...I haven't said this nearly enough after all my previous complaining, but ever since our precious Meijer opened, shopping at the Wal Mart has been just...well...beautiful. I know, I know. Who would have thought such words would leave my mouth (or hands)? But it's true. I've been able to find good parking spaces, carts abound, lines are not backed up into clothing...it's beautiful.
And now they're remodeling.
Tonight when I arrived, I had a specific mental plan, which was demolished in all of two seconds. I had a path to follow...one that would take me past the nail polish, on to the band aids, back to the cat food, and then to the regular food.
I turned into the cosmetics corner to find rows of empty shelves. I went in search of the missing items...and found shampoo in the toys, bikes in the pet food...and worker bees painstakingly checking bottles of nail polish against inventory sheets in aisles formerly occupied by hair products. I said under my breath, "Boy this is gonna be a long night." I asked a worker bee where I might find the pet food and she said, "Oh, back by shoes. Doesn't that make sense?" Normally I would have joked with her, but unfortunately the loss of the first four items on my list had sucked the last of the humor out of my body. I said, "Um, actually no, but thanks."
After trekking across the entire store for my cat food, I decided to give the nail polish one more shot. The bottle I searched for is called "Petites." Does that tell you how very little hope I had of ever finding it in the massive eruption of makeup that scattered over what should have been the shampoo aisle?
I called Mom on the way back across the store and said, "I just started spelling. Does that tell you how much I have h-a-d-i-t with this s-t-o-r-e?"
1 hour ago
18 comments:
Uh oh...I take it when Bekah spells, things aren't going so good?
Btw, I was told the reason stores move things around is to make you pass things you normally would not look at as you go to things you want or need.
Sneaky of them, isn't it?
I wonder what happens when patrons start going to other stores instead?
You got it!!!!!
They can move stuff for any old reason they want - but I prefer the (gasp) non-changing way.
I feel your pain. They just did the same thing in Pratt and are in the process in Dodge.
GASP....did you just comment on my blog!?!?!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and i'm sorry you have to feel my pain. ICK.
Yes, I just figured out how. Don't make fun of me. Want me to pick up your polish for you?
I'm not making fun! I'm stinking excited!! (Dad hates it when I say stinking, so don't tell him. lol.) Believe it or not, I found the polish. It was in the ONLY aisle they had stocked. It still looks better on you. How many coats do you put on?
hate, hate, HATE it when they move things!!
Oh, Bekah. I thought your Wal-Mart days were over... please retire this store and shop elsewhere, or I fear you'll go insane.
Oh how I detest when stores move things around. I know for a fact that they have lost sales from me when that happens, simply because I do not have time to search for what I need.
I understand why they do it, but I still don't think it's as effective as they think it is.
When it happens in a store that I frequent all the time (like Walmart or Target) it irritates me to no end.
Then again, I'm easily irritated these days....
They're in the process of changing the Wal-Mart near me into a Super Wal-Mart, and now is the time for rearranging. Out goes the fabric section (no more bolts of fabric; it will be pre-cut pieces only once they're Super), and in its place, they put the clearance items. But only until they took stuff out of the garden section, which is where the clearance items will have their permanent home. And Electronics will be where the fabrics used to be.
I get lost now when I go there. I can't wait until they've finished going Super (sometime in July).
I feel your pain!
First of all, the whole point of the marketing process is to change!!! It's how it's always going to be. Not to mention our current President is all about change. So just hang on tight and umm...what did my Dad used to say? Oh yeah! "DEAL WITH IT!"
I must apologize but when I'm in and out of just about every retail store in the biz (and right now quite a few are remodeling) I hear all the complaining and moaning and groaning and sighing and stomping because someone had to actually work to find something. Seriously I would recommend you all read either "The Kite Runner" or "A Thousand Splendid Suns" we are so spoiled over here and here's one more proof! Do you expect to be waited on hand and foot?
WAIT! Don't answer that on the grounds it may incriminate you! HA!
Oh and by the way, Bekah, you did NOT mention that these were BRAND NEW CARTS THAT DON'T SQUEAK!
Bye Bye for Now!
Julie - ME TOO - because I hate asking for directions. LOL.
Sarah - I do shop at Meijer, but they have a weird layout too that I haven't yet learned, plus they're more expensive. Until this week, I've been basking in the smaller wal mart crowds that have allowed me to shop in peace.
