Wal-Mart will see even less of me now
Seerialmom
inspire me to venture in ,especially before work when I needed 1 or 2
items early in the morning, was the "self-checkout". So this morning
I go there to buy a case of 8 oz. Pepsi's; there's one check out open
and none of the "self-checkouts" are "on". I commented to the cashier
that "not that I want your job to go away...but I come here
specifically because of the self-checkouts". Her answer was that they
were going away due to too many losses from people not checking "all"
the items and walking out the door. Now is that just stupid or what?
"Why can't they do like Sam's Club or Costco", I asked her. She said
the customers who shop there have cussed out the person who asks for a
receipt and to check the bag. Of course the ones that would do that
have something to hide, right? Additionally they could limit it to 10
items or less and have those cameras over the register. I'd say it's
a BS answer she gave...since thieves will steal anyway, checkout or
not.
skar...@gmail.com
told her that "my husband hates to shop here because you keep only on
counter open", the checkout lady told my wife that they have hard time
finding employees. Apparently, they don't get enough applicants and
then most of them fail due to various reasons, among them (1) drug
tests and (2) background checks. And, many people apparently decline
the job.
I am not sure how much of all that is true, but, I would imagine Wal
Mart should know that they have to pay well to get and keep good
workers.
Same case with Home Depot. First of all, most workers avoid eye
contact fearing I might ask them a question. When I do find and stop
someone to ask where they keep an item, answer comes very quickly "oh,
we don't carry that." I just have to browse for half an hour by myself
and I'll find the item or something equivalent.
George Grapman
I have a friend who worked at Home Depot. One reason that they may
not be informed is because they keep moving people from department to
department. Apparently they are afraid that workers might get friendly
with each other and perhaps compare gripes and talk about unions.
They also had mandatory store wide meetings early Sunday mornings. He
said there was nothing there that could not have been handled via one
page memos. He stopped going and nothing happened. He did notice that
those who faithfully attended were the ones who got calls on their days
off telling them to come in or where asked to change their vacation
dates at the last moment. It seems they knew the regular attendees were
the most malleable and the most fearful of losing their jobs.
Rod Speed
windows like lemmings as soon as they read your post.
Jeff
> skar...@gmail.com wrote:
>> My wife had a similar experience at Wal Mart recently. When my wife
>> told her that "my husband hates to shop here because you keep only on
>> counter open", the checkout lady told my wife that they have hard time
>> finding employees. Apparently, they don't get enough applicants and
>> then most of them fail due to various reasons, among them (1) drug
>> tests and (2) background checks. And, many people apparently decline
>> the job.
>>
>> I am not sure how much of all that is true, but, I would imagine Wal
>> Mart should know that they have to pay well to get and keep good
>> workers.
>>
>> Same case with Home Depot. First of all, most workers avoid eye
>> contact fearing I might ask them a question. When I do find and stop
>> someone to ask where they keep an item, answer comes very quickly "oh,
>> we don't carry that." I just have to browse for half an hour by myself
>> and I'll find the item or something equivalent.
>
> I have a friend who worked at Home Depot.
I've been in more than my share of Home Depots, I live in Atlanta
where they are HQ'd. Whatever they do with their employees, they are at
heart an unhappy lot. They complain of being overworked but appear to be
much less helpful than their brethren at Lowes. You can often find Lowes
employees who are ex Home Depot people, they are much much happier at Lowes.
Jeff
Jeff
> Not that I shop at Wal-Mart all that often, but one thing that did
> inspire me to venture in ,especially before work when I needed 1 or 2
> items early in the morning, was the "self-checkout". So this morning
> I go there to buy a case of 8 oz. Pepsi's; there's one check out open
> and none of the "self-checkouts" are "on". I commented to the cashier
> that "not that I want your job to go away...but I come here
> specifically because of the self-checkouts". Her answer was that they
> were going away due to too many losses from people not checking "all"
> the items and walking out the door.
