A Mystery to Me in Greeley, Colorado

Here is a story to ring out the old year with. I think it's perfect because it highlights the questions that I have about Walmart and how they operate. I have said before that I love talking with new people. I was introduced to Paul's story by the friend of a friend. Paul told me that he worked at store 5051 in Greeley, Colorado in October 2006. "I had been with the company for 4 years and had worked in the produce department, was the ICS lead-that means he organized the group of workers who put things on the shelves and set displays sometimes-and was a support manager one night a week." Paul said he also maintained the lot by pushing carts in when required. On one particular evening, Paul says that he needed 3 people to help him push the carts into the store. On a big day, or when you are working with lazy people, this happens more often than you realize. He told the CSM-that's a customer service manager-at 9 p.m. At 9:15 p.m. he told the csm to go to channel 2 and said "I got it covered." Then Paul said an assistant manager who was listening called Paul into the office afterward. He was asked what he meant by "I've got it covered" and was terminated on the spot for insubordination. He also said he was given a court hearing date for allegedly assaulting the assistant manager, and got a lifetime ban from all Walmarts. At his court date-no one showed up and the case was tossed out. Paul then told me that the assistant had been angry with him ever since an incident when he didn't let the assistant manager use all of the ICS team to build a display. All of this brings up so many questions. First of all, why was the assistant allowed to harbor this grudge? Second, what was wrong with taking a few people and clearing the lot? Was one person supposed to take an hour or 3 people take fifteen minutes? Third, what exactly did Paul do that was insubordination? Was it the cart pushing or the initiative? Fourth, why weren't the assistants, at least one of them, anyway, helping? Paul was also charged with assault, but the case was thrown out of court when no one from Walmart showed up to make their case. I've made five calls to Walmart in Bentonville, and so far no one has returned my calls with any answers to the allegations made here. I don't understand the logic of a company that seems determined to do away with the hard workers and keep the slugs on hand. Do you? If I find out, you can thank me later.

And for Something Completely Different

Whenever I write about more than Walmart, I get emails from people asking me why I have stopped talking about Walmart, or more fun, accusing me of giving in to the company with a heart. I enjoy discussing my political views, also, it just seems that Walmart and their shenanigans seems to take up most of my attention. I am conservative in my politics -you can thank Jimmy Carter for that. But there is a blog that I enjoy following for political ideas and discussion. The blog is entitled KeystonetotheHeartland and I think you can find it at this address http://keystonetotheheartland.blogspot.com/ and if you read it, I think that you will enjoy it. That is if you think the last election might have been hijacked and the mainstream media had something to do with it. I happen to lean that way in my thinking also. I also think that BO may be the answer to many late night comedians' dreams. He hasn't even let the ink dry on his fake birth certificate, and it seems that he is mired in controversy already. How much was he going to get for his share of the auction on his senate seat? Is Jesse's boy fussing because he couldn't raise the dough to bid competitively on the seat? Maybe if his father hadn't had those other family expenses pop up.......... But any way, I will enjoy watching the calamity that is democrats in office. I am thinking of starting an "excuse of the day" on my blog. It will state my favorite excuse in the last 24 hours for why some other malfeasance isn't BO's fault. It should be a lot of fun. But enough of my political ramblings. Like I said, you may want to check out http://keystonetotheheartland.blogspot.com/ and see what he has to say. You'll thank me later.

The Almost End of Another One

It would seem that we are staring at the end of another year. I hope that next year is wonderful for all of us. I can't say that 2008 is a year that I will miss, but I did get to start this blog this year, so who knows? Maybe things are looking up? 2007 and 2008 have given me quite a few challenges that I never thought I would have to face. I have experienced the death of a couple people, and good or bad, they are a loss. Ten years ago, if I had been able to see what lay ahead for me, I don't know if I would have smiled in anticipation, or run screaming for the covers. I hope, and that is one of the things that I am trying to give up for the next year. I don't mean to sound like a pessimistic dullard, I just want to learn not to anticipate things. I've said before-if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. I believe that with all my heart. I would have never imagined some of the changes that have come into my life in just 365 short days. The same can be said for that retail wonderment we all know and blog about. I have had over 1500 people read what I have written, and that flabbergasts me. I would have been happy to have 500 people give a rip about what I had to say,the idea that so many people are interested in what I think almost puts me into shock. It's a good thing I've never let my shyness overtake me, isn't it? But as for Walmart-I don't like the things that I see ahead. They seem determined to nickel and dime the associates into the poorhouse, while increasing every chance to take away hours from their schedules. I have written before of the similarities between Walmart and Kmart, and the similarities just keep piling up. Now that Walmart has effectively removed the job of so many department managers, and made them zone supervisors, or some such nonsense-what can be next? I am thinking that the days of the people greeter have got to be numbered. How in the world will Walmart be able to justify the expense of people who simply stand at the door and say hello to customers as they enter and exit? Never mind if they discourage theft, I imagine that the retirees and part time folks who staff the doors will be out of those very doors in the near future. And what about the personnel department? With assistant managers taking over many of those jobs-what will be left for the back office bunch to do? Associates are already responsible for keying in their own sick hours and vacation requests-in a hiring freeze, what's left to do? I suppose this entry has been rather pessimistic, but if things don't change at the retail wonder soon, it will be rather prophetic, don't you think? If it gives you a heads up on what is coming, you can thank me later.

