Your stand on Walmart

[pokeplayer984]

Okay, it's obvious we all have some issues with Walmart.  Let's get them off our chest, shall we?

I'll start with the fact that I work there and am able to keep a clear enough mind to understand what is really going on back there.  For their employees, it's worse then you think.

First off, even though they SAY they give you control of your schedule when you're a full-time employee, it is actually quite limited.  True you get vacation time, but only so little.  I have worked my butt off for 4 years and I only get 2 weeks worth of vacation time.  On top of this, I'm forced to work on Sundays when my religion encourages me NOT to work Sundays.  Also, they say that if they give me Sundays off, I get shifted to PART TIME, which doesn't work for me.  It would mean a loss of benefits and other things, and I just can't have that.

For some of my fellow workers, it's worse.  Favorites are being played in some cases.  Some workers request days off and never get them, yet others do, who really don't need them.  There was a recent issue that I heard from a fellow employee that she had requested the day of her son's graduation off for quite a few weeks.  When the schedule came up, guess what?  She doesn't have it off.  So now she is going to miss one of the most important days of her son's life and she feels like the worst mother in the world because of a b**** of an employer who just hates her.

We do have a policy called "Open Door" to resolve such issues, but when the Store Manager just can't see you because of your schedule being at night and his being at day, or vice versa, it becomes a problem.

Also, it hasn't helped that there's no music anymore.  We stress out a lot over this job.  We need something to help relax ourselves for crying out loud!

And the latest system changes has hurt both the associate and the customer.  From now on we have to register items in and out of the back.  It doesn't help because of the fact that we are limited the device necessary to do this job.  As such, there are times we can't help the customer like we can, just because we have the item in the back, but can't register it out, because we don't have the device with us.

Finally, the last issue I will point out is the fact that they have no longer allowed us to call employees to other departments by overhead.  Walkies were assigned to employees to resolve this issue, but not everyone got one.  I became one of those unfortunates, and so I can't call someone over like I used to when a customer needs it the most.

Oh, and forget about asking them to buy more, they have to buy the things by the box and each one costs thousands of store dollars to get, so each box costs them in the millions.  Not worth it.

Well, I'm done for now, but I've only touched the tip of the iceburg of how bad it is for us employees.  I've got a lot more.

When it comes down to it, Walmart was really the worst choice for me to work at, and they suckered me in with better benefits and a higher paycheck.  How can you not say no to that when you're desperate for a job like I was?

[landbeforetimelover]

Entire books have been written about Walmart because it's so bad.  I'll try not to write a book out of this topic.

Walmart totally sucks.  I hope their business goes down the f****** toilet.  I really do (though I'd be sorry for you if you lost your job Pokeplayer. ).  I'd rather sell my soul to the Devil then work at Walmart.  

Do you have any idea what their markup is?  If they get an item for $.15 (fifteen cents), they sell it for $40 or more!  On top of that, they absolutely refuse to go down on their prices.  I'll give you an example.  At the Walmart by me, there's a 6gb (six gigabyte) external hard drive!  It originally came out like 8 years ago and it sold for $119.  Guess how much it is right now?  It's on SUPER SALE for $89!  I wouldn't pay $1 for it.  

The way they can get away with treating their employees sickens me.  They pay so little and then tell their employees that they can get 10% off if they buy stuff from Walmart since they're an employee.  And Walmart acts like they're doing their employees a favor. That's just bull shit.  What they're doing is trying to pay their employees less.  Think about it.  If you buy $100 worth of stuff from them, you only pay $90.  But how much did they pay for the stuff you bought?  Probably around $1-$2.  So in reality, instead of them paying you $900 that month, they saved themselves about $89!  So in reality they paid you $811 for that month.  

I don't buy anything from Walmart.  It's a piece of shit store.  Their stuff never goes on sale and they're just narcissistic bastards that aren't being regulated.  Target on the other hand is great.  If their stuff has been on the shelves for awhile and not selling as fast as they want it to, they'll put it on sale for really cheap.  One example was this one time I got these 512mb flash drives for only $4 each.  See, they bought these flash drives, but the design really sucked and they were a little more than the other 512mb drives they sold.  So what does Target do about this?  They knock the price down from $25 down to $15.  It still doesn't sell to well so they knock them down to $4.  And they don't wait 5 years to knock the price down.  If it's been on the shelves for a few weeks and hasn't sold too well they'll put it on sale.  And if they knock it down once and it still doesn't sell well, within a few days they knock it down again until it sells.  I got a 750gb external hard drive for $30 from them once because it was a really bad design and didn't stand up too good.  I just took it out of the case and put it inside a computer.

But anyways, back to Walmart.  Have you ever tasted their food?  It sucks!  It's like they get the factory rejects.  On top of that, it expires like 5 minutes after you leave the store.  And most of their stuff is more expensive than it is at the grocery store.  Once I had to let an employee know that there was a gallon of milk on the shelf that was over a week old.  Yeah, A WEEK OLD!!!  Their clothes totally suck too.  Shirts pill up and don't survive being washed 5 times.  Gee, I'm glad I got that shirt for like $2 less than it would have been at the GAP. :

Their bathrooms SUCK.  That's all I'm going to say about that.