Christina - You are DEFINITELY allowed to be irritated. I was praying for you yesterday...how you feeling?
Skyepuppy - I've been told ours is losing fabric too. I rarely buy fabric, so at this point it hasn't affected me, but I know a couple of people who are NOT happy about it. Especially since there's only a couple of small (SMALL) fabric stores in town to serve as alternate selections.
Chris, no i don't expect to be waited on hand and foot, but I do expect to be able to get in, get what I need, and get out in a reasonable amount of time. I woulnd't have minded HALF as much (truly!) if they'd put up signs that told me where the stuff I needed went. How hard is it to hang a piece of copy paper on the end of the former pet aisle and say "pet products moved to shoe location?"
And I did notice the new carts and was reveling in them...until I got lost and then I just didn't care anymore.
(To be fair, i didn't mention that this shopping experience came on the heels of being forced to honk the car horn - somthing I NEVER do - at some van who pulled out RIGHT in front of me on the way there - nearly causing me to hit them. So I wasn't in the greatest mood to start with and this whole fiasco did NOT help.)
Bek - I feel your pain! My key problem is NOT that stores move stuff around, but that they do so during prime shopping times, so you can't get down the aisles.
Would it not kill someone to just postpone drastic moving (like having all the cosmetics in an indiscernable pile)during the overnight hours?
Wal-mart is a 24 hour store, so this wouldn't be too far out of their scheduling norm anyways. Granted, it may require the overnight people to acutally earn their paycheck.
I would hazard a very well-educated guess that one of the main reasons people make changes to shopping habits is due to the lack of convenience of being able to get in and get out (long lines, poorly organized layout, etc) - and I don't think that's a "spoiled American" thing, just a human nature thing.
The desire for instant gratification is universal and has been around since Genesis; however, the definition of "instant" is relevant to a person's environment.
I figured I'd see Kristin come in there soon as I posted. Ha!
This particular Wal-mart is not using their night crew for the task. They bring in a team with their own managers and everything. It'll be over soon. They will have a Re-Grand Opening and they'll hand out stuff left and right for that first week.
Also, signs cost a lot of money and they usually only make one set and it comes from the Corporate Hdqtrs for ANY retail chain. Sort of annoying, but that's how it is.
IF YOU WANNA KNOW: Dollar General and Family Dollar stores get their shelf price tags from their respective Corporate locations, thus, if they don't receive one it is either blank or they leave up the old one. Then they have to go through this whole arduous task of ordering new ones and this can take up to two months!
Chris, I don't believe any rennovating WalMart is using their night crew (the Lawrence one isn't, I know for sure). And since they're using Mangment to do the dirty work, that would explain why it's not being done overnight.
Regardless, I think Bekah just wanted a piece of paper with a bit of handwriting on it, which wouldn't take much time (or money)at all.
My only response to Chris is this:
No, I don't need to be waited on hand and foot, nor am I unwilling to do the work and search for something myself.
However, have you ever tried to do your family's Christmas shopping while dealing with an extremely colicky baby? How about a strong-willed toddler? How about with the aforementioned toddler and battling a bad case of all-day pregnancy-induced sickness?
If I had all the time in the world, it wouldn't be an issue....but sometimes I just need things to be where they are supposed to be.
How would you like it if someone came into your house and constantly rearranged where everything essential was? I have a feeling that would be a tad inconvenient and dare I say, annoying, to even you.
No, I'm not picking on you Chris, but daggone it, I'm cranky and very, very pregnant and I don't have the time or energy to go on a wild goose chase!
First before I start I know Kristin will refute this...
Christina - First of all, tonight we went to Wal-mart and sure enough my two year old whined and cried and whined and cried. I dealt with it. I smiled and laughed at him and shouted for all to hear "FREE KID! FREE KID!" No one took me up on the offer. Oh well.
Number two - Christina, I do have this. My wife tends to change things all the time in my house. I will go looking for something I knew was in one spot and she has moved it to another location. For the sake of moving it I think. Again, I get over it and move on. :) But thanks for your comments anyway.
Okay Kristin - You can now have the last word. We all know you love this so much! :)
For the record, Bekah, I enjoy your witty banter about various and sundry topics . . . including Wally World. I do not perceive that your comments indicate a lack of concern for the suffering people in our world, I just think you're a normal person who can spin a good yarn. :)
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