Having to argue with Walmart

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

i haven’t looked closely to see if pick up grocery prices are different than in the store. Just that a lb of ground turkey will be higher in one store than in the other (these stores are 10 miles apart). The demographics are different and maybe it doesn’t sell as well in one store as the other. But that is IN the store, I haven’t checked on the app. Large screen TVs were at one time, cheaper in one store than the other. One has Sam’s right beside it and it had the cheaper price on TVs.

And yeah, I agree it’s problems in my stores, it’s bad management. Dd lives about an hour south of me and loves the pick up for normal grocery runs. She doesn’t use it for things like picking up what she needed for specific Christmas recipes because she needed to be able sub ingredients if they were out and with things she knew would absolute sub.

The day I had to wait so long, they had two young guys doing all the pick up orders. The people scheduled to pick up before me were still there when I arrived. The ones in the hour after arrived and all of us 4-5 folks were still there. After several people going in, the manager came out throwing out gift cards and blaming the boys. A few of us (by this time we were standing on the sidewalk) told her that no it wasn’t their fault it was her’s. Two people couldn’t do all these orders. By that time they had gotten other employees to get the orders together. And they obviously just started throwing orders together. I got Clorox wipes to sub for paper towels—doesn’t work. Someone else got coffee instead of tea. Someone else got sugar instead of whatever sugar substitute wanted. So they got a lot of those kind of complaints and sent right back in the store. It was a mess.

The gift order that they cancelled, it was the store. The items were there. They either didn’t know where to find them or couldn’t find them or didn’t want to. But they were there. When my sister was in the store that same day she sent me pictures of them to make sure it’s what I wanted and offered to get them for me but I had already bought them from Target.

I have complained to corporate and so have several others in my area. But it doesn’t seem to be getting fixed.

Sounds like that location you're going to isn't the one to go to for grocery pick up.

To be fair unless you're right there in the store when you're ordering you don't necessarily know if something just got restocked quickly enough. I would hope that one is checking back stock inventory but sounds like there's not enough help to get all the items for the orders and so the employees doing it are overworked. However, one time we went in to the one closest to us and we saw store inventory-wise on the app they had a ton of these mats that were were going to use in our garage for our tires to sit on. None were out there so we asked someone and it took a tiny bit but the guy came out with 30 of these smaller mats. Now doubtful someone was looking for the exact specific item we were but hey if they went after us now there's a ton available for them. That happened also with some 3M hooks as well. Don't have a clue if that's what happen in your daughter's case just saying it's happened to me before. Plus there are some items (like pop) that are not stocked by any Wal-Mart employee but rather the vendor themselves. I've been there when there's been hardly any 2liter pop left but the vendor is there restocking it at that exact moment.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think the root of the problem is they are unwilling to pay enough to hire good help. I'm sure Target and Costco are hiring away their better employees by offering them more.

I think it will depend also on what the person wants.

Costco from what I hear is a wonderful place to work. Those I know that still work there or have worked there in the past love it. But it's a large warehouse--that may not be what someone is wanting.

My one friend though transitioned from stocker at Target to working at the Starbucks inside it and she for the most part likes it but she misses sometimes the quieter times of being a restocker. She did say her location is undergoing a remodel and virtually all groceries will be going away--basically a much smaller grocery area. So those workers will largely I'm sure be transitioned to other roles.

 

[luvsJack]

Sounds like that location you're going to isn't the one to go to for grocery pick up.

To be fair unless you're right there in the store when you're ordering you don't necessarily know if something just got restocked quickly enough. I would hope that one is checking back stock inventory but sounds like there's not enough help to get all the items for the orders and so the employees doing it are overworked. However, one time we went in to the one closest to us and we saw store inventory-wise on the app they had a ton of these mats that were were going to use in our garage for our tires to sit on. None were out there so we asked someone and it took a tiny bit but the guy came out with 30 of these smaller mats. Now doubtful someone was looking for the exact specific item we were but hey if they went after us now there's a ton available for them. That happened also with some 3M hooks as well. Don't have a clue if that's what happen in your daughter's case just saying it's happened to me before. Plus there are some items (like pop) that are not stocked by any Wal-Mart employee but rather the vendor themselves. I've been there when there's been hardly any 2liter pop left but the vendor is there restocking it at that exact moment.

