# Dear Walmart Shoppers - LOL!



## CrazyCatLady (May 2, 2016)

I got so frustrated one day last year I came home, sat down, and wrote this:

As you know, I'm a customer service manager at Walmart. While 95% of you shoppers are absolutely delightful and brighten my day just by walking in the door, the other 5% of you need some ... refining. This letter is for that 5%.

Dear Walmart Shoppers,

While I am glad to see you and greet you with a smile, do not think I will put up with certain lousy behaviors and habits. Those belong at home.

1. Please put the phone down when you're conducting business at the service desk or the register. First of all, it's rude. Second, I'd rather not hear you cussing out your boyfriend and dropping the f-bomb, and third, when I ask you a question, yelling "I'm on the @#$%&!! phone, b****!!" at me is not the point.

2. The bag carousel is not a playground for your children. It's dangerous and annoying. Please do us all a favor and duct-tape your unruly monsters to the bottom of your buggy.

3. Please understand the self-checkouts are exactly that. Self-checkouts. No, my cashiers are not going to do it for you. They have seven other registers to watch and to be very honest, if you really want to know, no, you aren't that important.

4. If an item rings up at a higher price than you claim, calling me names and blaming me for the discrepancy is not going to make someone come any faster to do your price check for you. Just saying.

5. The speedy checkouts do not have signs on them that say, "Twenty Items or More." The signs say, "Twenty Items or Less!" During last year's store remodel, this prompted me to suggest having an automatic trapdoor in front of these that open up and swallow you on item #21.

6. We ask to see your ID if you look under 40 for alcohol and tobacco purchases. That is a North Carolina state law and is not our way of annoying you. We will especially ask you for ID when for the boys, you have no facial hair, your voices haven't dropped yet, and for the girls, you're not even in a trainer bra yet. Please be aware of this.

7. We sincerely appreciate our shoppers bringing their own reusable grocery bags, and we are very skilled at packing these exactly the way you desire. However, flinging your bags at us and yelling, "Pack 'em! And do it right!!" is highly likely to result in a couple of broken eggs and a hole through your bread. Also, we don't do bugs. Seeing ants and roaches scurrying out of your reusable bags will not prompt us to touch them; therefore, you get the plastic bags and don't bother arguing about it.

8. And for the last time, dearest shoppers, Walmart does not refund items bought at Target, Kmart, Belk's, or any other store. I can't stress this enough.

9. We do not ad-match used items sold on Ebay. That IPhone 6 you've chosen is brand new; the one on Ebay is used and the screen is completely shattered, and you're absolutely not getting a brand-new IPhone 6 for $75.00. 

10. Any product that comes into direct contact with bodily fluids is definitely not returnable. Please refrain from returning used pregnancy tests because they were wrong.

11. You might think returning items you claim are unopened will result in us taking your word for it. That's not our policy; we open all boxes and stuffing your husband's old drill into a new box and trying to get a refund on the new drill only makes you look rather ridiculous.

12. If you've put a bigger engine into your truck and the battery you bought two years ago won't fit now, no, we can't exchange it even with a receipt. Please don't even try.

13. Calling us and ordering a MoneyGram over the phone with a credit or debit card number is an exercise in futility. How do we know it's your card? We know this is a scam. Think about it.

14. Speaking of credit and debit cards, when your card is declined, no, it's not our financial system at fault. There are several reasons why this happens, and it's up to you to resolve the issue. We will not call your bank or credit card company, and we are unable to "turn a key" into the register to force the system accept it.

15. Please don't bring your spider monkeys, bearded dragons, and snakes into the store. These are definitely not service animals and we're not convinced, much less impressed.

16. Although Walmart doesn't have a dress policy for its customers, during the summer, please leave a little something to the imagination. It cuts down on the nausea. Oh...and coming into the store in your pajamas isn't very attractive either.

17. Our door greeters check receipts for a reason. Yelling "Racism!", "Discrimination!", or "I'm being attacked!" seriously doesn't work out real well for you. There are things called cameras all over the store, including the entrances.

