Pack Those Bags, We Sell Garbage Bags For That

I got a very funny email from a cashier named Deanna, today. Deanna has been with Walmart for over 17 years and she looks forward to retiring from there someday. Deanna is 64 years old, and would like to be able to make it to 20 years. She thinks that is a nice round number to call it quits. Deanna doesn't know if she will make it to twenty years if she has many more days like the one she had today. She was working her usual shift, she is one of those blessed individuals who only have to work days for the company that cares. She was working through her line of customers when the manager on the front end asked her to turn off her light and come see her at the podium. When Deanna got to the podium, this is what the manager told her," I notice that you aren't filling the bags as full as they will hold. Try to be more careful and make sure that you are filling each bag with the most that it will hold. Some of these people want us to half fill the bags so that they can use our bags for trash later. We sell garbage bags for that." Deanna tried to explain that many of her customers were getting up there in years and simply couldn't carry heavy bags. That fell on deaf ears. So Deanna went back to her register, seething. She tried filling the bags a little fuller, but she noticed that then she couldn't lift them well. Deanna went back to filling the bags the way she always has, for over 17 years and she just hopes that this new assistant manager doesn't notice. How much can one of those plastic bags cost Walmart? 3/4 of a penny? A penny at most? Didn't they spend more money fussing at her to fill the bags that the cost of the bag? It's just one more thing to add to the list of things I will never understand about a company that seems set on nickle and dime-ing itself to death. If I get an update on the saga of saving money one penny at a time; I'll let you know and you can thank me later.

Some People Should Never Be In Charge

Do you ever wonder what a person is really like?If you want to get a true look at a person's character, put them in charge of something. It doesn't have to be anything major, just something. I believe that is the only way to get an honest look at their true character. You may be frightened by what you see. The connection that I am making to the Retail Slavedriver we all know and love is this-what is the divining process that they use to chose their managers? I spoke to someone not that long ago, and she was bragging that the managers in her store are constantly asking her to go into the manager trainee program. I was polite, but dumbfounded. If this is truly the case, and not just a person reading too much into a "good job ****" then I have no idea what Walmart uses to decide who will be in charge of something. I know that they like to brag that so many of their managers used to be hourly associates, but there has to be a more vigorous screening process, honestly. What is the criteria for putting someone in charge of something at Walmart. I know they have a supervisor test that weeds out many of the would be flunkies. But what about some of the dandies that get in? Is there no personality profile to stop some of these gems? Maybe they could look into that. This would be an excellent segue into politics, but let's stay on point for just a moment, shall we? The people that Walmart chooses to put in charge of other people seems confusing at best. I understand that they have recruiting fairs for college graduates that give them a leg up on joining the company that cares. But what about all of the former associates? What exactly is the criteria for making the jump from hourly peon to salaried member of management? I have had maybe three good managers in all the time that I have had Walmart signing my checks. Three. And two of them were ground up and spit out in less time then you can say unappreciated. I hope that Walmart is able to realize what they are doing to people that work for them. I hope that they are able to stop the drain-both physical and mental-on the good people that work for them. I hope I don't pass out or die of old age waiting for this to happen. But, I'll keep plugging away at this, and if I hear any good news in the horizon, I'll pass it on. You can thank me later.

Another Hate Site, Goody....

While I was messing around today I ran across another Walmart hate site. It is a little different than the other one I enjoy making so much fun of, but the same people seem to be running the asylum. They also seem to lack a thesaurus or a dictionary-sorry, but misspelled words are a pet peeve of mine. Especially when the words are part of your supposedly impressive opening animation. Just to help the folks who designed it--your is not the same as you're. I think you were trying to contract you are and instead you went with the possessive. Oops. Are you trying to say that some one is an entire ass? If you are than the way you have it spelled is fine,otherwise it is spelled ***hole, okay? And finally, unless you are EllieMay Clampett, no one is going to do something ever chance they get. They might do it every chance but that's a story for a different time, isn't it? This begs the question, how much can you truly hate your job if you are spending all of your free time not on one hate site, but two? I guess I must not be managing my time well enough.... But if you need some mental Novocaine the site is http://www.beyondsucks.com/ . How clever is that? I will say the graphics make the other site I have mentioned look like it was designed by a differently abled pre-schooler. But enough of the new place to gripe about you know who. I have been spending quite a bit of time trying to organize my thoughts lately about how it is possible for a company to get so far off course in so little time. I understand that Sam Walton is no longer around to be the moral compass of the company he created. But seriously, is there not one living Walton who could put the company back on track? Do you remember the commercials that Walmart used to run, showing the companies that they had saved from going belly up? Now it would seem that they drive all of those companies to other countries so that they can pay their employees 10 cents an hour and Walmart can get their crap (that is- merchandise) even cheaper. I worry about this path that they are on. It reminds me too much of the path that this country seems set on also. B.O. hasn't even put his ineligible(I'm sticking to that until he shows me a birth certificate that isn't his sister's) sorry butt in the Oval Office and he is already mired in controversy. What is his percentage on the sale of his Senate seat? I see that the good Governor of Illinois, Mr. Blagojevich has chosen someone to fill the seat, even as his political career is going up in flames. I have to wonder, if he does end up in prison over this, is he going to get a haircut? His hair looks like the worst hairpiece I have ever seen on a politician. And that is saying something. So cross your fingers everyone, it looks like the crap is coming. If you get too depressed, do what I do. Mutter to yourself, two more years until an election. Slick Willy made it so bad that a rise in Conservatism swept the country, in spite of the media. I can only hope that B.O. does the same. As for Walmart's latest hate site, if it turns out to be a viper pit of nut jobs like that other one, I'll let you know, and you can thank me later.

