WalMart Rant

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I get the feeling the whole "no price tag" is also a push to use their app.
What about people who will not use an app, like me? I am sure they don't care. I am one little old lady in the millions of potential customers. "Your loss, ol' lady. See if you can find what you need somewhere else." They want my data, know what I buy so they can advertise "more effectively" to me, and I say soup-line. (My made up, clean swear word that means things I can't say here. I've written about it elsewhere.)
However, we take advantage of the online selection at Amazon more and more each year. I don't like that trend, but even our local Wal-Mart is forcing you to go online to buy items they used to carry in the store. At that point, you just consider the lowest delivered price.
Getting something delivered out here is a big crapshoot. 3-4 months of the year, fuhgedaboutit.

My issue with the "order online, pickup at the store" model is I want to see/feel the items I buy. I want to check the piece of clothing for quality, I want to make sure the glass carafe on the coffee maker is not cracked. How do they handle returns? Eventually, will it be "too bad, so sad, ya been had!"? So much hassle that you'll just buy another one and eat the loss?

I understand that times change, technologies change. I either have to change along with them, or accept the losses I'll incur if I won't. The fact that I wave with one finger at the idea I have to kowtow to wallymart, etc., does not bother their CEOs one whit. They are sitting in the driver's seat, and they know it. If I get left at the side of the road, choking on the dust, it will not bother them in the slightest. Again, "Your loss, ol' lady. See if you can find what you need somewhere else."

Yeah, I'm in a rant mood too, I guess.
 
I agree with you @Sally PB , 100%. I have an old phone, doesn't do most apps, I refuse to buy a new one for that. I don't live on my phone and don't want to. Am not going to depend on apps to do things. Just not gonna.
Last two Amazon orders never made it here, had to wait the specified time before requesting a refund, on things that NEVER shipped in the first place. Amazon is not my friend and they've gotten so big they have no idea what's going on anymore. I don't like 'conversing' with AI representatives either. If I ask for a call from a human, 99% of the time I can't understand a word they say. AI told me I was getting a $5 credit for my "inconvenience", pfft, never got it. Should I talk to AI again about that?
I loathe buying without seeing and touching as well. Too many things are made of junk. I can do without a lot of things that the rest of the world finds necessary. I guess my biggest thing I miss out here is a really good book store (or even just a book store at all).
 
I agree with the BS of ordering online only. I don't like not seeing what I want to buy. I hope the foodmaxx store doesn't close because they give me the option of still doing grocery shopping in the store not online. I go from okay I will check to @##$__&, in about 5 seconds after it starts being stupid.
 
What about people who will not use an app, like me? I am sure they don't care. I am one little old lady in the millions of potential customers. "Your loss, ol' lady. See if you can find what you need somewhere else." They want my data, know what I buy so they can advertise "more effectively" to me, and I say soup-line. (My made up, clean swear word that means things I can't say here. I've written about it elsewhere.)
Absolutely. The big hardware store chains over here want you to have their app to use your $5 off coupon. It's really annoying, and we figured out tricking it into thinking the webpage is on a phone will get you the coupon.
Getting something delivered out here is a big crapshoot. 3-4 months of the year, fuhgedaboutit.

My issue with the "order online, pickup at the store" model is I want to see/feel the items I buy. I want to check the piece of clothing for quality, I want to make sure the glass carafe on the coffee maker is not cracked. How do they handle returns? Eventually, will it be "too bad, so sad, ya been had!"? So much hassle that you'll just buy another one and eat the loss?
My Mom won't do grocery pickup because she wants to pick out the produce. Oftentimes there's a thin selection of good stuff and she wants to make sure she gets the best.
I understand that times change, technologies change. I either have to change along with them, or accept the losses I'll incur if I won't. The fact that I wave with one finger at the idea I have to kowtow to wallymart, etc., does not bother their CEOs one whit. They are sitting in the driver's seat, and they know it. If I get left at the side of the road, choking on the dust, it will not bother them in the slightest. Again, "Your loss, ol' lady. See if you can find what you need somewhere else."

Yeah, I'm in a rant mood too, I guess.
 
I agree with you @Sally PB , 100%. I have an old phone, doesn't do most apps, I refuse to buy a new one for that. I don't live on my phone and don't want to. Am not going to depend on apps to do things. Just not gonna.
Last two Amazon orders never made it here, had to wait the specified time before requesting a refund, on things that NEVER shipped in the first place. Amazon is not my friend and they've gotten so big they have no idea what's going on anymore. I don't like 'conversing' with AI representatives either. If I ask for a call from a human, 99% of the time I can't understand a word they say. AI told me I was getting a $5 credit for my "inconvenience", pfft, never got it. Should I talk to AI again about that?
I loathe buying without seeing and touching as well. Too many things are made of junk. I can do without a lot of things that the rest of the world finds necessary. I guess my biggest thing I miss out here is a really good book store (or even just a book store
I bought my phone in the hopes it'll last for a good long while. I love getting new tech, but I don't want to throw more money at Google for another phone.

I use a different Android than the one that came with the phone, but it looks like Google isn't going to be treating the source code the same anymore, as it seems they're slowly winding it down so they can control phones more.

Tip with Scamazon: Look to see who it's "sold by". If it's not sold by Amazon, it's probably not the real deal. Some third-party sellers are legitimate, but most aren't.
 
:barnie Warning - rant to follow about WalMart. Just getting some things off my chest.