18. We understand that some of you have health issues, and we're sorry you do. No one likes health issues, and we seriously care about you. However, showing us your colostomy bag and all its contents isn't necessary. Believe me, we'll take your word for it.

19. Teens joyriding on the MartCarts is also unnecessary. They are not toys and not to be used for playing bumper cars. They are there for folks with physical disabilities and we don't think you're cute and we will take them away from you.

20. Last but definitely not least, when we're on registers and closing it, cleaning it, and collecting the returns with the "Lane Closed" sign out and the light off, don't come flying up and start putting your stuff on the belt saying, "You're opening, right?" and get mad at us when we say, "No, I'm sorry, I'm not open." Seriously...what part of the "Lane Closed" sign and the light off did you not get? 

We hope this letter will help you work better with us, and thank you for shopping at Walmart.

Sincerely,
CrazyCatLady
Customer Service Manager


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## LizStreithorst (May 2, 2016)

You are a brave woman.  That is a job I could not do.  

I am an empire of one.  I own my own business and am my sole employee.  I used to have employees but came to the conscusion that 99% of the time they weren't worth it, but that's another story...

As far as my customers they are wonderful.  Over the 9 years I've been at this location  I have fired only two, retrained 4, and made it clear to a few that it would be best if they fired themselves before I had to do it for them.  Being an empire of one is the only way to live.  I love it.


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## roadfix (May 2, 2016)

I thought it was the other way around.....the letter should be aimed at 95% of all Walmart customers....LOL....


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (May 2, 2016)

CrazyCatLady said:


> 5. The speedy checkouts do not have signs on them that say, "Twenty Items or More." The signs say, "Twenty Items or Less!"



If you want to be grammatically correct, the sign should read "Twenty items or fewer."


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## LizStreithorst (May 2, 2016)

That gripes me, too, as do the signs that say "can goods" rather than "canned goods".  There's a tire shop down the road from me that offers "coputer ballancing".  A nursery in another town that has a big billboard you can see from the interstate that says they sell "trees and shurbs".


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (May 2, 2016)

LizStreithorst said:


> That gripes me, too, as do the signs that say "can goods" rather than "canned goods".  There's a tire shop down the road from me that offers "coputer ballancing".  A nursery in another town that has a big billboard you can see from the interstate that says they sell "trees and shurbs".



One grocery store I used to frequent had "15 items or fewer" on the big sign above the checkout stand, the the little sign under the OPEN or CLOSED" light still says "15 items or less"


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## Cooking Goddess (May 2, 2016)

Sucks to deal with uncouth customers, doesn't it? I met up with a couple of them when I worked in a mall. The mall provided *free* gift wrap services to anyone for items purchased in our mall. When they would complain about us refusing to wrap something ("I'm sorry, ma'm, but you did not buy it  here. There is no Filene's store outside of Boston.") or not having the appropriate style wrap for the present ("No, we don't have baby themed wrap. You could have it wrapped in beige and add a rattle to the bow?"), we would just smile widely, point to the sign that proudly advertised *Free Gift Wrap* and say "you ARE getting your money's worth". 

It's equally annoying as a customer when you have to deal with a clerk who is a jerk. They're out there. Just sayin'...

My gripe? WILL YOU STOP CALLING ME A "GUEST" WHEN I'M SHOPPING IN A STORE!!!  I'm a customer. A paying customer. "Guest", except when referring to a patron of a lodging facility, implies I have been invited and will be feted at no cost to me. Hmm, I bet if I tried walking out of a store that calls me "guest" with unpaid-for merchandise, I'd be spun around, handcuffed, and marched out the door faster than you can say "price check".


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## roadfix (May 2, 2016)

Stop calling me HONEY.  I'm not your HONEY.


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (May 2, 2016)

BAHAHAHA!
I worked as a Customer service supervisor for most of my working years.
The people that I worked with always said that someday we'd write a book! 
Some days I'd want to pull my hair out by the roots, and then others I couldn't stop laughing.
"No Ma'am, I can't turn your phone back on when you haven't paid your bill in over a year.  911 works at all times, you can call for assistance when needed, but you can not keep call the Philippines and talking for hours."


