-a-johns.
2. Customer Service -- What customer service? At a store nearby, I walked in to exchange an item at 10 am. There were 10 people in line, and 1 worker. That one worker was arguing for 10 minutes with a customer about a return. Finally, I gave up and left. When I returned later that day, it was the same situation.
3. Unstocked Shelves -- I was buying the Wal-Mart brand of baby formula. However, they would constantly run out. I would go to the store and face an empty shelf. I would ask the clerk if they had any in the back. They would just shrug and point to the liquid formula at the bottom. I don't want the liquid, I want the powder you idiot! Baby formula is not something stores should run out of. It's not like you can switch brands back and forth. My son was sensitive, and would take a day or two to adjust to a new brand.
4. Crazy fellow customers -- Wal-Mart attracts the craziest fellow shoppers. One time, a guy came up to me and pointed to my purse in the front of the cart. "Is that your purse?" "Yes," I answered. Then he berated me for 5 minutes about how he could steal my purse in 10 sec. flat and how I shouldn't leave it in the cart. Go away crazy man! It's my problem if my shit gets stolen by crazy Wal-Mart Shoppers. Also, never leave your CART unattended in Wal-Mart, even if it has stuff in it. Someone will steal it quicker than you can say "mental ward".
5. 100 check out lines -- 2 open checkouts. Why! I don't understand why they taunt you with unused lanes when you are standing in a long line with screaming children. It's like waving free crack under the nose if a crack head. Open up another line already! Put those greeters to work!
6. Speaking of greeters, they creep me out. Get rid of the greeters. They always smile a creepy smile at you, and try to strike up an inane conversation. Also, they will tackle you if there security system goes off by mistake. There is nothing better than being tackled by an 80 year old in a blue vest.
7. Inattention to detail -- In the Wal-Mart I shopped at in Indy, a three year old boy just died because a store display (a mirror) fell on him. What? Did someone forget to tighten the bolts, or did they just haphazardly stock the display? Once, when I was in a Wal-Mart, I went to grab a plastic produce bag, and the very heavy metal holder came crashing down on my foot. It wasn't attached to the display properly. Although my smashed toe wasn't life threatening, it could seriously hurt a child. Apparently you take your life in your hands when you shop at Wal-Mart!

1 comment:

Azure said...

Here's #8: Dead plants in the garden section. Does ANYONE even bother to water the Wal-Mart plants? The prices are so cheap, but every time I go in to pick up some flowers for the summer, their entire inventory is half dead.