The Grinch Lives( and Would Seem to Work for Walmart)

Have you ever heard of Barry Goldberg? Odds are if you have then you might be wondering what kind of idiots Walmart has working in their management team. It seems that Mr. Goldberg was overcome with the Spirit of Christmas and wanted to do something nice for his fellow man and woman. So Mr. Goldberg went to his local friendly neighborhood Walmart and bought 130 ten dollar gift cards. Yes, that would be one thousand, three hundred dollars worth of gift cards. Then Mr. Goldberg began handing them out to people as they entered the Walmart that he had just purchased them from. Did Walmart thank him for adding a few percentage points to their sales that day? Or did Walmart purchase some more gift cards and join Mr. Goldberg in a display of true charity? Or- did Walmart's managers throw Mr. Goldberg out of their store for impeding the flow of traffic? If you have ever had a conversation with the company that would rather buy good public relations than create good public relations, you know the answer to this question already. Yes, it is true. Once people realized that there was someone giving away free gift cards, they naturally began to swarm around him. Walmart, still stinging from criticism that they let one of their associates be crushed to death, reacted in one of the more stupid ways that I have ever seen. And believe me when I tell you, that is saying something. The up side to all of this idiocy from Sam Walton's company is that Target, a major competitor of Walmart's, purchased the gift cards from Mr. Goldberg and replaced them with Target gift cards. A win-win you might say. Target looks like PR geniuses for helping a guy who just wanted to do something nice for his fellow man, and Walmart looks like the Grinches that they seem to be. How difficult is it to let someone do something nice for someone else? What a bunch of weenies. So, the next time you are thinking of doing some random acts of kindness, remember where you might get kicked out of and skip them all together. You'll thank me later.

Merry Christmas!!!

I hope that everyone is as happy as I am today. I am surrounded by most of my children, and everything I hold near and dear is within an arm's length of me. I hope that you are surrounded by the people you love and care about, and that every thing you wish for is available. I also hope for peace and prosperity to fall upon everyone what the heck-we've earned it!! I hate when some one wishes me "Happy Holidays." I always reply with a Merry Christmas to them. It's almost as though they are afraid of offending someone by wishing them a Merry Christmas. If Christmas isn't your thing- just let me know- I'll be more than Happy to wish you a Merry whatever it is you celebrate! I don't understand some Walmarts that have even discouraged associates from wishing customers a Merry Christmas. Do they understand that having the associates wish every one Happy Holidays can be offensive to the diehards looking to be offended? Holiday is simply a shortened way of saying Holy Day or hadn't they noticed? I think the majority of the population is some form of Christian-whatever happened to the majority rules? Again-if you celebrate something else-just tell me what it is, I'll be happy to wish you a merry one of those. The thing that confuses me is when the ACLU has to get involved. What is that about? I'll tell you a little story about those wankers at the ACLU. A friend of mine was arrested for something she didn't do. The police in the town she was in made up the majority of the police report because her husband rolls odometers for them. When she was falsely arrested and spent a night in jail, she contacted the ACLU to see if they would help her. The representative for the ACLU said "the problem is, you are white and this happened in a predominantly white town. The cop that did it was white, there is nothing there to generate publicity for us. We only take cases that will generate the maximum amount of publicity for us so that we can generate the most fund raising from that. Sorry..." At least they should print that on their letterhead so you know it going in. "Caucasian need not apply for help" doesn't seem like a very catchy motto for them does it. Honest, yes, just not catchy. But I digress. Merry Christmas to every one that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and Happy Holidays to whoever celebrates anything else. And thank you to the people who come in and read this every day. God bless you all. Now go spend the day with your loved ones, you'll thank me later!

Cut Hours=No Holiday Pay

I have touched on today's blog subject before. It is the practice of many Walmart stores to cut an associates hours to negate the Holiday pay that they are required to pay by law. It seems a little niggardly, doesn't it? And before anyone starts having a politically correct cow about the word niggardly please look it up. It means to be cheap or selfish. It wasn't that long ago that the politically correct crowd had a conniption fit when a politician used the word. I guess because it sounds like a bad word? If that is the case, then how can any one use the word brunt? But I digress. I have heard from many many associates who have told me that when a Holiday rolls around, their hours are cut to accommodate the Holiday pay that they are going to receive. I think that this practice is reprehensible and should be against the law. Instead of having some dumb Congressional hearings to find out if Sammy Sosa was taking steroids (you think?) could our hired legislators look into the practise of cutting a worker's hours so that their Holiday pay is balanced by the hours that they didn't get to work? It seems a little crooked to me, but I'm not a politician, so I don't see crooked on a daily basis. I don't understand how something like this is not illegal. I can only imagine how much it has to suck for the people who are faced with this problem every time a holiday rolls around. What part of this practice is respect for the individual?? Of course, if I were a store manager and looking for ways to pad my own bonus- I guess this would be a pretty slick trick, wouldn't it? But then, if I were a store manager there is a good chance that I would still be trying to pull that "I only get the bonus you get" crap. Riiiight. My share, your share, and half of his share is more like it. But anyway, before I go off on another tangent here,let me be perfectly clear with my opinion. Anyone who is having their hours cut to offset the Holiday pay that Walmart is required to pay you should run-not walk- to their nearest elected official and demand that something be done about this. If the newly elected bunch of do-nothings will not help, tell your newspapers about it. With enough media attention, even the useless government officials will have to do something. ( Just hope that there isn't another steroid scandal for them to be distracted by.) Good luck. And if you have a personal story to relate, just send me an comment, I read them all. Especially the tasteless blonde joke guy. God bless you sir. And if we can get some government attention on this deplorable theft of Holiday pay, you can thank me later.