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## Cooking Goddess (May 3, 2016)

Kaneohegirlinaz said:


> ...Some days I'd want to pull my hair out by the roots, and then others I couldn't stop laughing...


I worked for the telephone company for eleven years. The longest one was the year I was a service rep in "Special Services" like mobile phones, 800 numbers, and foreign exchange (using a telephone number in an area that was not assigned to the switching office that offered it). In my department, we had more difficulty with the marketing reps than we ever had with customers. I can still hear my boss, Helen, repeat "use the mute button before you start swearing" to all of us in our monthly review sessions!


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (May 3, 2016)

Cooking Goddess said:


> ...  I can still hear my boss, Helen, repeat "use the mute button before you start swearing" to all of us in our monthly review sessions!



OH MY GAWD!  

But wait, I also worked for a number of years in the Tourism Industry as well ...
now think about that one for a minute!
In Hawaii, a huge travel destination, right?
[insert your worst travel nightmare here, I've got a million of `em]
"I am so sorry Sir, but the aircraft's doors are locked and they're next in line for take off, no, I truly can not bring the plane back to the gate so that you can board."


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## CrazyCatLady (May 3, 2016)

I can think of a mute button for some customers ...

People are nuts!


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## CraigC (May 3, 2016)

Please do not check out and discover you don't have enough money to pay for your items! Then please don't start deciding which items you really don't need, having them deducted from the total and letting your unsupervised kids run amuck while holding up the line!


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## Mad Cook (May 3, 2016)

CrazyCatLady said:


> I got so frustrated one day last year I came home, sat down, and wrote this:
> 
> As you know, I'm a customer service manager at Walmart. While 95% of you shoppers are absolutely delightful and brighten my day just by walking in the door, the other 5% of you need some ... refining. This letter is for that 5%.
> 
> ...


"_We ask to see your ID if you look under 40 for alcohol and tobacco purchases. That is a North Carolina state law_ " Really? 40 years old? Crumbs!


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## Mad Cook (May 3, 2016)

Everyone should be compelled to work in a store over Christmas and the January sales. (Perhaps it could be in the last year of school.) 

I learned to keep my temper when I worked in Marks and Spencer in the Christmas vac when I was a student. I would never knowingly be cross with or rude to a shop assistant after that experience!


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## RPCookin (May 3, 2016)

Then there's the corner drug store where I worked when I was in high school.  This was 1963.  When I opened the register, I had $35 worth of change.  The guy comes up the the counter and asks for a pack of Camels.... one 25 cent pack of cigarettes.... and hands me a $100 bill.  

In 6 months working there that was the only time I ever saw anything bigger than a twenty.  Then he got grumpy with me when I sent him back to the pharmacy to see the owner because I couldn't change it for him.


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## bakechef (May 3, 2016)

Been in Retail for about 25 years and this rings so true!

Since my store issued earpiece communicators to everyone, I'm amazed that pretty much every day the customer service associates have to deal with someone trying to scam them.

Last week a lady brought back a squash in an advanced state of decay.  She handed over her receipt with the date conveniently and neatly torn off.  So the CSM looks up the transaction, and wouldn't you know this receipt was less than a week old and the squash weighed significantly more than the one in the bag.  She was demanding that we honor double her money back.  Well needless to say she didn't.


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## CrazyCatLady (May 3, 2016)

CraigC said:


> Please do not check out and discover you don't have enough money to pay for your items! Then please don't start deciding which items you really don't need, having them deducted from the total and letting your unsupervised kids run amuck while holding up the line!



No kidding! Why don't people keep track of their finances and figure this stuff out before even getting into the car?

We're on a budget, and I make sure I have enough for what we need.



Mad Cook said:


> "_We ask to see your ID if you look under 40 for alcohol and tobacco purchases. That is a North Carolina state law_ " Really? 40 years old? Crumbs!