1-800-WALMART

Have you had a problem at your friendly neighborhood Walmart? Did someone in the store help you with your problem, or did you leave there even angrier than when you went in? I am going to guess that this has happened to almost everyone at some point or another. The customer service in a Walmart can be absolutely atrocious. Many times you will encounter the deadly combination I like to call willful ignorance. What is willful ignorance you may ask? Well, I'm here to explain it for you. Willful ignorance is when you run in to an employee at the retail giant- with- a- heart and that employee has absolutely no interest in helping you what so ever!! The first time that you encounter willful ignorance, you may not even realize that that is what it is. You may think that you just ran into someone who isn't that particularly bright. Wrong. A willfully ignorant person will offer you no help at all, and they are not the least bit apologetic for it, either. Nope, not one bit. A WI will also treat you as though you are a nuisance to them, and getting in the way of the real work that they have to do. It escapes them that you, the customer, are in fact the only reason that they have a job. Remember, they are willfully ignorant. There is only one known cure for the willfully ignorant that I have seen. The cure is to call 1.800.walmart and pitch a fit. Start by asking to have the District Manager call you. The District Managers have a very good life within the confines of Walmart, inc. You may have to call more than once, but be patient, you will hear from them. The next thing that you will have to do is be prepared to make a fuss about what happened to you while you were shopping. Do not let the Manager get off with simply saying "Thank you for bringing this to our attention. " Demand to know what he or she is going to do to make it right. And if you get any resistance from the District Manager, don't be afraid to go up to the Regional Manager. One word of advise though, do it straight away. Try to be the first one to the Regional Manager, so that you can explain your side of the problem first. If the District Manager gets their first, he is going to do everything he can to paint you as a malcontent. But don't take no for an answer. If the Regional Manager won't help you, he has a boss also. Just keep dialing, eventually you will find someone who will help you. Good luck, and you can thank me later.

Can Someone Explain this to Me?

I like to think of myself as a pretty intelligent person. Not too many things stump me. But this problem that I am about to write about has me absolutely perplexed. I know someone who is going through a very rough patch in her life. She is in the process of a divorce and she hates every minute of it. One of the problems that she is facing is that the man she thought she said forever to has turned out to be a cheating, lying, adulterer. The other thing she found out was that he has committed numerous felonies. He is not a drug dealer or anything like that, he simply rolled odometers for important people in the town he lives in. It turns out that odometer tampering is a felony in the state of Indiana. That would make sense, it can be a serious crime. Well, when my friend found out about her husband's extra curricular activities, she confronted him. He laughed in her face and said that the people he did these favors for would protect him. Guess what? When she tried to contact MaryClara Winebrenner-the prosecuting attorney for Auburn, Indiana- and explain what was going on with her husband, Ms. Winebrenner refused to hear about it! She said that the only way she could get involved was if this woman submitted any information that she has to a law enforcement officer and then she could take a look at the information. ???? So if you know of a crime being committed, don't bother Mary Clara. She's much too busy prosecuting women who defend themselves in battery cases. The folks in Dekalb County sure are getting their money's worth aren't they? Then this lady told me that she tried to give the information to her attorney who is handling her divorce. He told her that if she tried to bring the information up, he would remove himself from the case because he doesn't want to jeopardize his career in the area!! I didn't know that attorneys were allowed to pick and choose the ethics that they care to follow. So here is a word of advice- take it for what it is worth. One-be careful about buying a car in the Auburn, Indiana area. If you email me I will tell you the name of the company that was rolling odometers for important people. Two- if you need to see justice for a crime that is or was committed in Dekalb County, the prosecuting attorney- MaryClara Winebrenner might not be the best choice. She has a submission policy for crimes that she will prosecute, and justice doesn't seem to be a high priority for her. Third, if your Attorney works for Kruse and Kruse, you might want to reconsider that, also. This is the firm that employs the lawyer who refuses to do his job for his client because it could hurt him politically. If someone bothers to give me answers, I will be more than happy to pass them on. In the meantime, stay out of Auburn, Indiana and Dekalb County, Indiana. You'll thank me later.