There must be something wrong with their system. I've found it
impossible to move something to bagging without scanning. Not that I'm
trying to steal something, but mis scans and oversized goods happen. I
often need assistance clearing something...
Now is that just stupid or what?
> "Why can't they do like Sam's Club or Costco", I asked her. She said
> the customers who shop there have cussed out the person who asks for a
> receipt and to check the bag.
I don't see that at the Walmarts I shop. The rules seem to be at least a
cursory look at the receipt or the bag. I've never seen anyone complain.
Must be a different clientelle in your hood. I do think they check some
people a lot more carefully. Walmart runs a tight ship, I'm surprised
they can't get this under control at your store.
Jeff
AllEmailDeletedImmediately
"Jeff" <jeff@spam_me_not.com> wrote in message
news:13t0gri...@corp.supernews.com...
> Seerialmom wrote:
>> Not that I shop at Wal-Mart all that often, but one thing that did
>> inspire me to venture in ,especially before work when I needed 1 or 2
>> items early in the morning, was the "self-checkout". So this morning
>> I go there to buy a case of 8 oz. Pepsi's; there's one check out open
>> and none of the "self-checkouts" are "on". I commented to the cashier
>> that "not that I want your job to go away...but I come here
>> specifically because of the self-checkouts". Her answer was that they
>> were going away due to too many losses from people not checking "all"
>> the items and walking out the door.
>
> There must be something wrong with their system. I've found it
> impossible to move something to bagging without scanning. Not that I'm
> trying to steal something, but mis scans and oversized goods happen. I
> often need assistance clearing something...
you're just a luddite from hanging out with the amish all those yrs ago :)
Chloe
news:c3cb01fe-96d1-4f5c...@i7g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
Speaking of stupid, the Walmart that opened a couple years ago near my home
has about 20 checkout lanes (and no self-checkouts). Granted, I haven't been
in the store during a busy time like the Saturday afternoon before
Christmas, but on my relatively infrequent trips I've never seen more than
three lanes open at a time. I can't fathom why they installed so many lanes
in the first place, and why they've been willing to let all that space go to
waste when it could be stocked with merchandise.
Seerialmom
> > Not that I shop at Wal-Mart all that often, but one thing that did
> > inspire me to venture in ,especially before work when I needed 1 or 2
> > items early in the morning, was the "self-checkout". So this morning
> > I go there to buy a case of 8 oz. Pepsi's; there's one check out open
> > and none of the "self-checkouts" are "on". I commented to the cashier
> > that "not that I want your job to go away...but I come here
> > specifically because of the self-checkouts". Her answer was that they
> > were going away due to too many losses from people not checking "all"
> > the items and walking out the door. Now is that just stupid or what?
> > "Why can't they do like Sam's Club or Costco", I asked her. She said
> > the customers who shop there have cussed out the person who asks for a
> > receipt and to check the bag. Of course the ones that would do that
> > have something to hide, right? Additionally they could limit it to 10
> > items or less and have those cameras over the register. I'd say it's
On Mar 6, 10:36 am, "Rod Speed" <rod.speed....@gmail.com> wrote:
> Bet that will have the walmart suits pouring from their
> windows like lemmings as soon as they read your post.
>
Wasn't expecting any response from Wal-Mart, just voicing my annoyance
at the supposed loss of what I consider to be the god-send to people
who have one or two items to check out. And how stupid the
"reasoning" for removing it is. And don't expect anyone else "not" to
shop there, either.
Seerialmom
particular store is a block away from the "light rail" station; many
of them come in from seedier parts of town (not that poor people are
thieves by nature). And it might just be that particular store that
they'll be removing it from; there's other stores in the region that
don't have the self-checkout at all and I suppose others that do still
have them.
Seerialmom
> "Seerialmom" <seerial...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> - Show quoted text -
There probably are days where all (or most) of the checkouts are
open. I suppose they projected the volume based on the demo's in that
area compared to other stores. I was also surprised that the
"SuperCenter" they opened on the outskirts of town didn't have the
self-checkouts, either. In grocery stores that have self-checkout
they seem to be pretty popular.
