Wal-Mart's Systemic Thievery

On July 11 I blogged about Wal-Mart's price scanner malfunctioning, adding a scanned item twice. I had to go to customer service to get my money back.

Which I found highly annoying.

Today it happened again. I'd been to ALDI where a couple dozen items were super quickly scanned, with nary a problem.

Then I crossed the street to Wal-Mart, intending to get a new Popcorn Air Popper, because mine had blown up.

By the time I got to the checkout I'd also picked up a bag of chick peas, garlic powder and a pair of cargo shorts.

As you can see on the scanned receipt, I was charged for two jars of 5th Season garlic powder. I pointed this out to the checker. He, just like the previous instance, apologized profusely and told me to go to Customer Dis-Service to get my money back.

I told the checker I did not care to wait in the long Customer Dis-Service line to recover the 50 cents that Wal-Mart stole from me. I told the checker I'd just go get another jar of garlic powder. That'll work too, he said.

I decided to assess a fine for Wal-Mart stealing 50 cents from me and wasting my time, so I took an extra jar of spice, lemon pepper. It made the potato salad I made for lunch taste good.

This systemic thievery has now happened twice. I was buying only 4 items. I saw them scanned and saw the scanned item show up on the screen. The garlic powder did not show up twice.

And yet it was double-billed. I assume, just like the previous instance, the checker did not see the garlic powder show up twice, either.

So, clearly there is a major malfunction happening with Wal-Mart's check-out system.

Like I said, I only bought 4 items. What happens with those people with a cart full of dozens of items? How many of those people bother to look at the receipt? How much extra income does this add to Wal-Mart, systemically double-billing customers?

Why is it the store where I buy the least has problems like this? I've never had a checkout problem at Town Talk, at Sprouts Farmers Market, at ALDI Food Market, at Cho Saigon Market, at Central Market or Whole Foods.

I remember years ago the State of Washington's, I assume Attorney General, sent out teams of undercover agents to investigate complaints about K-Mart's pricing errors. If I remember right this ended up costing K-Mart a large fine.

Is it because Wal-Mart is operating in the ethics challenged lawless zone of Fort Worth and Tarrant County that it knows it can get away with some shady stuff that they can weasel their way out of, if caught?

It's all very vexing. And perplexing. And what is also perplexing and vexing is why do I still shop at Wal-Mart? I think the sad truth is, it's the entertainment factor. The well-documented "People of Wal-Mart." I saw a few doozies today.

So, bottom-line, if you shop at Wal-Mart, watch them like a hawk and check your receipt.

I just realized I forgot to mention another aspect of today's bizarre Wal-Mart experience. Today is the first day in a long time it has not been HOT in North Texas. The Hurst Wal-Mart was pumping HEAT into the building. Finally their A/C could get a rest, and while the rest of North Texas was opening their windows, the Hurst Wal-Mart cranked up the furnace! I tell you it was HOT in there.

Just one more thing to be perplexed about.

Wal-Mart's Institutionalized Thievery Strikes Again

Yes, I realize my one longtime reader is rolling her eyes and thinking he's not going to go on about Wal-Mart sucking again, is he?

Why, yes I am. Earlier this month I blogged several times about how Wal-Mart, system-wide, was charging $2.00 for a gallon of milk, when their shelf price signs had it at $1.98. After the 3rd or 4th time of being overcharged 2 cents, I went to Customer Service, assuming the longstanding practice of totally refunding the price of a mistake was still in play, but instead I just got my 2 cents worth back. And the satisfaction of blogging about it.

I then got a very long comment from some guy who I found out later has a Wal-Mart Sucks Blog. He referred to Wal-Mart's pricing scams, which have become chronic, as Wal-Mart's Instituionalized Thievery.

Yes, I know I said I wasn't going to shop at Wal-Mart anymore, but, other than Sprouts, where am I to go? Sprouts is 12 miles north. I'm not going to go there every time I need something. And today I needed bread. I got only 6 items. Of the items, the bread was the only item I had noticed what the price was.

I usually get Wal-Mart brand whole wheat bread. For a long time, for some reason, Wal-Mart wasn't stocking their Wal-Mart brand whole wheat bread. They substituted locally made Mrs. Baird's whole wheat bread for the same price, that being $1.47. Mrs. Baird's whole wheat bread is usually $1.78.

Today the Wal-Mart brand whole wheat bread had gone missing again. And once again, there was Mrs. Baird's in its place, with $1.47 once more as the price.

But, when I checked out, the bread scanned at $1.78, a 31 cent difference. I know you're thinking if I went to the bother of going to Customer Service to get my 2 cents worth I certainly would do that again to get a whopping 31 cents. Well, you would be wrong. Even though there was no line in Customer Service I wasn't going to waste time to get a measly 31 cents.

I have other ways of making Wal-Mart pay for their Institutionalized Thievery...

Wal-Mart Sucking Again

My little sister informed me last week that a week from now, when I'm in Tacoma, I am banned from shopping at Wal-Mart. This should not be difficult because there is no Wal-Mart in Tacoma.

This morning I went to my neighborhood Super Wal-Mart. I needed paper towels and a few other things. Like lime juice. Wal-Mart did not have any lime juice in stock.

The paper towels had one of those "Price Rollback" signs blaring that the pack of paper towels now cost $5.00. A price rollback of 63 cents. However, between when I put the paper towels in my cart and checked out the price must have rolled back up, because the paper towels rang up at $5.63.

I told the checkout girl that this was not the correct price. She told me I had to go to Customer Service to get it corrected. Even though it was early morning and Wal-Mart had few customers, there was a long long line at Customer Service. I believe Customer Service at Wal-Mart is what is known as an oxymoron.

Now, unlike Krogers or Albertsons, where I don't ever recollect the price mistake being in my favor, more often than not the price mistake at Wal-Mart gives me a bargain. So, I really didn't mind the 63 cent unexpected surcharge.

When I Googled "Wal-Mart Sucks", looking for an appropriate image, I found that there are websites devoted to Wal-Mart Sucking and Blowing. I also found some YouTube videos devoted to Wal-Mart and its tendency to suck in various ways.

Here's WALMART*SUCKS.ORG.

Here's Wal*Mart-Blows.com.

Here's Disgruntled Human complaining about Wal-Mart Sucking.

Here's Wal-Mart Really Sucks.

Okay, that's enough with the Wal-Mart Sucks websites. Now for some Wal-Mart Sucks video.

In the first video two guys whine about Wal-Mart, as they drive along. The best part of this one is at one point, like me, they lament that they continue to shop at the very place they are complaining about.



The second video is about a Wal-Mart employee and the shenanigans that go on during the late night shift.