A Conservative Party

Do you know what I would love to see in the year 2009? A truly conservative third party. I believe that the Republican party has drifted to the left until they are the Democrats of yesteryear. The Democrats have drifted so far over that they would seem to be more of a Socialist party. I would love, love, love to see an honest to goodness, Ronald Reagan right-thinking Conservative Party. I cannot be the only one who has turned away from the fiasco that is today's political scene. I cannot be the only one who thinks that we as a nation are headed down a steep road to hell. One of my favorite blogs that I enjoy is found at http://keystonetotheheartland/ and the person writing it has such an excellent grip on the world's political scene. I read it every day. And if you are right of center in your thinking, check it out, you'll be glad that you did. But before I was shamelessly plugging, I was writing about the start of a Conservative Party. The objectives would be simple-less government, more personal responsibility and less intrusion from those who think that they should think for us. I can manage my own life, thank you. I don't need Big brother to come in and cut my food for me. Which dovetails nicely with that hunk of retail wonder we call Walmart. I don't need Walmart to tell me what it is that I need from a government. When I read how much the Walton's contributed to various political organizations, I gagged. Granted, it is their money and they can spend it how they wish, but I can see the correlation between donations to a political party and political favors for a certain group of millionaires. It reminds me of the joke about an honest politician. For those of you living under a rock for the last twenty years- an honest politician is one who stays bought. But back to my dream party. There has to be more people than just me who would like to see politics take a sharp right turn back to a little place I like to call reality. The path we are on is going to be the one that bankrupts this great nation and makes us answer to other countries that only want to see us falter. Can you say United Nations? Anyway, start talking about a Conservative Party. See what your friends and family think, and before you know it, we can take our country back and put it on the Right path again. You'll thank me later.

Merry Christmas-You are Fired

When you take a seasonal job during the Christmas Holidays, you know at some point the job will be over. I think you make plans for that, and if you still need a job, then you keep looking for something else, right? But how are you supposed to plan when Walmart hires you for seasonal Holiday help, brags about being $100,000 higher in sales than they were last year, then calls all of the seasonal and part time help into the back offices and terminates them? It seems to be a lose lose situation. The people expecting to have a job are out of luck. The people who are left behind to work with a skeleton crew are out of luck. The real losers would seem to be the customers, who now have long, long lines and no customer service to look forward to if they are foolish enough to step into a Walmart store in the next few days. How do these people look at themselves in the morning? I understand making a profit, I am very fond of the capitalist system. But at what point does your conscience come in to play? I remember when Walmart hired seasonal help in October so that they could get them prepared for the Holiday rush that was coming. The seasonal people had a job until the first of the year, at the very least. Then they kept the best of the seasonal help by offering them a full time job after the Holidays. I guess the way that they do it now probably saves them millions in payroll. But how much does it cost them in integrity? It really seems like a crappy thing to do. Mr. Sam would be so proud. I guess it's one more example of Walmart's true colors showing. Ignore the warm fuzzy commercials that Walmart spends millions on and remember this when you think of Walmart. You'll thank me later.

it sure seems like theft.....

What would you call it if Walmart took $199.80 from you but you got nothing in return? Does theft sound right? Or maybe misappropriation of funds? Either way, I received an email from Jan in North Carolina, and by the time I was finished checking out her story, I was angry. Jan went into her local Walmart in North Carolina. She had a small child with her and she was in a hurry. The cashier that rang her up wanted to see some ID because thieves often bog themselves down with hungry newborns while they are checking out. Jan didn't have any ID with her, so the cashier, cancelled the transaction. No harm, no foul, right? Well it turns out that the Walmart went ahead and charged Jan's account almost two hundred dollars! I guess they didn't need any identification to steal her money, did they? And when Jan called Walmart asking for her money back, guess what happened? Why, Walmart wanted a faxed letter from Jan's bank and proof of the transaction! The word you are looking for is chutzpah. When Jan asked to speak to the manager- she was told that the manager was unavailable. Is this taking care of the customer, or satisfaction guaranteed? I can't tell. So finally, after a week(yes, seven days of free interest for Walmart) of constantly haranguing the store, they released the funds back to Jan. All of this because she didn't have the ID that the cashier wanted, but didn't need. How many times has Walmart done this and gotten away with it? How many people are still fighting to get their money back, and are being given the runaround by the biggest company in the United States? That would explain why profits are up, wouldn't it? The worst part is, Walmart could have made this right if they chose to. A simple, I am so sorry, here's a gift card for your trouble could have made this much much better for every one. Instead, there is a customer who hates the thought of ever going back to that Walmart, and who can blame her? Would you shop in a store knowing that there is a chance- a very good chance- that you could have two hundred dollars stolen from you by an incompetent cashier and a greedy corporation? It reminds me of a line from Dan Rather.... if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck... this sure seems like Walmart tried to steal two hundred dollars from Jan. If I get an answer from their corporate headquarters, I'll pass it on and you can thank me later.

