Beezer,
You have just "outed" me!
This year due to many health difficulties I decided no big tree - just a small artificial fiber optic one and it was from walmart, yes, there, I said it, it was from walmart.
When Walmart first came to Parkersburg I didn't get all up in arms about it like many did because our downtown had already gone away with the advent of The Grand Central Mall.
In fact, I think I was probably pretty happy to see the arrival of a Walmart as it added many jobs to our area.
I love and appreciate the fact that they have greeters at the door and I do hope that they are well paid for the work they do.
Then, a few years back they implemented the wheel at the end of the aisle where the bags are. That kind of made me a bit angry when a clerk told me that I would have to start putting the bags in my cart before the turntable filled up - I am on disability and have back problems, but I did as I was told. (Since then, I have had many cashiers that have told me this is not a Walmart policy and they do load the cart for me). I got over that mad.
The next move was to install the "self-check-out stations". Now, this really makes me angry. Here I am all happy about the extra jobs created by this company and then they are now replacing them with mechanical equipment. (Yes, I did use one of them once to see how it worked - and don't you know that horrible woman that lives inside the machine yelled at me. Not only did she yell at me, she kept repeating herself "Place the item in your bag....Place the item in your bag...Place the item in your bag"). By this time, I am ready to stop shopping at Walmart altogether; but the cheap prices keep me going there. I have even talked to cashiers and asked their opinion of the automated check-outs. They don't like them!
Then this year they did away with their lay-away system. There are many people with large families that have depended on that for as long as Walmart has been here.
Last year Walmart employees were told to say, "Happy Holidays" and were given a reprimand if they slipped and said "Merry Christmas" (according to one of the cashiers). Now I just heard a few days ago on the news that Walmart employees will be wishing the public Merry Christmas this year.
Do we really think that Walmart gives a darn whether we have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Holiday, a Happy Birthday, or a Happy Anything? Of course not! They just received so many complaints last year that they are trying to appease the customers that were upset last year. Frankly, I don't care what they say and the cashiers look so tired and worn out from being short of staff, (note how many registers are actually open compared with the ones that are closed) that if the cashier says, "Hello" and "See ya" to me, that's plenty and even more than I really expect.
My question is for those of you who have successfully stopped shopping at Walmart - how did you do it? ~Donna
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