7 ms·

I work for walmart ecommerce. There are some legitimate reasons for their issues. I could talk about them in depth (turns out when you crush the competition wit

I work for walmart ecommerce. There are some legitimate reasons for their issues. I could talk about them in depth (turns out when you crush the competition with the world's best logistics technology you end up with a whole bunch of systems from the 70s/80s that are hard to update). Walmart was literally using the internet before most companies even knew it was a thing, and unfortunately their internal network reflects that. Another example is inventory management and sales reporting. When these systems were built there was nothing like them in the world to centrally manage inventory and availability and create feedback loops. But in 2018 going to the back office to get a 100 page printout generated by a mainframe once a day hurts more than it helps. It's like we climbed mount everest and got farther than anyone before us before building a camp, and now we're kind of stuck in it and by the way people have found even better routes since then. But anyways, customers don't care. It's not their problem. I've had orders cancelled for no real reason so I just give up and buy it on amazon. I've had search so bad I can't even find what I'm looking for so I just give up and buy it on amazon. And I'm somewhat incentivized to want to think the shopping experience is good.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
busyant 9y ago
Well, since you're here... In mid-November, I bought a Christmas gift for my son (a drone) on-line through Wal-mart. The text on the Wal-mart web-page urged me to purchase now (to guarantee on-time delivery). The shipment of the drone was fulfilled by a 3rd party. I got the drone in early December, wrapped it and my son opened it on Xmas day. Drone didn't work. Out. of. the. box. I asked for a refund, and Wal-mart customer service told me to pound sand b/c the product came from a 3rd party that had a 30-day return policy (no exceptions). I know I'm a drop in the bucket, and I may not always be able to avoid Wal-mart, but I told them I would do my level best to shop elsewhere.
- ThrustVectoring 9y ago
  That's when you contact your bank and issue a chargeback.
  - tehlike 9y ago
    This. This should be a more common practice for bad customer experience, as long as it's not done for fraudulent reasons.
    - msla 9y ago
      Just so people understand: > Holders of credit cards issued in the United States are afforded reversal rights by Regulation Z of the Truth in Lending Act. United States debit card holders are guaranteed reversal rights by Regulation E of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. Similar rights extend globally, pursuant to the rules established by the corresponding card association or bank network. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chargeback https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chargeback Point being, chargeback isn't a service banks can stop providing if people start using it. It's written into the laws.
      - lotsofpulp 9y ago
        I assume if you start abusing it (trying to get things for free) then your bank will drop you as a cardholder.
        joering2 9y ago
        No only that. I had what i thought legitimate card fraud but the problem was my card wasnt stolen and even worse - the chip was used and transaction was on the card. Eventually they got my money back via chargeback process but i found out later it was family-related fraud. Point being for 90 days my score went 10 ponts down and the credit card record was annotaded with message about this questionable chargeback. they could not believe it was true fraud.
        lotsofpulp 9y ago
- chapill 9y ago
  I would be surprised if Walmart accepted open box drone returns at all. My local electronics store does not. It makes sense too. I've bought two drones and both died quickly due to collisions. Maybe there are drones that are stable and easy to fly, but the product category seems designed to eat money. I lost interest after the second one.
  - astura 9y ago
    Walmart store certainly accepts open box returns, I've never personally had one, but I know people who've had them.
  - IncRnd 9y ago
    Walmart accepts open box returns. They also accept returns without a receipt, though I'm sure they impose some limitations on those.
    - wolco 9y ago
      They also accept open pill bottles.
- rconti 9y ago
  Why wouldn't one always be able to avoid Wal-Mart? Hell, I'm sure I'd have a hard time giving up Amazon (which seems harder to avoid online), but it's really just a habit that would be difficult but not impossible to break entirely. Actually, moreso, because Amazon has worked it's way into so many facets of our lives, where Wal-Mart is far more limited online, and with physical stores, you've always got a choice.
