Sneering at Walmart? - The Suburban Times

In casual conversation with friends I mentioned my excellent exposure to Walmart. Both friends didn’t sneer, but they questioned the purpose of shopping there. Since then another friend has cast aspersions on the shopping store giant. This last Tuesday an additional friend, Rich M. sent me a note: “Just a question. Why do you shop at Walmart? Nothing about them and their employee policies attract me. The only thing that they have to offer is cheap prices. Would love your thoughtful response.”

In answer to the question “Why do you shop at Walmart?” I responded, “The people working there. I was looking for a new printer last December. Walmart was my last stop after visiting 3 or 4 other stores. I was impressed with the sales people. Once the printer was set up I told Peg about the fantastic price for a 65 inch TV. To my surprise she said we should buy it. I don’t know what company did the delivery, but I’m pretty sure it was one person delivering a product that required two people. As you can imagine, a 65 inch TV comes in a long box with no hand holds and is extremely difficult to move. When my cousin Chuck and I got it all set up, it was evident that the TV screen had been damaged. I complained, and Chuck and I took it back. With no hassle I got another one. Each person I dealt with made sure I was happy.

I’ve returned a number of times. I’ve stopped clerks and asked where a particular product is. If they don’t know, they go find someone who can help me. I appreciate good customer service. I’ve heard this, that, and other comments, but those clerks did their best for me and I like that.

The prices are excellent, but that’s only part of it. Delivery is mostly free if you buy over $35 worth of goods. I have several bottles of asphalt repair liquid coming this week. I’ve never been disappointed by the clerks, the prices or the quality. Of course the main reason I trade there is because I can buy a package of Biscoff cookies for $2.48 . . . but let’s not go there. Thoughtful enough for you? I’ve had several friends question me.”

Rich responded, “No I get it. My brother who has since passed away always shopped there. I even took him there when he finally wasn’t able to drive. I just hate that they are profiting off these wonderful employees with no benefits and only allowing them to work enough hours that they don’t have to pay benefits and then showing them how to apply for government assistance for food stamps, etc. They play the system and reap the rewards. My 2 cents. BTW, love your posts!”

For only fifty cents you can choose from pecan pie, apple pie, lemon cake, sweet potato pie, and others.

My return comment was, “I’m guessing that the workers couldn’t get a better job, but hopefully they can take what they learn at Walmart and get a better job when they leave.”

“Walmart’s critics say that Walmart’s lower prices draw customers away from smaller Main Street businesses, hurting local small-town communities. Critics also say that Walmart is hurting the United States economy because of excessive reliance on Chinese products.” – Wikipedia

It’s true, our 65 inch Roku Smart TV is probably manufactured in China, but I doubt their wonderful one-serving cakes and pies come all that way. For only fifty cents you can choose from pecan pie, apple pie, lemon cake, sweet potato pie, and others. The Land O’ Lakes butter is $2.99. Not only are the groceries affordable (we haven’t tried everything), but they are easy to find. I searched and gave up looking for pasta and noodles at Safeway and Fred Meyer. On a quick trip to Walmart I easily found egg noodles. We still do most of our grocery shopping at Safeway, Fred Meyer, and Grocery Outlet, but it’s nice to have an alternative that has decent prices and excellent customer service.

From a little research it looks like there were numerous articles against Walmart from 2015 to 2018:

“Walmart does score higher in terms of customer satisfaction than do cable companies, many airlines and health insurance companies.” – marketwatch.com/story/4-reasons-walmart-is-the-most-hated-retailer-in-america-2015-02-18

Walmart workers wish they could tell customers these 7 things – businessinsider.com/walmart-store-employees-want-to-say-2018-6

The Walmart stores I shop at are the one between University Place and Lakewood as well as the one in Tacoma on South Union. They have additional stores in Pierce County: Puyallup, Spanaway, Bonney Lake, and Yelm.

Just this last week I saw a short quiz asking which large city did not have a Walmart store. Seattle was one of possibilities, but the answer was New York City. “The company has been making strides by raising their minimum wage and opening training academies, so we’ll see if New Yorkers give them another chance. Either way, the city is full of small, independent shops that are even better for shopping.” – triptrivia.com

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