I could say that might be possible with the gifts but I doubt it. These are things that are only in the store at Christmas and they tend to put them all out at once.

With the groceries, it’s possible but not probable. I have been shopping in that store for 20 years (or I did, I am pretty much done now). They have never, not once, been out of Cokes, paper towels, cases of water or Blue Plate Mayo. Or red delicious apples or oranges. And these are some of the things they claimed to be out of. And since at least two of the people stocking are also getting the pick up orders together they should know what’s in the back. Our Wal-Mart receives Coke and bread deliveries every day.

Wal-Mart has always been our go to store. But the level of customer service has declined, the management of the stores (our two) is awful. So no more.

The store my daughter uses does a decent job, she just didn’t want to take a chance when she needed very specific ingredients for specific recipes. If she needed vanilla (just an example) and they were out, she wanted to know while shopping so she could decide to either pick it up somewhere else or change to a recipe that called for lemon instead.

 

[QueenIsabella]

We used to live where there were 2 Walmarts, each ~8-10 miles from our house (we lived rural). The product mix and prices were different between the two stores. I mostly visited the less-upscale one--it was a tad closer, and I headed in that direction more often.

Where I live now, the Walmart seems to be trying really hard to improve service. I have gotten substitutions, but not a big deal (you can refuse them if you son't want them). There also were computer problems a while back, that were very irritating (the website would say everything was "out of stock". really? You have no ramen, anywhere, in the entire store?). But, they work hard to fix things.

 

[luvsJack]

We used to live where there were 2 Walmarts, each ~8-10 miles from our house (we lived rural). The product mix and prices were different between the two stores. I mostly visited the less-upscale one--it was a tad closer, and I headed in that direction more often.

Where I live now, the Walmart seems to be trying really hard to improve service. I have gotten substitutions, but not a big deal (you can refuse them if you son't want them). There also were computer problems a while back, that were very irritating (the website would say everything was "out of stock". really? You have no ramen, anywhere, in the entire store?). But, they work hard to fix things.

That’s our situation exactly. I live in a rural area. Both stores are about 10-12 miles from me.

Lol and that is exactly it! Really? You do t have ANY? But at least if the app says they are out, you can choose something else. They have a habit of saying they are out of stuff that the app never shows out. Some substitutes are fine. If I want Bounty paper towels and they sub out even the store brand, fine. But Clorox Wipes?? hard to drain fried chicken on Clorox Wipes other stuff like the apples, if they were out and substituted a different kind of apple, it would be ok. But they act like they don’t have an Apple in the store. Their problem, I think is the two guys that mostly do it haven’t been trained and don’t have a clue about buying groceries or household items. It’s not their fault, they are just clueless. WHen the grocery pick up was working well, they had a crew that took care of it and I could tell the difference in the effort put in.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

With the groceries, it’s possible but not probable. I have been shopping in that store for 20 years (or I did, I am pretty much done now). They have never, not once, been out of Cokes, paper towels, cases of water or Blue Plate Mayo. Or red delicious apples or oranges. And these are some of the things they claimed to be out of. And since at least two of the people stocking are also getting the pick up orders together they should know what’s in the back. Our Wal-Mart receives Coke and bread deliveries every day.

I'm sure mine receives frequent delivery too but you have events that wipe them out-weather, holidays, game days, etc. We have a Coca-Cola and a Pepsi distribution center in our area that still doesn't guarantee that every single place (so not just talking about Wal-Mart) is going to be completely fully stocked 24/7 but glad yours is that great in the inventory department sounds like it's lacking in the other areas. I also think our location right by us is used by a lot of people. Sometimes their inventory is just less than another one. I remember when I bought a Halloween costume my location was picked clean but I drove to one of the other ones and they had like 20 of them and had more costumes available.

Maybe my area is just much much larger that for vendors it takes them longer I guess so I'm more used to it.

But the level of customer service has declined, the management of the stores (our two) is awful. So no more.

We have a ton of Wal-Marts here but there are ones I like better than others. Maybe that weighs in on my thoughts that we have more locations to choose from. I like that the one closest to us has gone self-checkout crazy. They remodeled the checkout area and what used to be 8 self-checkouts is now been replaced with a ton more and only 8 regular check outs. I'm fine with that as I prefer to do my own stuff. Plus they just installed one of those In-Store Pick Up giant towers and lockers at the front of the store so it's nice not having to go to the back of the store and punch a code in and hope an attendant would come quickly enough (that was actually a problem with most of the stores around here). Some of the Wal-Marts it just the parking lots I hate or the type of people that tend to shop there, etc. So I just avoid going to that those. That would be harder if you don't have many around to begin with as it would probably just mean you end up shopping elsewhere entirely.