Tell me about it. The last time anyone asked me for any kind of card, it was my AARP card. You know what's bad about that?

I have one.



Mad Cook said:


> Everyone should be compelled to work in a store over Christmas and the January sales. (Perhaps it could be in the last year of school.)
> 
> I learned to keep my temper when I worked in Marks and Spencer in the Christmas vac when I was a student. I would never knowingly be cross with or rude to a shop assistant after that experience!



Absolutely! Or like our daughter did; through college, she worked weekend nights in a Waffle House in the middle of the bar district.



RPCookin said:


> Then there's the corner drug store where I worked when I was in high school.  This was 1963.  When I opened the register, I had $35 worth of change.  The guy comes up the the counter and asks for a pack of Camels.... one 25 cent pack of cigarettes.... and hands me a $100 bill.
> 
> In 6 months working there that was the only time I ever saw anything bigger than a twenty.  Then he got grumpy with me when I sent him back to the pharmacy to see the owner because I couldn't change it for him.



There are words for people like that, but I'd rather have "Sous Chef" under my screen name than "Banned User."



bakechef said:


> Been in Retail for about 25 years and this rings so true!
> 
> Since my store issued earpiece communicators to everyone, I'm amazed that pretty much every day the customer service associates have to deal with someone trying to scam them.
> 
> Last week a lady brought back a squash in an advanced state of decay.  She handed over her receipt with the date conveniently and neatly torn off.  So the CSM looks up the transaction, and wouldn't you know this receipt was less than a week old and the squash weighed significantly more than the one in the bag.  She was demanding that we honor double her money back.  Well needless to say she didn't.



Oh ... wow, just wow. A squash. **Sigh.**

Sunday at the service desk a guy tried to return his 5-year-old LG TV in a brand-new Samsung box ... with the receipt for the Samsung.

Really? If I'm going to refund someone $800, I'd better know what's in that dang box!


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## Addie (May 3, 2016)

Kaneohegirlinaz said:


> OH MY GAWD!
> 
> But wait, I also worked for a number of years in the Tourism Industry as well ...
> now think about that one for a minute!
> ...



I worked for two months up in Manoa Valley as one of the Little People of Hawaii. I am lucky I am not bald today from all the head rubbing for good luck. That was all I could take. Dodging outreaching hands, please don't do that, (in spite of my wearing a hat) I am sorry, you are not allowed to do that. Along with other requests and remarks. The day when one woman would not honor my request, I finally told her I had head lice. That is when I knew I had to quit before I resorted to and used the language of the streets I grew up in.


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## rodentraiser (May 4, 2016)

CrazyCatLady said:


> I got so frustrated one day last year I came home, sat down, and wrote this:
> 
> As you know, I'm a customer service manager at Walmart. While 95% of you shoppers are absolutely delightful and brighten my day just by walking in the door, the other 5% of you need some ... refining. This letter is for that 5%.
> 
> ...



I know the people on retailhellunderground.com would post this on their site. Maybe you could send it to them. All the retail slaves who read the stories there would really appreciate it.

I spent four happy (!) years at 7-11, three of those years were spent working grave. I feel your pain. 

I should mention that occasionally we'd have the early morning customer give us a hundred dollar bill to pay for a 69¢ cup of coffee - at 6am. They knew we couldn't break it and usually did this because they expected a free cup of coffee. We used to hand them back the money with one hand and grab the coffee with the other. And then pour it down the sink.


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## Farmer Jon (May 5, 2016)

CraigC said:


> Please do not check out and discover you don't have enough money to pay for your items! Then please don't start deciding which items you really don't need, having them deducted from the total and letting your unsupervised kids run amuck while holding up the line!




Guess what. Some of us are on a tight budget. I always keep a tally of my total so I don't go over. Sometimes I do and that sucks. Its embarrassing enough to have put stuff back with out you judging me. Im sorry if my kids bother you. Go shop someplace else. 