Arvin
"Chloe" <just...@spam.com> wrote in message
news:47d06141$0$1109$4c36...@roadrunner.com...
five open. On top of that, the lanes seem to have been designed by some
idiot who never shopped at any store in his/her life: they are so short that
you can't get more than five items on them at a time; they have no conveyor
belts to move the items forward; they are so narrow that a skinny person
still has to turn sideways to get through. Jees, how dumb can you be!!! It
makes me want to go somewhere else and spend more!
Evelyn C. Leeper
People are getting really annoyed with security checks. Sam's Club and
Costco are membership stores; you agree to having them check your tape
at exit when you sign up. Wal-Mart is not, and people haven't signed
off on it.
--
Evelyn C. Leeper
Heretic: someone who disagrees with you about
something neither of you knows anything about.
Seerialmom
I don't remember "signing off" on it when I got my Sam's Club and
Costco memberships. I just know that's what they do and I comply.
Same with Fry's Electronics (not a membership store, btw). If it were
done for all customers and not just a "selected few" there'd be no
reason for feeling singled out or annoyed.
timeOday
adopt them, then self-checkout won't even require individually scanning
items and will be harder to steal things.
Al Bundy
So MOM, where are you going to shop now for those items and how are
they better? Are you going to pay more and go when it's not as
convenient, perhaps drive further? Will there be no lines there either?
???
your choice would be to comply, or not shop there.
???
???
attention to him he won't go away.
Logan Shaw
> The cashier somewhat alluded to the clientele as well. This
> particular store is a block away from the "light rail" station; many
> of them come in from seedier parts of town (not that poor people are
> thieves by nature). And it might just be that particular store that
> they'll be removing it from; there's other stores in the region that
> don't have the self-checkout at all and I suppose others that do still
> have them.
Where I live, the dominant chain of grocery stores is called HEB.
They have a ton of locations all over town (possibly twice as many
as all other chains), and you can tell whether HEB thinks you are
in a nice or seedy part of town based on several characteristics
of the HEB. In order from best to worst, here are the types of
HEB locations:
1. Has self-checkout lanes, and has self-service scales in the
produce section (where you weigh and print labels for your produce).
2. Has self-checkout lanes, but no produce printers.
3. Neither self-checkout lanes nor produce printers.
4. Has portable metal partitions and chains and padlocks they use
after about 9pm to block off the 2 or 3 aisles where they stock
the makeup/cosmetics
I'm not sure why lipstick and eyeliner needs more protection than
anything else, but that seems to be the pattern.
Also, on the subject of Wal*Mart theft, a few months ago, I was in
a Wal*Mart and heard a strange announcement over the PA system.
It was something along the lines of, "Associates in electronics,
please verify your inventory." A few minutes later, this was
followed by something like, "Associates in all departments, please
verify your inventory." My friend and I theorized that these
announcements were code for, "Hey, shoplifter, you jerk, we are
onto the fact that you are trying to steal something, so put it
down right now and walk away, and we won't call the cops." Later
we asked the cashier, who essentially confirmed that this was the
correct interpretation. It was sort of amusing because they made
the announcement about three times, each time with an increasingly
surly and annoyed tone of voice.
- Logan
Logan Shaw
Yeah, instead it will require individually rearranging the RFID tags
onto the wrong items.
- Logan
Jeff
> Seerialmom wrote:
>> The cashier somewhat alluded to the clientele as well. This
>> particular store is a block away from the "light rail" station; many
>> of them come in from seedier parts of town (not that poor people are
>> thieves by nature). And it might just be that particular store that
>> they'll be removing it from; there's other stores in the region that
>> don't have the self-checkout at all and I suppose others that do still
>> have them.
>
> Where I live, the dominant chain of grocery stores is called HEB.
