Wal-Mart: Secret Guilty Pleasure?

By Bryan Cain-Jackson


I recently visited the newest addition to the reign of Wal-Mart superstores.  One just opened on the main beat and drag where I live.  As I drove by the newest gargantuan, a familiar feeling came over me… a feeling of curiosity.  You know what I mean?  I can liken the curiosity to that of when onlookers in traffic rubber their necks towards a car accident along California’s Interstate 80 during the busy bay area commute.  I gave in to the lure, and parked my car.  Is it just me?  Or is it that these massive parking lots tend to make one feel smaller and rather insignificant in Wal-Mart's grander scheme of things?  Well, folks... thus begins my journey.

Upon entering the store, ironically I was not greeted by the greeter but instead awakened to the unnatural light meant to lower my melatonin levels.  I was supposed to wake up and feel excited because the new Wal-Mart had finally arrived.  In my journey through the aisles, it seemed as though the merchandise displays were more greeting than anyone who works there.  I wandered aimlessly through the aisles, looking of despair.  This was the new place to shop.  This was what happened to the music store, the toy store, the garden shop, and just about any other specialty store that I remembered growing up with.  No longer were we concerned with finding a store that dedicated itself solely to the things that we love, we are now interested only in mega stores that serve as a one stop shop.  I continued to walk down the aisles; passing employee after employee, not one of them greeted me as I walked by.  I stopped to look at yet another greeting merchandise display and the only employee that made eye contact with me told me that I was in his way, I stepped aside as he lumbered by with a big box in hand.  I had enough.  I walked once again, but no longer was it aimlessly.  It was a walk with a mission; a mission to find the exit…

After 35 minutes, I finally exited the store and had just found my car, it suddenly dawned on me to ask a question.  Have you ever wondered what is attributed to Wal-Mart’s stupendous success?  Maybe it's the customer service.  Nah!  Can it be the convenient locations?  I want to go with a no on that one.  I don't think that people concern themselves with the distance involved in a trip to Wal-Mart.  After all, with the pennies in savings that are thrown at each customer, they might make up for it, even though they've probably used a lot of gas to get there.  Better yet, it's more likely attributed to the fact that Wal-Mart coins itself as the place with "Always Lower Prices" and that you should "Save Money and Live Better."  I don't know about that.  Is going to Wal-Mart truly living better?  If it is, then why are we always in a hurry to go in there?  Why just grab a mop and some cleaning stuff and call it a day?  When I go to Target, I often run into people that I know.  We end up standing there and conversing for quite some time with minutes flying by and neither of us being any the wiser to the passage of time.  Yet, when I have stepped into a Wal-Mart and ran into somebody, I've immediately told them, "Hey, I'm in hurry, good to see you, make sure you Facebook me."  This is all said while being in transit, not stopping for a second to breathe.  Could it be that subconsciously some feel that even being in Wal-Mart can be eroding to their image?  I can buy that.  Many won't even admit that they've bought their TV or their great looking hat at Wal-Mart. 

"Hey, where did you get that?" 

"Oh, uh, Target.  Yeah, man.  Target.  That's the ticket."

Perhaps this could be linked to our inner desire to appear more prestigious to those around us, especially those we know, grew up with, and maybe even had a slight high school rivalry with.  Personally, I prefer Target 10-1 over Wal-Mart.  The stores are much cleaner; the employees seem happier and much more willing and able to help you with what you are looking for and even ring your purchases up with a slight sense of delight at the cash register.  If this is truly the case and not just my own personal perception then why does Target do less business and is dwarfed in size by Wal-Mart?  When you go into a Wal-Mart, almost no one is willing to help you and they give you the impression via body language and tone of voice that you are actually inconveniencing them.  Inconvenience to them?  For real??  How could that be when we are paying their paychecks every year?  According to Business Insider, as of October 2010 Wal-Mart is the largest overall employer and the absolute biggest employer in 25 states.  Stay tuned folks, with what they pay their employees it could explain why customer service is not their motto, and even on a larger scale it could be contributing to a poverty stricken America.  I have many good friends that have taken jobs at Wal-Mart.  They either have other jobs, under the table "hustles," or still require government assistance of some kind.  Business Insider also stated another interesting fact, each week, more than one-third of the U.S. population shops at Wal-Mart.  I'm told by friends/Wal-Mart employees that many of these purchases are more than what they make in a month and hefting up to even larger sums during the Christmas shopping season.  Come to think of it, not only are these interesting facts, they are actually kind of scary as well.  It smells like when you put all this together it might be an attempt at world domination folks.  Maybe their board of directors consists of a few familiar sounding characters named Pinky, Brain, Mr. Burns, and Stewie Griffin. 

Here's the long and the short of it, folks.  I believe in and am very much a lover of people.  It just grinds my gears to see that we as the consumer public that mega conglomerates such as Wal-Mart rely on do not treat us with the respect that we deserve.  Great service and cleanly, well kept stores are important.  As consumers spend millions of dollars every year at locations of this mega retailer, there is no evidence that care is taken in each of these customers.  What I see instead is an arrogance that feels like we are privileged to have this store to go to and that we will go there no matter what the conditions are and how we are treated.  There is always another place to go, folks.  What was once on top and revered will eventually fall the way of another company if mistakes are not corrected soon enough.  Just look at what happened to GM, they are often referred to as the Dick Cheney of companies.  Folks, be the responsible and intelligent consumers that I know each and every single one of you are and are capable of being and take care and pride in yourselves.  Tell yourselves the next time you step into a Wal-Mart or any other store for that matter and demand good customer service because that is what you are truly paying for.  If you get anything that you feel is less, remind yourself that you deserve the best that there is for whatever the money that you are spending.  When you enter Wal-Mart with only the intention of buying a few rolls of paper towels for that Sunday barbecue at Uncle Chris's house and you suddenly realize as you are getting bad service, your paper towels mission has become a $400 spending spree.  Stop and ask yourself:  Does this make sense?