Our Wal-Mart was recently "upgraded." After 6 months of the new store, people still can't find what they want, but if they happen to find the right spot, what they want isn't there anymore. They dropped a slew of products, pretty much ruined the deli (their Black Forest ham is delicious), added some off brand restaurant, and, above all, added these little carousels for the plastic bags they put stuff in. I go in there and can't find what I want despite the fact that they've had this stuff for the 15 years I've lived here. Our Wal-Mart was one of the first 10 ever established and it is ruined. They have the little carousels so shoppers will put their own bags in the carts. We already have the lousy carts that never work right. We already have to take the stuff we buy to our cars ourselves, and now we're supposed to put stuff in the carts so we can trundle them out to the car. I know this because our housekeeper also works at Wal-Mart. She works in housewares. They totally gutted the floral department, the hobby department and the fabric department. We can get cotton fabrics and that's about it. I have to drive 25 miles to the nearest bigger town to get any of this stuff at other stores, not Wal-Mart. We used to have a fabric store, but Wal-Mart put them out of business years ago. Wal-Mart used to have very high shelves stacked with stuff. The high shelves are gone despite the fact that they no longer have security for shoplifting. My housekeeper said they determined that having security guards was more expensive than just letting people shoplift. The high shelves apparently contained useful goods that are no longer available. Maybe the lack of anything to shoplift has deterred crime.

My response hasn't been a good one. I am v-e-r-y slow in paying for my stuff so the clerk will give up and put it in the cart. I have quit buying groceries at Wal-Mart. It's worth it to me to pay a few cents more and go to the good grocery store. I used to spend about $200-300 a week at Wal-Mart. The last time I went I spent $59 and that was for stuff that only Wal-Mart carries. I have been shopping at Wal-Mart since a store came to our town many, many moons ago. Now I don't. I wonder what genius decided to drive away all the shoppers.

If your store hasn't been changed, be warned. It may come to your town next.

I hate Walmart with a passion. I hate their business practices, the company morality, I hate the aisles, I hate the crap they sell, I hate the idiots that stand in the middle of every bloody aisle and look up as though they are looking for space ships, I hate Walmart. I rarely go there.

Quite frankly, I wish they would go belly up and let the Mom and Pop stores have a little business again.

Unfortunately, that's how my Super Wal-Mart is, and it's been like that since they built it about 10 years ago.

The Walmart in my town is the same.....changed. Nothing is in a logical place, but that is merchandising for you. They WANT you to have to walk the entire store over and over again, hoping you will run into something you just HAVE to have.

I try to avoid Walmart at all cost....I'm thinking it might be the Anti-Christ. LOL

We already have to take the stuff we buy to our cars ourselves, and now we're supposed to put stuff in the carts so we can trundle them out to the car.

My response hasn't been a good one. I am v-e-r-y slow in paying for my stuff so the clerk will give up and put it in the cart.

I have two things to say here. First off I'm not trying to be an asshole, just stating my opinion.

For the first statement, do other stores in your area bring the stuff to your car? Seems like every place around here stops sevice once you have paid, ie no car delivery service. It's good exercise to load and unload the cart yourself. If you are UNABLE to do it yourself there is someone available to help at any store, but then who unloads when you get home?

It's unfair to the cashier to screw up her numbers by being slow to pay. Most stores keep a log or transaction time and money totals and the cashiers have an hourly quota to meet. So by you being intentionally slow it makes them have to not only load your cart (not part of their job) but also try to make up the time/money quota.

I am happy to load my own cart, and actually shop in a grocery store that I have to bag my own groceries.....it saves money and I get to bag my stuff that way I want too. This reminds that I have my health and am blessed to be able to care for myself. Think about it next time you are loading your cart, there are people that CAN'T. ~Mandy

Walmart had invaded Canada some years ago and there were some people who claimed that Walmart ruined the mainstreet shopping in our small towns and villages. In fact these stores now sell handmade perfumed candles and jams and jellies, clothes, used books, and antiques. There is a serious cute boutique thing happening in small town Ontario.

Down in the core of big city Toronto five minutes walk from where I live there is a smallish Walmart. This is in one of the two malls near me. In the other mall there is a Zeller's, a Canadian counterpart to Walmart. Walmart not only has better prices, it is more efficiently operated. There are more cashiers and there seems to be fewer glitches when you are paying. The shelves are well stocked and there is an excellent choice of products. The contrast is a vivid one and I find it difficult to shop Canadian though in theory I would like to.