> They have a ton of locations all over town (possibly twice as many
> as all other chains), and you can tell whether HEB thinks you are
> in a nice or seedy part of town based on several characteristics
> of the HEB. In order from best to worst, here are the types of
> HEB locations:
>
> 1. Has self-checkout lanes, and has self-service scales in the
> produce section (where you weigh and print labels for your produce).
Hey, I'm impressed! Here you get samples in the better stores. No
kibbles for the peasants though.
> 2. Has self-checkout lanes, but no produce printers.
> 3. Neither self-checkout lanes nor produce printers.
> 4. Has portable metal partitions and chains and padlocks they use
> after about 9pm to block off the 2 or 3 aisles where they stock
> the makeup/cosmetics
Here we've got Kroger, which serves the masses. I find Krogers in
every neighborhood have multiple self checkouts. Perhaps even more in
the lower class hoods. I suspect Kroger has just got this down. Although
I must say that they do have one attendant for every 4 to 6 self
checkouts, but so do the Home Depots.
> I'm not sure why lipstick and eyeliner needs more protection than
> anything else, but that seems to be the pattern.
I was in line in a low end store (Wayfield) a while back and the
teller pointed at the guy behind me. At which point he started pulling
stuff out of his jacket and putting the goods on the display case behind
him. That wasn't what she wanted and he pulled even more stuff out. What
she wanted was something out of the display case! Not that he stuffed
everything back in his jacket but nothing else was said or done. I
suspect they just factor in shrinkage when they set prices and just live
with it. I also think the standards for cashier there must be really low.
Jeff
Jeff
> You really shouldn't respond to Rod. He's a twit, and if you pay
> attention to him he won't go away.
>
insults with.
Jeff
Napoleon
<ele...@optonline.net> wrote:
>People are getting really annoyed with security checks. Sam's Club and
>Costco are membership stores; you agree to having them check your tape
>at exit when you sign up. Wal-Mart is not, and people haven't signed
>off on it.
I'll tell you what annoys me. When they ask for your zip code. I
always say "no thanks," and then the cashier looks at me as if I just
slapped him or her upside the head. I refuse to partake in whatever
marketing scheme they are using in asking for your zip code. I'm
paying with cash - take the money and leave me alone. Don't get into
my business.
A store once asked for my phone number. Why don't they just ask for
your SSN, then they can get all the marketing data they need. People
should stop just "complying" with these idiotic retail scams. But they
won't, because people are sheep.
-N
George
How long were you away from the planet? Those big box places are well
known for low pay and demanding working conditions. Is it any surprise
that they can't keep good workers?
clams_casino
>I'll tell you what annoys me. When they ask for your zip code. I
>always say "no thanks," and then the cashier looks at me as if I just
>slapped him or her upside the head. I refuse to partake in whatever
>marketing scheme they are using in asking for your zip code. I'm
>paying with cash - take the money and leave me alone. Don't get into
>my business.
>
>A store once asked for my phone number. Why don't they just ask for
>your SSN, then they can get all the marketing data they need. People
>should stop just "complying" with these idiotic retail scams. But they
>won't, because people are sheep.
>
>-N
>
>
While doing some remodeling lately, we've made a number of trips to
Lowes / Depot. They never asked for zip / phone when I paid by credit
card, but everytime I paid via cash (even just a few dollars), they
would ask for phone number (I never supplied it). When questioned why
the ask for a few dollars, but never via larger purchases, I was told
it made returns easier. If the return had a valid phone number,
cash refunds were instant. Without a phone number, apparently they no
longer (or have the right not to ) provide a cash refund. I returned a
few items and received cash with having supplied the number, but perhaps
I just looked honest.
George
Not really stupid. Walmart in particular has a certain reputation about
its typical customers.
George Grapman
the store I gave them 415-555-1212.
Remember if you make a purchase from a company they can call you
even if you are on the do not call list.
