WalMart is Lowering Prices---YEAH,RIGHT!

[ajrsmom]

I shop at WalMart quite frequently and its starting to irritate me so much how they play with their prices. Since my daughter was born, I have bought Parent's Choice Formula for her. The infant kind was $12.88 and the Step 2 was 11.57 ( or a few cents more). Well, tonight I went to buy her Stage 2 and it was $15.97!!!

I called the store and asked to speak to the store manager but he wasnt there so I was transfered to an associate manager. The guy started out by telling me that he had no clue about what I was talking about but he would go check it out. After looking, started to explain to me that it was a rollback price and now theyve raised it and that it had happened a while back--NOT. I said to him" Listen, I buy a can of formula for my daughter every week and it has been the same price for the last 3 months!" Then he told me that it was more expensive because I was buying Soy formula! :mad: that was in the green can. I asked him how he knew what color can that I had bought? He said that he was standing right in front of it while talking to me. My reply " Then look at the bottom shelf to see the purple can that I bought and notice that it IS NOT Soy!!!" Then I explained that in most stores, infant formula is always less expensive than the stage 2. He even agreed with me!! BUT he said again that he had no idea why it was like that and that I should call the lady that orders their supplies in the morning. I told him that I didnt mind a 50 cent or $1.00 raise if they had to but $4.00!! That was criminal!! He again told me to call this lady in the morning.

You can bet that I will be on the phone first thing! All I want is a reasonable explanation for this---and for them to lower the price again .


All this comes after the cashier asked me the other day if my veggies were turnips ( and I said yes) then she rang them up as green peppers!! UGH!! HELLO, Pay attention!!


Tami

[Abear]

You should write/e-mail the main office in Arkansas!! Or, if you can find a toll free #, call to complain!

Sam Walton was my maternal grandmother's second cousin. He was such a nice man. (at least to my sisters, cousins & myself) No telling how often he turns over in his grave from stunts that his family has pulled with the business he put his blood, sweat & tears into!

Unfortunately, even with their fluxuating prices, Wal-Mart is still the cheapest place in this area to grocery shop....they also have the best meat other than the private butcher shops. I just wish we would get a Super Wal-Mart here in our parish so that I didn't have to make the trip to Lafayette to grocery shop. (actually I try to mix it in with other errands in Lafayette)

BTW - baby formula really has gone up in price since the last time I bought any! YIKES!

[eyelovecats]

many times it does save you money; however, since Sam Walton died..China makes majority of their stuff..has anyone seen the story on how they "work" with their vendors? my sister worked at WM in Decatur, TX (served 5 counties) and was paid $5+ after two years and treated not so good. she quit. hubby hates it (though we shop there) cause no union. His ex-union was worthless so..

[crowemommy]

We got a Super Walmart near us about 9 months ago. There are still quite a few empty spots (like they sold out of something, but it's been that way for more than a week).

Also, most of the people that work there are not very happy people and don't seem to care about what they're doing.

Overall, most of the prices are cheaper EXCEPT for the meats. I still get better prices at the grocery store. Also, their fresh produce usualy looks a little old. I was going to pick up a few lemons while I was there the other day and a bunch of them were moldy ...

[trekmom]

