Walmart observations

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storewanderer
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by storewanderer »

mbz321 wrote: October 7th, 2022, 6:03 pm I noticed one of my local Walmart stores going through another remodel, despite updating to the latest prototype a year or two ago. I noticed the jewelry counter was eliminated and now it is just some junk jewelry out in the open, and the paint counter was also very recently removed (I can't imagine it did much business given there is a Lowe's right behind this particular store). Anyone else notice something similar?
Wal Mart removed service jewelry from most stores in my area in the last string of remodels they did (2-3 years ago). In Reno, only one store has service jewelry and it is small, never staffed, and looks forgotten (Kietzke).

In the Wal Mart remodel that is happening now down in Carson City (Market Street) where they built a fulfillment center into the store, it was one of the last ones in the area to still have the old "island" style jewelry case that an employee would stand behind and it was quite large (and never staffed). They removed that but kept a smaller locked case sort of a small aisle-shelf sized/length glass case that is waist level. It appears they removed the fabric cutting table and paint counter from this store. There is a Home Depot next to it, but not sure what the story on fabric is.
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by ClownLoach »

storewanderer wrote: October 6th, 2022, 10:16 pm Anyone ever seen a Wal Mart before that blocks off the entire back driveway between automotive and general merchandise receiving and has the asphalt outside covered with boxes and pallets literally so thick a vehicle couldn't drive through this area even if they wanted to?

Store in question also has at least 30 storage trailers between garden and automotive which you can drive up to auto entry (but not exit, to get out of auto bay you have to back out) and also in the front parking lot in front of garden entry.

But almost no pallets inside on the sales floor...

Let me be clear here they are storing what looks like a dozen trucks worth of merchandise OUTSIDE in the back corner of the lot and this is surrounded by not busy streets.

I guess this is one way to do it...?

Cannot believe any company would approve this.
San Clemente, CA operates in a shopping area with a strict and well enforced noise ordinance. Not only are trucks not allowed on the property between 10pm and 7am - you cannot even leave drop trailers and unload during that time. Basically mansions on the bluff above the shopping center - the stores came first then the mansions and they were shocked to find out that if you buy a mansion overlooking the receiving area of stores - you'll learn stores are noisy. This Walmart receives all loads palletized, unloads and sorts all the pallets in the alley with forklifts, and my favorite always has an employee at each end of the alley sitting in a lawn chair with an umbrella year round to guard their goods. All day long the unloading and sorting occurs in a alley wide parade of pallets, then they are all rushed into the store and onto the sales floor for stocking between 8pm and 10pm. This allows them to run an overnight stocking crew without any activity on the dock or behind the store.

This is a miserable, untenable situation brought on by these ignorant individuals who bought these expensive new homes without researching the fact that they directly overlook the stores receiving docks - then they basically bought City Hall off to have draconian noise rules. A noise inspector is on the property from 10pm to 7am and they file criminal complaints with the Sheriff Dept for noise violations. The city pays for this noise inspector with taxpayer money (really, they're a security guard). The best part is that the inspector can usually be found sleeping in their car between Walmart and Albertsons with their windows down so that noise awakens them. We had noise complaints where I would happily provide video showing we had absolutely nothing and no one in the receiving area nor a truck delivery - and it turned out to be the sound of the HVAC units kicking on to cool the store for the early morning merchandising team. It was literally recommended by the city that we just turn off all overnight ventilation and make our employees sweat in the store. Needless to say I asked them how much they would like it if we asked them to turn off the HVAC at City Hall because we find it to be too noisy. We actually got citations for times we literally had nobody on site at all and the store was dark with the alarm set, the noise turned out to be homeless people making noise in the alley. The city actually got to the point where they were sending certified letters to our corporate office stating that if they received three more noise complaints by the end of the year they would revoke our business license - even though we were bending over backwards to operate in as silent of a manner as possible.