Seerialmom
>
> - Show quoted text -
Considering I rarely go to Wal-Mart...as it is; there's not much price
difference between the other things I would buy there vs Target. I
"like" Target in spite of their lack of self-check stations...but they
always have a 10 items or less station open (and ample other checkouts
as well).
Seerialmom
> On Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:39:04 -0500, "Evelyn C. Leeper"
>
I could understand not giving the phone #....but the zip code could
work to your benefit. If enough customers are driving to a store from
your location; they may see that opening another outlet closer to you
would work. Additionally any advertisements in the paper for your
area.
George Grapman
>
> I could understand not giving the phone #....but the zip code could
> work to your benefit. If enough customers are driving to a store from
> your location; they may see that opening another outlet closer to you
> would work. Additionally any advertisements in the paper for your
> area.
A few weeks ago Trader Joe's asked for my zip code and gave me an
entry into a drawing for a gift card.
Terry Lomax
> > Seerialmom <seerial...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > Not that I shop at Wal-Mart all that often, but one thing that did
> > > inspire me to venture in ,especially before work when I needed 1 or 2
> > > items early in the morning, was the "self-checkout". So this morning
> > > I go there to buy a case of 8 oz. Pepsi's; there's one check out open
> > > and none of the "self-checkouts" are "on". I commented to the cashier
> > > that "not that I want your job to go away...but I come here
> > > specifically because of the self-checkouts". Her answer was that they
> > > were going away due to too many losses from people not checking "all"
> > > the items and walking out the door. Now is that just stupid or what?
> > > "Why can't they do like Sam's Club or Costco", I asked her. She said
> > > the customers who shop there have cussed out the person who asks for a
> > > receipt and to check the bag. Of course the ones that would do that
> > > have something to hide, right? Additionally they could limit it to 10
> > > items or less and have those cameras over the register. I'd say it's
> > > a BS answer she gave...since thieves will steal anyway, checkout or not.-
> Wasn't expecting any response from Wal-Mart, just voicing my annoyance
> at the supposed loss of what I consider to be the god-send to people
> who have one or two items to check out. And how stupid the
> "reasoning" for removing it is. And don't expect anyone else "not" to
> shop there, either.
Sounds like a good reason to remove self-checkout: THEFT! Anything
that increases THEFT should be removed. THEFT cuts down on revenue
and results in costs being passed along to honest customers, plus
theft drives down the stock price, and WMT is in many people's
retirement mutual funds.
Self-checkout also costs a lot in terms of employee time because
customers often have to summon employees to deal with problems with
self-checkout.
It's probably easier to prosecute Sam's Club and Costco customers
because they're members who can be tracked down based on their
membership ID, unlike the rather anonymous thieves who shop at Wally
World.
Wal-Mart will see more of my business as I continue to have bad
experience with family businesses. Family businesses tend to have a
lot of nepotism, with the nepotism people abusing the non-nepotism
people, resulting in low morale among the good non-nepotism people.
Nepotism people know they can be rude, lazy, incompetent, etc, without
suffering any chance of being fired. Family businesses are more
likely to have an alcoholic or sexual predator on their payroll, as
they don't do background checks on their nepotism/charity hires. Big
multinational corporations should have more checks and balances
against the discrimination, favoritism, and harrassment that occurs in
family businesses.
Big multinational corporations are more likely to be secular. I try
to boycott Christian businesses whenever possible.
Seerialmom
> Sounds like a good reason to remove self-checkout: THEFT! Anything
> that increases THEFT should be removed. THEFT cuts down on revenue
> and results in costs being passed along to honest customers, plus
> theft drives down the stock price, and WMT is in many people's
> retirement mutual funds.
>
> Self-checkout also costs a lot in terms of employee time because
> customers often have to summon employees to deal with problems with
> self-checkout.
Theft will happen with or without the self-checkouts; just
differently. As for the problems "some" customers have at the self-
checkouts; it's no different than holding up the line that has a
checker with coupons and check writing...or bringing up an item that
has no tag. Employees are brought up to do "price checks", right?
