"It takes months to find a customer......seconds to lose one."
~Vince Lombardi~
Let me state right from the start, I despise shopping at Walmart. In fact, I only venture in when I can't find what I need anywhere else in the small town where I live. Understandably, going in at all makes me a hypocrite, but sometimes you just do what you gotta do when no one else has what you need. And let's face it, Walmart has a lot of everything. It's generally cheap crap, but they have it nonetheless.
Today, I spent nearly $200 dollars at Walmart picking up items that were out of stock in other local establishments. I don't blame the locally-owned stores. Shipping issues are making things dicey, to say the least. So, I swallowed my pride and ventured in to give money to a conglomerate that talks a big game, but does very little in the way of satisfying their customers or their employees.
As a rule, I refuse to venture through the self checkout isle, especially at times when I have a basket full of items. Today, as my fiance and I stood in the only open isle (20 Items or Less, even), my blood began to uncharacteristically boil. In front of us was a very kind older woman with a basket full of everything from clothes to groceries. She was way over 20 items, but so were we. It was the only isle open, after all, unless one were to cave and self checkout.
We waited long enough for me to make a trip to the bathroom and for my fiance to go back in search of some Almond Butter. There was still no movement in line. To make matters worse, there were at least 6 Walmart associates milling about the checkout area and not a single other cash register was open to serve customers. The line in our isle grew......and so did the line at the self checkout. I caved. At some point, whether I'm in a hurry or not, my time becomes worth more than being served. That's on me.
Off to the self checkout isle we went, which is where I asked to see a manager. None arrived, but the ladies (there were two assisting with self-checkout, as well as, another young man helping shuttle people through self serve) asked if they could help, so I explained to them why I don't shop at Walmart. They apologized, said they'd pass the message on to the manager, and then, alas!, they opened another register.
Let me be clear about this. Walmart is a poison. They roll in to small towns promising a stronger tax base and hundreds of jobs, loads of inventory and cheap prices. This business model has made Walmart the largest retailer in the world. But, let's be clear about another thing. These jobs they promise are generally at an hourly wage that nearly insures that most every person they employee, can only afford to shop at......Walmart!! It's a scam of epic proportions. Meanwhile, huge inventories and lower prices attract people who are only acting on their most basic instinct, as local business after local business begins to close their doors because their low volume virtually guarantees they can't compete with Walmart.
So you don't see me as a total hypocrite, know that I do shop at small local establishments every chance I get. Walmart is absolutely a last resort. I've been known to buy hardware at a local Ace Hardware for twice the price I can find it at Walmart. With very rare exception, we do all our grocery shopping at the local Ray's. Are their prices a little higher? Sure. Is their inventory a little smaller?Absolutely. These are just a couple examples of the many options to shop locally. But know this, both the hardware store and the grocery store have one thing in common.....customer service. As many isles as necessary are always open, and finding someone to help locate an item is a breeze. And while we certainly pinch pennies where we can, supporting local business owners who are trying to send their kids to dance class makes the very small amount we spend worth every penny.
Lest I complain without offering a solution, let me put in my two cent's worth:
1. Shop local. Screw Walmart
2. If you are Walmart, especially a Walmart manager, listen up.
a. I realize self checkout is theoretically a cost-saving arrangement. In the short term, maybe. But in the long run, I truly believe this will cost you customers. I don't work at Walmart. If you want me to scan and bag my own merchandise, put me on the clock for the amount of time it takes me to bag my own stuff. Any decent computer programmer should be able to figure that one out. Log the time, and take it off my total.
b. I understand that labor is in short supply, but there's a reason, and it isn't because "the government is paying them to stay home." The sign in your store says you're hiring at a starting wage of $12 per hour. You must be joking. The world's largest retailer is paying employees in Nebraska as little as $12 per hour. That's well below the poverty line. Yeah, yeah. You're concerned about store profit and stock prices. With payroll generally being most any company's biggest expense, you think paying as little as possible helps your bottom line. It doesn't. Not in the long run. You want to see your store prosper? Pay your employees a living wage. Not just barely a living wage, but a wage that allows them to own a home and feed their kids without working 2-3 jobs. What you're doing is criminal.
c. For christ's sake, open some more registers. I saw no fewer than six associates in the general area of the checkout isles today. You telling me not one of them noticed lines were backing up and another line should be opened....or two?
3. You work for Walmart? It doesn't take a manager to notice a customer need. If you and your manager are feeding off the fact that people will do most anything (like wait a ridiculously long time in line) to save a buck, then shame on you. Make a change. Be the change. I know it's difficult when you're overworked and underpaid the way you are, but it has to start somewhere.
Truly, I could go on for days about why Walmart is bad for small communities, but I won't. Why? Because it likely won't help. We're all programmed in steadfast survival mode, and cheap goods will lure us in every time. As for me? I think I'll travel to Lincoln before I'll set foot in the local Walmart again. I finally learned my lesson. The lack of customer focus is inexcusable.
Walmart sucks!
Namaste. ;-)
