What Kind Of Shopping Experience Will You Put Up With To Get A Lower Price?
Most of us here are a little (a lot?) obsessive about getting the best price for products… especially those that might be called necessities… like food.
But compulsion to get the best price has a trade off in the overall “experience” of shopping… which may be a Good Thing if it makes you NOT want to shop and spend money.
After all, the places to get the Best Price are NOT Marble Palaces looking like some Spun Sugar Confection from the Arabian Nights with Fawning Servants (Clerks) who await the barest Lift of a Finger to fall Prostrate on the floor in Adoration… and Valet Parking.
My experience has been MOST of the time the “Experience” of “Best Price Shopping” leaves MUCH to be desired.
This post being occasioned by an infrequent trip to Wally World… (OK, Wal-Mart Supercenter, but everyone has a pet name for these places… some NOT printable)… for a replacement Corelle Bowl (couldn’t find one in the Thrift Shop next to Save-A-Lot), more Rechargeable Batteries, Coffee, Malt-O-Meal Cereal, and (Forgive Me Clark Howard For I Have Sinned… head bowed clasping wallet) two DVD’s on Impulse.
My error was going in at around 7:00 PM… I usually shop Wallys very late, long after Midnight when the Rug Rats are sleeping.
I thought I’d have an easy time as it was Monday… wrong answer.
After finding a parking space near the end of Runway 4… sorry! Lane 4… I usually confuse the parking lot with the Orlando International Airports Main Runway… I trudged into the store. (Does this count as Exercise??)
Inside I grab a Cart… I would have MUCH preferred a Hand Basket (Don’t Say It!!) but unlike other retailers they don’t have them… I guess the idea is the bigger the basket you have to use the more you’ll buy… and off I go to find Housewares.
Not fifty feet into the store I almost get run down by a pre-teen yelling and racing shopping carts with his friends… full view of the registers and not a parent or store management in sight.
I make housewares and am trying to find the aisle with the dishes and after several attempts have to LOUDLY ask 2 different people to PLEASE move out of the way so I can get through… both acting like I’m the one being inconsiderate. One on a Cell Phone talking about a Pregnancy Test and the other… I Kid you Not!!!… Changing a Diaper on a Toddler in her Shopping Cart instead of going up front to the restroom. I did NOT stay to find out the disposition of the soiled Diaper.
Found my Bowl and headed back to the Camera Department where they keep the Batteries… (My luck I’d have to go past the Toy Department on the way)… having to dodge a very large number of unsupervised children who are taking Toys, Games, and Costumes off the shelves and opening them, trying them on, playing with them, and leaving them in the middle of the aisles… New Orleans after Katrina had less damage.
I wanted to run over to Automotive and grab a couple bags of Zip Strips and tie all of them down to carts or the roof support poles. Sometimes the idea of a License to Have Children is VERY Appealing.
Unable to locate a “Sales Associate” I was finally pointed to the right area by someone in Photo Developing and got my Batteries.
During the Bataan Death March from one side of the store to the other where the Food-Mart is I stumbled across a large display of sale DVD’s and in my weakened condition stopped and ended up putting two in the basket… $5 each… but I HAVE wanted a copy of “Footloose” for a while and a double feature of “Hot Shots” and “Hot Shots 2”.
Got an adrenaline boost for the last leg of the march when a woman with three noisy brats and talking on a cell phone in other than English knocked my basket into a candy display and kept on going without even an I’m Sorry or stopping to help pick up the spilled candy. Searched Pockets for extra Blood Pressure Pill… and regretted leaving Cattle Prod in bike.
Food area was at least uneventful… Coffee and Malt-O-Meal Cinnamon Toasters (good dry as a Snack by the way and lower in calories than you’d expect without the addition of Milk… like a lightly sweet Crisp Cinnamon Sugar Cookie).
Last Gauntlet to be run is Checkout… seldom do they EVER have enough cashiers and Who the H*ll believes that 20 items or less is “Speedy Checkout”????
