This is why I hate Wal-Mart

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#1

Just need to blow off some steam. Bear with me please.

Final Fantasy 8 came out on the playstation this week, as I’m sure a lot of you already know. Unfortunately, due to something called college, I wasn’t able to get to the store to buy my copy until today. When I finally got to the mall, the toy stores were sold out.

Now, I’m not very fond of Wal-Mart to begin with, but sometimes a gamer’s instincts override common sense (not to mention K-mart was sold out). So I go to Wal-Mart and in the electronics section they have several copies of FF8. I’m delighted.

So I take it up to the front counter and get out my checkbook. The clerk rings it up and it comes to. . . ten dollars OVER the price on the game, which is right on the package. I point this out to the clerk, who says that the price he rang up is the right price. I ask him why it’s ten dollars over the game price and he tells me that it’s because Wal-Mart was kind enough to have the game in stock.

There’s a line behind me that’s about six people long at this point, but I’m not going to just shut up and pay. “Let me get this straight,” I tell the clerk. “If I want the game I’m going to have to pay ten dollars more than the regular price. . . just because you HAVE it?”

“That’s right,” the clerk says.

“That’s scalping,” I tell him. “Why should I pay ten dollars more just because you have the game?”

“Well, if you want it, you’re going to have to pay the ten dollars,” the clerk says.

“If I want it I’ll go to another store,” I tell him, and I leave.

Okay, so it’s only ten dollars. But I just can’t stand to pay something that’s so obviously overpriced (remember, the sticker right on the game was ten dollars less than the price they wanted me to pay) so the Walton’s can make an extra buck. I’d rather wait until K-mart gets their next shipment and pay the regular price.

So, anyway, I’m home and I’m without FF8, but I think I came away with a moral victory, if nothing else. I also believe some of the people behind me in line decided to go somewhere else too after my argument with the clerk. I hope they did. I hope I cost the big W some sales.
– Sylence

“The problem with reality is the lack of background music.” – Anon

#2

That reminds me of the old joke:

A Russian is standing in a long line to buy bread. Finally he gets to the front of the line, and goes to buy his loaf.

“That’ll be 200 Rubles”, says the shopkeeper.

“200 Rubles!?!”, says the man, “That’s rediculous! The store across the street charges only 100 Rubles for bread!”

“Then why don’t you go buy the bread over there?”, asks the shopkeeper.

“They’re out of bread today.”

“Sir, if we were out of bread, our price would be 100 Rubles as well.”

Welcome to capitalism!

peas on earth

#3

I hate Wal-mart because they’ve gone into so many small towns and destroyed Main Street. Pure greed. If there is a hell, I hope Sam is burning in it right now. I hear Vermont is doing a fair job of keeping them out, and guess what? Their small towns (well, I guess they’re all small towns), actually have a sizable middle class of small store owners. Now that they’ve put a lot of small businesses out of business, they’re going after large grocery chains. Pretty soon, it’s gonna be one big Wal-mart. Bastards.

Therealbubba

#4

IIRC, there are laws in some states that have to do with giving the customer a refund or restitution of some sort if things don’t ring up properly.

Or maybe I’m just talking straight out of my ass.

I would have complained to the manager BIG TIME. I don’t think they can charge you $10 over what they tagged it. The cashier was bullshitting you.

#5

I’ll add my complaints to the pile. They actually apply to both Kmart and Walmart–my experiences at both have been nearly identical.

For one, their cashiers/clerks have to be THE slowest people on earth. My alst visit to Kmart had me waiting in line for 15 minutes while the Pokey Little Clerk rang up the 2 people in front of me. When he finally got to my stuff, he had no idea how to ring up the coupon I’d brought. He rang stuff up, then thought he’d void it out, then thought hey–I’ll ring it up! Only to have the manager come and yup…they needed to void it out. It was absurd. It took so long (like 30min from the time I got in line), and I was late for an appointment. I finally just walked out and left the merchandise on the counter. I’ve not been back since.

For another, well, the clientele isn’t the most thrilling. Stuff is thrown everywhere, people are shoving and rude, clerks are ignorant, children run amuck and well…I can’t shop at these stores anymore because I don’t want to develop a wrong attitude. Might be too late.

#6

The cashier was indeed bullshitting you, probably because he didn’t want to take the trouble to call a manager and get the computer glitch (or price marking error) straightened out.

Go back to the store, talk to the management, and throw the necessary fit.

Catrandom, who lives where there are no Wal-Marts, so has no opinion about them.

#7

Wow, we’ve never had any problems anything like that where I live (a city of about 30,000 in BC, Canada). In fact, before we had a Wal-Mart here, everyone was driving to a nearby town 45 minutes away just for Wal-Mart, because all we had here was a Zellers. Zellers, being the only real department store in town, had higher than expected prices. Small businesses also charged very unreasonable prices, because they could ($150 for a basic swimsuit? Puh-leez!).

