Rant: 10 things Walmart can do to improve service

During the last 10 years, I have lived in four different states. During that time I have shopped regularly, at least once a week, in half a dozen Walmart stores, those usually closest to wherever I have lived. Also, during the same time period, I would guess I've shopped at probably another 20 or so Walmarts.

Admittedly some stores are better than others in various ways, but there have been some consistencies I've noticed no matter what Walmart I've been in. Below are some observations and recommendations Walmart could implement to provide customers better service. Otherwise, those customers are going to go to Target.

1. Yackety yack: When I'm in the checkout line, I want to be checked out. I do NOT want the cashier to be talking away with other employees. I'm not so much concerned about rudeness, though that is rude, as I am about getting the hell out of Walmart. But every single damn time I go to check out, some idiot has to walk up and start talking to the person ringing up my groceries. Sometimes it is work related, but most times it's not. It's usually about "what time do you get off?" Or, "when is my break?" Or "what are you doing after work?" I DON'T CARE. And I AM THE CUSTOMER. Talk your personal crap on YOUR TIME, not MINE. Ring up my groceries and get me the hell out of there.
2. No room to move: To be fair, some Walmarts are better than others about this. What am I talking about? I'm talking about aisles so narrow or store floors so congested that it's difficult to turn a cart around, and it's impossible for two carts to go down an aisle beside one another. This is just nonsense, and it's stupid. Yes, yes, I realize stores have to have enough stuff on the floor to make money, but come one? Walmart makes money. End of story. We all know it. Walmart is raking in the dough. How about giving customers a little breathing space?
3. The Money Store: It seems like EVERYTHING has to be done at the Money Store, or the front desk, in Walmart. Need a money order? Go to the Money Store. Need a check cashed? Go to the Money Store. What about a telegram? Go to the Money Store. Credit card? Money Store. Stamps? You know the drill. And there is almost always only ONE PERSON working the Money Store. It's usually a very busy person, which makes sense because there's a line a mile long stretching out of the Money Store. Walmart, have more than ONE PERSON working the money store, at least when there's a line growing. Better yet, space out those services some and don't have all of them IN ONE PLACE.
4. How many employees does it take to change a light bulb?: I see this one ALL the time. There's been a spill on aisle three. Or maybe a display cap has fallen over. Then one employee shows up to clean up the mess. Makes sense, right? But how about the three to five other employees who are standing around in a half circle watching the work being done? Not only does it look silly, stupid and even disrespectful to person who is, ya know, actually DOING their job, but it blocks up the aisle so CUSTOMERS (again, those people PAYING your salaries) cannot get through.
5. Too many cooks spoil the broth: I used to work in the grocery business. Over a decade I did a little bit of everything. Worked the register, stocked shelves, was a receiving manager for a few years, bagged groceries, worked the deli and meat department and produce, etc. So I know a little about retail, especially on the grocery end. With a few exceptions, most of those being out-of-store vendors or salesman such as the bread guys or the Nabisco or whatever, most of the shelf stocking was done in the middle of the night when the store was not packed with customers. But not Walmart. No, Walmart can't be bothered. Instead, customers are stacked up in lines at the front of the store while down every single damn aisle in the stores is some worker putting out bottled water or girls' skirts or canned yams or something. All this does is clog up the aisles with more people while maybe only four of the 20 registers at the front of the damn store are open. PUT SOME OF THOSE EMPLOYEES ON THE REGISTERS and get your customers out of the store. NOW! PRONTO!!! The shelves should be filled at night, or at least later in the day, sometime when the store is not so busy.