The Real Bev
> A few weeks ago Trader Joe's asked for my zip code and gave me an
> entry into a drawing for a gift card.
They do that if you bring your own bag, but nobody's ever asked for a zip.
--
Cheers,
Bev
==================================================
Is the Pope Catholic? Do bears shit in the woods?
Does Rose Kennedy have a black dress?
George Grapman
> George Grapman wrote:
>
>> A few weeks ago Trader Joe's asked for my zip code and gave me an
>> entry into a drawing for a gift card.
>
> They do that if you bring your own bag, but nobody's ever asked for a zip.
>
entry. I was talking to the person behind me and after leaving I thought
that the check had forgotten. She did ask for my zip. This happened
once before and I was told it was used to help decide new locations.
Jeff
news:47d0af21$0$17337$4c36...@roadrunner.com:
> Seerialmom wrote:
>> The cashier somewhat alluded to the clientele as well. This
>> particular store is a block away from the "light rail" station; many
>> of them come in from seedier parts of town (not that poor people are
>> thieves by nature). And it might just be that particular store that
>> they'll be removing it from; there's other stores in the region that
>> don't have the self-checkout at all and I suppose others that do still
>> have them.
>
> Where I live, the dominant chain of grocery stores is called HEB.
> They have a ton of locations all over town (possibly twice as many
> as all other chains), and you can tell whether HEB thinks you are
> in a nice or seedy part of town based on several characteristics
> of the HEB. In order from best to worst, here are the types of
> HEB locations:
>
> 1. Has self-checkout lanes, and has self-service scales in the
> produce section (where you weigh and print labels for your produce).
> 2. Has self-checkout lanes, but no produce printers.
> 3. Neither self-checkout lanes nor produce printers.
> 4. Has portable metal partitions and chains and padlocks they use
> after about 9pm to block off the 2 or 3 aisles where they stock
> the makeup/cosmetics
>
> I'm not sure why lipstick and eyeliner needs more protection than
> anything else, but that seems to be the pattern.
>
Cosmetics are relatively expensive and small enough to easily slip in a
pocket or purse. They are often the target of teenager shoplifters who
either lack the money or have parents that disapprove of them wearing
makeup.
George Grapman
series of unobtrusive bells.
Last year I was in a 99 cent store in New York. There was constant
series of announcements such as " the lady in the brown skirt, please
look behind you at the great selection of cosmetics" or" the boy with
the Yankee cap, check those great CDs on aisle 4". Nice way to let
customers know you are watching them.
Shawn Hirn
<ed3621c7-b7af-42be...@34g2000hsz.googlegroups.com>,
Terry Lomax <Lom...@hotmail.com> wrote:
True; however, the Wal-Mart near me never really deployed its self-check
out registers. There's ten of them, and not once has all ten been open.
On average, only one or two are open and the others are simply powered
off or they have an "out of service" sign written on them on a piece of
white printer paper in black magic marker.
SpammersDie
> series of announcements such as " the lady in the brown skirt, please look
> behind you at the great selection of cosmetics" or" the boy with the
> Yankee cap, check those great CDs on aisle 4". Nice way to let customers
> know you are watching them.
And an even better way to ensure they will never get my business.
Too_Many_Tools
> Not that I shop at Wal-Mart all that often, but one thing that did
> inspire me to venture in ,especially before work when I needed 1 or 2
> items early in the morning, was the "self-checkout". So this morning
> I go there to buy a case of 8 oz. Pepsi's; there's one check out open
> and none of the "self-checkouts" are "on". I commented to the cashier
> that "not that I want your job to go away...but I come here
> specifically because of the self-checkouts". Her answer was that they
> were going away due to too many losses from people not checking "all"
> the items and walking out the door. Now is that just stupid or what?
