Wal Mart sucks!

Sorry for your frustration- I think all of us have done this a time or two in our lives!

My initial reaction is always like yours but once I calm down I am really just mad at myself...
Given the # of dishonest people in the world how can we really expect retailers to take care of all the "I forgot" calls.... prices are sky high in large part to providing what some call great customer service... To me great customer service is helping me out w/ questions, a smile and a kind word or two.... the rest is something all other consumers end up paying for w/ higher prices IMO.
I know stores like MACYS are known for their incredible service - take back anything and everything.. no ??? asked... but I cannot afford to shop there... wonder why? Somebodys got to pay for all of that.
 
I can see the view point "you left it it's your fault" that so many have taken BUT if I have a choice to shop at Wal-Mart where they hold that mentality and say it in a rude manner versus shopping at Kroger where they replace the items left behind (and they do because my DH has left stuff behind a few times)...where amd I going to shop?

Entitled or not...you treat your customers good and they come back. If you have one bad employee making rude "too bad" remarks you are going to have to talk long and hard to convince me to shop there ever again versus going to some other store where that would NEVER happen. You can say "give the employee a break, another chance" whatever! Nuh uh!!!! Absolutely not! Treat me right and respectfully or I shop somewhere else. I wouldn't think twice about taking my business elsewhere. If they are that stupid to keep such rude employees, I'll go somewhere that staffs the well trained and curtious.
 
I have to agree that once you leave the store it isn't their problem. It WAS your fault that you forgot the item, not theirs. I don't see what you expect them to do. Unless by chance the cart boy found it and put it aside...Slim chance. If you had left it on on the counter, like I sometimes do that would be another thing. As far as the bad customer service you got, that's too bad. But I blame that on the disrespect that our youth has these days.
 
This last summer I purchased a 24-pack of bottled water at WalMart and left it in the bottom of the cart. As I was driving out of the parking lot, I remembered it and as quickly as I could, I drove back down the aisle where I had parked. There was a man lifting MY water into the back of his SUV! He handed it over the seat to his kids. I pulled up and asked if he found the water in the cart, and he grunted and told the kid to hand the water back!

I agree with many others, that if you left it, it's not their fault. If my water had been gone (as it almost was), I would have been mad at myself for being an idiot, but I wouldn't have gone back inside and asked for more water!
 
I agree Wal Mart sucks!!! I never shop there because they are blood suckers who come into local communities and put mom and pop places out of business and appear to take pleasure in doing it. Also they don't pay their employees o/t but make them work anyway. They buy cheaps goods from places where they use slave labor. The Walmart heirs are worth billions but they contribute very little to charities. I could go on and on but I won't.
 
>I agree Wal Mart sucks!!! I never shop there because they
>are blood suckers who come into local communities and put mom
>and pop places out of business and appear to take pleasure in
>doing it. Also they don't pay their employees o/t but make
>them work anyway. They buy cheaps goods from places where
>they use slave labor. The Walmart heirs are worth billions
>but they contribute very little to charities. I could go on
>and on but I won't.


I just have to comment here because this is a patently false statement.

1. No store can succeed if the people won't shop there. The last time I checked, Wal-Mart was very busy. Mom and pop stores can compete and succeed by offering great customer service rather than low prices. Sometimes mom and pop stores fail because of their own lack of ingenuity.

2. As far as I know, Wal-Mart isn't nabbing people off the street and making them work in their stores. Dissatisfied employees are free to quit their jobs at any time.

3. I've purchased many American made products in Wal-Mart. I don't know anything about the practice of using slave laborers and I suspect you don't either, but I bet you work for a unionized company--the real blood suckers! Unions are upset that they haven't been able to penetrate Wal-Mart and have launched a aggressive campaign to destroy them.

4. According to a Forbes.com article from 11/14/05, Wal-Mart is one of the top ten most charitable companies in the US.
 
Hi,

I personally think that you should push it, if only on principle. I don't know how much you paid for these glasses but sometimes, it's not about the money. Yes, it's your fault for forgetting but, the fact is that you paid for something that you did not get to take home and enjoy. If another customer stole the items from your cart in the parking lot, then Walmart can use their security cameras to prosecute that customer or help you prosecute that customer. If anyone thinks that Walmart, or any store, is not liable for what happens in their parking lot, they are mistaken. There are plenty of lawsuits that show otherwise.

You legitimately paid for those goods and they are yours. I would push as far this as far as I had to. I have never heard of a store having such a policy. My husband and I left a 12 pack of beer on the bottom of our cart after purchasing it at Publix. One of the employee's found it when they were returning the carts back to the store and it was at the customer service counter waiting for us when we returned to get it.

Tracey
"Where there's a will, there's a way."
 
I have a problem with your statement as well. It is against the law not to pay your emplyees o/t. You can not force an employee to work. I do remember that there was some sort of lawsuit againt Walmart, but I think that had to do with illegal immigrants. And I believe it was a isolated incident. And as far as buying cheap goods from places that use slave labor, Walmart supplies what the comsumer wants. If you have a problem with those companies, that is not Walmarts fault. The customer ultimatly decides what the store puts on the shelf by continuing to buy a product. Stores like Walmart also bring in thousands of jobs to communities. I think it is a good idea that you didn't go on with your "Facts".
 