An interesting side note: Canadians are fond of unionising in order to ensure that they are treated fairly. Canadian Walmart employees have tried this without success in a number of instances. The company, you see, would threaten to simply close down the store, figuring that shoppers would drive to the next available outlet. The only place where unionisation was successful was in a store situated in a remote area of Quebec.

Our local Walmart is on it's second upgrade. We already had the generic restaurant and the bag carousels. We are now getting a Subway at the front of the store and self checkouts. Most of the stores in the bigger areas near me (30 miles or so LOL), already have these amenities in place.

The loading of one's own cart is a sore spot with me. I am healthy and able to load mine, but I have seen young Walmart cashiers stand there while little old ladies and gentlemen load heavy items into their cart. I always think , "Wait, who is getting paid here?". I have actually stepped forward to help elderly people load and the cashier just stands there. WTF.........

Hey, our stupid WalMart has a McDonalds in the front part of the store. You have to walk right past it when you enter or leave. I hate WalMart also. I used to spend all of my time there shopping, but now, I will pay more and go further away to a grocery store that I have to bag my own groceries and take them to my cart. I used to work at WalMart though, so I know some of the shit that goes on there. I hate it, and I hate that they have put so many out of business. There prices will go up and then there will be nowhere else to shop because they have ran them out of town. Then we will be forced to buy from them at whatever cost. This is their plan. I think they are the Anti Christ too....LOL

Oh, and another thing they started doing here at the WalMart is using your check like a debit card. You write a check and it instantly gets taken out of your checking account. I know a lot of stores do this already, but WALMART???? Come on!!

As a general rule I avoid shopping at Wal Mart due to ethical concerns over their business practices, but I will admit that when in a total pinch (like the time I needed a dvd/tv converter thingy and no one else had it), I will sheepishly go there, but I am not proud of it. Since I don't shop there often (maybe twice in the last five years when it was an "emergency") I don't know if they changed things around or not.

I encourage everyone to attempt to shop at the mom and pop places first and use Wal Mart as a last resort.

In our Canucki Walsmart they will back your groceries but after that you are on your own; the bags are your problem. And yep, there is a MacDonald's inside our Wallymart.

Oops, I meant to type that they will bag your groceries.

OMG

People who complain when a store changes drive me crazy.

My husband and I change the arrangement of our furniture every month.

We joke that we should have wheels on it.

Our friends are always surprised and we are amused that they act like it is not normal.

We say having the couch in the same place for 15 years is not normal.

edie

I have two things to say here. First off I'm not trying to be an asshole, just stating my opinion.

For the first statement, do other stores in your area bring the stuff to your car? Seems like every place around here stops sevice once you have paid, ie no car delivery service. It's good exercise to load and unload the cart yourself. If you are UNABLE to do it yourself there is someone available to help at any store, but then who unloads when you get home?

It's unfair to the cashier to screw up her numbers by being slow to pay. Most stores keep a log or transaction time and money totals and the cashiers have an hourly quota to meet. So by you being intentionally slow it makes them have to not only load your cart (not part of their job) but also try to make up the time/money quota.

I am happy to load my own cart, and actually shop in a grocery store that I have to bag my own groceries.....it saves money and I get to bag my stuff that way I want too. This reminds that I have my health and am blessed to be able to care for myself. Think about it next time you are loading your cart, there are people that CAN'T. ~Mandy

I will pack my own cart and rush out of Wal-Mart in the future since I really don't want to impact a clerk's paycheck. Actually, the clerks usually help load the cart so they can get on to the next customer. About loading stuff, I have a bad back. My spine is pressing on my nerves and it hurts. But I can usually load the car, unless my back is really throwing a tantrum.

It's just that I'm old. I remember when someone always carried your groceries or whatever and put the paper sacks in your car. I remember when you pulled up to a gas station and an attendant not only filled up your car, but checked the oil, washed the windshield and vacuumed out the floorboards. And gas cost 39 cents a gallon! I remember going to department stores where elevator men in uniform took you to whatever floor you wanted. Then the clerks wrapped up your purchases in brown paper and string. Stores smelled good then. I suspect I was just spoiled as a child and should not mind all the wonderful advances we are experiencing today. Alternatively, maybe I'm senile and starting to reminisce rather than getting on with life.

I don't really mind changing things around though my furniture stays in the same place for at least 10 years. It's just that no one can find anything. Even the clerks can't find anything. But that's merchandising for you.

Like I stated before, if you are unable to load the cart just ask, they will do it for you. If you have a bad back then ask for help, don't play games by paying slowly so they will give up and help you. I worked retail for a time and it's not an easy job, and can be made much harder by difficult customers. ~Mandy