OK, I work at Wal-Mart and I totally agree with most of what you've been saying.
first off, if there are problems you want to address with Wal-Mart Corporate call 1-800-walmart or go online to www.walmart.com you can send a comment to them about your problem and they will get it to the right person. Also, make sure you let them know exactly what store you're dealing with; the store # is on the receipts or you just list the address.
I've been working with Wal-Mart for almost 7 years. We're on our 6th manager and the rumor is that they're going to fire 40 people and hire 80 people, after inventory which is this Thursday. They haven't hired many people in the last 3 months so we're totally short-handed. The cashier line has no more than 25 people to work with-which means there are usually not more than 6 registers open at one time-unless they can get dept. managers and assistant managers to run a register. My dept. is the bakery and we are now down to 3 and 1/2 people (3 full-time and 1 part-timer) our second part-timer has her last day tomorrow.
You're right about people not being happy! At least in my store the moral is so very low it's totally rediculous. I like to be proud of the product I put out (I bake the bread), but when your superiors don't seem to care one way or the other it's hard to stay proud-but I try. I'm not looking to leave Wal-Mart at this time because I feel that I have to much to lose(after 7 years and a few months, you're fully vested in the pension plan). But two of the three peole left in my dept. are looking for other work and the third just keeps cutting back her hours that she's available.
Right now I'm working, on average, over 60+ hours a week(6 days) because I'm the only bread baker. I have to bake extra bread the day before I'm off so they can get through the day without to many holes. We've got one donut maker, one cake decorator and a part-timer to put pre-packaged product on the floor.
We're supposed to have at least 2 decorators, 1 and 1/2 bread bakers, 1 and 1/2 donut people, 1-3 packagers who also put pre-packaged product on the floor. The store should have at least 60 cashiers on payroll, probably at least 12 people greeters and I don't know how many regular floor associates.
My one gripe being a customer is that there are to many items they're constantly out of stock on and my main gripe as an associate is that I can't seem to get the product I order delivered when it's supposed to be delivered! Just today I didn't get the stuff I ordered two days ago and won't get it now before Thursday, which means I'm out of several bread items until then. Oh well, didn't mean to unload here but I do feel for any Wal-Mart shoppers and when you do shop at Wal-Mart try to remember that most of the people working there would like to help you but they're really limited because of their management. If they seem to not care it's because they're probably working with less than they should be.
ajrsmom-call the 1-800# about the formula-you'll get more help there than at the store.

abear-you're right about Sam Walton. I never got to meet him but I do believe that he'd be rolling over in his grave at what's happening with Wal-Mart.
Well, with that I'll get off my soapbox.
Happy shopping ladies!!!

[ladyIris23]

Mu DH has worked at Wal-mart for 3 years and our son has been at the same store for a year now. They both work overnites and enjoy it. As far as prices and employee moral I think it varies store to store. We have 3 super wal-marts here in town and the one store I refuse to go to. The employees are always crabby the prices are higher and the store as a whole is dirtier.
Iris

[DeBora4BobbyL]

I only go to Walmart when I HAVE to. I am surprised that Tami actually talked to a human being. I can NEVER get service or anyone to wait on me when I have a question. The one or two times that I have been able to get assistance, the person didn't think they had what I was looking for. I later discovered that they did!

[sweetnell3]

Okay I want to said we have a super wal-mart here ,my dh has work there for ten years before that he work 16 years for k-mart. Trust me wal-mart is the better company to work for they are better to their workers then k-mart. I work for wal-mart for 4 years one the main reasons I quit was to be home with our dd as she got in her teens. Our store has problems but overall they work with the employees. My dh works days and off weekends because he department manger over stationary, thats the department I like to work in best.It is the main department store that has everything in one store since they closed k-mart around six years ago and we have no malls in Paris,Texas.

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Nell, I have never heard anyone complain who works for them. However, as a customer, I have never received good service there. I've been to the one in Midland, Tx, Carlsbad, Ruidosos, NM, as well as the 2 in Las Cruces and Alamagordo. I really think that the upper-management needs to have ppl who are trained in what products they have to walk around and make sure customers are happy. jmo

[danstigerangel]

Pam---WOW! That's alot of hours. As you know I am also a baker but for a private school. I can't believe you have so few employees in your bakery because I know that the "local" Super WM here, has a huge bakery and it is busy.

I don't go to this Walmart often. If I do I go at a certain time of the day, around 5:00 or early in the morning. It is always jam packed and I'm sure they are understaffed with cashiers. I just can't take the crowds. It's the same way with Shop Rite in the same town. I will not go there either. I don't have the patients. LOL

The one thing nice about the Super WM is they have a huge selection to choose from. I really like that.

Well...just putting in my

Lauri