Wal~mart: It's all about the sale!

I'd like to say that my four years as a sales floor associate with Wal~Mart has taught me a lot. The following are solely my points of view from what I have seen, heard and learned. My series of blog posts are simply that. They will reflect what goes on in my eyes at my store. They may or may not be a reflection of all Wal~Marts.

Yesterday while waiting in line to check out I saw the store for what it really is. All about the sale with no rules for the customer. Anything goes here. The person in front of me had been waiting in line long before I arrived. The person behind me just stepped in line. The line is for one of two cashiers. When one cashier became available the person behind me dammed near tripped over his own feet to "cut in front". The cashier just rang him up. All the while me and someone else pointed out to her that he cut in front. I have seen this at other stores and the cashier always says, "Sorry sir. I must ask you to get back in line so I am help the next person."  Not here. She just smiled and carried on a very polite conversation with him. What they do not realize is this breeds a selfish, no respect customer. Once they have gotten away with it there will be no stopping them.

Welcome to Wal~mart. Is this a service dog? All the customer has to do is say yes and all are allowed in the store. Excuse me! Since when is a Pit Bull a service dog? or How about that pocket pet? Ya know the itty bitty dog in your purse? How can that service anybody? A cat! Since when is a cat a service animal? According to the greeter gal all they can do is ask. If the customer says yes they have to let them in. I wonder is this a state law now that papers are no longer required or does Wal~mart not give a dam just come spend your quarter. I wonder how the health department would take it now that we sell food. Many times maintenance has had to clean up doggy doo. Correct me if I am wrong but aren't service dogs trained not to potty in stores? I always thought they held it until given permission to go in the appropriate place.

Remember this: No shirt, No shoes, No food, No service? I do. This was posted in a front window at every store in town. When I was growing up one could not enter a store without a shirt or shoes. And food or drinks no way this was not allowed ever. In fact some stores would take it away from you or ask you to wait outside. Now anything goes. Customers stand over the fabric table slopping their drinks all over. They let the young eat as they walk around the store and throw their food overboard onto the floor. Gross! And when they are done what do you think they do with the wrappers? I find them hidden behind the fabric, on top of towels between books just about everywhere except the garbage can that is provided.

Returns. I have never seen so many things being returned and rules broken here. Some things need a receipt but if the customer screams loud enough it gets returned anyway. Some times management will hold tight to the rule then the customer simply calls the 1-800 corporate number and corporate gives in over riding what management held onto and a rule that corporate but in place. So just put up a fuss and they will give in!

What has happened to retail? Is it so about the sale that we have tossed out all the rules. We are humans, we need rules to be civil. This is what keeps peace and violence at bay. Throw out the rules and anythings goes.

Corelle: dinning at it's finest

I love Corelle Dinnerware. For years I have owned it in many different patterns. I have always bought it neatly boxed up in a set thinking that because it proudly displayed the "made in the USA" symbol I was doing the right thing. Well with my new old farm house I decided to update my plates. So having decided on the City Block pattern I set out to find it. Finally I found a set at the local store neatly boxed up and displaying the US Flag. You know that woman intuition thingy most of us have. Well it was nagging at me. Something felt amiss. So I took sometime to really read the contents on the outside of the box. Boy was I surprised. While 90% of the pieces were indeed made in the US the cups came from China. Since I want China out of my house and out of my life that just won't do. 


So I made a phone call to the local Corelle/Corning ware outlet store. A very nice young man answered and spent a lot of time on the phone with me.He explained that the company orders very large quantities of both black and white cups from China. This is why sets have black or white cups inside. If I do not want anything from China in my home then I should buy "open stock". So the very next day I grabbed a friend and we were off to stores in North Bend WA.

Now let me show off  my most prized set:

 Above is the dinner plate for those "manly" appetites.

 Featured is the soup/salad bowl.

This one is the smaller say salad plate or for those dainty appetites.

But wait there is one more not pictured the very small say dessert/bread plate. 

From a simple meal to an elegant dinner Corelle pulls it off.

Coming soon: got milk? got glasses? America does.

Save America

The "Tree Huggers" scream save the trees. Animal rights activist yell, "Save the Spotted Owl!" Small farmers want you to stop building and save the "Spotted Cow" But who is willing to save America? Well I am. I know I am just one small voice among thousands but some one has to step forward and plant the seed.

How you may ask can just a small handful save a country? Because you have the power. It is in the form of the all mighty dollar. How, where and on what you spend your money makes a huge difference. To explain it better you must visit the 350 project. Not only should you buy locally but make sure the products you purchase are made in America. Be aware that some products claim to be made in America while only a small part of it has to be. Many products can be assembled in America from imported parts or have items sold in a set made from different Countries. Let the buyer beware!

Now let me introduce to my sight and give you a small taste of things to come. I hope you will follow along. In the up coming posts I'll be searching out products made only in America from parts made only in the USA. While this is no easy task they do exist. Only if we stop buying China made items and stop supporting those stores so closely tied to China can we change America.

America used to be a leader, strong, and secure. Now we are nothing more than wimpy and gutless to foreigners. Even our own government has no faith in us. After all who do they buy their jets from? They support Airbus when they should be supporting Boeing. Think about that.

We must re-open Ellis Island. Instead of just letting anybody into our country and handing out "Citizenship" like candy to a baby we should make sure they understand us. They come over here, refuse to dress like us, refuse to speak English. Want their own little communities. Why?  Why come here but then hang with your own kind. Why not just go home?

Then there is the job market. Why are so many of our people without jobs but the market is flooded with foreigners? Makes no sense to me.