Speedy Checkout is 10 Items or Less and NO Debit Cards, Credit Cards, Gift Cards, Checks, or Food Stamps… in other words CASH only… something I have yet to see at Wallys… a Cash Only Register.
At least the sun has gone down… it’s now about 8:30 PM… as I begin my trudge to the end of Runway… sorry… Lane… 4 carrying my three bags of goods for the ride home.
While I got a good deal on my purchases I will have to remember that I should NEVER shop there except after Midnight… I NEVER run into parents with loads of Obnoxious Kids and the night stockers have had a chance to at least Partially clean things up from the day shift so it doesn’t look quite as much like an Atom Bomb exploded in a Landfill and its much easier to park getting a spot much closer to the doors… Executive Jet instead of 747 Jumbo…
All-in-all… at least for this trip… I put up with a Poor shopping experience and a LOT of aggravation to save a buck or two… Sometimes… but not often Thank Goodness… I wonder if its worth it.
Photo credit: stock.xchng.
I found this rant to be rude and offensive.
“having to dodge a very large number of unsupervised children who are taking Toys, Games, and Costumes off the shelves and opening them, trying them on, playing with them, and leaving them in the middle of the aisles… New Orleans after Katrina had less damage.”
Excuse me, did you think that was funny?
So, basically, you think busy people with kids and not a lot of money to spend for babysitters or time to go to a probably-disgusting or locked bathroom are a pain. Roland, your privilege is showing! Please remember that you are writing this in “Queercents,” not your personal blog.
I have to say that I agree with Zach–this rant seemed more appropriate for a personal blog. Also, why was it important to note that the woman who hit your cart was “talking on a cell phone in other than English”?
I understand your frustration, I often find myself most upset at the rude cashiers and sales associates that are like the cherry on top of the chaotic shopping experience. I try to consider though, and this comes from having worked in customer service, that as long as I keep my composure, I can get out of the store with everything I need and not feel too angered by it all.
I found this post fairly offensive and out-of-place as well. I’ve yet to meet a parent who thinks shopping at Walmart with the kids is a fun outing either, but for many of us it’s an economic necessity. If you’ve got the option to shop after midnight, we’d just as soon you’d shop then too. That way you can leave the store a little less crowded for those of us who are stuck with the after-work-but-before-bedtime, kids-are-tired-and-cranky time slot. And why the need to point out that someone was speaking on a cell phone “in other than English”? If that’s one more detail meant to show how aggravating your trip was, you get zero sympathy from me.
Also — speaking now as someone who spent a volunteer week rebuilding homes in New Orleans — Walmart’s toy aisle is *nothing* compared to post-Katrina damage, and I found that comparison very unfunny as well. Three years later, people’s lives are still in total turmoil… not exactly a bunch of toys on the floor.
Yes, discount stores are crowded and understaffed. Yes, you had to “put up with a Poor shopping experience and a LOT of aggravation to save a buck or two.” At least you have the option to decide whether it’s worth it or not; as you might guess from the crowd levels, many people don’t have that choice.
I’m fortunate to be young, single, and unattached. The local Kroger branch is cleaner, better-staffed, and all-around more pleasant. The $5 or so I lose to higher prices is worth it (plus the produce is better).
I feel it’s also a bit different in a small, midwestern town. People tend to be all-around friendlier, I think. That said, I would never go there on weekend afternoons. Best time, in my opinion is sometime between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. Everyone’s still friendly and chipper. Associates are helpful. Very few people there, and NO CHILDREN!
I agree with most people that this article read more like a personal blog – but other articles from other writers have as well. I enjoy reading Ashley’s writing and learn a lot from the trans perspective that I personally have not experienced, but most of her “stories” are just that – personal stories. Aundi’s “No on 8” article was like a personal blog as well. So I think it is unfair that because you did not like Roland’s tone that you put him down for that.
