Another Walmart Customer Service Story

December 23, 2016…WALMART…I know you’re already saying, “Why???”

We had some grocery and essential shopping that needed to be done, and I knew I didn’t want to go to Walmart on the day before Christmas…but it never dawned on me that half the town might be thinking the same way.

Several months ago I started using the electronic carts at Walmart.  The decision to do so resulted from a fall in 2000 that caused a lower back problem that has never been resolved.  I can’t stand for more than a couple of minutes without extreme, nauseating pain in my back.  Earlier this year I started noticing a swollen lump on the back of my right foot, and a visit to the podiatrist revealed a large bone spur…and an aggravating Achilles tendon that swells, making it almost impossible to walk sometimes.  I tend to walk like I’m wearing a high heel on my right foot.  The doctor gave us an application for a handicapped sticker, but I usually ask Dan to let me out at the door and my foot hurts by the time I walk in the door and find a riding cart.  So I don’t go to the store unless I really have to.

I’ve had strangers rudely comment when they see me riding a cart.  They assume I’m lazy and I’m using the cart because of my weight.  It’s very likely that my weight aggravates my injuries, but I choose to just grin and bear the ugly remarks because I know the truth…and I would NEVER in a million years say something so ugly to someone I know nothing about…but that’s a different story completely.  Let me move on from the background info to today’s trip to Walmart…a store usually known for long lines, few employees available to help and few lanes open for check out!

I got the last electronic cart when I walked in the store, and was just thrilled to be able to get one.  I moved towards the produce section and quickly filled the basket with veggies for a fresh veggie tray at the family Christmas dinner.  Before I could turn to aisle #2, the beeper went off indicating “Low Battery”…so I headed back to the front of the store.  I got to the main front aisle and DEAD…right where folks walk in and walk out of the store…worst possible place for a “breakdown”.  The Walmart greeter (who’s duty this time of year is to check receipts) stopped long enough to help me move all my veggies to a small basket because I couldn’t take the chair to the charging station with anything in the basket.  It charged enough while I was stopped that I was able to crawl at a snail’s pace to the charging station.  Plugged her in…sat for about 3 minutes…and it lit up with a “Full Charge”!!!  Seemed unbelievable that it could charge that quickly, but I counted my blessings, unplugged and pulled forward…about 5 feet….and it dropped to “Low Battery”…so I backed up and plugged it in AGAIN.

This time I sat for 10 minutes thinking, “I’ll bet Dan’s wondering where I’ve disappeared.”  At the end of 10 minutes, I unplugged and headed back into the store.  Plopped my blue basket right into the cart basket and hit the “forward” button.  I found Dan almost immediately.  In my wisdom, I had actually printed TWO shopping lists…so we split it and he headed off to hunt down his items.  I only had 5 things I needed…but before I could find 3, that blasted beeping sound started up.  I started crawling back to the front of the store.  This time a VERY NICE EMPLOYEE caught up with me in produce and said, “Here, let me give you a push and we should be able to get you to the front of the store quicker.”  Would you believe we got back to the EXACT SAME SPOT that it had died the first time, and it gave up the ghost???  The young man said, “Let me see if there’s another cart available,” and moments later came riding around the corner.  He and the Walmart greeter helped transfer the blue basket and other items…and Dan’s coat…to the basket of electronic chair #2!  I moved over and pushed the forward button.

NOTHING!  I hit the backward button.  Again, NOTHING!  And yes…I’m back in the busiest intersection in the store.  I stood up and reseated myself…I wiggled the seat around…I sighed…I pushed the buttons again.  NOTHING.  My head is hanging in defeat now.  The greeter has no clue.  We’d both watched the other young man drive it without any difficulty (and I should add that he was heftier than I am).  In desperation, I tried ONE MORE TIME…and voila’!  Movement.  I said a prayer and raced as quickly as a cart will race (approximately 3 mph) to the back of the store to get crescent rolls because no Christmas dinner is perfect without crescent rolls.  I parked right against the refrigerated section so I could reach up and get my crescent rolls.  I put them in the cart and pushed the “Forward” button…and, you guessed it.  NOTHING!  For five minutes I sat there.  Do you know how many people buy crescent rolls and pie crusts (on the bottom shelf) on December 23^rd???  I do.  Too many.  I was in everybody’s way.  Finally a store manager showed up to ask a shelver a question and I explained my dilemma.  SHE WAS SO NICE (2^nd nice Walmart worker in one day).  She paged the front hosts to see if there were any carts available on either end.  There were NOT.  She paged someone from maintenance to come look at the cart.  She had Dan paged.  I asked someone who was buying crescent rolls if he would just “whack the cart” because that’s what guys do to fix anything that’s not working.  He asked, “Did you drop it yet?”  NICE WALMART WORKER #3 showed up.  She pushed buttons…she sat on the seat…jiggled it and wiggled it.  The crescent roll buyer ACTUALLY LIFTED THE BACK OF THE CART AND DROPPED IT.  Still not a budge.  They had me sit back down to wait for Dan (who is really the one who should be riding an electric cart but refuses to do so).  He came limping up and we transferred everything to his basket.  I stood up and the supervisor AND maintenance worker both decided they should just push the cart out of the way…but it wouldn’t budge!!!  It’s apparently supposed to roll freely when it’s not in use…so they knew something was wrong with the front wheel.  They both got down to look at it.  They stood up, and once again the maintenance lady sat down and pushed the button AND THE CART TOOK OFF!!!  We all laughed.  Apparently, the weight of the stuff in the basket had put too much weight on the front of the cart. 

Yes, it’s a long story!!!  But the highlight of this story is that on one of the busiest shopping days in Walmart, EVERY CUSTOMER SERVICE PERSON I came in contact with smiled, apologized to me, told me not to worry, tried to make me feel better when I said I was embarrassed and sorry for causing all the trouble.  EVERY CHECKOUT was OPEN.  So I just want to say kudos to the staff of Walmart in Olean, New York for making this day as good as it could be.  Your sweet attitudes and helpfulness really stood out today. 

I see sooooo many stories of nightmare issues at Walmart.  I’m happy to say that was NOT my experience…and really never has been my experience.  Merry Christmas to all the wonderful CUSTOMER SERVICE workers at Walmart who put the SERVICE in and made this CUSTOMER feel very merry at Christmas!