Update on Wal-Mart?*&^%$#@!

jodibelle352 · Post by **jodibelle352** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 9:00 am

I did NOT hear anything from Corporate in answer to my e-mail or the e-mail Tex sent. I DID however, receive a phone call this a.m. from Shawn/Sean ? the Store Manager from Wal-Mart Super Center in Caro, Michigan.

I think I received an apology of sorts from the Store Manager but I don't feel anything he said this a.m. was sincere. It felt more like the phone call I received from him was bothersome for him and he was doing it just to be rid of me and what happened Oct.3rd.

Anyway, he apologized for what happened and then asked me "What could I give or do for you to compensate for what happened?"

I was puzzled by his tone and I sensed he was not doing this because he wanted to. So I asked him "How did you get my phone number? Nobody, not even you asked for my name, address or phone number on the day of the incident. You didn't even ask for any information when my husband called you. So why and how did you get my personal information now?"

Well apparently someone who knew about what happened to me called him and asked him to make things right by me. He wouldn't say who nor would he give me any direct answers.

I told him that I felt I deserved a sincere apology as well as the assurance that the 2 employees were made aware and truly realized what they had done. He told me that he could NOT devulge to me anything that transpired between the company and the 2 employees and that I only needed to know that they had been dealt with. :Itchscratch:

He then again asked what he could give me to compensate the situation. By this time I was really getting annoyed and felt like I was being treated like I had done something wrong. I asked him "Do you realize how long I was stuck in that bathroom without knowing when or if I could find a way to get myself cleaned up enough to get back to the front of the store and leave without any further embarrassment? I had messed myself and had NO underware, NO pants and the back of my sweatshirt was soiled and ruined."

He asked me if I would accept a $50 gift card for my inconvience and that if that would be acceptable he would put it in the mail

and I should have it by Monday or Tuesday at the latest unless I wanted to come up to the store myself and pick it up.

Am I satisfied with this store managers customer service techniques........ the answer to that is NO!

Am I going to accept the $50 gift card................HELL YES!!!!!! Will I be doing much business with them in the future.............NOT UNLESS I HAVE TO!

I want everyone on this board to know that I'm very grateful for all your love and support. If anyone knows of anyone who may have called the Wal-Mart in Caro, Michigan on my behalf I am truly grateful. I would just like to know if anyone knows anything as to why this manager would have been on the defensive with me when I didn't do anything to him or his damn store!

I am honestly confused, can anyone shed any light on what just happened and why anyone in this position would be so brass? Maybe I'm missing something. beat_deadhorse:

I'm not going to do anything further about this as I've accepted his $50 gift card offer and now I'm going to do my best to put this incident behind me.

Thank You so much Tex for you e-mail to Corporate and if you have any idea what just took place please enlighten me because this Jack Ass showed NO empathy for the situation at all. He just wanted me and the incident to GO AWAY!

Joan, Babsey, Barb, Oma, Dee, G'Ma, Angy and all who supported me Thank You and God Bless each and everyone of you.

Love and God Bless:
Jodi

:flyingdoveleft:

katinchatt · Post by **katinchatt** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 9:28 am

Morning Jodi!

I can only assume that because it was such a "personal incident", that he doesn't have the skills to deal with it in an appropriate manner. Unfortunately you had one of those, who when in an uncomfortable position, goes on the defensive. That said, he probably did his best. The two guys "in their minds" were doing their job. The "video" they watched for training didn't cover/include medical emergencies. Hopefully that has changed, not only in their store, but every store.

Hey ~ your $50 bucks richer! You could always get a half a tank of gas with it! You were also blessed with a new Angel, that of course is PRICELESS.

Have an awesome weekend,
Kat

jodibelle352 · Post by **jodibelle352** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 9:36 am

Hi Kat:

Thank You for the input on this, you're probably right about him just being uncomfortable and I was still on the defensive because of how he sounded. Which diffinately was UNCOMFORTABLE IMO!

Hopefully, all the employees were made aware of things that needed to be addressed. Sometimes using common sense goes a long way when a medical situation is right in front of you.

Thank You and God Bless:
Jodi

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 11:26 am

Not, I. Maybe your brother? The lawyer?

Sorry, but I think you should hear from corporate.

