by Brenda Halverson

Created on: May 18, 2008

I have a love/hate relationship with Walmart. Because I need to get the best value for my money, I am going to shop there. I can't afford to pay the difference for certain purchases I could get elsewhere. But I have certainly been made aware that my satisfaction is not guaranteed, and that this store is not anything but a warehouse for the masses, with little or no consideration for its individual customers. While I go on my rant, please remember that my experiences are limited to the Walmart store in our little town, and I do realize that other Walmart stores might be more considerate. (But I doubt it.)

The first clue was one day when I asked a sales person where my favorite shampoo had disappeared to and if they could still get it. I was told, "We can only get what the company sends us. They decide what will be in the store." Well! Coming from a very small town, that was quite a shock to my sensibilities. I was used to hearing that if I would buy something, they would try to get it. The next blow came when I purchased a Christmas CD which I loved so much I wanted another one to give as a gift at an after Christmas party. The day after Christmas I looked all through Walmart for the CD. When I broke down and asked where it could be, they explained that a truck had come and took all the Christmas music out of the store. The day after Christmas? They don't waste any time. The person I asked turned to me with a sneer and said, "You wouldn't get a discount on it anyway, even if we did have it in the store." Ooh, I guess they really think they have us over a barrel and we have no place else to go. And it's the sad truth that if you need to buy big bags of cat or dog food, or dry cereal, you will pay a lot more at the grocery store.

The worst thing that ever happened to me at Walmart was when I tried to return a $7.28 watch which quit after two weeks of use. I know that's cheap, but it was a few years ago, and it was the principal of the situation. I took the offending watch in to the store, and was told immediately, before they even asked if I had my receipt, that they would not replace it or give me a refund. To make a long story short, it took about forty-five minutes, but they did return my money, and got a promise from me that I would never buy any type of jewelry at their store again. Yes, I was nice, but I was also firm enough to get my money back, and they were not happy.

So, since I do not buy jewelry there, I limit myself to toilet paper, paper towels and

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