One of the Greatest Men I Ever Knew

I would normally be writing about that retail haven that we all know and love, but a more personal blog is on order today. Please forgive my indulgence. The greatest man I have ever met did not come into my life until I was older. He made my Mother the happiest I have ever seen her, and he did it in ways that astounded me. I was never able to imagine my Mother and my Father as a couple. They were just so different by the time that I knew them both. But the love of my Mother's life was my step dad Jerry. He was truly amazing. He could make her laugh when others had run for cover, and he could stop her anger when other people were hiding in another room. He was kind, thoughtful and generous. His advice was always based on what was best for you, not on what he thought he would do. He was a very funny man, also. He was always ready to laugh, or joke when you spoke to him. He put his whole life into the people that he cared about. He took on responsibilities that others would have walked away from. He was just about as perfect a Father as you would pick out for yourself. One of my favorite memories of him involves watching him sit in my backyard. He was just sitting out there, relaxing and listening to the outdoors. He was absently scratching my dog, and smoking a cigarette. I wish that I could go back to that time every single day. I wish that I had written down every piece of advice that he ever gave me. I really do. So if your Dad is around, give him a call. Better yet, give him a hug and tell him that you love him. You'll thank me later.

What Does it Take to Get Your Hours?

I believe that full time is forty hours. Not 35. Not 36. Full time, or the hours required to pay your bills and still enjoy the luxury of say-food- is forty hours. All the tinkering with that in the world, isn't going to change it. If you work for Walmart, the concept of forty hours might be a little foreign to you. I say might because there are still those allotted few who get their hours. How is that possible? Who does Walmart need so badly that they must have them, but not others? Is it cashiers? You would think that Walmart always needs their cashiers so that they could check the customers out, and keep them happy. No. Is it the stockers who keep the product on the shelf so that the customers can buy it? Nope. But, take a peek in the back offices and you will see them stocked to the gills Monday through Friday eight a.m. to five p.m. Why, you ask? Well, personnel is needed to maintain schedules. (Never mind if those schedules are now generated from the home office, you must have personnel there.) Personnel is also needed to maintain the interviews for new hires.(Never mind if you are in a hiring freeze-there is always busy work to be done) In the UPC office, you are going to need at least four associates to work through the paper work that is generated. What exactly are they doing? They are maintaining current levels of many important numbers. Does that sound like gobbledy-gook? Go ask a member of management and see if you get a better answer. Regardless, when they are not maintaining important numbers, there are important phone calls that must be made and received, plus there is at least one code purple to be attended every day. (For the uninitiated- a code purple is when they have a store meeting for all associates who aren't busy with real work) This code purple is going to take at least a half an hour, plus there might be cake. Why doesn't Walmart switch this around some? Call Bentonville for that answer, because I don't have it. You may also ask them why they even have a personnel department if assistant managers do all the interviewing and paperwork on new hires. Don't expect an answer in the near future. I've placed several calls to Arkansas, I'm still waiting on answers. I'll pass on any that I get. And you can thank me later.

Do you Remember Overtime?

Do you remember overtime? If you do, there is a good chance that you have been with the company that cares for more than seven years. Back in the day, there was a wonderful manager at a Walmart. He had started off as an unloader himself, and he still remembered what it was like to need every hour on your paycheck. If there was overtime hours to be had, he let you take them. This rare breed of salaried manager could actually remember what it was like to walk in your shoes. This rare breed also put some of his bonus money back into the associates. Christmas parties were all day affairs at an off store location, and prizes were really prizes. They were not defects, and crap that was wheedled from vendors. But back to over time. Lisa sent me an email showing me what she used to make. Back when she was making 1.40 less than she is now, she was still taking home more money because she was getting overtime. Then her store had a change in management, and -poof!-the overtime dried up like a dead frog on the highway. Now Lisa works at a gas station part time. She hates working all the hours, but likes the security of knowing all her bills are paid. Plus she is able to put some money back for her retirement. She doesn't expect to be able to retire until she is seventy- but she does see that shining beacon in her future. Of course, it would be a little closer if Walmart could loosen their purse strings and shake out a little more overtime for more than the select few, but Lisa figures that worse come to worse -she can always be a people greeter. That's some dream, isn't it? If she is able to find any overtime, I'll let you know. She's not holding her breath, but she is hoping to only have to
work one job someday. If I hear from anyone who is getting overtime, I'll pass that on too, and you can thank me later.