Have They Made Up a Good Enough Story About Where BO was Born Yet?

I love the political scene. I have followed politics for a while, I am still shaking my head in disgust over the media's high jacking of the last election. They had their boy picked from the getgo and that was all there was to it, wasn't it? I imagine it came as quite a shock to Hillary as well, she was under the impression that she was the anointed one, but live and learn, I guess. I find it curious that the Supreme Court won't hear the case of the gentleman who is suing to get a look at BO's real birth certificate. Of course, the weasel elect hasn't even parked his butt in the oval office and it turns out he has one of his first scandals, already. It would seem that some of his crooked friends are trying to sell his senate seat to the highest bidder. Wow! A crooked friend of his-what are the odds? At least with Hillary in his cabinet, she can explain the horrible coincidence of all the folks who died while in the employ or inner circle of the Slick Willie's. I wonder if he'll take notes? But back to the main question- where was Barack Hussein Obama born? I know where his sister was born, he's already tried to pass her birth certificate off as his own. I remember when the media had a conniption about John McCain being born in the Panama Canal area, and I think that was their out. They planned to say- well, McCain wasn't born here either!! Pity that none of them read the requirements and saw that he was still eligible because his parents were both citizens and his Father was in the Active Military so he was still eligible. Common sense and the main stream media aren't often on the same bus, are they? I hope that someone is able to tell me definatively where BO was born. Of course, if he was actually born here, the media would have been screaming the details from every tree top, wouldn't they? I believe if they had the goods-so to speak- there would have been a copy of the certificate on every major news outlet in the world. We have two years of dark times ahead. Liberals control every house and they've had the media in their pocket since Nixon. Gird your loins- and as one other blogger said, it was the debacle of Clinton (anyone remember midnight basketball?) that gave us the rise of conservativism in the nineties, who knows what great conservative is waiting to be discovered from the mess that BO is about to make? Hope for the best, that's what I am doing. And if I'm right, you can thank me later.

Who Set These Ungodly Hours, Anyway?

Do you think working at Walmart is just underpaid drudgery? Have you checked out a Distribution Center? The pay there is much, much better than if you are slaving away at a retail store. Whereas a store may start you as low as $6.50, a DC is probably going to start you off around $14.25 or so. Much better, don't you think. But is there a catch? Of course there is! The hours at a Walmart Distribution Center are some of the most brutal that you will run across. The regular day shift (that only those chosen by God will ever get to work) are Monday through Thursday 4a.m. to 2:30 pm. You will work four ten hour days and in case you are wondering-no you will not get a paid lunch break. I know, I know, penny ante tiny companies give their employees a paid lunch, but not here, get over it. The second shift is 2p.m. to 12:30 a.m. most of the time. On weekends, it's a whole different ball game. There are two twelve hour shifts 4 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 4p.m. to 3:30 a.m. On the weekend you work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Because Walmart is actually paying you a living wage, they expect to take the life from you. At a Distribution Center, there are no mistakes tolerated. If you accidentally destroy something, you are held accountable. That means they will get their money back one way or another. But the question I am asking is-why do they have to start at 4 a.m.? Would the freight not be okay if they started shifts at say- 8 in the morning, or even 10? What is the problem with letting people actually work a normal shift starting time, only a little longer? Is it because Walmart resents having to pay their associates that kind of money, so they expect their pound of flesh, also? I'm sure that can't be it. That would make Walmart seem kind of petty wouldn't it? But I guess you take the good with the bad, don't you? If you want to have any kind of life at all, you stay away from working at a distribution center, and if you want to have decent hours-but no money-you work at a retail outlet. It doesn't seem like a good choice either way, does it? Maybe, just maybe you don't work there at all. If that's the one you chose, you can thank me later.

Then You Haven't Really Read This, Have You?

