I think Wal Mart is trying to go out of business

[JB White]

Still a crime what happened to Meigs Field to support Daley's wife!

Typical liberal. Move into a different neighborhood and complain about the view. "Richie, I think an expensive park attached to the other parks would look nicer. Don't you? Say yes."
No sooner do they cave into her whims she kicks the bucket.

Only upside is the air traffic redirected to Palwaukee Airport. An economic shot in the arm for the Paletine area. Now it's called Chicago Executive Airport. Businessmen must travel an hour extra to their meetings by freeway and local streets instead of a 10 minute cab ride into the Loop. More $ker-ching$ but more congested traffic and pollution.

[Former Cav]

I went to the local grocery store (Frys...owned by Krogers) and they had 2 registers with LIVE people running them.
out of 14. The other EIGHT were self checkout.
I figured I'd do the self checkout thing instead of standing in the big lines behind the 2 registers!!
after all... I had all products with a bar code on them (no veggies... nothing needed to be weighed) What could possibly go wrong?
So, I don't like the plastic bags where everything rolls out of them, so I put a paper bag on the bag / merchandise scale and the machine goes ballistic. The lights FLASH and now I have to wait for someone to come and do a "reset"
So the guy comes, punches in his code on his handheld device and takes off. Well, the scale merchandise area will hold maybe 4 items!!! I got a gallon of bleech, (that's one slot), a gallon of vinegar (that's another slot) and I DO NOT want them both in ONE bag!! So the lights flash again. Well, about a 1/2 hour later I was loading my cart and making a move to get the he11 out of there.
The kid comes by and I says to him: "I know what this bullchit is all about. lay off people, so the CEO will get another BONUS, and everyone else can go to he11".
Guess, next time I'll just stand in line too. I noticed they took the magazines away. I'll have to bring my own reading material.

[lyman]

I went to the local grocery store (Frys...owned by Krogers) and they had 2 registers with LIVE people running them.
out of 14. The other EIGHT were self checkout.
I figured I'd do the self checkout thing instead of standing in the big lines behind the 2 registers!!
after all... I had all products with a bar code on them (no veggies... nothing needed to be weighed) What could possibly go wrong?
So, I don't like the plastic bags where everything rolls out of them, so I put a paper bag on the bag / merchandise scale and the machine goes ballistic. The lights FLASH and now I have to wait for someone to come and do a "reset"
So the guy comes, punches in his code on his handheld device and takes off. Well, the scale merchandise area will hold maybe 4 items!!! I got a gallon of bleech, (that's one slot), a gallon of vinegar (that's another slot) and I DO NOT want them both in ONE bag!! So the lights flash again. Well, about a 1/2 hour later I was loading my cart and making a move to get the he11 out of there.
The kid comes by and I says to him: "I know what this bullchit is all about. lay off people, so the CEO will get another BONUS, and everyone else can go to he11".
Guess, next time I'll just stand in line too. I noticed they took the magazines away. I'll have to bring my own reading material.

I used to manage a building for the parent company,

self checkouts are great, for some, suck for others and a big shrink pic (lots of theft thru the self checkout)

the CEO is a numbers guy, the last CEO was a HR guy,
guess which was better to work for,,,, and which the company did better under,
yep, the HR guy (family promoted him to the top, turned out to be a good guy )

turnover is relatively high in that industry, so lay offs (and they are a union company) are rare,

as far as bonuses,, all management got them, if the metrics for your store were good,
I usually maxed out, and they were very good bonuses,,,

it's one of the few things I miss about that business

[clintonhater]

(lots of theft thru the self checkout)

Not theft, but getting even for lack of sufficient checkers.

[JB White]

Not theft, but getting even for lack of sufficient checkers.

There is no theft because they have a second tier of checkers at the exit. You know...the barely articulate ones who can scan the goods while proof reading a barely legible receipt in a couple of micro seconds. Then slashing a highlighter marker across it with the special secret color of the day. Oooooooohh...that scares the shoplifters. Especially the ones who walk out unopposed while shoppers are waiting in line to prove they are not the thieves.

