"I have emotional issues at Wal-Mart."

[DGoddessChardonnay]

We have 4 Wallyworlds in our city. 3 of them are SuperWallys, and one not.

Now, the one that's not a superstore, on Costwold (North side of town) is not a bad place to shop, but it's quite a drive for us.

The superstore on west side (W. Wendover Speedway) is ridiculous. Last time Mom and I went there was about 2 years ago and we've not been back since. The layout of the store is also confusing (it's totally backwards from the one on my side, which is off Cone Blvd, on the NE side of town) as the grocery department is not only on the opposite side of the store compared to the one we go to, it's also harder to navigate.

SE store (W. Elmsley) I've been in a handful of times. My Dad and stepmom usually shop that one (it's closest to where they live, which is a few miles SE of town) but the folks there are just as crazy, not to mention having to drive on the highway (which my Mom is not crazy about ) and then once you turn onto the main road to get there, it's so far out you feel like you're in Bumfuckt, Egypt. Last time I was in that one was 2 years ago when I was buying my brother's desktop PC (they had one left in stock that night.)

The one I go to is filled with stupidity, but I've gotten to where I can manuever around them fairly decent. If it's cutting through the racks of clothing to get away from the lane blockers just to get either up front to the checkout or get to the other side of the store (b/c I'm either needing pet food, or something from HBA) I can do that.

I hate crowds and there are times that I'll literally feel like I'm about to have a panic attack at the mere thought of going shopping there (this time of the year especially) but if Mom's in the mood to go, then we go.

Bad part of that is that there have been times where we can't go in and have to leave and come back later in the evening due to the fact that the handicapped scooters are not available - they really don't have enough of them at that location to start with, and the ones they do have are either all being used or a couple of them are sitting there with Out of Order signs on them.

It's gotten so bad that if we have to go around the first week of the month, we have to wait until after 9 pm (and the store closes at 11) to get a scooter.

We have a few other places to shop on my side of town, but not that many and they're getting to be expensive. But then WM is starting to edge up their pricing as well, so in the end it really doesn't matter where you shop, it's all more expensive now.

[macphile]

Ah, Walmart. I don't shop there, so the few times I've been have been some weird fly-by-night idea that they might have what I wanted and it wouldn't hurt to check. And I always just leave. Nothing about the offerings makes me want to spend money. It's amazing how the look of a store and arrangement of items affects your willingness to spend money at it. At the same time, so many of the customers are rude, blocking aisles with carts and screwing around. It's not the neighborhood per se, as the other stores around here are fine. There's something about Walmart that turns people into raving psychopaths. Maybe it harkens back to its general look and feel, that people don't feel the need to respect the store if it doesn't respect itself.

[protege]

A man was beaten to death at a local Wal-Mart in my area, so it's another reason why I avoid that store as much as possible.

Things like that are exactly why my borough doesn't have a Wal-Mart. Several years back, the chain wanted to put a store at the far edge of my borough. Residents protested, since we didn't want the increased traffic, and possible crime issues...and leaned on our elected officials to deny zoning for the store. Instead, the chain had to put their store in a neighboring borough instead. Sure, we miss out on the tax revenues, but the traffic and crime are *that* borough's problem.

What crime, you ask? Since the store reopened as a bigger version of itself...several things have happened. There have been several fights in the parking lot, quite a few muggings, at least one carjacking...and a woman was raped just outside the store

[Kristev]

Yes, that's it. The consumers at the Little shop of horrors are little better than trash, but expect to be treated like visiting royalty.

[Andara Bledin]

Whoa. I saw that link and thought, "Hey, that's near where I used to live." That's actually the decent one. The one I won't go into is a bit further east.

But the article makes me wonder just how many people saw the transient attacking him and just walked away, assuming someone else would do something.

^-.-^

[ADoyle90815]

A man was beaten to death at a local Wal-Mart in my area, so it's another reason why I avoid that store as much as possible.
http://www.presstelegram.com/ci_19284128?source=rv

[BethB]

I agree with your sister in law, Wal-Mart customers are so much ruder than in other stores. There must be something pumped into the air that makes people so miserable.

Whatever they put in the air needs to disappear. I work there and these customers will drive me to drinking...at work!!! And yes, they are rude as all hell and demand to be waited on like royalty.

[blas]

I have many other options, I just choose to shop at Wal-Mart. And only at specific times. NEVER alone on the weekend, and if I can help it, never later than late morning. Best time is right after work.

I get anxiety when everyone's brought their noisy kids in and old people leave their carts in the way while they inspect prunes and other boxed/jarred items while I'm just trying to make my way through and to get the hell out of there.

[wagegoth]

And it's directly across the street!

There's a Walmart that's just the other side of the freeway from a Target here in town. Even though the Walmart is in a major shopping center, and the Target is in more of a strip mall, the Target is mass steps above the Walmart. It is cleaner; shoppers are much less likely to run you over in the parking lot; shoppers are politer in the store; it's much easier to find an employee for help; I'm not nearly as worried that I'll be mugged.

[dalesys]

There is a joke in this part of town, 9th East K-Mart is the best store to shop at by virtue of NOT being 9th East Wal-Mart.

And it's directly across the street!

[smileyeagle1021]

My milage with Wal-Mart varies... if I am going to Wal-Mart, I will seriously go out of my way to go to either 54th and Redwood or 13th and 3rd (yes, that intersection totally made sense to all the Utahns on this board ), because the one on 9th East is a cluster of massive proportion. The store was supposed to be a prototype store for lower volume stores, it is only slightly larger than a neighborhood market, but with the full supercenter... well, the problem is that this store is NOT a lower volume store. It is nearly impossible to get parking, aisles are always blocked not because people are rude but because there just isn't enough space, even when all lanes are open there are long lines because there just isn't enough check outs, and stock regularly runs out because there isn't room to put much of anything out... it is only natural that even people who are ordinarily decent customers start to lose it in that store because, well, they are probably right to be pissed about something... not necessarily what they are expressing anger at, but that store just breeds resentment.
There is a joke in this part of town, 9th East K-Mart is the best store to shop at by virtue of NOT being 9th East Wal-Mart.

[wagegoth]

Ah yes. Rocko's Modern Life, the Nicktoon Nickelodeon disavowed.

I thought that was Invader Zim.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I avoid Wal-Mart at all costs. The few times I've come home from that place, I can't help but feeling like I've been *infected* with something

Sadly, I don't have that option.

The city I live in is 30-60 minutes away from several others with Targets, and probably doesn't have the population base to support one anyway. So for my shopping in town I have only the swamp, Walmart, and half a Kohls to choose from.

(I say "half a Kohls" because it is not a full-sized store and thus doesn't carry the full line of Kohls merchandise.)

[Brojekk]

I love Rocko. My fave episode is the one where he finally decides to clean house when his underwear crawls across the kitchen floor and devours a chicken leg.

WHAT?!?!?!

[Mytical]

I've seen some characters in Wally World that are , but 99.9999% are just normal people. Of course normally it is the small portion that gets all the press.