Was some of it offensive – kind of. However, I sympathize with Roland’s comments. I choose to patronize huge box discount stores as little as possible – and when I do, I try to go a little more upscale (Target may not be the best, but it is a LOT nicer, cleaner and friendlier than Walmart.) The prices are better at discount stores – but you have to recognize that you pay dearly for the horrible experience. Parents SHOULD control their children when in a public setting; people SHOULD pay attention to those around them and act courteously; and NO ONE SHOULD CHANGE A BABY’S DIAPER IN AN AISLE! That is just disgusting and completely unnecessary.
Roland is not writing from a sense of “privlege” – more like a sense of what is “proper”. There were plenty of poor people in my area of Canada growing up (my family being one) – and we had big Box stores as well – but they weren’t trashed and the clerks were respectful and helpful.
I think people should read this article with a bit of humor – as I believe Roland intended – and stop being so hard on him.
Before I get to answering comments a bit of an update…I mentioned the Dirty Diaper episode to the store manager when I was in yesterday and got an earfull. On any given day SEVERAL soiled diapers are found on shelves and elsewhere in the store along with lots of refridgerated items from the Food Center.
Anything from Milk to Ice Cream to 20 lb. packages of Raw Meat…and it CANNOT be put back in the Food Center it has to be thrown away or returned for credit to the manufacturer…possibility of food poisoning.
Manager said usually 4 to 6 FULL SHOPPING CARTS per day just of refridgerated food.
~ Roland
Zach: Being a “busy person with kids and not a lot of money to spend on babysitters” is NOT any sort of excuse to allow them to run wild and unsupervised in ANY sort of business establishment or anywhere else for that matter…the items they were tearing apart and leaving around for the employees to clean up do not belong to them and may at that point be unsalable and their cost gets addded to what I and anyone else pays for other goods….in principle no different than if a co-worker brings their kid to your office and the kid pulls all the food out of the lunchroom refridgerator looking for a drink and doesn’t put it back and it spoils and the parent says or does nothing…everyone with the foresight to bring thier lunch has to pay twice by having to buy another one.
Income levels have no bearing on the teaching of Manners and Respect for People and belongings/property…and merchandise in a store still belongs to someone..in this case the stockholders.
As for the “probably-locked and disgusting bathroom”..all the Wal-Marts I’ve been in here have bathrooms with NO doors…they are the kind you go around a partition to get in, are reasonably clean, and even the mens rooms have a Diaper Changing Table AND for 25 cents you can buy a clean disposable diaper from a dispenser on the wall.
Becky: That the lady on the cell phone was speaking “other than English” was just an aggravated observation to distinquish her from the others I had run into (in this case she ran into me Literally!) on phones. Its not just while driving that talking on cell phones is distracting and can be potentially dangerous while attempting to do something else.
Ava: Believe it or not I understand completely having been in the Towing business…and NO ONE is every happy..no one wants their car towed. Sometimes though you can only take so much…
S: I know how bad New Orleans was after Katrina…I went to Miami after Andrew tore a 30 mile wide strip out of South Florida from one coast to the other. No disasters of those magnitudes are pretty and it takes years to recover from them but even those who lived through them and are still suffering the effects can be found making jokes and light of themselves…its human nature.
And I do prefer to shop when families are not there but I was on the way home and driving past..soo..
And while a lot of people shop Wal-Mart from “Economic Necessity” you might be surprised at the number of “well off” shoppers you’ll find..”well off” people want cheap prices too…if nothing else Wal-Mart is an “economic melting pot”….but again their is NO Excuse for not keeping an eye on children and seeing they behave.
I am surprised at several of the comments. I found the article humorous. One person’s frustration…
Jaime: I too live in what used to be classed as a small town just outside Orlando. Kroger we don’t have but we do have Publix. Though on the upper end of the price scale the BOGO deals and sales make the store sometimes more competitive (read: cheaper) than Wal-Mart and they are, as in Kroger, well staffed and helpful.
