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Not all walmarts are the same. Around here, if there are more than 3 in line, they call for other cashiers. I have never seen that anywhere except here in our wm store. It also depends on what time of day you shop. And the size of the walmart store. As far as other employees walking around, well, they can't all just run up and open a check out line. Talk to the manager, voice your complaint to someone who can actually do something about it.
We have the smallest walmart and it is in a small town. Standing in lines goes with the territory of living in a city.
Yep'I thnik it depends on where you live. We have two super wal warts and no waits any more than other stores.
Isn't it wonderful that we don't have to shop where we don't want to shop? Another Walmart bashing post...
Well, if Wal Mart wasn't such a dump, there wouldn't be any reason to complain. And for some people who live in small towns, Wal Mart is sometimes the only game in town.
I can assure you that not everyone who chooses to shop at Wal Mart, loves to shop at Wal Mart.
Here's something that always works and the employees hate. Go to one of the departments (Jewelry, Electronics, Etc....) and check out there. If the the employee starts to make noise, just start piling the goods on their counter. They WILL ring it up.
I didn't know that was possible there! But a grand idea, for sure.
Wal-Mart generally has a small handful of checkout lanes open. It makes me so angry to stand in line for 15 to 20 minutes, sometimes longer, when most of the checkouts are closed. I hate waiting in those long lines, and while I'm waiting you will see many of the workers just walking around.
And what about those express lanes? Why do the checkers not turn the customers away that have a full cart of merchandise. Yet I get stuck behind these rude customers and I have only a couple of things to buy. It happens just about every time. And when I do have a full cart, it NEVER crosses my mind to go through the express lanes. That is just rude. Then again, it makes me wonder why their express lanes are 25 items or less when most places it's like 10 or 15 items. The whole point is to get in and out, which is why I prefer Target.
Target usually has more checkout lanes open than Wal-Mart so the wait isn't as long. I can get in and out quicker. Not to mention, they enforce the 10 item limit in their express lanes. You just don't see customers with a full cart of merchandise going through their express lines like you do Wal-Mart.
I guess Wal-Mart doesn't care about you waiting in line, do they?
It really depends on the time of day and the locaation. We are lucky, rarely do we wait more than a couple of minutes to check out. It runs almost exactly like Targot. I have lived places where the wait can be long and there are few checkers. Oh, and all the Wal Marts I have frequented the express lane is 20 or less, not 25, but I do realize it differs from place to place. Wal Mart has a reason for its existance, but it isn't for everyone. Even though I do shop there on occassion, I have other stores I prefer. I think we have to weigh what works best for each of us.
Wal-Mart generally has a small handful of checkout lanes open. It makes me so angry to stand in line for 15 to 20 minutes, sometimes longer, when most of the checkouts are closed. I hate waiting in those long lines, and while I'm waiting you will see many of the workers just walking around.
And what about those express lanes? Why do the checkers not turn the customers away that have a full cart of merchandise. Yet I get stuck behind these rude customers and I have only a couple of things to buy. It happens just about every time. And when I do have a full cart, it NEVER crosses my mind to go through the express lanes. That is just rude. Then again, it makes me wonder why their express lanes are 25 items or less when most places it's like 10 or 15 items. The whole point is to get in and out, which is why I prefer Target.
Target usually has more checkout lanes open than Wal-Mart so the wait isn't as long. I can get in and out quicker. Not to mention, they enforce the 10 item limit in their express lanes. You just don't see customers with a full cart of merchandise going through their express lines like you do Wal-Mart.
I guess Wal-Mart doesn't care about you waiting in line, do they?
Please don't assume that a cusomer who has a full cart in the express lane is rude.
Many times.....the clerk who is running an express lane has told me to come to their register even though I have a full cart. Am I going to refuse? Ummm, no.
This just happened to me again last week.....all of the regular registers were backed up.....while all but one of the express registers were empty....so I was asked by a clerk to go to an express register.
If anyone is to blame.....it is the person in charge of the checkouts. It always seems like there are way too many express lanes open instead of regular lanes.
Another point.....why do I shop Wal-Mart? Because the Target and K Marts in my area are small and have small selections of products to choose from. The few times I have stopped at Target or K Mart....they usually are out of or don't even carry what I am looking for and I end up at Wal-Mart anyway.
In fact, there is a K Mart very close to me.....but I never go there because too many of the shelves are empty and it is dirty to boot. I drive a lot further to get to Wal-Mart.....but at least I am not wasting my time.
