Ryder":1fu1l4pz said:We go to Wal Mart late Sat. nights for groceries. While my wife is getting groceries I would walk around in hardware, sporting, automotive, etc. to see what they have. I can't buy if I don't know about a new item.
Last several months they started playing this obnoxious screeching music. Now sometimes I just go ourtside and wait. It is irritating and I know it gets on the nerves of some of the cashiers.
I am told headquarters pipes it in and nothing they can do about it.
Any of you have this problem?
Not that I have noticed. I know a former walmartian, maybe she can tell me.
I am sure that retail management is pretty much the same everywhere in theory. The difference is what kind of committment the company is willing to make in terms of making those principles work. The first Wal Mart I ever went to was in Durant, Oklahoma. I remember thinking what a nice place it was. (This was back in 1980 or so) It was clean and the people were friendly.
I think that when Sam Walton was alive, things like that were very important to him and he stressed it when opening every store. Now everyone is just greedy and WalMart has become a symbol of everything that's wrong with American culture.
McDonald's is the same way. Ray Croc insisted that every employee in every franchise be extremely polite or they would not work there. He was big on cleanliness, too. Ever see how nasty some McDonald's are?
Everyone reading this can think of at least 1 other example, I bet. Once you dominate the market, it's easy to forget what made you #1.