Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with walmart

Looking for some good retail blogs.

Dreamcast — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:28:40 -0800

Are there any good blogs about working in retail? I'm looking for some blogs in the same vein as Behind the Counter (you know, the Walmart blog), that talk about life in retail (preferably, the bigger stores, like Walmart or Target) and the various interesting things they've encountered on the job. I just find that kind of stuff fascinating, for some reason. Anyone have any suggestions for blogs like this that they've enjoyed?

WalMart's Canopy Furniture?

swilkerson — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:59:27 -0800

Does anyone have any experience with Canopy brand furniture (sold by WalMart)? WalMart has evidently stepped up its marketing -- the new Canopy brand furniture looks lovely ... nice logo, great catalog, high end style. Of course, it's still WAL-MART, which makes me think "cheap" (the prices certainly are). Anyone seen this stuff in person or - better yet - bought it yourself? Where on the spectrum between heirloom woodworking and particleboard junk does it fall?

What grade of titanium are Walmart wedding bands?

raikkohamilonso — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 05:56:29 -0800

What grade of titanium are Walmart wedding bands? I'd like a CP grade ring, since I understand aircraft grades can't be cut off. I've read that they should be stamped "CP", and I'm also wary of a ring coming from China with lead in it or worse?

Wal-Government?

Hugh2d2 — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:48:29 -0800

I remember someone telling me that the US government has an agreement with Wal-Mart to be able use their computer network in the case of a major catastrophe. Is that true? Any source you can cite?

What's it like to work at Wal-Mart?

DMan — Mon, 07 May 2007 16:15:04 -0800

What is it really like to work at Wal-Mart? So, I'm a high school senior, and I graduate on the 25th. I plan to try and work this summer to get some money before I start college, but unfortunately for me, there really aren't very many job openings in the small town I live in. Wal-Mart is one of my primary choices, and I'm seriously considering it.

I'd like a little input from anyone who has experience with it, though. I'm wondering what type of work I'd be doing, and if there's a variety of options, what choice I would be given so far as what to do. I plan on working part-time, if that makes a difference.

I can surely find some information on the Internet, and actually looking at the application will help some, but if anyone has personal experience working in a place like Wal-Mart, I'd love to hear it. Will I go crazy? What's the atmosphere like? Anything that anyone could add would be extremely helpful.

So to summarize, I'd like to know what positions would possibly be open to an 18-year old working part time for a summer, and what it's actually like to work inside a store like that.

Thanks for reading!

Urban vs. suburban customer experience

stupidsexyFlanders — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 19:50:02 -0800

When I go to a Wal-Mart or a Home Depot in an urban location (aka, lots of black customers) and then I go to suburban locations of these stores, I've notice that in the urban areas, the lines are longer, there are fewer staff to help, the store is generally a bit shabbier, and the employess seem to be less-well trained and held to lower standards regarding how they treat their customers. In the suburban areas, the experience is the polar opposite -- the stores are larger, better stocked, more care is taken in display of merchandise, checkout lines are shorter, and staff is plentiful, helpful, and well-trained. Is this corporate racism, or something else? I can understand how a small business in a less affluent area might be owned by a local person who may not have the resources to present the ideal customer experience, but what accounts for the differences in how Globo-Corp maintains its stores in poorer vs. wealthier areas? I assume the money they get from each is equally green.

(sorry to go long here) I ask because I was in a Wal-Mart in an urban location recently, and me & one other guy were the only non-blacks in a crowded, unpleasant checkout area that no one but us seemed to mind. After he waited in line 20 minutes, and then was told he had to go to the back of the line again because he had to go get another item off the shelf to do an exchange, he flipped out and pulled a Howard Beal on the whole checkout area, shouting that the store was treating "all of you like crap," and asking them why they put up with it, and urging all of them to shop at suburban location so they would understand the difference.

Everyone just kind of laughed at the Crazy White Guy, which I thought pointed to a "customers get only the service they demand" explanation, but that's also a kind of racism. MeFites hope me, my google-fu has failed me, I beseech the hive mind, thanks for reading [more inside], etc. etc.

What stores are ranked directly below Wal-Mart?

invisible ink — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 19:28:01 -0800

In this NYT article, it says "...Wal-Mart's $312 billion in sales last year exceeded the sales of the next five biggest retailers combined." How can I find out who those five big retailers are and how much they made? Are these rankings based on U.S. sales, or worldwide + U.S.? Googling gives me data for 2004, but I can't find anything for 2005.

What leverage does Wal-Mart have?

sbutler — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 11:48:11 -0800

Wal-Mart is going to start offering many common generic drugs for $4. What's stopping CVS or Walgreens from doing the same? We were talking about this at work, and no one has a good answer. Obviously Wal-Mart has a better barganing position, but it can't just be volume... can it? My best guess is that because of Wal-Mart's extensive data mining they don't have to hold much extra inventory of a drug, but I'm not convinced.