A few days ago, I wrote about an email that I received, accusing me of all sorts of skulduggery and covert operations. I giggled about it, I won't lie. After I wrote the last post, I took some time to go through old blogs that I had written. I don't know what kind of right thinking person could read any of the things that I have published and accuse me of being a plant, but there you have it. I also don't know how much extra time a person like this must have on their hands either. If that is the case, I have a back log of things that I would love to get finished. Can you give me a hand with some of that? A few people have emailed me to ask me how I came to write this blog. I have answered everyone who has asked for my background, and if anyone else reading this has any questions, send me an email and I'll be glad to answer your questions, too. I explained all of this in blogs from the past. Read through them and you will get every answer that you could possibly want. I have also had quite a few interesting emails from people that have pointed out some curious things that have gone on in their own stores. I ask for stories from other stores and DC's all the time. Which part of this makes me the management spy? What do you think? So for the last time that I will address this, No. I am not a management plant who is doing some sort of covert ops. I am not digging around for things to get other associates with. I hope that puts the question to rest. If you still have questions about my being a member of Walmart's management send me an email. I'll explain it in small words and you can thank me later.

If You Think I'm a Management Plant......

I got a wonderfully scary email last week from someone name Tamara who claimed I was a manager from Walmart and that this entire blog was simply a trap to catch unsuspecting Walmart associates saying something mean about the Big Hearted Company that signs their checks. I giggled for a couple of minutes, then I sent some of my more favorite links to the address. Then I forwarded the email to a friend of mine and we both had a good giggle. Maybe it's the withdrawal from all of the Holiday sugar, but let me say for the record. I am not a plant for any company, and any opinions found in this blog are mine if no one else's. What does that say about today's society that we are looking for moles and spies every where that we turn? And more importantly, what kind of State Secrets are they sitting on at Walmart that they have all of the hired help so afraid of being spied on? I can only imagine, and I'm sure that whatever I think of will be funnier than the actual thing. In truth, the thought of me being a spy for that particular company is kind of pathetic. What kind of company culture is it that breeds suspicion and mistrust so deeply in their associates? Or, is it not the Company, but the people themselves? I don't know the answer, but I hope that it's not contagious. Seriously. Watching the stock market has been pretty exciting lately. It reminds me of the stock options that you have with the company that cares. If you do purchase stock from your check while employed with Walmart, they (that is Walmart) will kick in a little bit more for you. It adds up over time, and if you plan on being with the company for a long time, it's not the worst thing that you can do for yourself. The problem is, that once you quit (or are terminated) Walmart will send you a check for your shares in about a month. So if you are planning on sitting on those stock purchases, think again. Once you are out the door, they want their stock back. Why is that? I guess I'll just add it to the growing list of things that I don't understand about Walmart. I've seen the job of some of the Walmart managers. Long 12 hour days, sometimes five or six in a row, and sometimes longer than 12 hours. No thank you. When do they see their families? Do they see their families? Perhaps that would explain why some of the managers end up in affairs with other managers. If the only people that you are spending any time with are the people that you work with, things happen, don't they? Not good things. Especially if there are children who are about to have their world torn up because of another person's lack of self control, but things do happen, don't they? So at any rate- to anonymous from Alabama, no. I am not a management plant, or spy, or whatever else you thought I might be. Avoid that trainee program if you want to have a family or a life. You'll thank me later.

And a Happy New Year!!!!

If I sat down, I could probably tell you where I was for every New Year's Eve since I could remember. Some of my favorites involved my Father and a gun. Before you start having visions of Appalachia and Deliverance let me explain that it was my Father's tradition to ring in the New Year by shooting one of his many shotguns into the air. Having been raised in Kentucky, it was just something that he did every year, and I am certain that his neighbors loved him for it. At any rate, some of those years that I recall, I spent ringing in the New Year while on the clock at the happiest Haven for retail. I have asked this before, but what earthly purpose does it serve Walmart to be open on New Year's Eve? I have been in the store many many times on New Years Eve, and the business was not so overwhelming that it would have been missed. Why won't Walmart close its doors on the Major Holidays and let its associates spend it with their families? Think of all the good will that this would create. Think of all the wonderful press that this could garner for them. Think it will ever happen? Don't hold your breath. For whatever reason that it uses, Walmart refuses to consider the families of the associates when it is making schedules. There is nothing to be lost and so many things to be gained if Walmart would just let go of the greed and close its doors on major Holidays. I hope that they read this or have it forwarded to them. Think it over Walmart, the time that you let your associates spend with their families on the Holidays would be priceless time that would mean the world to them and their loved ones. You'll thank me later.