Help for purchasing ammunition at Wal*Mart...

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geothorn

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I apologize for furthering Wal*Mart's world conquest of retailing, but, if I can buy two boxes of ammunition for the same price that a single box of the exact same ammunition costs, at another store, it creates a helluva incentive to shop there.

The problem is that Wal*Mart Sporting Goods Department 'associates' don't know what they have in-stock, and therefore cannot answer a simple question like, "Do you have 3" 12-gauge 00 buckshot?"

My solution is to first ask the Sporting Goods "associate" if I can look at a pair of low-powered, wide-angle binoculars so that I am enabled to read the end flaps on their ammunition boxes, typically eight feet away, and therefore to find/locate the ammunition that I want on my own, without the "associates" (nearly useless) help...and then to point them out to the clueless "associate."

The next difficulty is locating a Wal*Mart Sporting Goods "associate" who is flexible enough to reach into the lowest shelf of their display...and one that isn't prone to bouncing boxes of ammunition off of the counter. Ammunition shouldn't be bounced off of a counter, for *any* reason, but it seems as though the ammunition I buy at Wal*Mart nearly *always* gets dropped onto the counter!

Why don't Wal*Mart "associates" treat my purchases as if they are about to be mine, rather than something to be mistreated?

I have a love/hate thing going with Wal*Mart....

GeoThorn
 
GeoThorn: when I'm buying ammo at Wally World I usually borrow a pair of binoculars too, but I also have a good sized landing net in hand that I have borrowed from the fishing aisle. I follow the associate's movements carefully and net the ammo before he/she can bounce it off the counter. I used to use a telescoping fishing gaff to gaff the associate's arm but they told me to leave and never to come back to Wal-Mart again so I have to go to the Wal-Mart 3 towns away and they don't carry gaffs.
 
Moving this to Gadgets & Gear? TGB&U? Hmmmm.........decisions, decisions. This seems like more of a WalMart rant than about ammo so it's off to TGB&U.
 
I used to work at WM as a manager, and while I did my best not to be lumped into this group, there was a large amount of the idiotic public that worked there. At the WM's I've shopped at, most of the sporting goods, automotive and hardware associates were very helpful and knowledgeable. I have had no trouble buying ammo, knives, binoculars, scopes, air rifles and flashlights from the associates there over the years, and have found that friends, who I knew to not really be outdoorsy people, knew the ins and outs of their jobs and realized what I was talking about. Most of the people who work there, whether they are smart or stupid, care about their job or don't, know the product they're selling or don't, could care less about your purchase, and really, would prefer you to not be there. One thing I realized as a manager there was that the area I was running, that was my own personal small store, I needed to keep those figures up and current, or else my store would falter. Yeah, I was a little brainwashed, but those prices are so damn good! Most of my gear comes from WM, most of my work clothes come from there. I am part of the resistance though :D .
 
My solution is to first ask the Sporting Goods "associate" if I can look at a pair of low-powered, wide-angle binoculars so that I am enabled to read the end flaps on their ammunition boxes, typically eight feet away, and therefore to find/locate the ammunition that I want on my own, without the "associates" (nearly useless) help...and then to point them out to the clueless "associate."
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LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek: :D
 
mycroftt said:
GeoThorn: when I'm buying ammo at Wally World I usually borrow a pair of binoculars too, but I also have a good sized landing net in hand that I have borrowed from the fishing aisle. I follow the associate's movements carefully and net the ammo before he/she can bounce it off the counter. I used to use a telescoping fishing gaff to gaff the associate's arm but they told me to leave and never to come back to Wal-Mart again so I have to go to the Wal-Mart 3 towns away and they don't carry gaffs.
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That's a great idea, mycroft! "Just place it in the net!" That would work for eggs and light bulbs as well as ammunition! (And my directive might be understood and followed!)

Are you insulting someone's intelligence if they can't understand that's what you're doing?