 

[luvsJack]

I'm sure mine receives frequent delivery too but you have events that wipe them out-weather, holidays, game days, etc. We have a Coca-Cola and a Pepsi distribution center in our area that still doesn't guarantee that every single place (so not just talking about Wal-Mart) is going to be completely fully stocked 24/7 but glad yours is that great in the inventory department sounds like it's lacking in the other areas. I also think our location right by us is used by a lot of people. Sometimes their inventory is just less than another one. I remember when I bought a Halloween costume my location was picked clean but I drove to one of the other ones and they had like 20 of them and had more costumes available.

Maybe my area is just much much larger that for vendors it takes them longer I guess so I'm more used to it.


We have a ton of Wal-Marts here but there are ones I like better than others. Maybe that weighs in on my thoughts that we have more locations to choose from. I like that the one closest to us has gone self-checkout crazy. They remodeled the checkout area and what used to be 8 self-checkouts is now been replaced with a ton more and only 8 regular check outs. I'm fine with that as I prefer to do my own stuff. Plus they just installed one of those In-Store Pick Up giant towers and lockers at the front of the store so it's nice not having to go to the back of the store and punch a code in and hope an attendant would come quickly enough (that was actually a problem with most of the stores around here). Some of the Wal-Marts it just the parking lots I hate or the type of people that tend to shop there, etc. So I just avoid going to that those. That would be harder if you don't have many around to begin with as it would probably just mean you end up shopping elsewhere entirely.

We have Coke and Pepsi distribution centers here too. Honestly, the vendors decide how much of their product to stock. The Saturday before Super Bowl Sunday, for example, will have the regular aisle full and at least two huge displays of Coke and one of Pepsi. Smaller grocery stores do run low but all they have to do is make a call and the vendors bring it out. The only time bread and drinks run low (well bread will run out) is when there is a big weather threat-hurricane or snow threat.

But we are talking about a random day in August or September that suddenly they have no water or cokes. In the whole store. Or so they say. There is no way that they had no water and suddenly right after the order is sent out, all of it was restocked. They just don’t work that fast.

We have two in our town and one in the next town over that about as close as the two in our town. The one in the next town is a little better.

One of our’s is almost all self check outs. The other was a little slower getting them as they had to add some other stuff first because they have a bigger problem with shop lifters. I don’t mind self checking. I do mind self checking and also not having associates on the floor to help customers. The two stockers were the only associates we saw the last grocery trip and they were useless for helping. I asked for coconut and he had no idea what I was talking about. (They moved it to the middle of the aisle for their Christmas display) nor did he offer to help find it. I was ok with it but then saw a little elderly lady looking for pecans and he just said he didn’t know. I found them for her. I don’t work for Wal-Mart.

The one that has mostly self check also has the tower. The other one does not, and oh, what a mess that can be to pick up orders. Tried it once. Then made sure my pick up store was the other one.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We have Coke and Pepsi distribution centers here too. Honestly, the vendors decide how much of their product to stock. The Saturday before Super Bowl Sunday, for example, will have the regular aisle full and at least two huge displays of Coke and one of Pepsi.

I really haven't seen that in the Wal-Marts around us for a while now least not the ones right around me they'll just have pallets of stuff depending on the time of the year/event. Now local-ish grocery stores? Yeah they go all out. I actually like seeing those displays (if you're talking about those themed ones).

The only time bread and drinks run low (well bread will run out) is when there is a big weather threat-hurricane or snow threat.

Yeah that happens more frequently--summertime you'll see hot dog and hamburger buns fly off the shelf sometimes. And sometimes when you get those really nice days when it hasn't been it'll lower the supply as people decide to grill out--Christmas for instance was mid-60s here which is way above average had it not been Christmas and had it been on the weekend I would have expected lower bread supplies as people sought to take advantage of the nice weather. And yea for some reason snow storms always bring out the bread low-supply it's not like people here aren't used to these kinds of events but they act like they aren't haha.

