Walmart

[RadicalModerate]

Close, but it was because of the word 'General' in the name. It was deemed too militant and would potentially strike fear into 'residents' near their stores. My understanding is they will change the name to 'Dollar Things of Various Uses'.

DUDE . . . I think they are handing out Political Re-Education passes at Walmart today . . .
Sounds like you are in need of a tune-up . . . =)

(you get a "free fone" in the bargain along with a little, ingestable, pill containing some Nanotech stuff)

[CaptDave]

Close, but it was because of the word 'General' in the name. It was deemed too militant and would potentially strike fear into 'residents' near their stores. My understanding is they will change the name to 'Dollar Things of Various Uses'.

I think it is because they were worried about their female patrons: Army general to face court-martial on sexual misconduct charges - Los Angeles Times

[Just the facts]

Warnings of slower sales drive US stocks lower | News OK

NEW YORK (AP) — Warnings of weaker sales from two major companies and concern that the Federal Reserve could ease off its support for the economy sent the stock market spiraling lower Thursday.

Before the start of trading, Wal-Mart cut its estimates for annual revenue and profit, warning that cautious shoppers are spending less.

Wall Street seems to believe that declining Walmart sales equals bad economy ahead, but since Walmart is a discounter couldn't declining Walmart sales also indicate an improving economy?

Or do we have a larger problem called Quantitative Easing?

Frederick said many investors are speculating that the improving economy means the Fed will start pumping less money into the financial system in the coming months

Or both at the same time. The economy can't improve because if it does Walmart and the rest of Wall Street will collapse.

[RadicalModerate]

But if The Fed pumps in less money doesn't that imply that The Debt/Deficit will decrease?
"It's too big to fail." (inventor of The Hindenburg)

[bchris02]

Warnings of slower sales drive US stocks lower | News OK



Wall Street seems to believe that declining Walmart sales equals bad economy ahead, but since Walmart is a discounter couldn't declining Walmart sales also indicate an improving economy?

Or do we have a larger problem called Quantitative Easing?



Or both at the same time. The economy can't improve because if it does Walmart and the rest of Wall Street will collapse.

I agree. Wal-Mart sales skyrocketed in 2008 as people turned to them who previously went elsewhere. I would imagine anybody who turned to Wal-Mart to save money during the recession or out of necessity would jump ship once they could afford to. Dillard's, a chain many thought wouldn't make it to the end of 2009, has recovered very nicely.

[Just the facts]

I am starting to worry that Wall Street is too heavily invested in failure. Declining sales at Walmart should be a sign of economic recovery but Wall Street is so invested in them and hold them up as an economic indicator that we might finally have become a discount nation.

U.S. stocks slammed; Dow drops over 200 points - Market Snapshot - MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — U.S. stocks on Thursday thudded lower for a second day, with the Dow industrials posting their first back-to-back triple-digit drop since June, as Treasury yields spiked to 2011 highs and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. cut their forecasts.

Several upbeat economic reports spurred thinking that the Federal Reserve will begin to scale back its monthly bond buys in September.

[MWCGuy]

Everybody complains about the low wages Walmart supposedly pays yet, people forget a typical Walmart store consist of mostly low skill jobs that just about anybody can do. The cash register tells the clerk how much change to give (Some even tell them what bill and coin denominations to remove from the drawer.

The cashier of today is nothing like the cashier of years ago where they had to have good math skills and good hand eye coordination otherwise the transactions would be all out of whack. Not to mention. the customers in line would back up through the aisles. Not processing customers in a timely manner would get the average cashier fired years ago. Today computers do all the work so even a beginner cashier can move a line at a reasonable pace.

The stockers have it easier now too. They don't have to price the merchandise and move like a machine to get the aisles stocked. The pallets arrived presorted to the aisle and area of the store so all they have to do is spend a few seconds placing it. I remember going to Griders on May with my grandparents years ago. The guys look like robots. They would grab a box, rip the top off with a box knife. Stamp the boxes, cut the sides of the box, run down the aisle, slam on the shelf, then run for the next box of products.

In time I predict Walmart will be the one of the first stores to automate their pay and stocking system. When they do, you can expect a large number of people to be on the unemployment line.

At the end of the day people have to realize that low skill jobs are the answer for long term employment. Sure, they are great for students and supplemental income but, that's about it. If you want to make money you have a skill that few people have or you have to trade school or college.

It surprises me that schools are driving kids away from looking into blue collar jobs. (Mechanics, paint and body, construction, electrician, plumber, welders and truck drivers) Granted they are not going to pay a ton of money in the beginning however, if you get good at one of those trades you can start your own business and earn a comfortable income. ($50-$75K a year and that is not bad at all for Oklahoma)

[BBatesokc]

Everybody complains about the low wages Walmart supposedly pays yet, people forget a typical Walmart store consist of mostly low skill jobs that just about anybody can do. The cash register tells the clerk how much change to give (Some even tell them what bill and coin denominations to remove from the drawer.