The Best President we Ever Had

I am conservative by nature. I was young when the fiasco that was Jimmy Carter was in office, and was just starting to realize the world around me when the greatest president ever-Ronald Reagan took office. I was too young to vote, but having to endure the failures of the Carter presidency every day, I was beginning to pay attention to the political world. Ronald Reagan was amazing. He had a vision for this country, and a deeply ingrained pride that was irresistible. He made people proud to be Americans again. And the pride was contagious. He did not shirk and hide from the enemies of our country. He met them head on. He could manipulate the liberal circus that we call the media, and he did it so well that they often found themselves liking him, in spite of their indoctrination. One of my proudest memories of Ronald Reagan was when he handled the Libyan mess. He did not dabble in public debate. He did not drop sound bytes for the national media to hack over in endless debate. What he did was make up his mind and then he announced to the world when it was over. He sent the bombers to take care of the situation, and it worked. The only noise that the Lybian dictator made after that was the hollow saber rattling that he was best at. I have a relative that is fond of repeating really ugly things about Nancy Reagan. She read one of those hate mongering books by a writer who-realizing that she lacked talent-made up for it with salacious gossip. I don't care what Nancy Reagan did, or didn't do. But she was married to the most powerful man in the world, and she knew her place in the world. She wasn't trying to jealously elbow her way in and call it a joint presidency. She stayed in the background, knowing that the contributions she made to the presidency might not be recorded for posterity, but they were no less important. She supported Ronald Reagan. She gave him comfort, and a private ear to listen to when he needed it. Anyone who ever doubts this should read the book of love letters that Mr. Reagan wrote to her. It will take your breath away, the love and devotion that was shared by these two people. At any rate, I want to conclude this with my utmost envy. I am truly envious of anyone who can not only find their soul mate, but can stand by them, never wavering. I wish the world had more Ronald Reagans. I truly do.

Why Some Folks Get their Hours

When you work for a retail giant, do you expect fairness and honesty? Do you expect some level of integrity? Would you be more inclined to expect that when the retail behemoth in question drills that integrity crap into every meeting that you have with them? I am guessing yes. I am also guessing that if you work for Sam Walton's old company, you are giggling your head off right now at the thought of honesty and integrity in your workplace. The reason that I ask is because of a touchy subject in many stores called scheduled hours. Back in the day, before Mr. Sam was cold, full time meant 40 hours. Then one day every single associate was pulled into the back offices and it was explained that from that point on full time was going to be considered 34 hours. But this only applied to insurance and other benefits, the associates were assured. Walmart was actually doing them a favor it was explained. Some crazy fool had the temerity to ask "Does this mean our hours are going to be cut to 34?" Of course not, was the Walmart answer. We are only doing this to help you keep coverage for insurance and things. Fast forward a few years, and what is this I see? Why it looks like Walmart is cutting every hourly associate to 34-38 hours! Huh! That would seem to be exactly what they told the associates would not happen. Of course, when you look at the big picture, and take history into consideration, there was another retail giant that did something very similar to this, and I think they ended up filing for bankruptcy protection, didn't they? Of course, some people do manage to get their 40 hours a week. Sometimes they manage to get even more. The next time that you have to initial the hourly printout, peruse some of the names on your way to your own. You'll be amazed at the people who are not only getting their hours-they are getting a little overtime! That is crazy. If Walmart needs to cut hours-have they thought about cutting the same percentage from everyone? Ten percent would amount to four hours from the full time and 2.5 to 2.8 from the peak time help. Then everyone would be treated fairly, wouldn't they?Maybe Walmart should get a magic eight ball and try to figure out what is up ahead on this path that they are travelling. People need forty hours on their paycheck to cover all those silly little incidentals like food, and shelter. You shouldn't need a part time job to supplement your full time job. Unless of course you work for you know who. I'll save the want ads for you. You can thank me later.

Global Warming is a Bunch of Crap, and Other Thoughts

I have never been a fan of Al Gore's. I think he is a pontificating moron who babbles pseudo science to try to sound important. I think that anyone who has to listen to him speak for more than three minutes should be paid bore reparations. That being said, I think one of the biggest frauds being perpetuated on the American public is the myth of Global Warming. Any one older than 21 might remember the dark days of Jimmy Carter and his prolonged ineptitude. It was that genius who helped to make the Environmental Protection Agency what it is today. Never mind blaming Nixon for Watergate, his hand in starting the EPA should have been his high crimes and misdemeanors. It was said that in time the EPA would become the most powerful agency of the government, and look how things have come to pass. It's crazy. And if I have to hear one more chicken little tell me that the sky is melting, I am going to lose it. The beauty of Global Warming is that it is an all purpose bugaboo. If there are too many tornadoes- it's not because things like that are cyclical-no sirree- it's Global Warming. If there are too many hurricanes to suit-it must be Global Warming. And if there is too cold a temperature, or too hot a temperature-you guessed it Global Warming. If you get a chance, read an excellent book by Ronald Bailey. Global warming and other Eco-myths. Mr. Bailey does a wonderful job of explaining all the hooey involved in the myths of Global warming. It's brilliant and should be mandatory reading for anyone who wants to have a serious discussion about global warming. The only time I gave slack jawed Gore any credibility was when he spoke of urban sprawl. I do hate seeing housing projects spread from here to there in the otherwise pastoral country side. What Al forgot to mention in his Nobel Prize speech was that because of advancements in agricultural technology, we can grow more consumable food on less acreage. God bless high tech fertilizer. But I have noticed that some people truly have to have something to be afraid of, it seems to get them through their day, for some reason. One of my favorite excerpts from Mr. Bailey's book explains that the whole ice caps are melting hooey started when some genius went to the north pole, saw open water there and immediately went into liberal nut job panic over drive. If he had taken a breath and asked someone, they could have told him that the polar caps ebb and flow with parts of ice breaking off and moving all the time. Didn't he see the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer as a child? They had people floating all over the place on pieces of iceberg, yet no moron was screaming global warming then! If you have to be afraid of something- make it be something real-two years of liberal control in Washington. Don't be afraid of made up Bogey men-unless you want me to tell you the story of the Golden Armed Ghoul-now that was a scary story that my brother Mitchel used to tell me. Relax, and let me know if you want that scary story of my brother's. You'll thank me later.