Babsey · Post by **Babsey** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 11:37 am

Sounds like he wanted to throw you a gift card so you would go away and he could sweep it under the rug. Hopefully you will hear from corporate.
I hate it when these big companies think that they can do whatever they want.

I know that I will never spend any of my money at any Walmart ever again.

I'm sorry you had to go thru all that! $50 isn't worth the humiliation that you had to go thru.

Post by **tex** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 11:53 am

Jodi,

For better or for worse, here are my thoughts:

My guess as to why that manager seemed so uncomfortable, is that he felt confused and very uncomfortable, apologizing for something that really wasn't his fault, after someone at corporate headquarters ordered him to do so.

You have to understand that Walmart is not your typical, run-of-the-mill corporation. It's more like a military operation, and corporate management is as secretive as the CIA, (and probably better organized). The company is extremely regimented. All their board meetings, their planning, their internal policies, internal memos, etc., are closely-guarded secrets, and anyone responsible for security leaks is promptly dismissed. They publish all sorts of PR statements, but they never divulge what they are really thinking, nor their true reasons for doing anything. This is all well documented, if you read the Wall Street Journal. Of course, many/most corporations follow similar policies, but IMO, Walmart has the technique perfected - it's one of the reasons why they are so successful. They do it better than any other company in the world.

Therefore, that manager was not at liberty to reveal where he got your phone number, (my guess is he got it from corporate headquarters, of course), and he had to be very careful about what he said, (if he wanted to keep his job). The reason it wasn't his fault, is because corporate headquarters controls all the operational policies of every store, so he had nothing to do with the reasons why those "associates", (employees), behaved the way they did - they did exactly what corporate policy dictated that they do, and the store manager is required to support and enforce those policies. Put yourself in his shoes - you would feel as if you were in a bad dream, with your boss holding a gun to your head, forcing you to apologize for his, (your boss's), mistakes, while insisting that you admit no wrong-doing. That's probably why he seemed uncomfortable, detached, and insincere.

Thinking about this, I'm just making a guess here, but I would be very surprised if managers are allowed to make exceptions to rules, unless someone's life or limb were in clear and immediate danger. Look at it this way: Dealing with Walmart is much like dealing with the military. If you step onto, (or drive into), a military base, then as long as you are on that base, you have to follow a different set of rules than you were following everywhere else. While on that base, you must follow the rules laid out in the Pentagon, and no one on that base has the liberty to waive those rules for you, or anyone else, unless someone's life or limb is in clear and immediate danger, (and if national security is at stake, then danger to life and limb may not be a justification for exceptions, either).

If you were dealing with a "Mom and Pop" shop, it would be an entirely different matter, because "corporate management" would be right there in the store, and dealing with such a situation in a face-to-face encounter, is much simpler. With Walmart, however, corporate management is "faceless". Also, remember that you are dealing with the low-price discounter of the world, not Bloomingdale's. They didn't get to where they are by throwing money around, nor by spending money on great customer service, (every store has zillions of checkout lines, but every time I go to one, there are long lines, because only a handful of checkout stations are open, for example).

I'm guessing that an "uncomfortable" apology by the store manager, and a $50 gift card, are about the best that can be hoped for, in such a situation. Hopefully, that will pay for most of your clothes that were ruined. I honestly believe that it would be unrealistic to expect an apology from bottom-tier "associates", for the part they played. They had no choice - they were just following corporate policy, and they had no authority to "bend" the rules. Also, for what they are paid, they certainly have no incentive to take any chances that might cost them their jobs. All this is just my opinion, of course, but as far as I can determine, it's a reasonably plausible picture of the situation.

One other thing to keep in mind is that each and every one of us assumes that same risk, if we choose to leave our homes, when we are reacting. Of course, we assume that if we are in a store that has restrooms available, then we should be able to count on them, if we should need them. The question is, how far should a place of business have to go, to "guarantee" availability of such facilities, under extenuating circumstances, (such as when the facilities are being cleaned, repaired, or whatever). The restrooms are a convenience, but not necessarily a "customer right" under every imaginable circumstance. (Or am I misinterpreting the law?) "Stuff" happens, and as much as we hate to see it, sometimes we are just in the wrong place, at the wrong, time, and our luck runs out. Been there, done that, and as unpleasant as it is, sometimes it happens, and when it does, I usually attribute it to just plain bad luck, and hope that my luck improves in the future.

