# Dear Walmart **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 3, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554 "2014-11-03T21:38:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/1 "2014-11-03T21:38:07Z")
It is not convenient to order online if you won’t ship the item to my house even when my order exceeds 50 dollars… Do not make me traipse 3 days by camel to the extreme back corner of your 109 degree store to pick up my order. When your store is so hot I can’t stand to remain in it for one second longer than absolutely necessary, I’m not going to linger and shop just because you made me walk the entire length of the building. I’m old and not terribly mobile, and you made this an awful experience. If you were to ask me today, I’d tell you I’ll never be back. I may mellow in time, but at this point, it is doubtful. No price deal is good enough to make me do this again. This is why Amazon is kicking your you-know-what. Oh, and SCREW YOU. I know, I should have known better. Some people never learn. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/2 "2014-11-03T22:20:08Z")
Not to get in the way of a good Walmart rant, but some details might be nice. Why won’t they ship to you? ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/3 "2014-11-03T22:53:43Z")
If they won’t ship to you, can you at least use the ship to Fedex Office (aka Kinko’s) option? Yes, you’d still have to go somewhere to get your stuff, but it’s probably a much nicer somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/4 "2014-11-03T23:02:51Z")
> [@pohjonen](#): > > No price deal is good enough … This was my [del]epihpi[/del] [del]efipp[/del] [del]appiff[/del] something I realized as I was leaving WalMart for the last time coming up on a year ago. I hate that place, even the newer air-conditioned ones. It’s an impulse-buy pit. Once you understand that, you realize the check-out stands are intentionally understaffed so you have to wait and wait and wait and “Ooooh! shiny!” I recognize and admire the ruthlessness of the strategy, but I don’t appreciate the lack of respect for my time. Even if my private time is worth half of my salary time, I will never realize enough rollback savings to justify the time WalMart sucks away to get that discounted subpar product. Bad business going there, and bad for the soul as well. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/5 "2014-11-03T23:19:58Z")
Complaining about the service at Walmart is sort of like complaining about the lack of fine cuisine at McDonalds. Their whole business model is built on cutting overhead to the minimum and then cutting a bit more. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/6 "2014-11-03T23:22:20Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > This was my [del]epihpi[/del] [del]efipp[/del] [del]appiff[/del] something I realized as I was leaving WalMart for the last time coming up on a year ago. I hate that place, even the newer air-conditioned ones. I don’t believe I’ve ever been in a Wal-Mart that wasn’t air conditioned. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/7 "2014-11-04T00:01:36Z")
I’ve run into a similar situation with Barnes and Noble. Sometimes I’ll ask if they have a book and they’ll tell me they don’t have it in stock but can order it. Fair enough but then they’ll tell me they can only order it for an in-store pickup. Why would I want to combine the inconvenience of waiting for a special order with the inconvenience of driving back to the store? I can order the book through Amazon and they’ll deliver it right to my house. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/8 "2014-11-04T00:03:46Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > This was my [del]epihpi[/del] [del]efipp[/del] [del]appiff[/del] something I realized as I was leaving WalMart for the last time coming up on a year ago. I hate that place, even the newer air-conditioned ones. It’s an impulse-buy pit. Once you understand that, you realize the check-out stands are intentionally understaffed so you have to wait and wait and wait and “Ooooh! shiny!” I recognize and admire the ruthlessness of the strategy, but I don’t appreciate the lack of respect for my time. > > Even if my private time is worth half of my salary time, I will never realize enough rollback savings to justify the time WalMart sucks away to get that discounted subpar product. Bad business going there, and bad for the soul as well. What are you going to do though? Go to one of the other department stores in town? ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/9 "2014-11-04T00:08:36Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] What are you going to do though? Go to one of the other department stores in town? [/QUOTE] Good point. I thought Walmart was dreadful, but then I went to a Kmart. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/10 "2014-11-04T02:12:34Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > Not to get in the way of a good Walmart rant, but some details might be nice. Why won’t they ship to you? Dunno. The item was a “store pickup only” which I only learned when I selected a second item to reach the 50 buck requirement and tried to check out online. They would ship my underwear to my house, but not the tablet. Grrrrr. I’m sticking to Amazon from now on. I’ll be hot enough when I go to Hell. I don’t need a preview. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/11 "2014-11-04T02:23:01Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I don’t believe I’ve ever been in a Wal-Mart that wasn’t air conditioned. Too often it’s hard to tell. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/12 "2014-11-04T02:27:39Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Good point. I thought Walmart was dreadful, but then I went to a Kmart. Walmart is to Kmart as The French Riviera is to Cannery Row. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/13 "2014-11-04T04:03:25Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Walmart is to Kmart as The French Riviera is to Cannery Row. You haven’t been to Cannery Row lately, have you? It’s changed “a bit” since the 1940s. As for the OP: Oh, no… this deep discount retailer won’t cater to my exact need. First World Problems, anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/14 "2014-11-04T04:36:38Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Complaining about the service at Walmart is sort of like complaining about the lack of fine cuisine at McDonalds. Their whole business model is built on cutting overhead to the minimum and then cutting a bit more. And here I thought it was build on stepping on the employees, their rights and their dignity. I go to Walmart to study the colorful and interesting Walmartians shopping there. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/15 "2014-11-04T07:32:40Z")
I dislike Wal-Mart for all the usual reasons. I _ **HATE** _ that I am so poor that I can afford to support the remaining small shops only rarely. There is a reason Wally is the largest in the world. Yes, having impulse-buy stuff lining the check-out aisles is universal (in case you hadn’t noticed). At W-M, the candy bars there sell for .75. Most retail shops charge $1 for a candy bar. I do wish they’d drop tobacco - I suspect just having to pay full retail would save a few lives. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/16 "2014-11-04T12:36:20Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ve run into a similar situation with Barnes and Noble. Sometimes I’ll ask if they have a book and they’ll tell me they don’t have it in stock but can order it. Fair enough but then they’ll tell me they can only order it for an in-store pickup. > > Why would I want to combine the inconvenience of waiting for a special order with the inconvenience of driving back to the store? I can order the book through Amazon and they’ll deliver it right to my house. I once pointed that out to a B&N employee, and she looked at me blankly. I think she honestly didn’t get the point. SMH. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/17 "2014-11-04T13:17:54Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > I once pointed that out to a B&N employee, and she looked at me blankly. I think she honestly didn’t get the point. SMH. She looked at you blankly because there isn’t a goddamn thing she can do about it and she’s tired of customers badgering her over things she can’t do a goddamn thing about. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/18 "2014-11-04T14:33:34Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > This was my [del]epihpi[/del] [del]efipp[/del] [del]appiff[/del] something I realized as I was leaving WalMart for the last time coming up on a year ago. I hate that place, even the newer air-conditioned ones. It’s an impulse-buy pit. Once you understand that, you realize the check-out stands are intentionally understaffed so you have to wait and wait and wait and “Ooooh! shiny!” I recognize and admire the ruthlessness of the strategy, but I don’t appreciate the lack of respect for my time. > > Even if my private time is worth half of my salary time, I will never realize enough rollback savings to justify the time WalMart sucks away to get that discounted subpar product. Bad business going there, and bad for the soul as well. I’ve realized the same thing. Every time we go to WalMart, my husband is irritable as hell by the time we come out. Why the hell are we going in there? Yet, if we’re at the grocery store and I tell him we need shampoo, he automatically says, “Put it on the WalMart list.” Yeah, let’s go to this place that’s designed to put you in a bad mood and later we can have a fight. But we saved a freakin’ quarter. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/19 "2014-11-04T14:58:25Z")
Walmart has really slow lines but their convenient. What can you do? Target and KMart are just as bad in their own way. Order online if you can. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554/20 "2014-11-04T15:23:19Z")
What’s the deal with Walmart’s parking lot designs? Are they purposely designed to f with the customers and make the lot look like a total cluster? Is it to give the appearance that business is booming over at Walmart? Just look at the melee out front? Some rows are two-way mixed with a bunch of one-way rows that throw everyone off and you always get some moron going down a one-way the wrong way. And the bizarre parallel parking handicap spots? Waht a frickin mess. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-walmart/703554.md?page=2)