One Decent Thing

My Father used to say that every asshole is the best friend of someone. It was one of the things that I would just nod to, I had heard this expression many times from him. But he was right. In a surprising move-even to me- I am going to talk about one decent thing that some Walmart stores participate in. It's called an Angel Tree. What it is is a tree with many paper angels on it. On each of these paper angels is the age and sex of a child and some of the things that they would like to have for Christmas. Some of the things break your heart. When a child has to ask Santa for pajamas, it makes me sad. I always try to pick out an angel or two. Sometimes I have a child with me so that they can understand that there are children in the community who are less fortunate then they. Many of these children are only asking for the things that you and I might take for granted. They are asking for warm clothes, warm coats, mittens, and scarves. I am so heart broken for the parents of these children who have to ask a stranger to help them. But to its credit, some Walmarts put these trees up and then at the end of the season, they take up a collection among associates to shop for the angels that might still be on the tree. In some years, they have had adults on these trees, and I have noticed that these are the last of the angels to be chosen. I don't want to sound like a grinch, but there comes a time when you must realize that Santa might not make it this year. Children shouldn't have to learn that lesson while they are still small enough to believe in Kris Kringel. So if you see one of those angel trees, and you are in a position to help, take your children and shop for someone else. It teaches your kids a wonderful lesson about charity, generosity, and what Christmas should be about. And it makes you feel pretty cool too. Trust me on this, you'll thank me later.

Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth or Cheap Crap for Christmas Parties

One of the expressions that my Mother used to pull out was Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. It wasn't until I was a little older that I came to realize that that means be grateful for what you have and don't criticize the gift. That being said, when my Mother reads today's blog, I am sorry, Momma. Now then. Every year, if you work for the happiest retail heaven on earth, you may have a Christmas party. I say you may have a party because some managers are too cheap to dip into their bonus, even for that. If you have a party, there is a chance that there will be prizes. Tamara told me about the parties that they used to have at her store. The manager then-Harry-would spend quite a bit of the money that was allotted on the associates. One year he even booked a nice reception room for the Christmas party, and associates came and went as their schedules allowed. The days of Harry are long gone where Tamara works. Last year, at the Christmas party, the store still offered "prizes" for associates. Every hour some one's name was called, and that associate received what ever prize was available that hour. Sounds nice, doesn't it? But the prizes that the associates received were all returns and discontinued merchandise. Some of the luckier associates got floor models that had been credited out. One lucky associate that Tamara works with actually "won" a floor model vacuum cleaner. The only problem with the prize is that the cord had been severed to discourage theft. The associate was told that it would be less than $15 dollars to get it rewired though. How lucky is that? A prize that lets you find an electrician! Wow! Now again, with apologies to my Mother-if a store cannot afford to give associates a prize that doesn't have a catch, maybe they should just give everyone a five dollar gift card? It's ironic that smaller companies in the area around Walmart will often come in and purchase $50 dollar gift cards for each of their employees. What are they doing so well that they can be that generous to their employees, and the largest company in the world is giving away broken floor models? If I find out, you can thank me later.