I bet you are the one guy who has to hold up the line and write a check. JERK.
http://www.discusscooking.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


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## CraigC (May 5, 2016)

Farmer Jon said:


> Guess what. Some of us are on a tight budget. I always keep a tally of my total so I don't go over. Sometimes I do and that sucks. Its embarrassing enough to have put stuff back with out you judging me. Im sorry if my kids bother you. Go shop someplace else.
> 
> I bet you are the one guy who has to hold up the line and write a check. JERK.



Really? I'm sure you fill two carts full of stuff totaling over $1000.00 and only have $600.00. Then you hold up the line, while letting your 5 or 6 kids run around, for 20 minutes, passing random items back to the cashier to deduct until you get down to what you can actually pay for. I'm not talking about a few dollars short. Hell, I've even paid for items for folks when that has happened. To add insult to injury, the money they were spending came from taxpayers. When we go to the grocery, we pay with a debit card drawn on our bank account, with money we earn. I never go to buy anything unless I have the money to pay for it. I also don't get in express lanes with more than the allotted number of items, nor do I use coupons in these lanes. So if that is considered being a JERK, then that is me!


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## CrazyCatLady (May 5, 2016)

Farmer Jon said:


> Guess what. Some of us are on a tight budget. I always keep a tally of my total so I don't go over. Sometimes I do and that sucks. Its embarrassing enough to have put stuff back with out you judging me. Im sorry if my kids bother you. Go shop someplace else.
> 
> I bet you are the one guy who has to hold up the line and write a check. JERK.
> http://www.discusscooking.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/



Hold up there, honey. I started this thread with tongue in cheek, pointing out crazy things people do at Walmart through my weird sense of humor. People know I'm like that, and of course things happen.

That's why I always carry my wallet in my pocket at the register. Some folks just need a few dollars, and I've got it. I've been at Walmart for 8 years, and I know who's struggling and who isn't. 

If you came through my line, and I see you're struggling (kids or no kids), I'll get my debit card or cash or whatever you need and pay the difference if it's under $30 and you've paid the majority of it. This serves four purposes: You get the food you and your family need, it saves you the embarrassment of taking items off, you might become a regular customer, and we don't have to put it back. And no, I don't always get paid back, and usually I refuse it anyway.

Craig meant EXTREMES, Farmer. You're not the type to run up a $400 grocery bill, run $150 short, then look at the others in line and yell, "Well? Ain't nobody gonna help me?" That's just arrogance and entitlement rearing its ugly head.

I'm on a tight budget, too, Farmer. I recently had a brain clot and although insurance helps, it doesn't pay for everything. I understand budgets.

And I do apologize if you thought my letter was aimed at you. That was never its intent, nor was it my intent.

Surely you've seen some crazy things happen in a store too, right?

And you were referring to the check writer as a jerk and not Craig. I got that. At least I hope that was the intent.



CraigC said:


> Really? I'm sure you fill two carts full of stuff totaling over $1000.00 and only have $600.00. Then you hold up the line, while letting your 5 or 6 kids run around, for 20 minutes, passing random items back to the cashier to deduct until you get down to what you can actually pay for. I'm not talking about a few dollars short. Hell, I've even paid for items for folks when that has happened. To add insult to injury, the money they were spending came from taxpayers. When we go to the grocery, we pay with a debit card drawn on our bank account, with money we earn. I never go to buy anything unless I have the money to pay for it. I also don't get in express lanes with more than the allotted number of items, nor do I use coupons in these lanes. So if that is considered being a JERK, then that is me!



Craig, he meant the check writer was a jerk, not you. 

I've seen all that you described and more. People do run short.

I have a funny story about running short one day. What a disaster! I went to our local Mom & Pop grocery to buy a $3 dog toy for a neighborhood kid with a new puppy, and a box of mac & cheese. The bill came to less than $5, and I opened my wallet and ... ***GASP***

I had swapped out wallets the day before. There was my license, AARP card, insurance cards, AAA card ... everything BUT my debit and credit cards. I was in the middle of switching wallets and hadn't gotten to that compartment yet when the phone rang and something else happened. I forgot I wasn't done!