We have two in our town and one in the next town over that about as close as the two in our town. The one in the next town is a little better.

According to Wal-Mart's website in a 50mile radius of my zip code there are 45 stores. If I narrow that down to 25 miles from my zip code there's 24 stores. Now in a 10mile radius there's only 6.

I uh actually didn't realize we had that many lol.

But it for sure makes it easier to pick one location over another if I want to. For you yeah there's just less options. Plus I totally get it if one just gets put off and just gives up entirely. I've done that for other places before.

One of our’s is almost all self check outs. The other was a little slower getting them as they had to add some other stuff first because they have a bigger problem with shop lifters. I don’t mind self checking. I do mind self checking and also not having associates on the floor to help customers. The two stockers were the only associates we saw the last grocery trip and they were useless for helping. I asked for coconut and he had no idea what I was talking about. (They moved it to the middle of the aisle for their Christmas display) nor did he offer to help find it. I was ok with it but then saw a little elderly lady looking for pecans and he just said he didn’t know. I found them for her. I don’t work for Wal-Mart.

Yeah I'm gonna say that poor kid has been quite isolated to not know what a coconut looks like lol. For the most part people are out and about and helpful but I'll admit I use their mobile app all the time to locate items as for the most part it tells you the aisle.

Sometimes like the PP said I think it can come down to hiring practices. You gotta give the young kids a shot (and well other people too) but sometimes they aren't cut out for customer-based jobs unfortunately. I dislike it myself whenever an employee doesn't offer to help like you're describing. I don't expect them to know everything but hey can ya at least try to help me locate something.

The one that has mostly self check also has the tower. The other one does not, and oh, what a mess that can be to pick up orders. Tried it once. Then made sure my pick up store was the other one.

I'm glad they moved to the towers and whatnot. In-store pick up was an area I feel like many locations struggled with for whatever reason.

 

[maxiesmom]

Why continue to shop at Walmart when interactions like this simmer and linger so much?

Because they know if they raise heck Walmart will cave in.

 

[MillauFr]

The OP still hasn't responded to why they didn't just buy the item online for the cheaper price. I am still wondering why they didn't take this obvious step.

 

[GinefirW]

Let me understand, she's dancing because she got a price match for an Apple 3 from Walmart? Does the OP know that Apple has a 6 series out now?

And yes, I can imagine her husband arguing loudly for a $100 price match that he could of easily ordered online with very little effort and picked up from the same store. They wanted their "HA!" moment.

Jennifer

 

[wvjules]

Let me understand, she's dancing because she got a price match for an Apple 3 from Walmart? Does the OP know that Apple has a 6 series out now?

And yes, I can imagine her husband arguing loudly for a $100 price match that he could of easily ordered online with very little effort and picked up from the same store. They wanted their "HA!" moment.

Jennifer

The most recent released Apple watch is the Series 5, not 6.

 

[Scottsdale]

Walmart customer service is the worst. Having to argue with sales associates and spending 10 minutes to get an actual manager is frustrating. Attempt to do anything with walmart giftcards that is not a simple purchase and be prepared to be treated like a criminal.

Someone sent us a Walmart e-giftcard for Christmas and I wanted to be able to use it on gas at the Walmart run gas station next to the store. Walmart provides an answer for this exact scenario.
Walmart Gas Stations (bring plastic card gift card or if an egift card print out/show email on your mobile device to the cashier at Walmart Store to trade it in for a plastic gift card ) "

We print out the giftcard and even the above page from the walmart website. We are told they are not allowed to do that because of "fraud" I simply tell them that is incorrect and show them the page from walmart.com. They still push back and I politely ask for a manager. She leaves and gets another cashier who says the same thing and I again simply ask for a manager since I know this can be done. I just want to buy gas lol. Finally a manager comes over and asks what the problem is and allows the transaction. He seemed pissed off that they even called him over because it is obviously allowed.

I also remember in the past trying to buy a Disney gift card at self checkout with a normal Walmart physical gift card as part of a large order. An associate flew over and claimed it was not possible. I informed him that as long as its a set denomination gift card($50 Disney) it will work fine. He sat next to me till I finished the transaction and said that should not have worked and made me wait for a manager/supervisor. Again same scenario Manager eventually comes over and gets pissed for even being bothered and apologized to me.

I think the problem is they spend no time training entry level staff.