In time I predict Walmart will be the one of the first stores to automate their pay and stocking system. When they do, you can expect a large number of people to be on the unemployment line.

We won't have to worry about cashiers complaining about low pay soon....... because there won't be any cashiers! THIS...... Scan and Go - Walmart.com Had no idea they were already doing this in Edmond. I will give it a try this morning.

[WilliamTell]

I think its been covered -

But for a long time I was a walmart fan, I shop early in the morning on the weekends so i never have to deal with any crowds and the stores were stocked. But over the last two years it has gotten worse and worse in finding everyday grocery and non grocery items in stock (2% milk for example), even at 6:00 am (they stop stocking at 7). It gotten bad enough that I started going to Crest and not only has my food bill dropped but im able to find exactly what im looking for each time.

They just cut back on their staff way too much and their stores really did completely turn into war zones at all hours of the day.

With their non grocery items its even worse, I could name countless items that i've tried to find in multiple different stores to just end up buying it on amazon (lamps, tower fans, electronic accessories, steam mops, etc,etc). You just cant find what you are looking for and the stuff you do find is higher priced than online and lower quality. They are becoming the next bestbuy of household items.

[Servicetech571]

I think its been covered -

But for a long time I was a walmart fan, I shop early in the morning on the weekends so i never have to deal with any crowds and the stores were stocked. But over the last two years it has gotten worse and worse in finding everyday grocery and non grocery items in stock (2% milk for example), even at 6:00 am (they stop stocking at 7). It gotten bad enough that I started going to Crest and not only has my food bill dropped but im able to find exactly what im looking for each time.

They just cut back on their staff way too much and their stores really did completely turn into war zones at all hours of the day.

With their non grocery items its even worse, I could name countless items that i've tried to find in multiple different stores to just end up buying it on amazon (lamps, tower fans, electronic accessories, steam mops, etc,etc). You just cant find what you are looking for and the stuff you do find is higher priced than online and lower quality. They are becoming the next bestbuy of household items.

Crest is awesome, especially thier customer service. Prices are comparable to Walmart, but Crest doesn't offer as many generic branded items. In Walmart there is a "great value" version of just about everything they sell.

[BBatesokc]

I think its been covered -

But for a long time I was a walmart fan, I shop early in the morning on the weekends so i never have to deal with any crowds and the stores were stocked. But over the last two years it has gotten worse and worse in finding everyday grocery and non grocery items in stock (2% milk for example), even at 6:00 am (they stop stocking at 7). It gotten bad enough that I started going to Crest and not only has my food bill dropped but im able to find exactly what im looking for each time.

They just cut back on their staff way too much and their stores really did completely turn into war zones at all hours of the day.

With their non grocery items its even worse, I could name countless items that i've tried to find in multiple different stores to just end up buying it on amazon (lamps, tower fans, electronic accessories, steam mops, etc,etc). You just cant find what you are looking for and the stuff you do find is higher priced than online and lower quality. They are becoming the next bestbuy of household items.

I will give in on the point that they do have fewer employees than years past and the stores I frequent (Edmond I-35 frontage and the Tinker Diagonal) seem to have less on hand. That said, I can't recall not being able to get what I want on a visit. My visits however are pretty much reduced to grocery items (we don't buy hardly any 'junk food' or much processed) - mostly just fruit, veggies, eggs, some deli meats. Non-grocery is limited to toiletries, small kitchen utensils, grilling items and gardening misc. Anything like decor (lamps, rugs, dishes,etc.) is reserved for Target (at the minimum) or a more specialty store or online. We are pretty frugal and always price compare to places like Amazon and rarely are the prices much different for the things we buy. I do though try to buy more of my food items at the Edmond Sprouts. The convenience factor or location, variety and low prices is what keeps me a Walmart shopper though. However, when the Sam's next door opens I will frequent far more and Walmart far less.

[tomokc]

Brian - A lot of retailers have introduced "Scan and Go" technology, from Home Depot to Carl's Jr. It works better in some situations than others, but universally it is intended to lower organizational costs while giving customers an option for checking out faster. It's really not much different than the credit card readers on gasoline pumps which were introduced years ago. As a customer I like having the option.

Who is against it? Unions, the under-educated, under-qualified and under-performing workers. The lesson for them - and others not yet in the work force - is to keep learning and growing so you rise above these technologies that threaten to replace you. Because they will.

[BBatesokc]

Brian - A lot of retailers have introduced "Scan and Go" technology, from Home Depot to Carl's Jr. It works better in some situations than others, but universally it is intended to lower organizational costs while giving customers an option for checking out faster. It's really not much different than the credit card readers on gasoline pumps which were introduced years ago. As a customer I like having the option.