From the comments here.....it looks like not all Wal-Marts, Targets and K Marts are created equal.
Wal-Mart generally has a small handful of checkout lanes open. It makes me so angry to stand in line for 15 to 20 minutes, sometimes longer, when most of the checkouts are closed. I hate waiting in those long lines, and while I'm waiting you will see many of the workers just walking around.
And what about those express lanes? Why do the checkers not turn the customers away that have a full cart of merchandise. Yet I get stuck behind these rude customers and I have only a couple of things to buy. It happens just about every time. And when I do have a full cart, it NEVER crosses my mind to go through the express lanes. That is just rude. Then again, it makes me wonder why their express lanes are 25 items or less when most places it's like 10 or 15 items. The whole point is to get in and out, which is why I prefer Target.
Target usually has more checkout lanes open than Wal-Mart so the wait isn't as long. I can get in and out quicker. Not to mention, they enforce the 10 item limit in their express lanes. You just don't see customers with a full cart of merchandise going through their express lines like you do Wal-Mart.
I guess Wal-Mart doesn't care about you waiting in line, do they?
As someone who used to work at Wal-Mart (though no longer shop there myself) I can shed some light on what is going on here. Also, I want to say this right off the bat so as not to be misconstrued; I am not being sarcastic in anything I say below.
When you get to the checkout and see only 4 lanes open but a lot of customers you would think that it has been like that all day right? Believe it or not but the checkout "rush" comes and goes in waves. It is crazy but very true. About every 15-25 minutes there will be a rush of customers for around 10-15 minutes and then it will die down almost completely.
As for the other workers just walking around; they aren't cashiers so they wouldn't have any lanes to actually go to to check you out. Each department has their own workers and that is where they stay. This is also why when you go in and ask someone in the garden center something about automotive they won't know. When you work there and get off at the end of the day you last thought is to walk around and check stuff out, you want to go home asap! After a while they will get used to where some things are but the turn over rate there doesn't help in this regard sometimes.
Express Lanes: Oh boy, I completely understand what you are talking about when they are checking out customers who have WAY over 20 items. Believe me, the cashier would LOVE to tell them that they refuse to check them out but if they did that the cashier would get in trouble. No ifs, and, or buts about it, that is what would happen. Is it far to the cashier, or the customers who obey the limit set above the sign? Of course it isn't, but when you make just above minimum wage (Wal-Mart does pay above M.W. btw) and you are afraid that you could lose your job you do what you have to do.
All in all, your shopping experiences are just the way things are when shopping at Wal-Mart, and I fully believe it to be just a Wal-Mart problem. I shop at other stores and the customers there seem to be of a different mindset. Some Wal-Mart shoppers just tend to have the attitude that the world revolves around them, they are not all that way of course, but when you see it happen quite a few times you start to think they are all that way.
That's it. I hope that has helped you (and to an extent anyone reading this) understand the "inner workings" of the Wal-Mart issue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilVA
Here's something that always works and the employees hate. Go to one of the departments (Jewelry, Electronics, Etc....) and check out there. If the the employee starts to make noise, just start piling the goods on their counter. They WILL ring it up.
You are the customer that the OP is complaining about and you should be ashamed of thinking of no one but yourself when the people in jewelry have other things to do than to ring up your "piled on" purchases because you are a baby who has to have his/her way.
Jewelry checkout, automotive, and garden center (to a lesser extent) checkouts are there for THOSE department purchases from customers.
They get away with it because people like you will actually stand there and wait....
Either that, or you'll "work for Wal-mart for Free" by checking yourself out and bagging your own groceries. Our Wal-mart now has more self-checkouts than it does cashiers. I just go for yard/garden supplies because they are cheaper than Lowe's, and check out there at the lawn and garden place too if I pick up anything else. I WILL NOT work for free for Wal-mart by ringing an bagging my own purchases so they can cut cashier's hours and increase their profit.
And I thought when I opened up this post it was going to be a complaint about people shopping in their P.J's!
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Around here, if there are more than 3 in line, they call for other cashiers. I have never seen that anywhere except here in our wm store. It also depends on what time of day you shop. And the size of the walmart store. As far as other employees walking around, well, they can't all just run up and open a check out line. Talk to the manager, voice your complaint to someone who can actually do something about it. 
And for some people who live in small towns, Wal Mart is sometimes the only game in town. 