What are we missing?

How much physical abuse can "Wal-Mart Cops" legally dish during a detainment for suspected shoplifting?

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 17:53:56 -0800

How much physical abuse can "Wal-Mart Cops" legally dish during a detainment for suspected shoplifting? Can cops seize a car for being used in a crime when no charges are ever filed? My wife was shopping at a Wal-Mart supercenter. During her check-out, she had a pan that did not have a price. The cashier called a CSM over to look into the pan. She continued scanning items. She was also purchasing two spindles of blank DVDs. The cashier scanned the items and then said "These barcodes are not right." She removed a sticker and there was another barcode. She deleted the two wrong scans, and scanned one and the price came up. She asked my wife if that was OK, and she said yes, that was fine. She scanned the other set and continued. The CSM left with the pan for several minutes while they continued scanning the other items. The CSM returned, did not have a price for the pan, but told the cashier that the first stickered price on the blank DVDs was the correct price. My wife asked if that was correct, and the CSM said yes. The CSM had the cashier delete the more expensive priced line items and rescan the stickers that were on the DVDs. The transaction finished and my wife went to leave.

At the exit, she was stopped by a Loss Prevention employee on her way out of the store. The employee told her "I think you know what this is for," to which she responded that she did not. He forced her to accompany him to a room inside the store. She asked him if he was a police officer, and he said he was not. He proceeded to detain her while calling the police. When she asked why he was holding her, he replied that had the right to keep her, and asked her "Haven't you ever heard of a citizen's arrest?"

During the course of her detention by Wal-Mart, the employee told her to show him her identification. She was standing at the push side of her shopping cart and the employee was at the front end of the cart. She reached for her purse to get her ID, and the employee grabbed her by the arm and threw her to the ground. He pinned her down with his knee in her back, and proceed to hold her in this position for several minutes while yelling at her. She tried to explain that he told her to show him her ID and that's what she was doing. He handcuffed her, pulled her up, and then began to yell at her some more. The line of yelling consisted of things such as "You can take this to court and contest it, but you will lose, because I am the best loss prevention person in the Midwest" (she had not suggested anything of the sort, he was pre-emptive) and "You're just a thief." He was close enough that his spit was hitting her in the face while she was being yelled at. The tackle caused her to suffer a laceration on her knee, a deep muscle bruise on her arm, and discomfort in her shoulder.

Later, when law enforcement arrived, she tried to tell the officer what happened and how she was assaulted by the Wal-Mart employee. The officer told her "Be glad it was him. I would have tased you." He refused to listen to her protests about her detainment and what was going on. When the officer went to take her out, she asked what was happening. The officer responded "You don't get to ask any questions." She was taken into his cruiser. They proceeded to drive through the parking lot while the officer pressed buttons on the keyless entry for my car (her name is not on the registration, and I was not with her) car until he found it. He then told her that she was going to have our car seized under forfeiture laws. The car was towed and she was taken to the jail intake (Large city, 500,000-1 million people).

After being held for 14 hours, she was released without any charges being filed and no citations issued. During her time, no one told her she was under arrest. No one told her what crime she was being accused of. No one told her of her rights. No one told her what was going to happen to her. No one told her anything. She was denied access to an attorney during this time.

So, here is why this is posted here. I know from previous threads and other readings that there is a certain amount of leeway offered under storekeeper rights for detaining someone suspected of shoplifting. However, this seems excessive. Did Wal-Mart's employee commit assault, false imprisonment, and other assorted crimes? Should we investigate suing Wal-Mart for the actions of their employee? Should we see action against the law enforcement agency for denying access to an attorney during processing?

Bonus question: Following up with the lieutenant who is the whole of the forfeiture unit, he told me that even though no charges were filed, they could still proceed with the civil forfeiture since the vehicle was used in a crime (She was not in the car at the time, and since no charges were filed, was there a crime?). However, since her name was not on the title, they said they would release it to me. I have to sign a "promissory note" (his words) saying that if I let her use the vehicle and it is used in a crime by her, I lose any standing for vehicle release. Does anyone else see anything wrong with that?

Obligatory throw-away account: walmart.abuse@gmail.com - Contact with any questions. I won't be posting here with my account, but, will respond to e-mails (and ask that you repost them if you see fit).

Damn you, Wal-Mart!

schroedinger — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 10:54:44 -0800

FloodOutTheLittleGuyFilter: This is on the behalf of a friend of mine. His parents own a small business in a small town in New York. A few weeks back there were heavy rainstorms and flooding in the area. The town decided to direct the floodwaters away from from the new Wal-Mart--and it ended up in the shopping center where the business is located. Now they're under over three feet of water, everything's ruined, and they didn't have flood insurance. Half of the stores in the center have dropped out of the lawsuit they were preparing against the town. What now? People dropped out to not make waves. The town's small enough (think size and pettiness) that the storeowners were afraid if they went ahead with the lawsuit there'd be repercussions. My friends' family doesn't have the financial power to carry on a long lawsuit or deal with having enemies. The town, of course, is not admitting to anything.

