There is something dreadfully wrong about this particular Walmart. I have been shopping in Walmart…read morestores since 1993 and I haven't felt an overwhelming sense of depression from being inside one since I visited a Walmart in California 6 years ago.
For one, there is too much going on at the registers. The self checkouts are inside these mini corals that isolate them from the other registers. This is a good idea in theory, not in practice. The bottleneck on the entrance and exit make it extremely difficult to get in and or of, especially if you are foolish enough to go in one with a cart. One register is at the front of the opening bottleneck and if someone had a cart parked there as they check out, guess what... you might be there a while.
For two, there are NO GREETERS. I have never experienced this phenomenon in a Walmart. If you bring an item in from outside (like a soda or item to compare), you better RUN to customer service and be prepared to stand in line for 10 minutes (or more) just so you can get something that will keep the a-hole loss prevention guy from accusing you of stealing - which he WILL. You don't want to be tackled by his flying monkeys I've something as trivial as a candy bar.
For three, 98% of the employees are unhappy, look depressed, are snotty, condescending, or just flat-out unhelpful/dismissive. I have never worked in a Walmart but I help more customers than they do in this store. An elderly customer was looking for a particular kind of sweet, one you can only find on the baking aisle. I watched as he pointed to the candy aisle, assuming she meant the REGULAR sweet, and said "It's down there!" Apparently, Walmart doesn't train their employees to CARE. This employee might have been busy putting up paper goods across the divide (10ft or less), but it wouldn't have taken five minutes to walk her to the item (wrong item or not). Customer courtesy must be something you're born with, IDK, but even though I was in a hurry and on my way out, I walked with her to the correct aisle and got her what she was looking for.
For four, when I first moved to the area my first visit was miserable. It was 75 degrees outside and it felt like 90 inside. I asked a cashier, who had a tiny fan blowing in her, why it was so hot. She said management keeps it that way, that they're "cutting back". Is not fainting at work from the heat a luxury? You could have roasted a chicken in that store. Funny thing, the Walmart store in The Villages (a few miles down the road) is ALWAYS a comfortable temperature.
For five, the loss prevention guy is a complete jerk. He is condescending, combative, argumentative, and sleazy. I and a few friends of mine have seen him, on occasion, gawking at female shoppers from the ladies department. He tried to grab my shoulder on my way out the store one afternoon. To this day I have no idea why. I didn't know who he was before that, but knowingal all these things makes me feel uncomfortable whenever I shop there (which is very infrequent. I'd sooner drive the extra few miles to go to The Villages than worry if Im going to be accosted by some sleaze ball.)
I'm not ever returning to this store unless I'm desperate for something that cannot wait - I live a mile from the store. I don't like how I feel when I'm inside it. The unease is palpable. The only thing good about it is the location and the parking.