Managing a store in that center was one of the most aggravating experiences of my career.
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Re: Walmart observations

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ClownLoach wrote: October 9th, 2022, 8:51 am

San Clemente, CA operates in a shopping area with a strict and well enforced noise ordinance. Not only are trucks not allowed on the property between 10pm and 7am - you cannot even leave drop trailers and unload during that time. Basically mansions on the bluff above the shopping center - the stores came first then the mansions and they were shocked to find out that if you buy a mansion overlooking the receiving area of stores - you'll learn stores are noisy. This Walmart receives all loads palletized, unloads and sorts all the pallets in the alley with forklifts, and my favorite always has an employee at each end of the alley sitting in a lawn chair with an umbrella year round to guard their goods. All day long the unloading and sorting occurs in a alley wide parade of pallets, then they are all rushed into the store and onto the sales floor for stocking between 8pm and 10pm. This allows them to run an overnight stocking crew without any activity on the dock or behind the store.

This is a miserable, untenable situation brought on by these ignorant individuals who bought these expensive new homes without researching the fact that they directly overlook the stores receiving docks - then they basically bought City Hall off to have draconian noise rules. A noise inspector is on the property from 10pm to 7am and they file criminal complaints with the Sheriff Dept for noise violations. The city pays for this noise inspector with taxpayer money (really, they're a security guard). The best part is that the inspector can usually be found sleeping in their car between Walmart and Albertsons with their windows down so that noise awakens them. We had noise complaints where I would happily provide video showing we had absolutely nothing and no one in the receiving area nor a truck delivery - and it turned out to be the sound of the HVAC units kicking on to cool the store for the early morning merchandising team. It was literally recommended by the city that we just turn off all overnight ventilation and make our employees sweat in the store. Needless to say I asked them how much they would like it if we asked them to turn off the HVAC at City Hall because we find it to be too noisy. We actually got citations for times we literally had nobody on site at all and the store was dark with the alarm set, the noise turned out to be homeless people making noise in the alley. The city actually got to the point where they were sending certified letters to our corporate office stating that if they received three more noise complaints by the end of the year they would revoke our business license - even though we were bending over backwards to operate in as silent of a manner as possible.

Managing a store in that center was one of the most aggravating experiences of my career.
I always wondered how that Wal Mart ended up where it is in San Clemente. It was remodeled earlier this year (or demodeled may be a more accurate term- Wal Mart's current decor package is quite nice in grocery areas but super cheap looking outside grocery and since this is a Div 1 store... super cheap throughout). The oddly located Target up the road does almost no business.

I can see it now- employees do the closing trash collection and open the back door to throw it into the dumpster. Hopefully the employees don't talk to each other while outside during this process or that may get them into trouble. Thump of trash bag(s) into dumpster- noise complaint. Closing lid to dumpster- noise complaint. Closing back door when going back into store- noise complaint.

The problem in San Clemente is not the shopping center, the problem is the city who approved a plan of the greedy housing developer who decided to build 21 dwellings packed in like sardines (half of the noise complaints are probably noises generated by neighboring houses being blamed on the shopping center) directly above the shopping center, practically in the shopping center. That space shouldn't have been part of the development of housing in the first place, it should have been open space/a street.
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by veteran+ »

ClownLoach wrote: October 9th, 2022, 8:51 am
storewanderer wrote: October 6th, 2022, 10:16 pm Anyone ever seen a Wal Mart before that blocks off the entire back driveway between automotive and general merchandise receiving and has the asphalt outside covered with boxes and pallets literally so thick a vehicle couldn't drive through this area even if they wanted to?

Store in question also has at least 30 storage trailers between garden and automotive which you can drive up to auto entry (but not exit, to get out of auto bay you have to back out) and also in the front parking lot in front of garden entry.

But almost no pallets inside on the sales floor...

Let me be clear here they are storing what looks like a dozen trucks worth of merchandise OUTSIDE in the back corner of the lot and this is surrounded by not busy streets.

I guess this is one way to do it...?

Cannot believe any company would approve this.
San Clemente, CA operates in a shopping area with a strict and well enforced noise ordinance. Not only are trucks not allowed on the property between 10pm and 7am - you cannot even leave drop trailers and unload during that time. Basically mansions on the bluff above the shopping center - the stores came first then the mansions and they were shocked to find out that if you buy a mansion overlooking the receiving area of stores - you'll learn stores are noisy. This Walmart receives all loads palletized, unloads and sorts all the pallets in the alley with forklifts, and my favorite always has an employee at each end of the alley sitting in a lawn chair with an umbrella year round to guard their goods. All day long the unloading and sorting occurs in a alley wide parade of pallets, then they are all rushed into the store and onto the sales floor for stocking between 8pm and 10pm. This allows them to run an overnight stocking crew without any activity on the dock or behind the store.