Since we got the Wal-Mart, it has kept business in town, small businesses are thriving, the small business owners like the competition (there was a discussion over the issue on the radio, and their forced lower prices have brought them business), prices at both department stores are lower, more people are coming here from other smaller towns for our Wal-Mart, and the construction and staffing created many much needed jobs.

The staff is very friendly and efficient. The only people that tick me off are the ones who tape any shopping bags shut that you’re carrying, to prevent shoplifting, but that’s a store policy that the local managers don’t set.

All considered, Wal-Mart has been very good to us.

Zu

#8

Just to tell you…and I know you are gonna hate this.

FF8 is the BEST game I have EVER played! I am only one disc 1 and its wonderful!!!
Buy it…Buy it quick

#9

Zulu writes: Small businesses also charged very unreasonable prices, because they could ($150 for a basic swimsuit? Puh-leez!).

Three things:

 1. How much is Wal-Mart paying you?

 2. What does $150.00 Canadian work
     out to in real money?

 3. Did your bathing suit fall apart
     after one month (the swimming season
     in Canada), like the rest of the
     sweat-shop garbage they sell down
     here?

Therealbubba

#10

You Wal-Mart haters are just a bunch of snobs. The people who fight to keep Wal-Mart and other big box retailers out of their areas are basically snobs who don’t give a hoot about the poorer people in their society.

Wal-Mart is successful because it caters to a specific need very well, that being the poor and lower middle class. Smaller retail stores are invariably more expensive, and many areas without a Wal-Mart simply don’t have the selection of low-priced goods that the poor need.

Also, if you think it’s a better idea to have a whole bunch of locally owned stores spread out throughout the town - I suggest you try gathering four children together and then riding public transportation to them all to get what you need: that’s what poor people have to do.

Stores like Wal-Mart have been a major factor in the increased standard of living for low income families.

#11

dhanson, that’s an utter load of bullshit. Where I live, a very, very affluent suburb called Chagrin Falls has successfully fought to keep Wal-Mart out of their city, because they have a certain look and feel to their community that they don’t want to disrupt. And, I assure you, there are no poor people in Chagrin Falls. It’s a question of aesthetics and traffic for them.

Furthermore, it’s a well-known fact that Wal-Mart engages in predatory practices in locating their stores, and engages in dumping, often putting not only small local businesses but other large retailers out of business.

#12

You have no multi-family housing in the area? No apartments, townhouses, anything of the like? If not, where do the clerks and fast-food employees in your area live? Do you bus them in?

I suggest you find the poorest people in your area, and go ask THEM if they’d like a Wal-Mart or not.

But you illustrated my point - it’s almost always the most affluent members of a community that fight to keep their ‘community atmosphere’. Unfortunately, they have most of the power.

#13

By the way, Wal-Mart knows who its clientele are, and they aren’t rich people. So if it really wants to open a store in your area, it must have identified a community that would shop there. Perhaps they wanted to open it on the periphery of your very wealthy community and one not so well off?

#14

Take out your rose-colored contacts, Dhanson. Wal-Mart sells cheap, easily broken crap from third-rate companies. They’ve pissed off all the GOOD companies because they’d buy 200 of something and only pay for 100. They gouge their workers, have horrible health plans, don’t keep the stores clean and are generally sloppy, greedy, miserly sons-of-bitches who are out to screw the customer coming AND going.

THAT is why we don’t want a Wal-Mart in town. If you’re a good business owner, you can easily figure out ways to keep your customer base from going to Wal-Mart.

Keeping your store clean is a big start. Those big gray Wal-Mart buildings remind me of jailhouses or government facilities. They’re always dirty.

Once your store is clean, you can provide good service instead of pissy old men and angry zit-faced teenagers. Sell reliable merchandise from good companies and ditch the $1.50 crap made with slave labor in Thailand. Keep the shelves stacked neatly. Label prices clearly. Make it easy for the customer to find what they’re looking for.

I have yet to see a Wal-Mart that is clean, orderly, has good service, and sells good merchandise. I don’t believe they exist.

– Sylence

“The problem with reality is the lack of background music.” – Anon

#15

My Wal-Mart 2cents.
I worked there for a while- it sucked, but no worse then any other customer service job. My dad works there now (sporting goods)and he absolutely loves it. He buys stock every week, he has good benefits and a retirement plan. (and good hours). This must be a store to store thing.
Now, for overcharging for an item. Go back to the store. Most stores have the following rules in place:

If you can prove that Joes discount game store sells the game you want cheaper, Wal-Mart will drop it’s price to match it- regardless of availability.

If an item rings up for more then the SHELF TAG says (which is the Wal-Mart price- not the manuf. suggested retail), then you are entitled to the item at the shelf tag price PLUS you get a bonus $3 for the inconvenience.