Luckily a manager came by, and said, "Oh, let her have them. She gave $10 to a customer last month to help her out."

Wasn't that cool?

But no, I left the items, ran home, finished putting everything in the new wallet, then went back and paid for it. That was so embarrassing!

But there are definitely those extreme cases where it's just crazy. You were saying about food stamps -- on the other hand, it's sweet:

A young couple were struggling with a new baby, and they sold what they could and needed assistance. They were on food stamps for about 6 months, and one day she came through my line, used up the balance on her food stamps, paid the rest on her debit card, and handed her food stamp card to me.

"Can you recycle that or cut it up? My husband got a second job and we don't need it any more."

That look on her face lit up the entire store and made my week!


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## Addie (May 5, 2016)

One time I mistakenly got into an express line. It was in the middle of the regular lanes and I had a full load in my carriage. The girl was nice enough to ring me through. When she was all done, she quietly told me I was in the express line for 20 items or less. Fortunately it wasn't even eight o'clock in the morning yet. So the store wasn't crowded. The store has 38 registers. Two of them are express lanes with the one in the middle. They have since put that one in the middle down at the end where the other two are. I was told that I was not the first person who had made the same mistake. 

But I am that person with my EBT card. I get my food stamps on one day and the next day I get my SS money. So I have to pay cash for my non-food items. I also have to pay cash for any food that is over my food stamps allotment. So knowing that my check will not clear until the next day, I have to write a check. I have a courtesy card so there is no problem with them accepting my check. Fortunately for the folks behind me, I have already written out the check the night before and only have to insert the amount. 

So yes, I am one of the folks who hold up the line somewhat. But by the time I get done shopping and through checking out, I just want to get the heck out of there. I am sorry if I am holding you up. But on my income and the funds allotted to me for food, I have no choice. Also, with today's climate, I very rarely see children running amok in the store. Too often we read about a child that was molested in the rest room, groped, or some other really offensive behavior by a stranger. Parents keep their children right at their side. In fact I have seen one mother (on more than one occasion) with a harness on her little girl. Smart mother. The little girl was too big for the child's seat.


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## LizStreithorst (May 5, 2016)

Here's a customer service story for you...I received a pressure cooker from Macy's here at the house yesterday.  Today another one was delivered to my shop.  I don't steal but getting in touch with Macy's about this was a huge PITA.  They don't have a "contact us" button.  You have to call and pres 1 and press 2 and press the order number and then they transfer you to some poor son of a b1tch in India.  

I had to wait while he looked my order up.  The guy I got thought that I wanted to make a simple return.  Rather annoyed I said, "listen, I paid for 1 and received two.  I'm trying to do you guys a favor".  then he talked to his supervisor who told him to tell me to take it back to my local Macy's as if there were a Macy's in Moselle MS.  Poor guy, he's in India.  He didn't know.

Then he had to talk to his supervisor again.  They will send me a shipping label and also send pick up for the item.  They are giving me a $20. gift card because I'm an honest person.

The guy said, "you are our number one customer."  I said, "Yeah, right...how many times a day do you say that?"  I said, "You have a hard job.  I could never do it.  You did well".  I think I made him feel good.


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## roadfix (May 5, 2016)

^^^  I commend you for doing that.    
I'm not so honest, OTOH, so I would have just returned the duplicate item to the store for a refund or store credit.


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## Cheryl J (May 5, 2016)

Addie said:


> One time I mistakenly got into an express line. It was in the middle of the regular lanes and I had a full load in my carriage. The girl was nice enough to ring me through. When she was all done, she quietly told me I was in the express line for 20 items or less. Fortunately it wasn't even eight o'clock in the morning yet. So the store wasn't crowded. *The store has 38 registers.* Two of them are express lanes with the one in the middle. They have since put that one in the middle down at the end where the other two are. I was told that I was not the first person who had made the same mistake........


 
*Addie*, wondering where you shop that has *38* check-outs/registers....?


