Ha! Wal-Mart retreats from Germany

[Imran Siddiqui]

What in the Hell is this about having to bag your own groceries? Pah... I'm used to a certain level of service

Besides, I don't pay until I have everything bagged and in my cart. So yes, it would serve to slow down the line if there was no bagger.

[DanS]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Walmart get back in to the German market once they come up with a good plan.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Besides, I don't pay until I have everything bagged and in my cart.

Lazy bastard. You took it out of the cart without help and you can put it back in the cart without help.

[Imran Siddiqui]

But like I said, if I'm bagging (because of too few baggers at that time), I don't pay until everything is in the cart. If someone else is bagging for me, I'll pay as they are bagging the last of my groceries and placing it in the cart. It's part and parcel of the service.

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by DinoDoc

it was one of the more pleasant working atmospheres that I have worked at.

Now I'm genuinely curious what department you worked in.

I started out in Garden Center which fell under the hardlines manager. she also had Electronics, Hardware, Toys and Sporting Goods. After Garden Center I went to toys and electronics. You have to understand her I guess cuase just because you were listed under one department that didn't mean you couldnt help out others as well. I was kept moving all day helping people get their TVs, making sure the Bike rack was always full and there was an assembler working on them. I was all over doing all kinds of things but that appealed to me because the day went by so fast. During the summer I was working about three or four days getting all my 40 hours in. Some weeks, I actually got overtime but was only when something absolutly had to be done. (inventory prep, or christmas season) In the end I had keys to everything they asked if I was interested in doing the whole manager training thing but that would have meant going to another store and I couldn't with school at the time. Very bad decision on my part considering the profit sharing checks some of the store managers get going down that road means committing to it though.

Burnout is always always a risk. There were days when I contemplated homicide towards the customers. Most peopl were ok but when they had a bad day, you felt it. I've had customers cuss me out over very simple things and one threaten to sue me and walmart because he was stopped at the door by the electronic antitheft devices when the cashier didn't remove it.

There was on manager ( a new co manager ) that I absolutely hated. He came in and decided to do things differently even though they just didnt work. Everyone hated him, including the manager who we saw correcting him on many occasions. That's when droves of people starting quiting.

[DinoDoc]

There were days when I contemplated homicide towards the customers.

You have no idea.

[Sprayber]

Don't get me wrong. It was lots of stress with all the customers but a little stress isn't so bad. I worked at a supercenter in a city of about 50000 people. It was always busy and the parking lot was always full. Day after Thaksgiving, Day after Christmas and during the summer were especially busy and I would see many of the same people in there day after day getting things. That was something I didnt understand though.

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by DinoDoc

There were days when I contemplated homicide towards the customers.

You have no idea.

Oh yes. I am fully aware of the horror. A few months of listening to kids scream about wanting a toy and their parents counting, swatting and yelling or putting everything you have in not pushing an old lady down because she is taking hours to decide which asile to go down next or listening to some guy swear up and down that he bought that stereo at walmart when its a brand that NEVER has been sold there(sometimes with another stores sticker even still attached) or some lady wanting twenty bags of mulch put into a small two door car

I often think that is why I drank so much during that time period.


I'm actually a better shopper because of my walmart experience.

[Ecthy]

Working a job that deals with customers makes you a very good costumer and shopper yourself

[Dinner]

Yeah, but you still have to put up with the ****ing costumers.

[Ecthy]

You can still ignore them. Or offer service and nice-hood and feel good about it, no matter how they react.

A bit of arrogance and indifference about the customer's feelings (unless they love you ) help here

[Last Conformist]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
What in the Hell is this about having to bag your own groceries? Pah... I'm used to a certain level of service

Besides, I don't pay until I have everything bagged and in my cart. So yes, it would serve to slow down the line if there was no bagger.

Communist.

[Harovan]

The reason why quite some Germans aren't fond of bagging their purchases may be, that many bring their own fabric bags, plastic crates or baskets and have their own customs on what belongs where. In this light, the extra guy who puts their stuff in a one-way paper bag, smile or not, seems to be completely unnecessary.

Overall, the German discount retail market is pretty much sated, even the well established market chains (especially Aldi) have free capacity. If yet another market chain wants to enter the fray, they have to be either significantly cheaper (while maintaining quality) or bring something fundamentally new. About the former, it's pretty hard to beat Aldi or Lidl here, and for a few mere percents people aren't willing to change their well established purchasing customs. About the latter, the smiling guy who bags purchases doesn't cut it, as he appears redundant.

By the way, by far not all Germans buy at discounters. I for once don't, not even at Aldi or Lidl. I have a Rewe market within walking distance, which may be a bit more expensive, but driving to the next discounter would eat up the saved money, so why bother? And tell what you want, most cheap things they sell are crap. I used to buy in an Aldi market a few years ago, and I have not very fond memories about the cheap unbranded beer they sold. It cost less than 30 Pfennigs a can (I don't remember if 33cl or 50cl, though), but it tasted like piss and compared to it Coors Lite was a damn fine beer. And that was by far not the only crap I encountered there.

What concerns the arrogance bit, I don't think they mean arrogance toward customers. I'd call what Walmart did not arrogant, but at least naive. 85 markets for a people of 80 millions isn't nearly enough to make you a good name. Since discounters do nearly no advertisement (at least in radio/TV), a lot of people weren't even aware, that Walmart is here. And those who were, quickly found out, that Walmart is in average not cheaper than established German discounters and offers not enough other bonuses to bother - and the packing guy doesn't count, as explained above.

I would be surprised, if Walmart returned.

[Last Conformist]

Originally posted by OzzyKP


It does require an additional person, which means an additional person getting a pay check, and an additional person who is working for a living and not on welfare.

Damn that Wal-Mart for giving people jobs, those heartless bastards.

Do I really need to explain what's wrong about a low-cost retailer hiring two people to do one person's job?


Anyway, if Wal-Mart hires extra people to do what Lidl's and Aldi' customers are happy to do themselves, I don't think their failure in the Germany market is that much of a mystery.

[Ecthy]

There was a Wal-Mart in my home town and it was neither the cheapest nor did it have a packing guy.