Those are the rules at our Wal-Mart, and I’ve never seen a customer screwed like you describe. I’d head back there pronto, do some bitching and walk outta there with your game in hand at the price that they had marked (or lower, if you have another stores ad). There’s no excuse for rude workers- I wasn’t one, my dad isn’t one and they give others a bad reputation. Don’t take their crap- stand up for yourself and immediately ask for the STORE manager when you’re getting dicked over.
:slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

It was dark all around.
There was frost in the ground
When the tigers broke free-

#16

“1. How much is Wal-Mart paying you?”

Nothing. I am a children’s educator, founder of a theatre society, and will soon be going back to school to become an Aircraft Maintenace Engineer. No one in my family works for them, either.

“2. What does $150.00 Canadian work out to in real money?”

‘Real money’? Our money isn’t ‘real’? The banks and stores sure seem to think it’s pretty real.

“3. Did your bathing suit fall apart after one month (the swimming seasonin Canada), like the rest of the sweat-shop garbage they sell down here?”

No. 5 years ago I went out of town to Wal-Mart and bought a 2 piece swimsuit for about $40. I swim regularly, and it’s in still in great shape. Swimming season is about 6 months long where I live, and we have 3 lakes. We also have these things called indoor pools for the winter time.

Zu

#17

A Wal-Mart will never be confused with Bloomingdales. They are cut-rate operations, precisely so they can provide low-priced goods. This may not mean much to you, but I guarantee that saving $5 on an item is VERY important to someone who only has a hundred dollars worth of disposable income in a month.

I understand that Wal-Mart offends your delicate sensibilities. They are full of those yucky poor people, and they have those yucky cheap clothes and stuff, and non-brand name running shoes and all those other distasteful things. Because poor moms have to haul their kids around with them when they shop, linens and things don’t stay in nice neat piles.

Somebody should do something. At the very least, keep them out of our neighborhoods!

The thing that bothers me most about this is the hypocrisy, as a lot of the advocates who fight to keep the Wal-Marts out of their neighborhoods are the same touchy-feely liberals who are always claiming they care about the poor, and that the evil heartless capitalists don’t. Boutique socialism, we used to call it. Care about the poor and complain over tea that someone should help them, but let’s keep them out of our neighborhood, eh?

#18

Ok, this has absolutely nothing to do with Walmart, but I couldn’t let therealbubba’s comments about Canada go without comment.

$150, Canadian. She’s not talking Monopoly money here, ‘bubba’.

Where the Hell do you think Canada starts? The Klondike? This is a big bloody landmass up here, you realise. We do have 4 distinct seasons through most of the country.
And of course, we’re not some backwater little haven of primitiveness in which the only option for swimming is the local fishin’ hole. As Zulu pointed out we do have indoor (and heated! ::Gasp: :slight_smile: pools.

That you have some beef with Walmart that not everyone shares is no reason to climb up onto that ‘My country is better than yours’ High Horse.

‘They couldn’t hit an Elephant from this dist…!’

Last words of General John Sedgwick

#19

I live in a city with two Wal-Marts, and they both suck. As for my income level, I think I’m either “middle-class” or “lower-middle-class,” but I don’t remember what the dividing line is. The fact that the Wal-Marts here are crappy has * nothing to do with the people that shop there.* I don’t give a rat’s behind for designer labels, either. The Wal-Marts here have poor quality merchandise, period. If the stuff I buy is going to fall apart on me in a month, I’ll just have to go out & spend more money. So I’d rather shop where I know the stuff I get is going to last longer, and usually that’s Meijer’s.

As the sole breadwinner for my family (husband, 2 year old, and one on the way), I can sympathize with those who don’t have the cash, and can’t shop at the high-ticket stores (please note that I did say I shop at Meijer’s). And I am not slamming all Wal-Marts, either. The one in near my husband’s family, in Dardanelle, Arkansas, was staffed by very friendly people, was very clean, and the merchandise seemed to be of better quality.

The OP, though, sounds like he really did get screwed on that game.

#20

I agree with dhanson about this. For the first 25 years of my life I lived in a big city suburb and never wanted for a thing, so guess what? I hated walmart. THEN I moved several states away to a small fairly poor town to live with a woman. Well guess what? We have to drive 30 miles just to GET to a walmart, and everybody goes there. You can get the living and hygene supplies you need at a price you can afford. Sure you can go to local department stores here (ames and hills) but you will pay more and not have the selection. TO SUM UP… if you have enough money to live and extra to spare… go ahead… hate walmart, I did. BUT if you JUST have money to live… and none to spare… you can bet your ASS you will go to walmart. Get off you high-horse fools.

The wisest man I ever knew taught me something I never forgot. And although I never forgot it, I never quite memorized it either. So what I’m left with is the memory of having learned
something very wise that I can’t quite remember. -George Carlin