Love,
Tex

angy · Post by **angy** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:25 pm

Well i think thats pretty good $50 gift card...to pay for ur soiled clothing...Dont think retail staff are trained these days like they used to be... I worked in retail years ago and by god the customer training skills were intense...Nowadays nobody gives a *** and they only care about money money money...and more money...

Still I wouldnt be shopping there unless its extremely necessary...

Dang pity he didnt give ya a years supply of gf foods huh!!!

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:26 pm

Here's a new site that Walmartwatch.com has put up with employee complaints. http://walmartspeaksout.com/speak-out/

I do not think Sam Walton would like his company now.

Post by **tex** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 1:07 pm

Yep, you can bet that Mr. Walton is not resting very peacefully, considering the direction in which his company has been headed, since he's been gone.

Tex

Dee · Post by **Dee** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 4:10 pm

Wise decision to put this issue behind you because we all now know that with WalMart it is a done deal!!
Take the $50 gift card and run with it.
To put some humor on the subject, I wonder if the store manager would have crapped his pants if you would have replied with, $50, no deal, $100, I'll think about it!!!!!

I'm still sorry that you've had to go thru this, but try to not dwell on it (easier said than done) I know, but ya gotta keep that stress level down.
I just don't want to see you go thru this type of situation again.
Hopefully, no more urges to go for you and if so, and your in a store, remember to plop your butt down on any toilet that is close to you, whether someone tells you NO or not!!!!

Love
Dee~~~~~~

jodibelle352 · Post by **jodibelle352** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 4:42 pm

Dee:

ROTFLMAO

I'm not going to do anything more with Wal-Mart, I am going to take my gift card for $50 and run with it. Replace my underware and replace my pants I was wearing and put the rest in my tank with gas and drive as far away from Wal-Mart as I can get.

If the e-mails Tex and I sent to corpotate changes things so that this doesn't happen to anyone else then we've accomplished a very good thing for other customers.

I have everyone here as a great support system as well as a husband; David who picks me up and brushes me off when things get tough. He also holds me close when I think I can not handle anymore humiliation with this disease. Compared to so many other people I would say I'm truly blessed with many ANGELS! You are included among them.

Love and God Bless:
Jodi

G'ma Mary · Post by **G'ma Mary** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:16 pm

Jodi;

I agree 100% with Tex - first, I believe the manager got your phone number from corporate who got it from your's (or Tex's) e-mail to them. Next, I believe the phone number came with "orders" to do something to keep you quiet!

A few suggestions for you for the future: When I was still having problems, I never left home wearing undies - only Depends! They never did "hold" everything I could put out, but would take care of the time while I could get to a restroom. Also, as someone else mentioned, spare panties and some form of pants that don't take up too much space are great in a baggie in the purse. I felt like I had to plan as well for my own outings when I was at the height of my illness as I ever planned for taking an infant (my son, or more recently his sons) out of the house!

In addition to all this, I would avoid WalMart at all costs! I always used to, but since I moved to this area, they truly have a monolopy here. I need to become more aware of who I support and where I want my $$$ to go.

Have a great day!
G'ma Mary

jodibelle352 · Post by **jodibelle352** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 7:31 pm

Thank You so much G'Ma for the compassionate advise. David and I have always gone to the Caro Wal-Mart Super Center because it was closer, more convienant to get all the things we needed without having to go to 3 or 4 places and millage wise it was easier on the gas then driving 30-40 miles farther.

Since this incident with Wal-Mart I assure you once a depleat the $50 gift card you can be assured that this family will NOT be going to Wal-Mart unless absolutely neccessary.

The thought has crossed my mind that once I receive my gift card and go to spend it that I would make my presence known to the store manager so he could meet me face to face. However, I have a tendency to become very emotional when I'm angry and cry. Since I don't want to give him or anyone else the satisfaction of seeing me more upset then i was on Oct. 3rd I've decided to flip them off on my way out of the store instead.

I'll give respect to them and those who deserve it but Wal-Mart will never place me in another stressful situation that will cause me any further humilliation. That would be totally ignorant on my part to place myself in harms way when now I have a choice to avoid it all together.

Thank You for your kindness and advise.
Love and God Bless:
Jodi