If Target got the business/traffic Wal-Mart did it would not be the appealing place it is now. It would not be as neat, clean, or shopper friendly.

Your right, the Avg Walmart Supercenter does anywhere from 3 to 6 times the sales of the Avg Target. A Big WM SC has does between 40 and 60,000 transactions a week. Figure each transaction has around 2 people in the store and your looking at 100,000 or so customers in the stores each week.

 

Target has on avg between 2500 to 4000 customers per day or 17,500 to 28,000 per week in thier stores.

See, I use the theory that if I use an actual check out person, then someone has a job because I need them there. Plus, if you take your own bags at the one I go to, you don't even have to take your stuff out of the basket. They come around the counter and scan it in the basket and put it in your bags for you. It's really quick if you bring your own bags! I just always get stuck behind a family of 80 with a plethora of singly wrapped twinkies, or two liters.

 

Many stores as they remodel are removing the self checkouts. When the store is really busy 1 cashier is still needed for each two self checkouts. So they were not put in to cut payroll or eliminate jobs, they were simply put in as a convenience for the customers.

I remember when Walmart was about half the size of Target, a third the size of K-Mart and less than a fourth the size of Sears. If Walmart treated associates as bad as many believe, were as unscrupulous as many claim and as bad a shopping experience as most of you say; then they would have never grown outside of Arkansas and Missouri.

 

Walmart took items that the Ben Franklins, Sears and K-Marts were selling at 50-75% markup and sold them for around a 25%mu. Walmart didn't spend millions sponsoring car races, building huge home offices, on golf outings or corporate wide cocktail parties. They cut expenses built the best distribution system in the world (the Pentagon goes to Walmart to learn how to move large qntys of items) and quietly built stores in towns the BIG 3 would not go into. Walmart really only started going into Metro areas in the last 20 years.

Target is more upscale than Wal-Mart and that will continue to be it's niche. Target isn't going anywhere simply on the fact that there will always be a rather large group of people who want a little better than the bottom if for nothing else than prestige.

 

What you said.....................and this....:scared::lol::lol:

Back while Sam Walton was alive, Wal-Mart had a policy that if there were more than three people waiting in line at any checkout stand, they would open a new one. They had signs to that effect posted above each lane.

 

When Sam died the signs came down and customer service took a hit. Sam also had a policy that if you asked an associate for directions to an item, that associate would personally walk you directly to that item. Try asking directions today and you get a point towads a department - good luck in finding your item.

 

Unfortunately, customer service has become a lost art, not only at Wal-Mart but at Kroger's and any number of other retail outlet.

 

This past weekend I was passing through JFK Airport in New York. There were easily 30 people lined up in front of each fast food venue, with a minimum of slovenly minimum-wage workers plodding through the drudgery of filling all of the customer's orders.

 

Bad customer service has become a way of life.

I remember when Walmart was about half the size of Target, a third the size of K-Mart and less than a fourth the size of Sears. If Walmart treated associates as bad as many believe, were as unscrupulous as many claim and as bad a shopping experience as most of you say; then they would have never grown outside of Arkansas and Missouri.

 

Walmart took items that the Ben Franklins, Sears and K-Marts were selling at 50-75% markup and sold them for around a 25%mu. Walmart didn't spend millions sponsoring car races, building huge home offices, on golf outings or corporate wide cocktail parties. They cut expenses built the best distribution system in the world (the Pentagon goes to Walmart to learn how to move large qntys of items) and quietly built stores in towns the BIG 3 would not go into. Walmart really only started going into Metro areas in the last 20 years.

 

As the guy above me posted, Walmart was a different animal when Sam was alive, now its exactly what people say it is.........a horrible place to go unless you have to.

Back while Sam Walton was alive, Wal-Mart had a policy that if there were more than three people waiting in line at any checkout stand, they would open a new one. They had signs to that effect posted above each lane.

 

When Sam died the signs came down and customer service took a hit. Sam also had a policy that if you asked an associate for directions to an item, that associate would personally walk you directly to that item. Try asking directions today and you get a point towards a department - good luck in finding your item.

 

Unfortunately, customer service has become a lost art, not only at Wal-Mart but at Kroger's and any number of other retail outlet.

 

This past weekend I was passing through JFK Airport in New York. There were easily 30 people lined up in front of each fast food venue, with a minimum of slovenly minimum-wage workers plodding through the drudgery of filling all of the customer's orders.

 

Bad customer service has become a way of life.

 

The signs or policies didn't change because of or due to Mr. Sam's passing. When Mr. Sam was alive the average Wal-Mart was doing about 20-25% as much business as they are today. The business model has changed alot since his passing. You are right in that customer service is a dying art. Oh BTW it is still WM policy to take customers to the item instead of just pointing. The exception would be the lady behind the jewelry counter can't leave her register and show cases to walk you back to the paint department, or don't expect the person in electronics to leave that department uncovered to show you where the grocery side of the store is. Associates in high traffic areas with secured merchandise can't really leave the area unattended to be a personal shopper for customers.

 

JD if WM was has bad as many would have you believe then, why oh why do over 20 million customers a week continue to go there? WM isn't perfect, I've never said that it was.

A few random thoughts from Boondock...

 

I've never understood why stores like this always have 53 checkout lanes even though it is apparently illegal to open more than 3 at one time.

 

I beg of you people, if an abacus is the most advanced piece of technology you own, please do not use the self-checkout lines. You're going to stress yourself out and all of the people behind you that you slow down.

 

Generally speaking, Wal-Mart seems to have better prices than Target with the exception of certain products. With that being said, I'll shop at Target 7 days a week over Wal-Mart if given the option. It's not because I think Wal-Mart is evil but mainly because Target is always cleaner, more organized, the workers respond to questions in complete, coherent sentences while helping you and it's generally just a better atmosphere for shopping.

 

 

I CANNOT STAND the self-checkout lanes. Are they great ideas? Yes, absolutely. Are they grossly misused? Yes, absolutely.

 

IMO, the self-checkout lanes are for people with a few items that just need to get in the store, get what they need/want, and then leave. It ticks me off when I see someone with their shopping cart overflowing trying to checkout in the self-checkout lanes.

 

Also, it never fails that there is someone using a self-checkout lane that has no clue what they're doing. They take 5 minutes to scan one item, and God-forbid if the register stops and says "Please Wait For Cashier."

 

I also don't understand why Wal-Mart can't have the self-checkout lanes open after 11 PM or midnight. In Richmond, they close down the self-checkout lanes around this time and only have the 10 items or less lanes, or 20 items or less lanes open.

 

On numerous occasions I have had to go to Wal-Mart late at night for something like milk, bread, pens, paper, etc. Never fails that when I do, I get stuck behind someone in the 10 items or less lane with TWO shopping carts full of junk at 2 AM. I then have to stand there for 20 minutes just to purchase one or two things. Again, if they had the self-checkout open, I would have been in and out.

 

Shopping in general upsets me. While on the topic, nothing makes me want to punch a baby penguin in the face more than when someone with a cart full of stuff runs to beat me to the register when I only have a few items. It's like they see me coming, think that my 2-3 items will drastically delay their day, so they run to beat me to the register, cutting me off just in time to make me sit their and wait for 30 minutes while they checkout with a full cart, then their kids/husband come from the back of the store with another cart, and then after all is said and done, they choose to pay with a check.

 

I better stop now before I go out and start looking for baby penguins.