  - msla 9y ago
    > and with physical stores, you've always got a choice. "Subject To Availability", as the poet once said. You always have a choice in New York City or Atlanta. Not in Havre, Montana. (Unless you skip physical stores and go to online ordering... in which case you're likely right back to Amazon.)
  - newnewpdro 9y ago
    WRT always being able to avoid Wal-Mart, in less populated areas when a Wal-Mart opens if there's any local competition it's generally decimated. When in the SF bay area I never shop at Wal-Mart. On the SF peninsula you have to go to the south bay or over a bridge just to find one last I checked, there are plenty of options. But after spending winter in a rural area, it's been quite surprising the number of times I've found myself in a Wal-Mart to buy household goods simply because there's no alternative. And boy does the quality of their products _suck_, it's pretty much a store 80% full of garbage, the stuff is so bad I experience buyer's remorse just looking at it on the shelves.
    - msla 9y ago
      > in less populated areas when a Wal-Mart opens if there's any local competition it's generally decimated. Or never really existed to begin with. I have lived in towns where, before Walmart came in, there was nowhere in town to get certain things. You had to drive over an hour to the next largest town to find a store, and that's hard in bad weather.
- astura 9y ago
  You couldn't contact the manufacturer? They probably would have a warranty unless they are a Chinese white label product. There's also credit card benefits that may apply, return protection and extended warranty. Then there's also the aforementioned charge back.
- discreditable 9y ago
  That's pretty bad. A few years ago I ordered a big TV from Newegg around black Friday as a Christmas present. I got it a few weeks before Christmas. When Mom opened it Christmas day the screen was cracked out of the box. I hopped on with Newegg support and they asked why there was a long delay between order and damage. I explained it was a gift we just opened and they apologized then replaced it. I think the big online retailers have realized that a good return/RMA policy is key to their continued success. If Walmart wants in on this world they will have to figure it out too.
Aloha 9y ago
This is the answer for so much in technology.
Rickasaurus 9y ago
Do you think the JET Purchase and systems integration will help?
- anonacct37 9y ago
  Not really. They seem bright but I don't think their competencies have much overlap with walmart's problems, at least from a technical perspective. [edit] I'd like to revise my answer. I answered your question thinking in terms of systems integration. However it's quite possible Mark Lore will be a much more effective CEO than the person he replaced.
gaelian 9y ago
> turns out when you crush the competition with the world's best logistics technology you end up with a whole bunch of systems from the 70s/80s that are hard to update. I hear Walmart makes much use of AS2. A means of transmission that I have had a lot of exposure to over the last few months (and absolutely no exposure to before this). While I think there were definitely some forward looking aspects to AS2, it's relative obscurity outside of very specific verticals and the fact that seemingly every COTS platform that implements it is overpriced and many years or even decades old (and feels like it) has not made my AS2 journey very pleasant to date. So I just wanted to say: my condolences to you. :P
ransom1538 9y ago
"But in 2018 going to the back office to get a 100 page printout generated by a mainframe once a day" HOW?? Is there not an AS/2 to oracle sync. So you can at least get on oracle. Does walmart need one $$$?
- gazarsgo 9y ago
  https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E55243_01/pt854pbr0/eng/pt/tiba/task_WorkingWiththeAS2Connectors-fe7ed2.html#topofpage https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E55243_01/pt854pbr0/eng/pt/tiba/t... That said, fuck Oracle.
  - tashi 9y ago
    Well, that's documentation for PeopleSoft, so it's Oracle the company, but not necessarily backed by Oracle the database. And to paraphrase the old quote, if you're having a problem sending messages between two systems, and you try to solve it by setting up an instance of the PeopleSoft Integration Broker, you now have a larger number of problems.
justicezyx 9y ago
I am not sure what you describe is sensible reasons for the staleness of the technology.
- anonacct37 9y ago
  If you look at the history of what happens to first movers you'll see it's pretty occurrence. Reality has no constraint to be sensible.
DanBC 9y ago
> I've had search so bad I can't even find what I'm looking for so I just give up and buy it on amazon. Hang on, Amazon is the last place I'd go if poor search is something I want to avoid.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