[Allen]

No, the CUSTOMERS put the Mom and Pop stores out of business. If you want to keep Mom and Pop in business, keep shopping there.

Yes and no.

When a new WM opens they have employees crawling all over each other. All the full serve registers are manned and they are waiting for you, not the other way around. The shelves are well stocked and kept stocked.

How can you not help but shop at such a place?

Then, after a short while (weeks or months) you notice that things are changing and going to the ghost town conditions listed previously. You try to trade at the Mom and Pop stores but they have left. Some close on their own feeling it would just be inevitable before customers would choose 24/7 convenience and wide variety over them. Some who are successful end up selling out. When I worked at the refinery we worked 12 hour rotating shifts with no means to leave the place at lunch time and few of us packed a lunch due to the short turnaround at home so we took turns and went to WM early in the mornings (when on day shifts) and cooked in the control rooms. This was done around 4am on the way in to work so here again they had the advantage over the Mom and Pop stores. At a place this big you are talking about hundreds of people too.

We do have smaller chain stores that are doing impressive business now, most may be regional and unheard of across the country like Winn Dixie, Piggly Wiggly, and the best, Publix, who started out charging sky high prices and have now seen the light. They have been here for years and still operate like a newly opened WM with an abundance of cashiers and even baggers. They just don't have the non-food variety like auto supplies, hardware, electronics and so on. For that I just go to O'Reilly's auto parts, Lowes, Home Depot, Best Buy and such. Though I don't shop there I hear that the dollar stores are doing better than before business too.

Not meaning to bite the hand that feeds Sam and his family. I have friends who work at WM, my son worked there a couple of summers as a cashier when in high school and I know people who work there just for the great insurance. The problem is there are fewer and fewer of them in the stores. Too few.

[JOHN COOK]

If you are going to shop at Wallie World get smart. Go early. Wife wanted a few things last night and I advised her to make a list. I wake up every day around 5 or 6 A.M. Left the house at 6:30 AM almost filled up a cart,(some for my Church Pantry) they had two check out lines open plus self check. Stockers were there and one I spoke to had been there since 10:00 PM Thursday night. Isles were pretty clear. No one was ahead of me , checked out, parked close by and was back home by 7:30. I know some of you don't have the opportunity to shop early, unless you are retired, but it's the way I shop. If wife is along it's pure torture . Looks at everything pushes cart on left side of aisle and walks to slow for me. My opinion driving rules apply. Right side of aisle as you do in a car. Let me make this clear, she is a great lady. Has to be to put up with some of the crap I pulled off ...

john

[Allen]

FYI I have shopped at this time and it is a good time to shop. If there is a manned cashier and if it is a "20 items or less" aisle it doesn't matter since it will probably be the only one open (or needed).

But, during my crazy hours of the past I have been to WM at all times. If you go between about midnight till 4:00am the store is open but you can not walk down the aisles because they are cleaning with propane powered sweepers and shampooers. The aisles are roped off and being stocked usually by contractors in street clothing. There are boxes and pallets everywhere. Many will ask what you need and offer to go get it for you but you have to know what aisle your item is in.

This part I'm not complaining about since the shelves have to be restocked and the stores are kept clean. I just brought it up in case you may have thought "hey, I'll just go during the wee hours of the morning and have the place to myself".

[clintonhater]

There is no theft because they have a second tier of checkers at the exit.

Not at grocery stores.

[JOHN COOK]

FYI I have shopped at this time and it is a good time to shop. If there is a manned cashier and if it is a "20 items or less" aisle it doesn't matter since it will probably be the only one open (or needed).

I thought I made it clear that cashiers were there and self check was also there. Walmart in my town does not stay open after 12:00. They open at 6:00 AM. Maybe I'm lucky to live in a small town..
With that, "So Mote It Be"

john