Christmas, Walmart Style

Do you have wonderful memories of Christmas, Hanukkah, or even Kwanzaa? If you do have wonderful memories of Christmas, there is a good chance that you don't work for the Grinch of Retail. Because if you do work for Walmart, there is a better than average chance that you have had to work up to the point of exhaustion during the Holidays. But you have to take the hours, don't you? Because as soon as Christmas is over-poof!-the hours are going to disappear, aren't they? And what if your religion requires you to honor it in a certain way? Well, you better hope your religion isn't Christianity, because if it is, your chances of getting to worship on a sacred holiday-say on Good Friday-are next to zero. Now if you are Muslim, your odds are much better, at least in Auburn, Indiana. Tom sent me an email. When Tom asked his manager if he could have Good Friday off to worship with his family, Tom was told that Good Friday was a Catholic Holiday, and Tom had better plan on being in the store to work. But when an assistant manager, Hatem Ali, needed time off for a Muslim holiday- guess what? He got it! Does that seem like discrimination to you? It did to Tom, also. But maybe Mr. Ali was lucky enough to have a religious holiday during a slower time for retail sales. I am certain that Walmart wouldn't be foolish enough to discriminate against Christians, would they? No, they are a family company. Just ask them. But if you do work for Walmart, prepare to celebrate your holidays in a whole different way. Carrie told me how her store cut hours for the Holiday. Instead of paying the associates for Labor Day, her store cut every one's hours. But did they even get an extra day off? Silly rabbit, no. At Carrie's store-they cut everyone 1.6 hours for the five days that week! I don't understand how it is legal to cut some one's hours in order to negate the Holiday pay that you are bound by law to pay, but if any one can find a way to do it, you know who that would be. So if you work for Walmart, buck up. There will be plenty of time to spend with your family on Holidays after you leave Walmart's employ, and until that happens make sure that your family takes lots of pictures of the celebration that you missed. You'll thank me later.

Great Managers Who Were Ground up and Spit Out

I cannot believe how many people used to work for Walmart. Quite a few of them were just looking for a stop gap measure, something to tide them over until they found a real job. Some of them however, were managers who had bought into the premise of Walmart and expected to work there until they retired. Have you ever heard the expression-if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. I imagine that God has had quite a chuckle at the thought of some of the people who believed that they were Walmart lifers when the company just ground them up and spit them out. Not all of them were salaried managers-some were just associates who had worked their way through the company and thought that they would be with Walmart forever. But since this post is about Walmart managers-I'll concentrate on them. Aloysius (if you want a better name, make one up yourself. If you ask me not to use your real name, I won't, but the name you get might not be pretty) was a night manager at a Walmart after working for a different company for over twenty three years. When he was abruptly discharged from that job, he needed something for a few years until he could retire. He came to the happiest spot in retail with a pretty good idea of what he was getting in to. He thought. Two years later and Aloysius was burned out. He had taken third shift because he felt that he could do more good with the warehouse experience that he had. If he wasn't bogged down in company policy, he may have been able to. He made it through two, almost three years, before being ground up with petty crap and taking an early retirement. He looks back on his Walmart career with a pretty hard eye. "I think I wasted almost three years of my life" he told me. "I could have been working at a convenience store and gotten the same result. At least at a convenience store, I wouldn't have been treated so badly." Another Walmart burnout was Thaddeus ( you guessed it, not a real name.) Thad ended up going back to his first love, construction, because he simply couldn't take the constant nagging and back biting that was working as salaried management. The 90 hour weeks made it impossible to see his children in any kind of meaningful way, and it destroyed his first(and second) marriage. Thad is a lot happier now, even with the house market crash. He told me that he has started concentrating on remodeling and things are coming along. He still has tight months, but he just thinks back to his time with Mr. Walton's company, and he knows that if he can survive that, he can survive anything. There are so many other stories of ex-managers and associates who are much happier now, perhaps I will revisit this topic. I'm happy for the ones who got out, and I cross my fingers for the ones who are still trying to find their way out. Good luck. And if reading this has inspired you to try working somewhere else, just thank me later.

Mr. Sam Would Be Spinning in His Grave

Back in the day, when Christmas rolled around, Walmart-that big hearted company-would give their employees an extra 10 percent off of one item. It worked out nicely if you were thinking of getting a big ticket item for Christmas or if you needed something expensive that you weren't expecting to have to buy. But that was when Walmart gave you a discount card right from the beginning of your hire, also. Now a days, you get a discount card after you have been there for 90 days, and instead of ten percent off one thing, Walmart gives you ten percent off some of the things that you would purchase as groceries. What a deal, right? But not so fast, what is this I see? Why, it looks like Walmart has gone through their groceries and marked things down by a penny (that's right-one cent) and made many of their grocery items ineligible for the ten percent discount. What a crappy thing to do. It's hard enough for associates to make ends meet when they are having their hours cut, but now those big hearted folks have pulled a bait and switch with their employees. I can only hope that someone got a bonus for thinking up such a clever way to screw over the associates. Not that the managers get any bonuses that associates don't get. Riiiiight. I remember reading that the discount card was Sam Walton's wife's idea. Is this what Miss Helen had in mind? I think not. At least Sam Walton won't get dizzy alone. I expect that his wife is spinning also. I also expect that the fat cat bonuses in Bentonville just got a little bigger. If you can find that part time job to work around your Walmart "full time/36 hour" job, you better take it. You'll thank me later.

Thanksgiving, a Time for Family Unless.......