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## medtran49 (May 5, 2016)

Addie (and others), 

Those of you that live in areas that don't have unattended children running around are lucky.  I've almost been knocked down a time or 2 by unattended running children in the grocery store, had to dodge or stop the cart short innumerable times because of children running in front of me either unattended completely or attended by a parent who apparently couldn't be bothered.  More often than I care to remember, we've been in restaurants where children were allowed to run around loose and/or slam themselves repeatedly into the booth back, causing it to smack one or the other of us.  Let's not get into the screaming ones that are allowed to scream and scream without 1 of the parents getting up to take them out.  We've even been in movie theaters where children were allowed to play with phones or tablets, one even had the flashlight functioning on her parent's phone and was waving it around.  Believe it or not, someone had to actually say something out loud for everyone to hear to get the flashlight function turned off.  This was NOT a movie appropriate for a small child.  

When our DD was a child, she behaved when we were out in public.  She knew there would be consequences if she made a butt out of herself.  We took her wherever we went, even fine dining places, and she acted like a little lady.  Our DGD's also behave when out in public.  Our DD puts up with even less than I did.  

It's not the children I blame, it's the parents.  We live in a very large metropolitan area so you'd think parents would be more careful but some just aren't for whatever reason. 

And, sorry, but phones now have a calculator, you can always round up to the next dollar and add things up in your head to make sure you have enough money, and there's always pen and paper if you are running short.  I personally would NEVER go to check out and not have enough money.  I'd rather have some left over and have to go back to get something.  And, yes, I've had to count pennies very closely when I was younger and wasn't always able to get everything I wanted.


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## Cooking Goddess (May 5, 2016)

LizStreithorst said:


> ...Rather annoyed I said, "listen, I paid for 1 and received two.  I'm trying to do you guys a favor"....


Honesty - the best policy. Good for you! BTW, a long time ago I got a duplicate of something I had ordered. So long ago I don't even remember what it was, but it was when call centers were still based in the U.S. The customer service rep said that if I didn't have use for the second one I should pass it on to someone else who could use it. I thought that was special. I'm guessing the value of the item was less than the cost of recovering it, but still...



Cheryl J said:


> *Addie*, wondering where you shop that has *38* check-outs/registers....?


I think it's the Market Basket in Chelsea, MA. Checkouts as far as the eye can see...








medtran49 said:


> ...It's not the children I blame, it's the parents.  We live in a very large metropolitan area so you'd think parents would be more careful but some just aren't for whatever reason...


Ding! You're the winner! We always made sure our two behaved. If not, we removed them from the area and did "the talk". Won't deny that there may have been a firm-enough pat on the butt to get their attention, but never hard and never more than one. I think the attitude among many raising children now is "we don't want to stifle their spirit". Gasp! Your precious snowflake might feel bad if you tell them to behave??? Better than making 50 people in public want to kill your progeny. I've stopped a Mom or two to point out her darling cutting people off and running into their sibling. One of these days I could end up getting my tire punctured in the parking lot.


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## Cheryl J (May 5, 2016)

Holy cow, I've never seen so many check-outs. I wonder how many they keep open at one time?  Small town girl here.  LOL


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## CraigC (May 6, 2016)

CrazyCatLady said:


> Hold up there, honey. I started this thread with tongue in cheek, pointing out crazy things people do at Walmart through my weird sense of humor. People know I'm like that, and of course things happen.
> 
> That's why I always carry my wallet in my pocket at the register. Some folks just need a few dollars, and I've got it. I've been at Walmart for 8 years, and I know who's struggling and who isn't.
> 
> ...



No, he was absolutely directing that at me.


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## Addie (May 6, 2016)

Cheryl J said:


> *Addie*, wondering where you shop that has *38* check-outs/registers....?



Market Basket in Chelsea. After the hassle of the workers walking off the job a couple of summers ago, MB went of a building spree. The store in Chelsea is the flagship of all the new stores that they are building. It is huge. If you go to the store in Chelsea, and then to one in Tewksbury, it was built with the same floor plans as the one in Chelsea. When I go shopping, I give my list of the second half of the store to Spike and I do the left side of the store. Before they opened the store in Revere, the Chelsea served at least five communities. It takes both Spike and myself at least 45 minutes to get everything that is on both my list and his groceries. 