They always have some sort of guy/gal at the front checking bags who is like.....I'm sorry to say this but they always seem to have some sort of mental condition.  I'm all for providing jobs for the mentally and physically disabled/challenged, but make them a greeter, not someone who has to check your returns please!  They really don't even have the mental capacity to do that.

Walmart is an all-around shitty store.  I'm sorry but that's the only word that can describe it.  I will personally NEVER shop there in my life.  I can't wait till they go down the toilet and are replaced with someone who has good business practices.

[pokeplayer984]

Okay, now I'm going to go into the Paycheck deal.

Within the four years I've worked at Wal*mart, my paycheck has gone from $8.60 per hour to $10.00 per hour.  However, if we look at a few particular things, we realize it should be higher.

According to the law, there is a minimum one must pay an employee per hour, which goes up $.70 each year.

Now, if we go by that standard, and believe that each employee should go up $.70 per year if they remain loyal to everything, it shows that my paycheck should be $12.10 per hour. (Given the fact that I've gone through 5 increases within the time.)

The fact is that the most an associate can increase their paycheck is $.50 per hour, and that's when one goes beyond expectations, and that's hard to meet.  I've only met the expectations each year, which means only a $.40 per hour increase in the end. (Not to mention got a $.20 loss because of the fact that I switched areas at one point and neglected to look at the pay standards of the area before making the decision.)

Now think about those that are payed minimum wage right at the start.  They would easily fall below the amount required, which would mean they would be working less than what they should in only a few years.  This is law breaking by all standards.

The minimum one should go up is $.70 per hour.  Bottom line!  It's just wrong for your increase to be $.30 to $.50 per hour each year.

It doesn't stop there.  Despite the fact that they give you benefits, the proceeds come out of your paycheck, so you are payed less in the end.  Let's do the math again, shall we?

Considering the fact that I am payed $10.00 per hour, and work 37 hours per week normally, (had to cut them on Sunday just and so that I can go to church.) I should be making $370.00 per week, meaning $740.00 per paycheck under normal standards, since you are payed biweekly.  However, after benefits cuts, it drops to $260.00 per week, meaning $520.00 per paycheck.

It's obvious that they are making you pay for the benefits and not the company itself, and they say they are paying for it when you start.

They are even breaking law when it comes to paychecks.  How does one get away with all this?  I thought our justice system was better than this.

[DarkHououmon]

My stand on Walmart is this: I go there for shopping reasons only. Despite what I've heard about Walmart, I do enjoy going there and buying stuff. My family has been going there for years and we aren't about to stop just because of what some people say about it. We've been satisfied with their products and haven't had an issue. It is from Walmart that I've got most of my electronic stuff, namely the DVDs, games, CDs, and Wii points cards.

I don't let what people say about Walmart change my mind about shopping there. I don't see a reason to let it bother me. So long as the products work for me, I'm still going there. So please don't try to change my mind about Walmart. My mind's made up already.

With the financial issues my family is in, we cannot afford to spare too much money, so Walmart is one of our best bets. As of now, K-Mart is closer but we hate shopping there because everything seems to be, like, twice the price at Walmart. Why should we spend so much on an item at K-Mart when we can go to Walmart and get the same thing for less? Because of this, when dad whenever shops, he never goes to K-Mart; he either goes to Walmart, Giant, or Mallard Market, all of which are back in the old town we used to live in, about 15 minutes away. The only places to shop close by here are K-Mart and Path-Mark, both of which are very expensive in comparison to Giant, Mallard Market, and Walmart.

[Nimrod]

I can¥t say much about it, we don¥t have a Walmart here in germany. Or we do, but it has another name.

[Petrie.]

Depending on where you live, there is no other place relatively close than WalMart.  If you have no choice, then WalMart is your saviour unless you want to drive thirty miles to somewhere else.  Some just don't have a choice but to support the company despite shady business practices.

I for one, avoid WalMart whenever possible.  Here's the issue though--just because of where I live--kinda in the middle of nowhere--if I need a certain item, my only chance of finding the said item at a decent price is at Wally World--and that's twenty miles from me.  I could drive thirty miles to hit Target if I wanted, but what would be the point of that because their business model looks like Wally World.  If you're going to slam WalMart, you need to slam every other big-box store out there--they're all the same!  They could not be competitive in the price-wars if they couldn't cut labor hours.

Its a double-edged sword for most consumers - spend more at a smaller store (if one is there) for an item, or spend less at WalMart?  Is the item quality much different?  In most cases, no, it came from somewhere overseas unless it was handmade close by, and in which case, you'd be paying a lot more.  Most who shop at Wally World couldn't necessarily afford such a cost, so we have a vicious cycle here.  You don't earn enough to buy somewhere else, so you have to eat out of the hand that offers the goods for less...the model we hate.  You have a choice, but you need to survive as well.