Who is against it? Unions, the under-educated, under-qualified and under-performing workers. The lesson for them - and others not yet in the work force - is to keep learning and growing so you rise above these technologies that threaten to replace you. Because they will.

Has Home Depot expanded to Scan & Go already? The last time I used their app it was simply a click & pull type arrangement (like Sam's) and really only useful for shopping from home.

I'll love it when smart carts are implemented and it knows whats in your cart and you simply swipe your card and go (or its debited wirelessly via PayPal, etc.).

[ctchandler]

BBatesokc,
I live a little over two miles from there and am really looking forward to it. I'm one of those people that likes to have ten boxes of kleenex/tissue in my cabinet just in case, so I don't mind buying their large quantity items. Kind of dumb though, I live alone! Oh well, old habits...
C. T.

However, when the Sam's next door opens I will frequent far more and Walmart far less.

[Bunty]

I shop Target too. I find it odd Target usually avoids the hatred spewed at Walmart when they are certainly not so different - other than the packaging of the shopping experience.

Target avoids the hate, because unlike Wal-Mart it chose to stay out of small towns for the most part. And from there, Wal-Mart wasn't just driving out small mom and pop stores, it was also running off entire regional retail chains trying to make it, such as Gibson's.

[Buffalo Bill]

Target avoids the hate, because unlike Wal-Mart it chose to stay out of small towns for the most part. And from there, Wal-Mart wasn't just driving out small mom and pop stores, it was also running off entire regional retail chains trying to make it, such as Gibson's.

That and their shopping experience, taken in its entirety, doesn't suck beyond belief like that at Wallyworld.

[bchris02]

Target avoids the hate, because unlike Wal-Mart it chose to stay out of small towns for the most part. And from there, Wal-Mart wasn't just driving out small mom and pop stores, it was also running off entire regional retail chains trying to make it, such as Gibson's.

You can say they have done the same thing in OKC with the grocery stores (Albertson's for instance). Target's business practice is entirely different from Wal-Mart. When Target comes into town, its intention isn't running everything else out of business and becoming the only place to shop.

That and their shopping experience, taken in its entirety, doesn't suck beyond belief like that at Wallyworld.

True. The entire Wal-Mart experience is just terrible. I actually wouldn't mind shopping at Wal-Mart neighborhood markets if they would just stock them well and had more than a couple of people working the cash registers during busy times.

[Dubya61]

That and their shopping experience, taken in its entirety, doesn't suck beyond belief like that at Wallyworld.

Target is not immune to a suckitude entiritus. I NEVER find what I want in a Target.

[kelroy55]

I have to admit I went to Wally World this Sunday and it never ceases to amaze me the people you see in Walmart. Half the fun is seeing how some of them are dressed. I don't think I've ever seen anybody in Target that comes close.

[Dubya61]

Incredibly TRUE! Sometimes, I'm getting ready to leave the house, and my wife brings me back to reality, "Only to Walmart and back! No stops anywhere inbetween!" How did Walmart get to be this alternate reality where totally slovenly is OK?

[kevinpate]

I have to admit I went to Wally World this Sunday and it never ceases to amaze me the people you see in Walmart. Half the fun is seeing how some of them are dressed. I don't think I've ever seen anybody in Target that comes close.

Probably why there is no PeepsofTarget website (at least I do not think there is)

[Bunty]

I have to admit I went to Wally World this Sunday and it never ceases to amaze me the people you see in Walmart. Half the fun is seeing how some of them are dressed. I don't think I've ever seen anybody in Target that comes close.

You mean fat women without much on?

[Mr T]

Giant men on scooters, leaking calves wrapped in gauze, clutching 10 pound jars of multicolored cheez doodles. People who lean over the cart and steer with massive abdomens, "food" in one hand, phone in the other. Fat 4-year-old girls dressed up like tarts, eating corn dogs out of the box. Folk who appear to have cleared the intersection, but 3 feet of butt is still there. You can't turn down the aisle just because the cart is 4 feet past the intersection. Young women built like linebackers from the mid-back up. It's the "food."

[GoOKC1991]

A couple people mentioned Wal-Marts here poorly stocked, you want to know why? The stores here at least, have this system called MyGuide, which lists your stocking chore for the day/night and you are given an amount of time to do it mostly an hour and a half. I usually took longer, but that was because I put an emphasis on making sure the items were placed correctly in the right spot, it's easy to get it done in your set time if you just throw your freight on the shelves and not worry if it's correct or not (and many employees do it that way). I was fired because I wasn't getting it done on time, despite putting the items in the right place, even if that took a little extra time. The employees who just threw the items on the shelves, not worrying about it being the right spot, were kept. What a joke.

[Just the facts]

You should have just worked off-the-clock an extra hour every night. I am sure that would have smoothed things over.