The worst time to go shopping there is on a Thursday and Friday night. Payday for a lot of families. Spike takes me at 7 a.m. just as the store is opening. the first time I went to the new store in Chelsea, I was so overwhelmed at the size, I wanted to leave and just give the list to Spike and let him do it all for me. Now I do aisles one through eight along with the deli,  meat, cheese and dairy departments. He does aisles nine through 38 plus the produce departments.


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## Addie (May 6, 2016)

Cheryl J said:


> Holy cow, I've never seen so many check-outs. I wonder how many they keep open at one time?  Small town girl here.  LOL



Thursday and Friday night starting around 4:30 all of them are open. They have two storefront supervisors. And as the day goes on from 7 a.m. they add more cashiers as the store fills up with customers. They also have about 10 electric carts and three electric carts in the two entryways. That way you don't have to walk into the store. If you notice all the carts at the front of the store. Some are HUGE carts and the rest are your normal run of the mill size. And that is not all of them. They have even more that they keep outside and chained up. When the store fills up, they release the outside carts so the public can get one before they enter. They have three outside employees. Two recover the carts and bring them back in. The third man will help you unload your cart and place them in your car. 

The service in this store in incredible. No matter what the employee is doing, if you ask for help, they immediately stop what they are doing and help you. If you can't find a product, they will even go and get it for you while you wait instead of having to wander around helplessly. And I have yet to ask where a product is located, and have the employee not know. 

BTW, every cashier has a bagger of their own. My only complaint is when two cashiers in stalls next to each other are yakking back and forth in their own language. I consider that extremely rude and want my cashier to pay attention to my order. Not a conversation about their boyfriends. I have never seen any employees on a cell phone.


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## Farmer Jon (May 6, 2016)

After a long day shopping with little kids they are done. I am done and the wife is done. They might act up a little bit and I dont care because I'm am tired and worn out. Now I have an hour drive home and have to put it all away. 

If i miscalculate and go over 20 or 30 bucks (happens ones in a blue moon) It takes us a few minutes to figure out what do we need the least. Big deal get over it. I guess I have seen one person put back a ton if stuff once but it happens. One time I had to leave EVERYTHING. The whole cart. I put my check in the bank that morning went shopping that night. Bank teller told me funds will be available that afternoon. They weren't. 

Dont judge with out knowing the whole story. All the people behind me in line could see was a guy swiping a card. Then walking away empty handed. 

The lady running up a $400 bill and yelling for help is beyond help. Ive never been on ebt or food stamps but I do know people that are. They know how much they get every month. Go get all their groceries. Sometimes there is a mistake or the amount gets cut. They don't know that. All they know is I'm suppose to get say $300. Oh this month I only $250. Now they gotta put back $50 bucks worth. Ive been with someone when that happened. It is very embarrassing.


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## RPCookin (May 6, 2016)

A while back in Walmart I was a couple of people behind a woman who, after trying 2 gift cards and topping off her limit on a credit card, was still about $5 short of the $50 she needed to buy everything in her basket.  The woman right behind her gave her the $5 she needed.  It took her nearly 10 minutes to sort through the cards, run each one multiple times and discuss it with the clerk each time.  At least the 2 children with her were well behaved while all this was going on.

What was most apparent to me was that she needs some expert counseling on managing money.  No way of knowing what her credit card limit is or how many cards she might have (or how the card got maxed out, necessary emergency or unadvised spending), but maxing out even one card can put a person in a deep hole that is a struggle to get out of (I was that person many years ago, and once paid off, I never again let it happen).  Many young families in the area are just making it day to day, and adding the money pit of a maxed out card can be an unbearable load.  

These days a $50 grocery bill is nothing, and she wasn't buying any luxuries, just the necessities for feeding a family.


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