> "Why can't they do like Sam's Club or Costco", I asked her. She said
> the customers who shop there have cussed out the person who asks for a
> receipt and to check the bag. Of course the ones that would do that
> have something to hide, right? Additionally they could limit it to 10
> items or less and have those cameras over the register. I'd say it's
> a BS answer she gave...since thieves will steal anyway, checkout or
> not.
The reason why automated checkouts go away is that the store does not
do the volume of business needed to support them.
They cost more than the flesh and blood kind.
TMT
Too_Many_Tools
> Bet that will have the walmart suits pouring from their
> windows like lemmings as soon as they read your post.
>
>
>
> > Not that I shop at Wal-Mart all that often, but one thing that did
> > inspire me to venture in ,especially before work when I needed 1 or 2
> > items early in the morning, was the "self-checkout". So this morning
> > I go there to buy a case of 8 oz. Pepsi's; there's one check out open
> > and none of the "self-checkouts" are "on". I commented to the cashier
> > that "not that I want your job to go away...but I come here
> > specifically because of the self-checkouts". Her answer was that they
> > were going away due to too many losses from people not checking "all"
> > the items and walking out the door. Now is that just stupid or what?
> > "Why can't they do like Sam's Club or Costco", I asked her. She said
> > the customers who shop there have cussed out the person who asks for a
> > receipt and to check the bag. Of course the ones that would do that
> > have something to hide, right? Additionally they could limit it to 10
> > items or less and have those cameras over the register. I'd say it's
>
> - Show quoted text -
Actually Walmart is cutting back on employees because of reduced
sales.
TMT
PaPaPeng
<sfge...@paccbell.net> wrote:
> Radio Shack used to insist on a phone number. Once just to get out of
>the store I gave them 415-555-1212.
> Remember if you make a purchase from a company they can call you
>even if you are on the do not call list.
I just say I am from out of state. I am just buying an item and my
cash is good. Anything else is none of their business. To be fair I
also buy what I really need and very rarely if ever make returns.
Shawn Hirn
<de52e535-5fd7-4f0c...@b64g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
Too_Many_Tools <too_man...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Which makes no sense for Wal-Mart consider it is the world's largest
retailer and no doubt does the most sales volume.
Whispurr the Cat
>
> Not that I shop at Wal-Mart all that often, but one thing that did
> inspire me to venture in ,especially before work when I needed 1 or 2
> items early in the morning, was the "self-checkout". So this morning
> I go there to buy a case of 8 oz. Pepsi's; there's one check out open
> and none of the "self-checkouts" are "on". I commented to the cashier
> that "not that I want your job to go away...but I come here
> specifically because of the self-checkouts". Her answer was that they
> were going away due to too many losses from people not checking "all"
> the items and walking out the door. Now is that just stupid or what?
> "Why can't they do like Sam's Club or Costco", I asked her. She said
> the customers who shop there have cussed out the person who asks for a
> receipt and to check the bag. Of course the ones that would do that
> have something to hide, right? Additionally they could limit it to 10
> items or less and have those cameras over the register. I'd say it's
> a BS answer she gave...since thieves will steal anyway, checkout or
> not.
Just got back from SWMBO sponsored trip to a 3-day old Wally world in our
nearby town.
There were no self checkouts installed.
It claims to be a Super Center, but it was just a 2/3 size version of the
typical rotm Walmart. I was underwhelmed. WM opened 3 new stores in Iowa
last week. I expect they were all smaller stores fit in between the real
super-centers for greater saturation. Our nearest stores were 30 and 32
miles away until Friday.
I'm sure they did their homework, but I can't see them making much inroads
into the grocery market in our 4000 population town and 8000 county that
already has 2 newer strong regional grocerys in town.
Spot checking a few things I know the price of showed bananas @ 69¢ instead
of 49¢ and apple juice @ $2.50 instead of $1.79. They'll have to do better
than that.
They did have an overabundance of checkers though. Many standing around
looking bored. Probably to deal with the anticipated rush of looky lookers.
Not many shoppers there at 9AM on Sunday morning though.
Anyway, I'll miss the self checkers too.