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My 'hometown' has about 16,000 residents. When I visited a few years ago, after the local Walmart was upgraded to a Supercenter, I was amazed. The Walmart had taken on a sort of public meeting place. One weekend I was home, I was sent to Walmart on back-to-back days. Both times, I saw some of the same people just hanging out in the snack area (before McDonalds came in). Essentially, they were hanging out until they saw someone they knew.
I'm sure Walmart would be very pleased by that.
The difference in Target and Walmart is volume. I've witnessed some bad behavior at both, but the volume of bad behavior at Walmart is much higher, in part because just the sheer number of people tends to mean a higher volume of people acting badly.
In addition, Walmart has been established as the low price retail leader, with a wide selection. That is going to tend to draw in a different demographic than Target.
I try to avoid Walmart if possible. Easy enough--none are convenient to me, but also, I'm just not a person who loves shopping. I know people who go to stores like that or even malls when they don't actually need anything, but they go and buy crap they don't need as a form of entertainment. I think places like Walmart survive on those entertainment shopping types.
I also try to avoid Wal-Mart whenever possible, because--as the OP observed--people who are walking to the electric chair tend to move more rapidly than most of the folks at Wally World. However, their typical patron does provide a lot of entertainment for those of us who enter those portals on only rare occasions: People Of Walmart - Page 3 of 2247 - Funny Pictures of People Shopping at Walmart : People Of Walmart
How many Wal-Marts nationwide have you been in? Or are you going mainly by youtube videos? I've noticed nothing of the kind in our local Wal-Mart.
I've been to 48 states, and I've patronized Wal-Marts in at least 43 states (all but GA, OK, NH, HI, AK, IL, and NE, IIRC), mostly while traveling for pleasure. I agree with NDak15 (the OP), as I have had similar experiences. That's great that you haven't noticed anything of the kind at your local Wal-Mart.
The longer customers stay in the store, the more they buy.
Many retailers including Walmart, Costco, and Sam's Club use subliminal audio to control customer activity.
I don't buy that. Because they are there longer because why are moving slower. If you move faster you can buy more in the same amount of time. Your logic makes no sense. If a person in target goes down 4 isles in the same amount of time a person in Walmart goes down 1, how is moving slow better?! It's like saying loitering in a store is good because you spend more time there. This isn't rocket science or had to understand.
Also. Please provide a reference or link for your "audio control" claim.
When I shop I generally have a specific purpose in mind and don't walk around looking at things. I have other things to do. So I get what I need and leave. Many people, seniors or those in more leisure oriented lifestyles don't have anything better to do so they can kill time just browsing. Or they're dragging small children around or talking on cell phones or to each other or just getting out of the cold/heat/rain/dark/sun with no real shopping agenda.
Target and Sears and K marts are pretty much ghost towns and there's less for employees to do. Less straightening up and the employees have to budget their activities to give them something to do.
How a store looks tells you about the local economy. A dirty store tells you that the shoppers are slobs. Lots of stolen merchandise tells you that the shoppers are low lifes. A messy store says that the place has a lot of business. A store that's not stocked says its understaffed. A store that's well stocked and neat and clean says it most likely doesn't get much business.
What's the point? You'll buy the same Chinese crap elsewhere at a higher cost.
>>>> I get a laugh too every time somebody complains about Wal Mart but then says they shop someplace else like Target or Whole Foods. Same merchandise, same business model, same employee treatment, yet they think they're making a statement. You may as well try to hurt Coca Cola by buying Pepsi.
And that extends to all the big box retailers, the online sellers, the big grocery chains, everybody.
40 years ago K Mart hurt local small businesses when they built a store. 50 years ago Sears hurt small local businesses when they built a store. Lowes, Home Depot, Best Buy, the grocery chains, same deal. Now Amazon is hurting the big retailers. And if you eat at any fast food or restaurant chain, you're screwing local eateries.
Business is business so people should and will do whats best for them when they are consumers. But let's just not kid ourselves by pretending we have some higher standard when we really don't.
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What is it about Walmart that makes people move so slow in the store?
