H. E. Double Wal-Mart

I have always hated going to big stores with crowded aisles and lots of people, no matter what the price discount might be. In the past, when I went to Costco, K-mart, Wal-mart, I left feeling like I had barely made it out alive, withdrawn into a stupor of overload, nurturing a little seed of hatred toward human kind.

However, since I'm staying at home now and we are on a tighter budget, I decided to give big discount stores the college try. I went to Costco by myself (with Baby Z) and made it through unscathed. I went to Wal-Mart twice and actually got in and out pretty quickly, and I really was amazed at the low prices. So, I realized that these places are great for buying things like diapers and formula, and they really aren't that bad if you can go during the day on a weekday.

UNTIL TODAY.

Here is what I just unloaded on the Wal-mart customer feedback web page:

"I was just beginning to think I could regularly shop at Wal-Mart.
Then, today, I had the worst shopping experience I have ever had. There were 3 checkout lanes open, with each one having 4-6 people in line. I waited in line for 15 minutes before the checkout lane I was in closed. No one informed me of this or directed me to another line or even apologized for the inconvenience. When I commented to a manager (standing right there next to me), she very carelessly stated there was nothing she could do and, again, did not apologize.
After moving to another line, the checker made a mistake with a coupon. Two managers stood near-by and did not hurry to help. They gave her very unclear directions and she had to re-do the order TWICE. Meanwhile, my baby had started screaming and the managers continue to show no concern or interest in the inconvenience to me.
I am appalled at such general lack of service and courtesy. I understand that sometimes stores are busy or they don't have enough people on staff. But, at a minimum, show that you CARE that this is difficult for the customer!! I am a very understanding person and I would have easily empathized with all of the workers if they had just stated they were sorry. Instead, I left feeling very angry and upset.
Although the prices at Wal-Mart are generally good, I will NOT shop there again. The headache and frustration are not worth the savings."

I feel better getting this out. For those of you who are brave enough to shop at the super-stores, I applaud you. You are made of stronger mettle than I.

Monday, July 30th - UPDATE
I got a call from the Wal-mart senior manager at that store!! Holy cow, they do actually read the comments from their web page. Stay tuned-- I'm supposed to call him back to give him more details so "they can improve the situation."