Is it just me
or have Wal-Mart's stores gotten shittier since their wage increases they made a big whoop-dee-doo about a couple weeks ago?
I usually go in after work when I work late if I need something. Understand I do not "shop" at Wal-Mart, I buy things. That is all. I never have a cart load, I either grab a basket, given I can find one, or I've taken to either grabbing produce bags to put my stuff in or an empty box if I see one. I've learned these tricks from Aldi's BTW, where I prefer to shop. If you have an Aldi's near you - "shop" there. Unfortunately there are a few things I can only find at Wal-Mart and are cheap. My pocket book is not as big as my principles.
So tonight after work I went to Wal-Mart to get 2 things. TWO. Because of my sugar-less diet, I've knocked my typical Wal-Mart list of stuff down considerably. I took my time picking out printer paper because there were several more choices than necessary. I mean, is 97 bright paper really that much brighter than 92?? They were out of the white cheddar popcorn I use as a substitute for sugary foods for the time being (till I find something better or I get tired of it), so I had to head to the nuts & seeds snack seciton OVER BY THE DONUTS (that amuses me greatly) and on the way there I got harrassed by boy in a group of teens.
I never can think of the most clever things to say in such situations, which would have been, "Young man, I am old enough to be your grandmother and if I was your grandmother, I'd take a belt to you right here in the middle of the store as if you were 2." I looked at him like he had two heads and kept walking instead. Hopefully he recognized that look from his grandmother. I doubt it.
I hadn't really noticed there was an unusally large number of people roaming about, all I really noticed were the teens, of which there were at least 3 groups of more than 4, including the afore mentioned. Since when did Wal-Mart become a Friday night hangout in a town more than 10K? That seems very lame. I could have said to the kid, "I'm shopping. I don't know what the fuck your excuse is for being in Wal-Mart on a Friday night but it must be stupid."
I realized things were amiss when I got to the checkouts. I always do the self-serve lanes. Having cashiered for 30 years now, I think I can ring up my own shit, TYVM. They have 8 registers there, and there was a LINE. Not any old 1 or 2 person line, more like 6 or 8. Practically everyone with at least half full carts. I kept walking, thinking surely as busy as they are they'd have lanes open with actual cashiers who get paid to do what I would rather do for free.
There were exactly 4 lanes with cashiers. If I tell you how many lanes this Wal-Mart has, you'll understand why I am pissed. This is one of the largest grossing Wal-Marts in the Midwest, if not in the entire US. I have that fact on fairly good authority from 2 people by now, one of whom works there. They have 32 lanes. Thirty- two! And on a Friday night, they have exactly 4 lanes with cashiers and 8 without operating. Yet every staffed lane has at least 5 people waiting in line. And most with very full carts.
I dumped my stuff on a rack and left. I rarely do that, even in Wal-Mart. Tonight, just no. I am not giving a company the satisfaction of buying even my 2 things when they can brag about having raised their minimum wage above the national yet obviously have decided to cut back elsewhere to compensate. And I also do not appreciate being harrassed by teenagers. That shit happens in my store, they are kicked out. And we cater to teenagers so I understand how they can be sometimes and am willing to cut some slack for stupidity.
I suppose I should have stayed and bought my stuff so I could have done the survey and given them the lowest score possible.
I usually go in after work when I work late if I need something. Understand I do not "shop" at Wal-Mart, I buy things. That is all. I never have a cart load, I either grab a basket, given I can find one, or I've taken to either grabbing produce bags to put my stuff in or an empty box if I see one. I've learned these tricks from Aldi's BTW, where I prefer to shop. If you have an Aldi's near you - "shop" there. Unfortunately there are a few things I can only find at Wal-Mart and are cheap. My pocket book is not as big as my principles.
So tonight after work I went to Wal-Mart to get 2 things. TWO. Because of my sugar-less diet, I've knocked my typical Wal-Mart list of stuff down considerably. I took my time picking out printer paper because there were several more choices than necessary. I mean, is 97 bright paper really that much brighter than 92?? They were out of the white cheddar popcorn I use as a substitute for sugary foods for the time being (till I find something better or I get tired of it), so I had to head to the nuts & seeds snack seciton OVER BY THE DONUTS (that amuses me greatly) and on the way there I got harrassed by boy in a group of teens.
I never can think of the most clever things to say in such situations, which would have been, "Young man, I am old enough to be your grandmother and if I was your grandmother, I'd take a belt to you right here in the middle of the store as if you were 2." I looked at him like he had two heads and kept walking instead. Hopefully he recognized that look from his grandmother. I doubt it.
I hadn't really noticed there was an unusally large number of people roaming about, all I really noticed were the teens, of which there were at least 3 groups of more than 4, including the afore mentioned. Since when did Wal-Mart become a Friday night hangout in a town more than 10K? That seems very lame. I could have said to the kid, "I'm shopping. I don't know what the fuck your excuse is for being in Wal-Mart on a Friday night but it must be stupid."
I realized things were amiss when I got to the checkouts. I always do the self-serve lanes. Having cashiered for 30 years now, I think I can ring up my own shit, TYVM. They have 8 registers there, and there was a LINE. Not any old 1 or 2 person line, more like 6 or 8. Practically everyone with at least half full carts. I kept walking, thinking surely as busy as they are they'd have lanes open with actual cashiers who get paid to do what I would rather do for free.
There were exactly 4 lanes with cashiers. If I tell you how many lanes this Wal-Mart has, you'll understand why I am pissed. This is one of the largest grossing Wal-Marts in the Midwest, if not in the entire US. I have that fact on fairly good authority from 2 people by now, one of whom works there. They have 32 lanes. Thirty- two! And on a Friday night, they have exactly 4 lanes with cashiers and 8 without operating. Yet every staffed lane has at least 5 people waiting in line. And most with very full carts.
I dumped my stuff on a rack and left. I rarely do that, even in Wal-Mart. Tonight, just no. I am not giving a company the satisfaction of buying even my 2 things when they can brag about having raised their minimum wage above the national yet obviously have decided to cut back elsewhere to compensate. And I also do not appreciate being harrassed by teenagers. That shit happens in my store, they are kicked out. And we cater to teenagers so I understand how they can be sometimes and am willing to cut some slack for stupidity.
I suppose I should have stayed and bought my stuff so I could have done the survey and given them the lowest score possible.