I have 4 vehicles that I have been getting oil change service done at WalMart for many years. Never had a problem until yesterday. Anyways, my oil change finished late in the afternoon yesterday, and it was dark when I drove home. I did not read the new oil change sticker until today. Then I noticed they had put in the wrong weight oil and the odometer reading was off by 30,000 miles! OK, I got someone else's sticker. But I was concerned that the service on my car had been performed correctly. So, today I went back to WalMart to have them check their records and put on a new oil change sticker. A simple 5-minute job - or so I thought.

I went to buy some groceries and came back about 10 minutes later.

Instead of sending a service mechanic out to the car to verify the odometer and that the correct service had been done yesterday, they just handwrote me a new sticker, gave it to me, and told me to put it on the windshield myself. Red flags going up at this point because I knew nobody had verified the service or the mileage.

Well, I go out to the car to put on the new sticker and noticed that the mileage was still all wrong. So, back into the store again to find out what is going on. Turns out the mechanic had entered the wrong mileage when he performed the oil change.

At this point, I suggest that a service mechanic actually go out to the car, verify the correct information, and fix it. Well, the manager says she will do that. She adds that she knows "How picky I am." What!? She does not know me at all. Period. That really got me on the defensive.

She goes outside and does not come back, for quite a while, maybe 10-15 minutes. So, I go out to the service area and look through the door window to see what's taking her so long. She is not at my car, nor walking back to the service center. I see her outside apparently taking a break, just walking around doing nothing.

She finally comes back into the store. Then she takes the new sticker and goes back outside to put it on the windshield, taking her sweet time, burning up more of my time. I think she planned it that way.

She finally comes back into the store and says everything is taken care of. Well, I ask if she updated the mileage in the computer of my oil change. Nope, she says she can't do that. She would have to schedule another oil change to make any change in their system. Nothing can be done. End of story.

I told her that I was not satisfied with her attitude and the service I received. I asked how to submit a complaint to WalMart. Nope, she would not give me a form, an address, or a telephone number to call. She said I could go home and look up that information online.

At this point, I asked to talk to the store manager. Nope. She was the service manager and she would deal with it. I insisted on getting the name of the store manager and another employee finally got me a WalMart business card and wrote the name of the General Manager on the back. I thanked him and left.

Well, I actually drove around to the front of the store, went to the main customer service counter, and asked to talk to the manager on duty for the store. A nice young man can up to the front, listened to my experience, and gave me all the information I needed to file a written complaint about my service experience. He told me to write everything down and send it to him via email, which he would forward to the GM. He assured me that WalMart would get back to me in the next few days.

The 5-minute stop I had planned turned into over an hour!

Long story short, I ended up writing a 4-page complaint about the service I received and the attitude and insults I got from their service manager. I have been getting my cars serviced at WalMart for years and never had such a negative experience. Depending on the response I get back from the GM at our WalMart, I might have to look elsewhere for oil change service, or maybe my complaint will lead to some improvements. I hope so. I enjoy being able to go online and schedule my oil change, and then do our grocery shopping while waiting for the service to get done. Never had a problem until this recent episode.

I expect I'll get a refund on the oil change. The refund may address the transaction, but it does not resolve the experience. It's not about the money. They need to do better.

Thanks for listening to my rant.
I wouldn't let Walmart change the oil in my push lawnmower. You dont even know for sure they put the correct oil in it. Find a nice local repair shop and let them do it. Your also shopping your local small buisness!
 
I love getting new tech
I used to. Not anymore. Feels like their whole point is just to make new stuff so they make more money. I hate throwaway stuff. Always thought the long lines at Apple stores were "insert very bad word here", of people waiting to be the 'first' with the latest and greatest. When I bought a new sewing machine I got a good one, and one that I didn't need to take a months worth of classes to figure out how to actually use. I also have, and still use a Singer made in the 50's. I'm a dinosaur, and happy that way. :D Honestly, if I could get a television with two knobs that I had to get out of a chair to adjust, that worked, I'd have one. And I'd have my first Kenmore washing machine back, with a big agitator that beat the clothes to death in a boatload of water and actually got them clean. Not the space ship looking monstrosity with flashing lights I have now that plays a symphony when it's finished NOT getting my clothes clean. I was fine with a short, obnoxious beep. And I never actually had to take apart and clean my Kenmore with a toothbrush. So there's my rant. :frow
 
I used to. Not anymore. Feels like their whole point is just to make new stuff so they make more money. I hate throwaway stuff. Always thought the long lines at Apple stores were "insert very bad word here", of people waiting to be the 'first' with the latest and greatest. When I bought a new sewing machine I got a good one, and one that I didn't need to take a months worth of classes to figure out how to actually use. I also have, and still use a Singer made in the 50's. I'm a dinosaur, and happy that way. :D Honestly, if I could get a television with two knobs that I had to get out of a chair to adjust, that worked, I'd have one. And I'd have my first Kenmore washing machine back, with a big agitator that beat the clothes to death in a boatload of water and actually got them clean. Not the space ship looking monstrosity with flashing lights I have now that plays a symphony when it's finished NOT getting my clothes clean. I was fine with a short, obnoxious beep. And I never actually had to take apart and clean my Kenmore with a toothbrush. So there's my rant. :frow
I can see waiting outside one in 2010, but today you can just order it online. To Apple's credit, iPhones do last longer (in terms of software support) today than they did in 2010. I still wouldn't buy one new though.

Washing machines are annoying. I've heard Speed Queen still makes some good ones, but I don't know how true that is since I don't have one. My Nana has a Samsung and that thing isn't that great. Pair it with bad water here and it's a piece of rubbish.

We have a nice Electrolux that rarely had issues, and has a simple tone when it's done. Brought it over here and the water messed it up.

If I'm not mistaken there are people who have gotten old CRT TVs to work with modern TV.
 

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