[DarkHououmon]

Despite that, I haven't changed my mind about Walmart. I still plan on shopping there.

[Lillefot]

I can't say, because Walmart doesn't exist in Sweden.
However, I have heard nothing but bad things about it.
Some years ago, there was a program on TV called "Bullshit", and at one time they were focusing on Walmart. I remember myself lauging, because some things about Walmart were absolutley ridiculous!

[Nimrod]

Despite that, I haven't changed my mind about Walmart. I still plan on shopping there.

I think no one here wants to change your mind Kacie. It¥s just the opinion of the others ;-) If you like shopping there, then no one will bar you from going to Walmart.

[DarkHououmon]

From the way he worded the first part of his message, I thought Petrie was addressing me. Sorry. ^^;

[Compy-Rex]

Meh, I've never liked Wal-Mart much, I usually shop at Target, it;s much cleaner. Sure, they restock what I'm looking for a lot and they have cheaper prices, but hey have, say fifteen registers, only about three are occupied by a cashier, and the lines are so long. Also, it's basically a warehouse and there's litter everywhere. Definetly not as good as Target, but at least it smells better than K-Mart.

[crazedwriter]

I live close to 2 Walmarts, and yes I will shop there on occasion. Given the choice of big box "superstores" , I'd choose Target or Meijer. Both have better track records Re: customers and employees (I worked at both), and both have what Walmart so sadly lacks: Class.

My sister insists Walmart is reaping the benefits of the recession, hoping hard times last longer. Less $$$ in consumers' pockets means more will flock to Walmart, thus more profit for "Wally World". Do I smell a conspiracy?  :blink:

I only shop there when I absolutely have to, like when I need crochet thread or yarn. Otherwise, I can pass it by. Their produce and meats suck big time. Don't get their clothes, especially those Faded Glory socks. I have circulation issues, and Wally World's socks are the bane of my existence. Why do they have a thin elastic band...in the cuff??!!  Stupid stupid! :mad Get thee to Target!

[Petrie.]

From the way he worded the first part of his message, I thought Petrie was addressing me. Sorry. ^^;

Nope; actually I didn't address anyone.  Some people really have no choice but to shop at WalMart depending on where they live.  There's just no other stores that can offer what they do.

[pokeplayer984]

Okay, now I'm going to talk about the security of Walmart.

Do I even need to elaborate here?  Products are stolen every day from Walmart.  I estimate from my store alone we lose over 100 items per day from theft alone.  It gets even worse by the number of products customers open daily just to look at them.  We don't have the "you break/open it, you bought it" policy, so we lose whatever is opened or broken by the customer.

Our security system is crap.  Thieves can easily steal anything from us.  You know those security cameras on top?  They're just for show.  So we don't have a security system.  Period.

If we do spot a thief, we can't hold them, call 911 or anything.  The managers are the only ones allowed to call 911.  We aren't allowed to hold them off like we should.  All we can do is walk up to them and hint to them that we know we're on to them.  They can still bolt and get away with the item.

Weren't we taught as kids that theft is wrong?  So why aren't we allowed to stop them?  I'm sure a number of customers would be glad to see us doing what's right.

Fact is, this makes Walmart look like an accomplice to whatever thieves walk into the store.  It actually gives me one more reason to want to leave this job.

[action9000]

As far as I know, practically every store in existance has a "don't chase after shoplifters" policy.  This is to protect the safety of the workers.  It shows that the business is more concerned about protecting their employees than protecting their products.  To be fair, this is probably to prevent lawsuits but nevertheless, that policy exists for your safety, not to aid shoplifters.

[Jasper]

I live by two Wal-Marts and me and my family go to either one. The first one is the standard one that everyone sees everyday and the other one is this.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Walmart_NMK3.jpg

Note: The Wal-Mart that is pictured is the one that I got to everyday when needed.

[landbeforetimelover]

If you're going to slam WalMart, you need to slam every other big-box store out there--they're all the same!

I'm sorry but I strongly object to this statement.  Walmart strategically goes into towns with tons of small businesses and wipes them all out.  If they can get a good enough stronghold, they can be the only store in town and prevent their competitors from gaining ground in that area.  Talk about despicable!  They screw people who only make enough to live a border-line comfortable life in order to increase their enormous pocketbook that is so large they could plop in into the ocean and call it the 8th continent.

[Jasper]

Uhhh.....Guys chill, before this gets a little out of hand.

[landbeforetimelover]

Uhhh.....Guys chill, before this gets a little out of hand.

My anger isn't directed at any member here, but at Walmart.  We're just engaging in the discussion of our opinions and trying to support them with facts.  It's healthy.  I haven't talked about Walmart for quite some time.

[Caustizer]

I live in a small town and one problem we have here is that there is nowhere else to buy some of the things Walmart sells in town, or at least not at the price and the selection that is to be desired.

So overall i'm quite neutral on the subject of Walmart - but i don't go there unless its the only place to go for what I need.