This is a miserable, untenable situation brought on by these ignorant individuals who bought these expensive new homes without researching the fact that they directly overlook the stores receiving docks - then they basically bought City Hall off to have draconian noise rules. A noise inspector is on the property from 10pm to 7am and they file criminal complaints with the Sheriff Dept for noise violations. The city pays for this noise inspector with taxpayer money (really, they're a security guard). The best part is that the inspector can usually be found sleeping in their car between Walmart and Albertsons with their windows down so that noise awakens them. We had noise complaints where I would happily provide video showing we had absolutely nothing and no one in the receiving area nor a truck delivery - and it turned out to be the sound of the HVAC units kicking on to cool the store for the early morning merchandising team. It was literally recommended by the city that we just turn off all overnight ventilation and make our employees sweat in the store. Needless to say I asked them how much they would like it if we asked them to turn off the HVAC at City Hall because we find it to be too noisy. We actually got citations for times we literally had nobody on site at all and the store was dark with the alarm set, the noise turned out to be homeless people making noise in the alley. The city actually got to the point where they were sending certified letters to our corporate office stating that if they received three more noise complaints by the end of the year they would revoke our business license - even though we were bending over backwards to operate in as silent of a manner as possible.

Managing a store in that center was one of the most aggravating experiences of my career.
Well, I was laughing so hard to think that Walmart was having to endure that ridiculous situation (no one deserves that more than them), UNTIL I continued reading, to understand that Albertsons was subjected to the same.

Total buzz killer!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Walmart observations

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veteran+ wrote: October 9th, 2022, 12:06 pm

Well, I was laughing so hard to think that Walmart was having to endure that ridiculous situation (no one deserves that more than them), UNTIL I continued reading, to understand that Albertsons was subjected to the same.

Total buzz killer!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Lowes and some other mid sized retailers in the center too, it is a fairly large/major shopping center.

If you look at the map some of these are more isolated from the housing than others. Albertsons and Lowes probably don't have much trouble based on how they are positioned.

My guess is the mid sized retailers get bullied around by the city the most regarding this stuff. Wal Mart probably doesn't get too much grief since they likely generate far higher sales taxes and the city doesn't want to mess with them.
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by bryceleinan »

I went to three different Walmart stores over the weekend, including the store in Carson City where they have the drive aisle by automotive completely blocked off, as he discussed. All three stores in question are in rural counties where Walmart is undoubtedly the largest retailer. When I worked for the largest Walmart in Reno back in 2002-2003, the only time we used containers was for layaway during the holidays. Now, it appears Walmart got bit by the bullwhip and staffing effects of COVID, and stuffs everything into containers. Lots of out of stocks.
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by Alpha8472 »

A Walmart near me has chained up the shopping carts at night. Apparently people are stealing carts to sell for scrap metal.

Walmart should do what Target does and use only plastic carts. You never hear about plastic shopping carts being sold for recycling.

Kmart used to have plastic shopping carts years ago. Safeway used to have plastic shopping carts throughout the Lifestyle era. It was only recently when Safeway switched to metal again. Safeway has been dealing with shopping cart theft as well in the San Francisco Bay Area.


The Walmart Neighborhood Market in San Ramon, California has gone back to using Porta-potties. The restrooms are clogged up again even after the store spent tons of money to fix them last time.
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Re: Walmart observations

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Walmart closing Waterworks store in Pennsylvania in November due to underperforming.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news ... -location/
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Re: Walmart observations

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That is one strange looking Wal Mart.
It also appears to have no garden center, no auto repair, I can't tell if it has a pharmacy, no vision center, no fast food... weird looking place.

Can't believe they spelled Pittsburgh wrong (Pittsburg) on their store closing sign.

Hope they got the right store and didn't mean Pittsburg (yes it is spelled that way), CA.
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by Alpha8472 »

It is only open 7 AM to 7 PM? It must really be doing poorly. Apparently the pharmacy is closed permanently from reviews. Maybe they never had one.
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