I’m lucky enough to now have six different places I can shop for groceries on a 12 mile ride home from work and like any good Cheapskate I patronise all of them for the cheapest price.
I wonder though if Size has any material effect…I notice the smaller the store the better the service and experience of shopping.
The local Bravo is an independent/chain that specializes in Latin foods and serves a very low end economic class however the store is Clean, Well Stocked, has a Large number of employees who are VERY nice and helpful..even those with a weak command of English (they appreciate the chance to practice too, most of the clientele always speak Spanish), and though the store is usually quite crowded with lots of families and lots of kids I RARELY see any misbehaving or being left to run wild.
Scott: I appreciate yours and Jaime’s support and you are right about my feeling of what is “proper”.
It used to be anyone who acted the way some people or their kids do today would get them tossed out of the store and told never to come back. My Grandfather, who owned a Grocery Store, had No Problem doing so.
Roland,
I shop in my local (Pittsburgh PA) Walmart Supercenter regularly and my experience has been stellar.
First, the Walmart is neat and tidy – they recently had the hole place redone, so it looks bright and new.
Second, they DO have baskets.
Third, while I agree that it is the responsibility of parents to keep children in check, most sensible people understand that caring for children can sometimes strain you, so most people give their parents an easier time.
Fourth, unless you are visiting the store for a 5 mile workout, it might be better to plan your purchases in such a way that you walk around the store only once.
And five, a lot of the problems you pointed out seem to have more to do with the people in your neighborhood, rather that Walmart itself. Maybe your next post should address this core problem. After all, the poor employees of the store aren’t the ones creating the mess – they’re only trying their best to clean it up.
I am suprised at all the people who are offended at this. I have a child (that I do keep under control while in stores) and even I get what you are saying. I too have come across groups of children in the toy areas that are out of control and tearing open packages, costing the rest of us money.
Now, that being said, there isn’t a lot that you can do about the rudeness of others or the lack of store management intervention. You can’t change people or store policies. I do like they say in the dining industry and “vote with your feet.” I have had very, very few positive experiences at Wal-Mart, so now I go to Target. It is worth it to me to pay slightly more for my items while having a more positive shopping experience. I hear a lot of people say that Target isn’t that much better, but to me it is. I actually have clerks ask if they can help me find anything (you should have seen me the first time that happened, I looked like a deer caught in the headlights, lol) the store is always clean and well lighted and the clerks seem friendly, like they enjoy their jobs. I think the biggest thing for me though is that there never seem to be ultra-long Wal-Mart type lines. My time is worth more to me than standing in line.
Well, that’s my 2-cents. OBTW, No, I don’t work at Target. 😉
Oh my “favorite” is the kids wearing “wheelie” tennis shoes that go whooshing past you… where ARE their parents? A lot of the time I see the parents right with them allowing them to skate in the store.
Come to think about it I haven’t seen kids skating in Target. Hmmm….
I can definitely relate to the author here, the Walmart by me has the most nightmarish shoppers anytime I go, day or night. I do agree that some of his references were offensive, though…relating a Walmart trip to the Bataan Death March or hurricane Katrina is a bit over the top. Don’t cheapen disasters where real people lost their lives by comparing them to the fact that shopping at Walmart is the pits.
I live in an area going through the gentrification process and can totally empathize with this post. I however am completely unwilling to go through the hell that is known as the local Super Wal-Mart to save the .04-.20 per item difference that would be realized at Target.
Whenever I have ended up at Wal-Mart, it takes at least an extra 30 minutes for the whole process to occur, if I can even get what I need (They seem to lock up cosmetics and not have anyone available with the key). If I were to calculate my own personal lost opportunity cost- I’m fairly certain it would more than make up for the $3-4 I saved.
On the other hand, with relation to Wal-Mart specifically, I recently found one of their neighborhood markets. I was thoroughly impressed by the prices (basic Wal-Mart), lack of screaming children, products in stock, and overall ambience.
