I think Wal Mart is trying to go out of business

[Allen]

Just came back from WM on this busy shopping night (12/19). When I went to check out @ around 6:30pm the genius store manager decided to close all the registers but 2. 1 was left open for "20 items or less" and many (probably a dozen) were converted to self-check which nobody wants to use. Of all times of the year to pull such a stunt. I don't know if they laid a lot of people off or what but there was only 3 manned cashiers in the whole store and this is one of the big Wal Marts with about 25 registers or so. As it is I have to shop at least 2 different WM's to find what I need. Not all of them carry the same items. For a long time the shelves have been bare of many things and now this battle for check out. It took longer to check out than it did to shop. I have used the self check for one or two items but for a cart full of stuff it is not feasible . You have to go and get an empty cart to transfer everything due to no counter space.

Perhaps these "ghost town" WM's are a result of the minimum wage going up?

Just a short rant and wondering if they are this bad nation wide or just here.

[Merc]

We noticed a shortage of cashiers at several WM stores. I use the self check out almost exclusively now because of this and so do lots of other shoppers so now even that area gets crowded. The lines are much too long at the manned registers. I’ll sometimes check out at the auto service counter or at the sporting goods counter if I only have a few items.

[Vern Humphrey]

With all the pressure to raise the minimum wage, expect Wal Mart -- and virtually all other chains to go exclusively to self-checkout in the future.

What good does it do to raise the minimum wage, if there are no more minimum wage jobs?

[tmark]

My WM does have a worker at the self check outs to assist dummies like me with these machines.

[JB White]

A single worker to assist. How many self checks? Each unmanned checkout represents the loss of an American job and...
Nobody is paying into Social Security.
Nobody is paying taxes except the buyer paying sales tax.
A buyer who is temporarily working for the store checking and bagging for no pay.

[S.A. Boggs]

Our daughter is one of the "yellow canaries" in charge of 4 self checkouts and works a full week. Ask to speak to the store manager or call the regional manager and complain. I have seen co-managers man a register during peak times. Blame Bentonville as they set how much each store can use for help, call their 800 number. Ask to speak to a supervisor, not the person who answers the phone and lodge a complaint. A record is kept of complaints, also send a registered letter to the CEO and complain. A squeaky wheel gets the lube! I use the self checkout when my daughter is there as I am still green, otherwise the other registers.
Sam

[Major Tom]

Same at our Wally World! During peak shopping hours, Walmart stockers completely block aisles with cargo carriers. How stupid! Stock the dang shelves in early morning!

[Allen]

Same at our Wally World! During peak shopping hours, Walmart stockers completely block aisles with cargo carriers. How stupid! Stock the dang shelves in early morning!

Some of these cargo carriers are employees who are filling orders for phone in customers who pick up at the "to go" door. This is a new service by WM but it is another nail in their coffin. These employees are under the gun to fill multiple orders as quickly as possible so they block aisles, shove in front of you and other rude acts to get their job done. It is sometimes very hard to shop around this obstacle.

As far as Sam's comment about phoning in a complaint, I'm sure they take count but the actual message would go to deaf ears. People already complain. Nobody is going to call to give a compliment. Still the problems get worse and worse. Soon self check will be the only way to pay and some poor cashier will have to oversee them all. I have spoken to some of these ladies and they don't like it either having to oversee 4-6-8 registers at once. Some buyers make honest mistakes but many try to bypass the scanner to get freebies so the one and only cashier has a lot to look out for. With a few missed items at the scanner it would pay WM to put a person at a register. Then, as mentioned before, there is no counter space to put scanned items. I typically spend between $300-$400 for a cart of stuff. I will never try to use self check with more than a half dozen items. The only reason I shop at WM now is because of the variety of items other than food but with increasing bare shelves it has become a hit or miss as to whether the store will have your item or not.

Getting back to phoning in a complaint. If the long lines at the only manned cashiers don't tell them the story nothing will. People complain at the store and most avoid the self checks hence the long lines at the operational cashiers. Lowes and Home Depot have them too but no one here will use them.

We have alternatives some good, some not so good but I see people switching to these other stores in droves. Still WM continues with their little games. The direction they are heading will place them in line with Amazon where you order on-line and go pick up your stuff at the window when they get back with you and you never enter the building.

[bruce]

Where's the beef! We all jump up and down about prices. Everyone wants the retailer to stock and price items at the best possible price we are willing to pay with immediate availability. We want knowledgeable friendly and personable service just like a Mom and Pop store ... which we don't frequent b/c that M&P shop is more expensive. We jump up and down about having to pay taxes on the purchase b/c we don't like what the tax revenue is used to fund. We don't want to pay shipping, etc. if we order the product or service on line and of course we don't want to pay tax on the purchase. Now Wal-Mart is looking and find yet another way to make retail sales profitable. It is eliminating service people supposedly b/c of a raise in the minimum wage. The logic fails. Self-check was already in place long before the minimum wage was raised. It was just the next step in a long series of steps taken to reduce costs. It is no different than when big box stores let us carry our own groceries to the car, eliminated tipping all in the name of lowering costs, etc., etc., etc. Where's the beef! Sincerely. bruce.

[JB White]

"Where's the beef?"



It's that little brown spot in the middle of a whirlwind of bread and bull$hit. It's a vicious cycle and it sucks. The grocery store by my house did away with the self checkouts. Instead they put in a quick check using a few new registers. A single line/queue with several checkers at a no frills checkout counter. (no conveyor) A bag rack where the clerk slides the goods into the bag and when full, pops it loose to a shelf where a 'bagger' moves down the line grabbing bags and placing them back into the cart.

It's fast and low cost. Employees, although fewer in number, are earning wages and paying taxes as well as paying into Social Security. Prices may be a couple of cents higher but peoples jobs haven't been eliminated. A fair trade-off IMO.