busyant 9y ago

Well, since you're here... In mid-November, I bought a Christmas gift for my son (a drone) on-line through Wal-mart. The text on the Wal-mart web-page urged me to purchase now (to guarantee on-time delivery). The shipment of the drone was fulfilled by a 3rd party. I got the drone in early December, wrapped it and my son opened it on Xmas day. Drone didn't work. Out. of. the. box. I asked for a refund, and Wal-mart customer service told me to pound sand b/c the product came from a 3rd party that had a 30-day return policy (no exceptions). I know I'm a drop in the bucket, and I may not always be able to avoid Wal-mart, but I told them I would do my level best to shop elsewhere.

ThrustVectoring 9y ago
That's when you contact your bank and issue a chargeback.
- tehlike 9y ago
  This. This should be a more common practice for bad customer experience, as long as it's not done for fraudulent reasons.
  - msla 9y ago
    Just so people understand: > Holders of credit cards issued in the United States are afforded reversal rights by Regulation Z of the Truth in Lending Act. United States debit card holders are guaranteed reversal rights by Regulation E of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. Similar rights extend globally, pursuant to the rules established by the corresponding card association or bank network. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chargeback https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chargeback Point being, chargeback isn't a service banks can stop providing if people start using it. It's written into the laws.
    - lotsofpulp 9y ago
      I assume if you start abusing it (trying to get things for free) then your bank will drop you as a cardholder.
      - joering2 9y ago
        No only that. I had what i thought legitimate card fraud but the problem was my card wasnt stolen and even worse - the chip was used and transaction was on the card. Eventually they got my money back via chargeback process but i found out later it was family-related fraud. Point being for 90 days my score went 10 ponts down and the credit card record was annotaded with message about this questionable chargeback. they could not believe it was true fraud.
        lotsofpulp 9y ago
chapill 9y ago
I would be surprised if Walmart accepted open box drone returns at all. My local electronics store does not. It makes sense too. I've bought two drones and both died quickly due to collisions. Maybe there are drones that are stable and easy to fly, but the product category seems designed to eat money. I lost interest after the second one.
- astura 9y ago
  Walmart store certainly accepts open box returns, I've never personally had one, but I know people who've had them.
- IncRnd 9y ago
  Walmart accepts open box returns. They also accept returns without a receipt, though I'm sure they impose some limitations on those.
  - wolco 9y ago
    They also accept open pill bottles.
rconti 9y ago
Why wouldn't one always be able to avoid Wal-Mart? Hell, I'm sure I'd have a hard time giving up Amazon (which seems harder to avoid online), but it's really just a habit that would be difficult but not impossible to break entirely. Actually, moreso, because Amazon has worked it's way into so many facets of our lives, where Wal-Mart is far more limited online, and with physical stores, you've always got a choice.
- msla 9y ago
  > and with physical stores, you've always got a choice. "Subject To Availability", as the poet once said. You always have a choice in New York City or Atlanta. Not in Havre, Montana. (Unless you skip physical stores and go to online ordering... in which case you're likely right back to Amazon.)
- newnewpdro 9y ago
  WRT always being able to avoid Wal-Mart, in less populated areas when a Wal-Mart opens if there's any local competition it's generally decimated. When in the SF bay area I never shop at Wal-Mart. On the SF peninsula you have to go to the south bay or over a bridge just to find one last I checked, there are plenty of options. But after spending winter in a rural area, it's been quite surprising the number of times I've found myself in a Wal-Mart to buy household goods simply because there's no alternative. And boy does the quality of their products _suck_, it's pretty much a store 80% full of garbage, the stuff is so bad I experience buyer's remorse just looking at it on the shelves.
  - msla 9y ago
    > in less populated areas when a Wal-Mart opens if there's any local competition it's generally decimated. Or never really existed to begin with. I have lived in towns where, before Walmart came in, there was nowhere in town to get certain things. You had to drive over an hour to the next largest town to find a store, and that's hard in bad weather.
astura 9y ago
You couldn't contact the manufacturer? They probably would have a warranty unless they are a Chinese white label product. There's also credit card benefits that may apply, return protection and extended warranty. Then there's also the aforementioned charge back.
discreditable 9y ago
That's pretty bad. A few years ago I ordered a big TV from Newegg around black Friday as a Christmas present. I got it a few weeks before Christmas. When Mom opened it Christmas day the screen was cracked out of the box. I hopped on with Newegg support and they asked why there was a long delay between order and damage. I explained it was a gift we just opened and they apologized then replaced it. I think the big online retailers have realized that a good return/RMA policy is key to their continued success. If Walmart wants in on this world they will have to figure it out too.

Aloha 9y ago

This is the answer for so much in technology.

Rickasaurus 9y ago

Do you think the JET Purchase and systems integration will help?

anonacct37 9y ago
Not really. They seem bright but I don't think their competencies have much overlap with walmart's problems, at least from a technical perspective. [edit] I'd like to revise my answer. I answered your question thinking in terms of systems integration. However it's quite possible Mark Lore will be a much more effective CEO than the person he replaced.

gaelian 9y ago

> turns out when you crush the competition with the world's best logistics technology you end up with a whole bunch of systems from the 70s/80s that are hard to update. I hear Walmart makes much use of AS2. A means of transmission that I have had a lot of exposure to over the last few months (and absolutely no exposure to before this). While I think there were definitely some forward looking aspects to AS2, it's relative obscurity outside of very specific verticals and the fact that seemingly every COTS platform that implements it is overpriced and many years or even decades old (and feels like it) has not made my AS2 journey very pleasant to date. So I just wanted to say: my condolences to you. :P

ransom1538 9y ago

"But in 2018 going to the back office to get a 100 page printout generated by a mainframe once a day" HOW?? Is there not an AS/2 to oracle sync. So you can at least get on oracle. Does walmart need one $$$?

gazarsgo 9y ago
https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E55243_01/pt854pbr0/eng/pt/tiba/task_WorkingWiththeAS2Connectors-fe7ed2.html#topofpage https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E55243_01/pt854pbr0/eng/pt/tiba/t... That said, fuck Oracle.
- tashi 9y ago
  Well, that's documentation for PeopleSoft, so it's Oracle the company, but not necessarily backed by Oracle the database. And to paraphrase the old quote, if you're having a problem sending messages between two systems, and you try to solve it by setting up an instance of the PeopleSoft Integration Broker, you now have a larger number of problems.

justicezyx 9y ago

I am not sure what you describe is sensible reasons for the staleness of the technology.

anonacct37 9y ago
If you look at the history of what happens to first movers you'll see it's pretty occurrence. Reality has no constraint to be sensible.

DanBC 9y ago

> I've had search so bad I can't even find what I'm looking for so I just give up and buy it on amazon. Hang on, Amazon is the last place I'd go if poor search is something I want to avoid.