GeoThorn
 
Have you seen any zombie movies lately? That shuffling of the feet, head cocked to the side, swaying of the body, slight moaning? They are prime candidates to replace the average WM employee!
 
geothorn said:
That's a great idea, mycroft! "Just place it in the net!" That would work for eggs and light bulbs as well as ammunition! (And my directive might be understood and followed!)

Are you insulting someone's intelligence if they can't understand that's what you're doing?

GeoThorn
Click to expand...

Since they no longer allow me access to the gaffs to direct the associates' actions, I might use the net in combination with a pair of RayBans that I borrow from the optical center. They might just think I'm blind and they are being extra helpful by putting the ammo in my net. I'm seeing some real possibilities here for the old "blind man buying ammo" and "blind man buying a shotgun" routines. :D
 
silenthunterstudios said:
Have you seen any zombie movies lately? That shuffling of the feet, head cocked to the side, swaying of the body, slight moaning? They are prime candidates to replace the average WM employee!
Click to expand...
I have found a few/several Wal*Mart employees that aren't zombies and are, in fact, quite helpful. In my hometown, a small college town, the Sporting Goods "associate" is a college student, and finding him actually in the Sporting Goods Department is nearly a miraculous occurance. I save more money in Wal*Mart Sporting Goods Departments because the "associate" is nowhere to be found, and because Sporting Goods is nearly the furthest section of the store away from the Customer Service desk. Sometimes I think of stopping-by at Customer Service, immediately after arriving, to have them page someone with the Sporting Goods keys.

I wish that Wal*Mart would allow customers to find their own boxes of ammunition, like they will with potato chips and screw drivers, but I can't see that happening...one local 24-hour Wal*Mart has a policy against selling either knives or ammunition during the 10 PM to 6 AM "third shift." It's not a local law that the store is following, just a Wal*Mart policy. It hasn't been proven that everyone buying knives and ammunition between 10 PM and 6 AM are criminals, but maybe Wal*Mart thinks so.

I asked the daytime Sporting Goods "associate" at that store why they don't sell ammunition and knives between 10 PM and 6 AM and he said, "You'll need to call Headquarters." "Bentonville, Arkansas?" I replied. "Yep." I sincerely doubt that Bentonville, Arkansas would have any knowledge concerning an Ohio Wal*Mart store's policy regarding ammunition and knife sales between 10 PM and 6 AM, so I haven't tried calling them to find out.

GeoThorn
 
Bentonville is the headquarters both physically and mentally of WM, they dictate every movement and rule. While I have not witnessed the 10 pm to 6am rule, I do know that Bentonville controls the airconditiong/heating in every store, they order what they think the store needs, often regardless of location, and generally lord over each and every store. As for the one good SG associate, he is prime manager material, if he's lucky, he'll be sitting in a good hospital nursing his wounds after his second heart attack when he is 50 and a store manager. The associates that can actually think for themselves are often taken from their "areas", during all shifts, to help stock other areas that "need more help", such as the grocery dept, which already has a hundred and eleven employees, or the garden center, which in spring and summer is a living hell, except for the female scenery. When I was an associate, and even when I was a manager, the dreaded staff needed to the registers call was constant. The high school kids were the smart ones, after about a month working at WM, they either quit, or didn't show up for work. Well, the college girls and the old women manning the registers needed breaks too, so the floor associates were called up. I helped bag groceries once, and would refuse always ever after to work on the register. That kid will either wise up and quit and find another job somewhere else, or become a manager there. Keep him as a contact, a smart district manager will scoop him up and put him on the assistant manager program and put him at either a brand new store, or a crappy store that needs a good warm body.
 
LOL...then I guess that I should call the Bentonville, Arkansas Wal*Mart Headquarters! You wouldn't happen to have that telephone number, silenthunterstudios? I think that I should go and find that Ohio Wal*Mart store's number, first? Ok, that's store #1521. I wonder what would happen to the manager when Bentonville learns that they've been losing 10 PM to 6 AM knife and ammunition sales due to a bogus manager's/store's policy? Then again, maybe it *is* a policy, because the local neighborhood may be rougher than I think?

Thanks, GeoThorn
 
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