3 ms·

Strange - I don't quite see that - maybe it's regional? There are some things Walmart in our area is lower on, but it's usually less than a 2% difference on th

Strange - I don't quite see that - maybe it's regional? There are some things Walmart in our area is lower on, but it's usually less than a 2% difference on the things we buy. We've got the Target Red Card, so everything's 5% off, which usually means it's < Walmart. Walmart is slightly further from us as well, so Target is faster to get to. But more than that, to me, the checkout experience at Walmart is usually abysmally slow (self-checkout makes is sometimes OK). Target by me rarely has more than 2 people ahead of you - in busy times I see a floor manager calling more people up to open cash registers - that's quite common here. Walmart - never. Yeah, it keeps their prices a bit lower, maybe, but I'd usually rather pay the extra 70 cents and be out 7 minutes faster. If I'm in the mood for more savings, Aldi has them both beat, and I go to Aldi a couple times a month to stock up on stuff. IMO, Walmart gets beat on price by Aldi, and on service by Target.

jessaustin 13y ago
...the checkout experience at Walmart is usually abysmally slow (self-checkout makes is sometimes OK). Checkout was why, when I last lived in densely-populated areas, I would put off the WalMart run until I absolutely had to go, for those things Target or other stores didn't carry. (Out here in the hinterland WalMart seems adequate.) It has been a few years, but in my experience self-checkout did not speed up the process. It seemed as if most of my fellow shoppers might have had better luck if they'd been asked to operate the Space Shuttle.
- mgkimsal 13y ago
  self-checkout is hit and miss. I really really really wish for 2 things: 1. "beginner" flag on some self-checkout systems 2. An actual roped walkway up to the self-checkout area, like in a bank. You get to the front, you choose the next available area. I've lost track of how many times someone was 'behind' me, but walked past me to grab a kiosk I was walking towards. insane. There's so many ways self-checkouts can be improved, I don't believe for a moment the arguments against it when I read "people prefer live tellers". There are a few live tellers I prefer, but I don't prefer live tellers overall over self-checkout, but self-checkout is implemented so poorly at so many stores... argh...
Crito 13y ago
> Strange - I don't quite see that - maybe it's regional? Counter-intuitively, I have found that the quality of a Walmart is proportional to how rural the surrounding area is. Walmart's in metro areas, next to expensive suburbs (say, any of the towns surrounding DC)? Total 3rd world shit. Walmarts in busted down ex-mining towns deep in PA? Surprisingly nice. Empty, but nice. Maybe it's just because an empty walmart is a walmart that doesn't take much abuse. They all sell more or less the same shit, except the mining town walmart will also sell ammo.

jessaustin 13y ago

...the checkout experience at Walmart is usually abysmally slow (self-checkout makes is sometimes OK). Checkout was why, when I last lived in densely-populated areas, I would put off the WalMart run until I absolutely had to go, for those things Target or other stores didn't carry. (Out here in the hinterland WalMart seems adequate.) It has been a few years, but in my experience self-checkout did not speed up the process. It seemed as if most of my fellow shoppers might have had better luck if they'd been asked to operate the Space Shuttle.

mgkimsal 13y ago
self-checkout is hit and miss. I really really really wish for 2 things: 1. "beginner" flag on some self-checkout systems 2. An actual roped walkway up to the self-checkout area, like in a bank. You get to the front, you choose the next available area. I've lost track of how many times someone was 'behind' me, but walked past me to grab a kiosk I was walking towards. insane. There's so many ways self-checkouts can be improved, I don't believe for a moment the arguments against it when I read "people prefer live tellers". There are a few live tellers I prefer, but I don't prefer live tellers overall over self-checkout, but self-checkout is implemented so poorly at so many stores... argh...

Crito 13y ago

> Strange - I don't quite see that - maybe it's regional? Counter-intuitively, I have found that the quality of a Walmart is proportional to how rural the surrounding area is. Walmart's in metro areas, next to expensive suburbs (say, any of the towns surrounding DC)? Total 3rd world shit. Walmarts in busted down ex-mining towns deep in PA? Surprisingly nice. Empty, but nice. Maybe it's just because an empty walmart is a walmart that doesn't take much abuse. They all sell more or less the same shit, except the mining town walmart will also sell ammo.