6. Reaction time: At the front of all Walmarts, usually in the middle of the store, there is a little desk or cubicle where there is a person who is supposed to keep any eye on the registers. I don't know what this person's official Walmart title happens to be, but when I was in the grocery business we usually called this person the Front-End Manager or the Cashiers' Manager or something like they. Keeping the registers moving, and the customers moving out the lines, was usually their top priority, though often enough they get stopped by customers with a question (like, hey, can I get some help in the Money Center?!?) or other issues come up. This person often is also responsible for letting cashiers know when it is break time, and other little details sometimes work their way into the job. It's not an easy job. I know. Been there, done that. But Walmart consistently hires the absolute worst people to do this job. Often I see them standing around in a little congregation of other employees, yacking their little hearts out, when they should be paying attention to what is going on in the DAMN LINES. Sometimes I do see one of these front-end people frantically running around because the store is overly busy, but rarely do I ever see any new registers opening. This is just a waste of a position. Keep those registers open and the customers rolling out. Otherwise, Walmart can save some money by doing away with this particular job.
7. "Welcome to Walmart!:" Okay, having some greeter at the front door is a nice touch, and it's not the worst thing in the world. Except ... and isn't there always an 'except' at Walmart ... tell the greeter to GET THE HELL OUT OF IN FRONT OF THE DAMN DOOR when people are coming in and out of the store. Tell the greeter to stand off to one side, OUT OF THE WAY, as any sensible, sane person with half a dozen brain cells should know. I realize the greeter actually has a few other tasks than just greeting, such as tagging returned items and doing some minor security checks, but do they ALWAYS have to do them RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of the exit and entrance?
8. Shelf consistency: I'm not talking about pricing. I realize that for various reasons the prices at all the billions of Walmarts in the world cannot be exactly the same. I accept that. What I do NOT accept is that each Walmart has different items on the shelves. If I can buy Mio, or whatever, in one Walmart, then I should be able to buy the same item in ALL Walmarts. Unrealistic? Okay, okay. I feel you. I realize not every single item can be made available in every single store everywhere. But how about the stores within a dozen or so miles of one another? Huh, what about those? Can there at least be a little regional shelf-item consistency?
9. Speaking of shelf items: How about keeping new items more than just a few days? Some Walmarts aren't too bad about this, but others are awful. A new food or trinket or something comes out. Walmart has it. Once. That's it. You get to buy it and try it once. Then it's gone. Forever. And if you personally seek out a manager and ask them to carry it, you get one of two responses: "Sorry, it didn't sell, so we're not going to carry it anymore," or "Okay, I'll order that for you. Just fill out this form." But it doesn't help. The item you liked, the one that apparently no one else on the whole planet liked, will never appear on Walmart's shelves again.
10. Once more, speaking of shelf items: If Walmart is going to carry a particular item, shouldn't they have it in stock? I mean, on a regular basis. I'm not talking about just every once in a while when Walmart is out of an item. That's somewhat understandable. And heck, with employees always filling up the aisles while apparently stocking shelves, you'd think Walmart would never be out of anything. But no, I don't mean temporary out-of-stock items. I'm talking about the time I wanted Charmin. And Walmart didn't have it. For two months straight. What the hell? Did trees stop sprouting paper or something? The Kroger down the street had plenty of Charmin. I run across simple, staple items like this missing from Walmart shelves ALL the time, and it's usually not just for a day or two, but for weeks and months. I simply used Charmin as an example. I could have as well used certain candies or paper towels or a dozen other items.

To round out all my complaining about Walmart, I'd like to add a few final things. For instance, I realize I can go to a store manager with my complaints. I also realize I could go online to the corporate Walmart site and offer up complaints. But such complaints only focus upon one particular store. Whenever I've tried on the phone, on paper or online to fill out a complaint form, they always want to know which particular store I was at. That does me no good. These particular problems go beyond one store. I blame management, from the highest levels to the loweliest levels. Management is at fault here. How? By creating a business culture that allows for all this sloppiness. I don't even blame the employees I see goofing off and talking or whatever. I blame management. If management was on the ball, none of this garbage would be happening.

Oh well. Gotta go. I'm heading out to do some shopping. NOT at a Walmart.