Wally World Woes

[CarlV]

I was reading this NYT article that kept making me chuckle so here it is.

VALLEY STREAM, N.Y. — The dairy section in the Walmart supercenter here, just across the border from Queens, was sparsely stocked. Some gallon jugs of milk were dented, others soiled with what looked like dirt. The meat aisle had run out of ground beef patties and strip steak, and residue streaked some shelves.

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The memo, marked “highly sensitive,” tells Walmart marketing managers to make sure that the company’s 4,965 United States stores discount aging meat and baked goods to maximize the chance that those items will sell before their expiration dates. The memo — leaked for public use by a Walmart manager unhappy about understaffing — also tells stores to be sure to “rotate” dairy products and eggs, which means removing expired items and adding new stock at the bottom and back of display cases.
In discussing produce, the memo tells managers to “validate that stores are fully executing on ‘Would I Buy It?' ” — a plea to make sure that every store removes moldy or rotting fruits and vegetables.
Sent on Oct. 2, the memo reminds managers that their No. 1 concern must be sales. For the last 18 months, Walmart’s sales have been sluggish in stores open at least a year. The memo also urges managers to reduce backup inventory to trim costs, and warns them not to exceed budgets for their stores.
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But one assistant store manager in the South, who insisted on anonymity for fear of retaliation, said the company was refusing to let him add more employee hours to complete needed daily tasks, like discounting older meat or eggs. As a result, he said his store had been forced to throw out far more milk, eggs and produce than in previous years.
Indeed, a visit to the back of the Valley Stream store, as well as various YouTube videos apparently shot by employees, point to great clutter and thousands of cases waiting to be put on shelves.

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The memo calls for comprehensive markdowns across 32 departments and for stores to find creative ways to merchandise clearance items. It also says stores should keep “complete records of daily throws” of meat and poultry.

For meat departments, the memo says markdowns should start at 7 a.m. and be executed multiple times daily. The memo points to other practices that might not have been followed, saying “confirm stores water plants 7 days a week,” and “ensure Deli oil is tested and filtered daily.”

Link

I have yet to visit one of these stores and I guess that has been a good move on my part.


Carl

[Tom Joad]

I avoid them as much as I can.

Whenever I go to the one near my house I feel like I'm in a third world country.

It's a pig sty.

The floors are always dirty, the parking lot is full of trash, and the shopping carts are rusty and the wheels on them are all worn out so that they roll like a car with four flat tires.

[bobabode]

Originally Posted by CarlV

I was reading this NYT article that kept making me chuckle so here it is.





Link

I have yet to visit one of these stores and I guess that has been a good move on my part.


Carl

Good man Carl. I wouldn't spend my last dollar in one of those stores, even if they were selling filet mignon for fifty cents a pound.

[Rajoo]

I avoid going into one of their stores, nor do I see a pressing need.

[MrPots]

I think most intelligent people with a decent income would avoid going to Wall Mart, considering the damage it's done to the US retail landscape, increased taxes and reduced wages across the country.

But I also understand why they have such a large base. It takes a middle class income to shop Kroger et al, and half the country ain't got that luxury. (and even Kroger meat ain't that good. I use a local butcher and fish shop, prices are about the same but the quality is 100% better)

I cannot speak to Wally's food prices, but my daughter claims they are low at Wally's and that is the only way she can put food on the table. My son works there in the pharmacy. He says it's an OK place to work but they have way more tasks than employees so it's a stress.

And the Waltons, don't they collectively clear more than 7 billion dollars a year?

Meanwhile, here in Kansas traditional retail is slowly closing shop and they just opened a 4th Wall Mart in my town. That my town only has 120,000 residents is very telling.

[merrylander]

I don't even know where their stores are and I really do not want to know.

[BlueStreak]

Here, Target is right across the street. The store is (relatively) clean and well organized. The prices are higher, but I don't care......because the Walton Family slums parking lot has become a hangout for gangbangers. We've had all sorts of lovely things take place there; car theft, rape........

Which strikes me as odd, because the friggin' place has more surveillance equipment than the NSA. The roof looks inhabited by a flock of one-eyed electronic vultures. They're probably too cheap to hire anyone to actually use the stuff.

Dave

[Tom Joad]

Originally Posted by MrPots

I cannot speak to Wally's food prices,

I used to do about 1/2 my grocery shopping there, and the other half at Publix which is a really great grocery store. Then, being a number cruncher at heart I started to compare prices with the idea in mind that if the savings on an item at Wally World was less than 10% cheaper than Publix I would buy it at Publix.

What I found was that the actual price differentials were almost always far less than 10%, and sometimes Publix even beat Wally World. Right now the only item that I can save 10% on is Duncan Doughnuts French Vanilla Coffee.

It's $13.48 for the big bag at Wally's and $15.99 at Publix. That's 15%.

But other items are much closer in price., Take butter. Today Publix had Lake O Lakes Butter on sale at 2 for $7.00. Land O Lakes, that's the good stuff! At Wally World their nasty Great Value is 2 for $6.94.

So I can go to a nice clean store with plenty of friendly helpful employees and no fucking "self service" checkout lanes (God I HATE those!) and get Land O Lakes butter for $3.50 a pound.

Or I can go to that crowded nasty Walmart and get their nasty Great Value Butter for 3 cents less a pound. No contest.

[piece-itpete]

Sam Walton is rolling in his grave.

I hate Walmart. I only go there to mount and balance my tires. That's all labor so we keep it more or less, and they install the tires, actually check the lug nut torque, drive it in a figure 8 and the manager has to re-check the torque.

Pete

[Tom Joad]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

I hate Walmart.

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

I only go there to mount and balance my tires.