The Mumble
©2009

My gruntle’s been dissed again.

Went to Wal-Mart this afternoon, needed some household stuff, a few odds n ends. The usual reason to subject myself to modern retail overload. Did my shopping, and a bit of wandering around to see what else they had that I didn’t need. Checked out, and as usual, spent more than I had planned on. (Hey! I needed that box of fancy dark chocolate!)

On my way out the door greeter stopped me, I like him. He’s funny, lively and always smiles.

He asked for my receipt while looking in my basket. I’d bought an item to large to fit in a sack. Wal-Mart has recently instituted a policy I’d forgotten about. If it’s not in a sack, you can’t get out the door unless it’s checked against your receipt. Ran into this twice before. The second time I tolerated it. I’m sad to say, I wasn’t very nice about it. The first time I thought they’d had someone in the store who’d stolen something. Which isn’t that rare of an occurrence, not a problem.

Once.

Nope, it is now standard policy.

If it is in your cart, and not in a Wally-World bag, you have to stand there while they treat you like a shoplifter.

Oh, it doesn’t take all that long, and I can understand their need to lower their costs induced by theft. It is their right to do anything in their stores and property they deem fit. Their response is to treat everyone who walks in the door as a thief.

Read that again, EVERYONE!

And I Will Not Stand For It! It is my right to chose where I spend my very hard earned money.

Until they change that policy, I will do my shopping elsewhere. All of it, I will not set foot in a Wal-Mart until I can pay for my merchandise and walk out the door without hindrance. No matter if that merchandise is in a bag, or not. It will cost me a little more, and less. I’ve begun purchasing certain items elsewhere over the last couple of years. At lower cost.

Sadly there are a number of things I can’t get anywhere else. Wal-Mart’s store brand of Arribica coffee that I love, in fact the only coffee I drink with their extra rich coffee creamer. But, if that’s what it takes, then that’s what it takes.

Also, I am well aware that the loss of my business will have absolutely no effect on Wal-Mart’s bottom line, policies or anything at all. A few hundred dollars a month is less than nothing when compared to total sales in the billions.

As for my reaction today?

I politely informed the gentleman it wasn’t necessary to check my receipt, I’d simply return the item for a refund. Which I did. I was somewhat more than peeved, but I did my best to be as polite as possible. They treated me politely, I returned the favor. Treat me nice, I try to be nice, don’t treat me nice and I can be the worst day you’ve ever had at work.

I did manage to resist the urge to return everything I’d bought.

Barely.

I knew it wasn’t the door greeter’s fault, or the very nice lady at the Service Desk. Both of which I’ve known for a number of years. They’re simply following a policy which came out of Bentonville Arkansas. I didn’t ask their opinion of the policy, that wouldn’t have been fair. They work there, it’s not their place to say anything about Corporate’s decisions.

At this point I can hear a lot of you saying it.

''“You overreacted!

God what a grouch!

Hey they’re just trying to control costs! “''

Ok, that’s fine, whatever floats your boat. If you want to be treated that way, go right ahead. It’s my Mumble and my money, I get to say what I want. And spend that money as I see fit. You see, I have this expectation of being treated with a certain amount of respect.

Let me ask you this. What if all you Ladies have to start opening your purse and allowing a search of the contents? You guys have to turn out your pockets? You had to show a picture ID to pay for everything, no matter what method you use?

What’s that? You back on row seven, what did you say?

Sure, that sounds silly now. But it’s not that far from having to show a receipt to get out the door to more extensive measures. The camel’s nose truly applies here.

Never forget, Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world. They’ve changed the entire retail industry in so many ways it’s hard to count them all. Their draconian methods of dealing with suppliers is legendary. Or what they’ve done to countless small town businesses. Or their relentless pressure on those same small town Governments to let them build one of those hideous boxes in places not zoned for them. Not every change they’ve brought is bad, more efficient distribution methods for one example. That is a true cost savings, which they’ve passed to the customer. Uniformity in packaging and labeling is another. Even improvements in quality.

But, again, never forget. We’re not people to Corporate Wal-Mart, we’re mobile pockets with cash inside, debit cards connected directly to a bank, credit cards with balances left. A market, not a population. They don’t have our best interests at heart, they have their best interests at heart. Which means separating us from as much cash as efficiently as possible. It’s their bottom line and cash flow that concerns them. Not our credit line or cash flow.

Wal-Mart’s hype about “Going Green?” They fought it until someone in Corporate figured out they could save millions of dollars in energy costs with a relatively small investment with a big boost in public image as a side benefit. Sometime in the past few years Sam’s dream was turned into a nightmare. Wal-Mart knows it’s the biggest kid on the block, and they act like it.

I have no doubt Wal-Mart’s time will come when they fall from grace in some manner or another. Retail dynasties do not last forever, ask Sears, Kmart or Montgomery Wards. Those were once the kings of retailing. Sears is a ghost of itself, Kmart is (who bought Sears at fire-sale prices.) getting back, but will never be what it was. And good old Monky Wards? Can’t ask them, they’re years gone.

Yeah, my shunning of Wally World won’t have any effect on them. But it will make this old SOB a lot happier.

And that’s what counts to me.