@ Pam-
I totally understand what you’re saying. Don’t you just hate those skate shoes? I lived in Illinois for about 10 months before returning to Arizona and remember one day, while at the mall, I actually saw several shops with signs posted that prohibited those shoes in their shops for “liability reasons.” Sounds like a trend that should catch on in my book.
As a mom of three kids, ages 12, 11, and 3, I have had many unavoidable shopping trips with them in tow. They are not allowed to run around, yell, play with things (unless I’m purchasing them and they are in the cart), or disturb other shoppers in any way. The very idea of changing a dirty diaper in a shopping cart where people place their soon-to-be-bought food, clothing, and possibly even children is truly repulsive and indefensible. Why people are leaving comments defending rude and under-parented children and unhygienic cart diaper changes is beyond me! I don’t shop at Walmart or Kmart, for that matter, because of the chaos I inevitably encounter there. Target is generally cleaner, calmer, and the price difference, if any (I have not noticed one), is worth it.
Chetan: Maybe its an option…either store or district…to have small hand baskets. None of the Wal-Marts here have them only large wheeled carts.
I also did plan my trip in the store to try and take as little time as possible making a loop inside…in the door, across the front, right up the aisle to housewares continuiing on to the rear of the store turning left to cameras, then following the aisle the rest of the way to the back of the food center and down towards the front to the registers and back out the same doors I entered.
And the people in my neighborhood are a very unusual mix. This one sits almost on a dividing line between an area of (now) lower income people and the wealthiest section of the county that contains developement after developement of homes that even in this real estate climate can rarely be bought for under $400,000.
The Wal-Mart I usually go to has just as many high-dollar Luxury Cars in the lot as older used cars.
And the “poor employees of the store” would have an easier time keeping it clean if they would pay a Living Wage…THEN they might actually get more people who WANT to work there…though they keep the place Short-Staffed all the time.
Paul: The nearest Super Target to me is in an area called Pine Hills…commonly referred to as “Crime Hills” even by the Police.
Though the store is generally cleaner and better kept up than the Wal-Mart for some reason the selection is very poor…especially in the food area else I would probably trade there as well.
I have a friend who works at Target…Unlike Wal-Mart he was provided Uniforms, Low Cost Medical, and Target Re-imburses him for part of his tuition in college as he has gone on a Management track with them…seems a College Degree is Mandatory with them for management positions…AND he started at $2 more per hour than the nearby Wal-Mart for the same job.
As of Monday though 10 new Aldi stores opened here (all at once) in Central Florida and one is on the way home from work…I can’t wait to see what they have to offer.
Pam: I almost killed a kid the other day on those “wheelie” tennis shoes…zipped out in front of me in the Bus Lot at Disney…even at 5 mph I had to slam on the brakes…Mom and Dad walking right behind and oblivious even when two other buses had to do the same blowing their horns..
I did see a Manager at Publix last year nicely ask an indignant mother to have her kids stop “wheeling” around the store…the rubber stops were leaving black streaks on the freshly waxed linoleum so tracing the kids had been easy.
I avoid wally world as much as possible. I like a good deal as much as the next mommy, but my gosh, I just cannot stand walmart. The stores are ALWAYS a mess, the lines are long, employees are rude, and to be honest, I get better deals elsewhere at stores that pricematch, double coupons, and the like.
I have a 2 year old and I cannot imagine changing her diaper in the middle of the store. GROSS! I have a master’s degree in public health and work as an epidemiologist at the state health department, and that is a great way to spread everything from norovirus to salmonella to shigella to hepatitis A. Nasty!
Likewise, no matter how much of a whiney fit my toddler is having (and I usually shop around 6am while she is at home sleeping)– she is not allowed out of the cart unless my husband is with us and daddy gives her a piggy back ride. Stores are not a playroom. Toys in packages are not meant to be “tested” out! It’s no wonder that half the time you buy something it’s missing parts or breaks right away.