Are there any aid programs that could help them out? Not necessarily just legal aid, 'cause as said before without an army of storeowners backing them they're not keen on that route. Maybe any assistance programs, tax breaks, anything that can help minimize the monetary damage to my friends' family? This was their livelihood and they weren't in fantastic shape as it was.

Thanks very much for your help!

another reason to hate Walmart

konolia — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 12:46:52 -0800

My daughter was hired at Wal-mart full time (with benefits after a period of time) in their photo lab...just as she was about to achieve that time (surprise surprise) they cut her to thirty hours. Part time. First, has this happened to anyone else you know? Is it pretty common practice? And if provable, would this be considered an illegal practice? Not to fret, her old job has offered to make her a manager at almost two dollars more than she was making. But this has done nothing to discourage me from my detestation of Wallyworld.

Held hostage by Wally World

LadyBonita — Mon, 15 Aug 2005 14:04:57 -0800

Did Wal*Mart kidnap me? The power went out and they wouldn't let us leave. Last night at about 10 our small city suffered a power outage while I was shopping at the Super Wal*Mart with my 7yo son. It was nearly pitch black and the back up generator(s) apparently didn't kick in. (neither did the new generator at a local supermarket where my sil was). We were escorted (herded?) with flashlights to the front of the building and told we couldn't leave until power was restored . Babies and kids (including mine) were scared and crying and there was a lot of general confusion. Reason we weren't allowed to leave? They wanted to make sure we weren't stealing anything. Eventually, after 20 minutes or so, when it was obvious the power wasn't going to quickly be restored, they let us leave. After checking us over with flashlights.

What I want to know is if they had any right to do this? Were we being held hostage, kidnapped, falsely imprisioned? And how the hell could I have gotten out of there if they had insisted we stay any longer?

My sil at the supermarket simply left her cart and was escorted out to her car by a stockboy carrying a flashlight. Within 10 minutes of the outage.

papers please...

pekar wood — Tue, 15 Mar 2005 16:08:47 -0800

I was asked for identification today, to purchase a gallon of mineral spirits at WalMart. Does anyone know if this is due to new legislation, or is WM doing this on their own? The clerk told me I could expect to be ID'd for many other items in the future. I'm also curious if they think I'm making bombs or drugs.

What is the best DVD rental service?

borkencode — Sun, 19 Sep 2004 00:16:46 -0800

DVD rental filter: I'm looking into signing up with one of the dvd by mail services. [MI] Either Blockbuster, Netflix or Walmart. Is there a consensus of which one is best? Or do experiences tend to depend more on luck?

Don't Shop at Wal-Mart!

nyoki — Tue, 06 Apr 2004 13:05:09 -0800

EPISTEMOLOGICAL INTERPERSONAL DILEMMA AHEAD:
How does on convince someone else, who has many options available to them and who has no serious financial restrictions, to not shop at Wal-Mart? (more inside) My partner is quite a well educated person (PHd, english - literary criticism). He’s extremely politically aware, progressive in his thinking, and able to make very complex connections in his creative endeavors. However, he still insists on shopping at WalMart - and it makes me sort of crazy.

I’ve mentioned my feelings to him several times, making overt connections between all the media (the nation, the progressive, adbusters, salon, etc) that he reads and the actual choices he makes when he spends money. He is not under any financial strain where he must get the best deal on every single product, which I know that for people whose finances are tight – shopping at WalMart is a necessity. Yet – he keeps going back there AND to make matters worse (in my eyes) always buys the “Great Value” WalMart brand food staples like butter and pepper. Yet, he’ll happily spend top dollar on “non-essential” organic foods from our local coop, like organic cranberries for instance. And there are many, many, many, businesses in the same area where he could shop.

Now, I love him to death and this is not a make or break issue in our relationship by any means – it’s just mind-boggling frustrating.

My perspective is that i have to put my money where my mouth is – as much as can be done without becoming absolutely over-the-top-zealous. The personal is political and I feel like I can rest a bit easier not funding the behemoth WalMart and taking my business elsewhere. It’s not a complex choice – where a lot of research would be required to know who and what their business practices are.

It also seems to be a problem with the greater social climate we live in – where the cheapest product is the best product irrespective of the larger social ramifications . . . and the biggest rub is that if my partner (smart, educated, socially aware) doesn’t resist those “lowest prices” . . . how can we bring about awareness to the greater whole about the actual detriment those low prices bring to the whole world?

Anyone have any advice / suggestions / similar experiences to share?