How many times have you heard that Walmart is a family company? If you have spent more than ten minutes working for the Retail World of Merriment, you know that those are hollow words, indeed. How does this family company expect you to enjoy your family when you are working every major holiday at Walmart? That is, you are working every major holiday unless you are one of the select few who have found a way around that. It seems that the folks in the back offices have found a way around the dreaded Holiday conundrum. So why is it that they aren't needed? And more importantly-why is Walmart even open for all of these Holidays? I understand that they close on Christmas Eve, but what about all of the other family occasions?
Is it possible that the world might survive without Walmart open to sell DVDs and batteries and such? Easter would be a great day to gather with family and friends, unless of course you work for Walmart. So would New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, or even Thanksgiving for that matter.Whatever happened to Sunday being a day for family and quiet relaxation? I am not naive, I understand in today's twenty four hour, seven day a week go, go, go life that someone has to be open for the people who have to have whatever it is that they think they need. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Walmart were to have a major press release announcing their plans to close on Sundays in honor of the Sabbath and to give their associates time with their families? Of course, it isn't going to happen. The odds of Walmart closing down shop on one of their biggest days for sales is slightly less likely to happen than monkeys flying from an orifice of mine.

Whose family is important to Walmart? What would they lose by closing on these important dates? More importantly-what would they gain? They might gain the gratitude of all the associates who have to make choices on the Holidays. They might also become a respected leader in the community of good will by realizing that the people who work for them would like to have some uncluttered time with family and friends. The goodwill they could create would make a big dent in all of the negative press that they receive day in and day out. Of course, I'm not holding my breath. But if someone in Bentonville does give this some serious consideration, you know where to find me, and you can thank me later.

Just Smile and Wave

When was the last time that you were faced with something so incredibly stupid it took your breath away? I hope that you can say it was more than a week ago. But if you say five minutes,tops, I bet I know where you have been. I watched two people today while they were trying to do some Christmas shopping. One of them needed a toy and while the shelf was empty, he could see three of them on the top shelf. He tried to flag down a person to help him. No dice. After three minutes of waiting for someone, any one to ask him if he needed help, he went looking for someone to help him. A few minutes later he found a person in the new Walmart uniform of blue shirt and khaki pants and asked for help. He was told that someone would be right there. He went back to the area and waited. And waited. And waited. Ten minutes have now passed. So he began to call out in a loud voice "Hello...helloooo.... is there any body working here?" Nothing. It was two days after Thanksgiving, and he expected it to be busy, but not empty of help. He passed some of his time waiting by speaking to me. "All I want is that doll. I can see it on the top shelf, I just need one and then I can get the heck out of here." I wished him luck, and told him about this blog. I told him that if he played his cards right, I might just be talking about him in my next piece. He smiled, then went back to calling out loudly. We started to time it. He was getting frustrated, but putting on a good face for it. I was stretching my legs from a car trip and was curious to see how much longer this would take. If you are wagering at home, the answer is 23 minutes! The person he had flagged down went to break and forgot about him! It wasn't until the person was walking back from break that they remembered and called a member of management. When the customer tried to explain that he only needed a toy down from the shelf, he told it to the back of the blue shirt because the associate didn't wait to see if they could help. The assistant manager who finally showed up told the potential customer that the toy was out of stock. The potential customer pointed straight at the item that he wanted. The manager then excused himself and returned with-you guessed it!-the first associate who never even asked what was needed! He then found a ladder and brought down the item that the potential customer wanted. Ask if the employee brought down enough to restock the shelf. I dare you. The answer would be no, he did not. As the customer made his way toward to checkout, he looked at me with disgust."Sam Walton is rolling in his grave." he said. I had to agree with him. By then my knees were no longer stiff and I made my way back to my car. I thought of the expression just smile and wave. It was never more appropriate. When I read that sales were disappointing for Walmart this year, I was not surprised. If they would just listen to me and focus on customer service again, they might just thank me later.

Propoganda-Walmart Style

There are not a lot of perks and benefits when you work at the Retail Giant with a Heart. The pay is totally inadequate until you have been there for a while. The insurance is so bad as to be laughable, and you have to work there for a year before you even see any of the things that other places take for granted-like vacations. But if you were to go to any of their publicized stock holder's meetings, or many of the other meetings that they have, you would be so moved by the wonder that is Walmart-you would cast aside your pitiful life and join the company on the spot. Or is that what the moonies did? Either way, the end result is the same because the propaganda that is Walmart can be overwhelming. You can always spot some one new to the company. They have that bright glow as if all the things that they were told in their new hire meeting were actually possible. They believe that you can go as far as you want in the company. They were probably introduced to at least two success stories that started out as an hourly peon, and now enjoy all the benefits of being a member of management. They were also told how much they don't need a union, and how all the wonderful things that Walmart is about to do for them will be the best experience of their lives. Some questions they may want to ask:What happened to the discount cards that we used to get from the moment that we hired in? What happened to the notion of a forty hour week? How is 32 hours ever going to be enough hours to pay my bills, but is considered full time? What is going on with this crappy insurance? Why is it so expensive and yet it covers almost nothing? If the new hires still have jobs after asking those questions, they might want to try some of these questions at their first grass roots meeting: why do some people get their hours and others don't? Why do you bother to post jobs when you have already decided who is going to get the promotion? Why do you take hours from some stores and give them to others? Why do you cut hours to match the holiday pay that you have to pay out? Isn't that just not paying for holidays? Provided that the Walmart secret police haven't drug you out screaming, don't expect any answers any time soon. You are more likely to wake up a Walton then you are likely to get some straight answers. But if I get any, I'll pass them on and you can thank me later.