Thoughts.com Blogs - "Wally-Hell!" (or, "Why I Hate Going to WalMart")

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"Wally-Hell!" (or, "Why I Hate Going to WalMart")

Twice I've dealt with the dreaded "W" word in the past week, and twice I've been thoroughly dissapointed with the service and attitude I received.
My vacuum broke on Monday, and my son's first birthday party was planned for Wednesday, so I needed to replace it ASAP! (Anyone who's ever had a house full of chocolate covered toddlers will understand!) I had four kids with me that day, all under the age of five, and the yongest was in a stroller. Needless to say, I was going to need someone to take whatever vacuum I purchased up to the counter and then carry it to my car. There were no employees to be found in housewares, so I did the rest of my shopping and went up to the cash. I asked the cashier to either get it for me, or page someone, and she got snotty with me and said I couldn't have it because she didn't have the bar code. What??? I can't spend my money in your store because YOU don't know the BAR CODE??? WTF!?! I managed to hold my tongue - barely, (those of you who know me are shocked by this haha), and said, "Never mind then, there's a Hoover Windtunnel on sale at Canadian Tire for 50% off. I'll just go there instead." She mulled that over for a minute while I was packing up all these little kids, and then told me, "Oh, I guess I can page Alana..." What a crock of sh*t!
Then, I called WalMart yesterday to see if they had corset boning in the fabric department, and this "Deb" woman says, "I don't think there's anyone in fabrics, you'll just have to come down to the store." I informed her I wasn't about to drive 25 minutes just ot see if they had it in stock, THAT"S WHAT THE PHONE IS FOR! Guess I'm taking a little trip to FabricLand today, they're closer and the service is a million times better.
Is providing quality service to the PAYING customer really such a chore for the employees of WalMart? This is definately not the first time I've had to deal with miserable, bitchy employees at that store. I'm fed up. I emailed the head office and told them what happened, and when I get the call from their customer service head office next week, I'm going to give them a piece of my mind. Twice.
So here's the thing everyone...if you need groceries, go to Save-On or Extra Foods or SuperStore. If you need clothes, go to Zellers or ValueVillage or Giant Tiger or Fields. If you need fabric, go to FabricLand or any local dealer. I could go on and on about all the other available options to us for purchasing the things we need. Most stores will match any price WalMart has if you just ask them. Besides, I'd rather spend $10 more on my $350 grocery bill, than shop at Wally-Hell.
Bottom line, if a store treats you like this, let them know! Long and loud and often! Tell everyone you can about it! And then don't shop there anymore. I've had it with WalMart's sub-standard service and crabby employees. No more. I've got other options and I plan to use them.
~L