I don't know about where you live, but in the parking lot of our Walmart they have signs posted that they are not responsible for lost or stolen goods. Once you leave the store and the goods are paid for they are your responsibility. Defective items are a differnt story, but consumer neglagence is not the falut of the store.
 
I'm another one who feels that the items are your responsibility once you leave the store. I'm sorry you had such rude customer service, and if you feel so strongly about it and don't ever want to shop there again, then don't. I, however, had a wonderful experience with their customer service. They bent over backwards after failing to ship two of the three sets of anti-fatigue mats I ordered for my workout room. Not only did they replace them right away, they credited me the shipping and gave one of the mats to me at no cost.
 
Our Walmarts have HUGE parking lots. No way a security camera is going to catch something way out in the parking lot. I also think there is a difference in leaving something at the cashier, and leaving it outdoors on the cart. The cashier is more apt to notice that it was left, and report it to CS, so when you call, they say, yeah, we have it. Outdoors, there is no one to witness you left it.
 
I left my wallet on the counter last week.... was almost out of store when my cashier came RUNNING after me! There were 4 credit cards and 200.00 in cash...all safe & sound. I'm a happy WalMart customer.
IMO customer service is about individuals not companys... Having been an "owner" before I did the best I could in the hiring & training process but bottom line is that people are people and you cannot monitor 100% of their moves every moment.... also, I try to remember that everyone has a bad day now & again.... my goodness where is tolerance... agreed if poor service bothers you then choose a different vendor... if 1 incident sends you to another my guess is that you'll be changing quite a bit which is why competition is a good thing.
 
I hate Wal Mart and will do anything I can to avoid shopping there. That being said, I do believe in part that you are responsible for your items when you leave the store. I think you could have called them just to see if anyone could run outside and check the parking area. What Wal Mart lacks (as well as many other stores) is customer service skills. I have worked in retail and customer service for a number of years and get very impatient when stores don't understand the meaning of the word. I don't believe customer service skills can be taught, though. You either have them or you don't. Unfortunately greeting a customer with a friendly hello, troubleshooting problems or thinking outside the box in terms of helping a customer has gone out the window. The Wal-Mart in my area is terrible in terms of customer service. You aren't greeted at the registers, the store is dirty and you can never find anyone to help you. I actually get better service using online stores like Drugstore.com. I ordered from them and did not receive 2 items. I sent them a email and they answered me right back with an apology and a promise to send the items out right away, no questions asked. That's good customer service!
 
>>>they don't pay their employees o/t but make them work anyway<<<

That's not true. I have family members that work for them. They do not allow employees to work more than 40 hours per week. They say it's the employee's responsibility to keep track of their hours for the week and not go over 40 hours. If they do, they get written up for it.

Lori
 
I don't usually weigh in on these types of topics but here goes...

I agree that someone telling you "TOO BAD" is inexcusable and terrible customer service. I think that GOOD customer service is treating people with respect, being helpful and knowledgeable, answering questions in a friendly manner, etc. And, yes, I realize that you don't get this at most places and that is truly a shame. However, it is NOT BAD customer service to not replace someone's item that they left behind after they left the store. If a company chooses to do that, that's great. But to expect it, is unreasonable. Many other posters gave great reasons why companies don't/won't do this. If you had left your purse or coat in your cart would you expect the store to replace those things? Of course not, you could reasonably ask the store if they had survelliance, etc. which may help you, but you would never EXPECT them to replace your purse.

Having worked in retail/customer service for many years I would agree with the poster who talked about customers having a sense of entitlement. GOOD customer service does not mean the store should meet your every demand and that you can treat employees how ever you see fit...Alright, I think I'm just venting now....:)
 
Wow, I am amazed at some of the things people will say "just because they heard" and then treat that as gospel.

I'm personally neutral on Walmart. I like their prices but I find the store is often too crowded for my own liking - so I often shop in another chain store that has slightly higher prices. As a consumer, that's the choice I make.

As far as encounters with rude employees, I have personally encountered them in any number of establishments, some of them pretty high-end. So I wouldn't personally write off a place for that reason. I would think the person eventually would p*ss off the wrong person and lose their job, so why should that change my shopping habits?

I also don't hold Walmart responsible for the demise of the mom & pops - it's just an economic truth. Also, they bring quality goods at reasonable prices to people who might not otherwise be able to afford them. That counts for a lot as far as I'm concerned. When we were growing up, I was one of five kids and my mother didn't work. My parents didn't have much in the way of discretionary income and at that time, there were few options in terms of reasonable goods at reasonable prices. So I personally think the Walmarts of the world bring far more good than bad into communities.

Just my .02,
Marie
 
I would like to know from the original poster if the Walmart's exact quote was, "Too bad," or if the was her perception of the employee's reply - what she took away as the essence of the answer she got.
 
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