Here's how you can tell you barely ever shop at Walmart.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

So needless to say, I hate shopping at Walmart, and I do all I can to avoid the place. It is truly my store of last resort. I'm no snob. It's just that the place is depressing and they treat their workers like crap. So I avoid it at all costs.

I can count on my fingers the times I've been in a Walmart over the past 2-3 years. And that's not even necessarily times I bought something.

But anyways. My car battery was on its last legs, so I did some comparison shopping. And unfortunately, Walmart's price was significantly lower than the rest of the choices and my practical side took control over my idealistic side. So I bit the bullet and made my bi-annual trip to Walmart.

So I buy the car battery. Total bill comes out to around $100. I go to pay with my primary credit card. I swipe. Clerk says declined. I figure the machine didn't read the strip right, so I swipe again. It's declined again. I try one more time. Still declined.

Finally--and slightly embarrassed--I switch to my backup credit card, and it's accepted.

Wondering if there was a problem with my credit card, I call up my credit card's customer service line. I'm immediately informed that there was a fraud alert flagged on my account. Wondering who might have stolen my identity, I ask the service rep as to the disputed purchases.

And it turns out the disputed purchase was.....the $100 charge at Walmart this afternoon.

I try to avoid Walmart so much that if I go there, my credit card automatically assumes someone stole my card and is shopping there with it.

Go figure.

[postulater]

1. I had a fraudulent charge on my business debit card last fall.

Someone had bought $1000 worth of perfume online at Walmart.com and Walmart somehow allowed the charge.

My bank recovered the money but Walmart lost a lot of perfume.

[Jackpine Radical]

16. That just stinks.

[Fred Sanders]

2. Your story about your relationship with Walmart is almost identical to mine.....the fact your

credit card knows you that well is kind of freaky.

[Ilsa]

9. "Knows" Tommy Carcetti by virtue of an algorithm, I suspect.

There are excellent fraud protection software programs that flag unusual transactions or unusual locations. But not all cc companies use the really good ones. That's why I call my cc company to tell them if I'm traveling, so I can get transactions approved without a hassle.

[elleng]

3. That is FUNNY!

Good to know (I guess,) as I never go there but if I do, I'm warned!

[lame54]

4. $100?...

I can't imagine that battery would be that much more somewhere else

[uncle ray]

5. car batteries...the one product Walmart sells that *doesn't* contain lead.

[lumberjack_jeff]

59. Exactly.

Worst. Batteries. Ever.

[procon]

6. I had a very similar incident

attempting the buy several hundred $$$ for new truck tires My primary card was denied, but the backup was OK'd. When I called the bank they gave me the same rationale about a fraud alert, explaining that because I did not have a buying history for automotive products that was enough to trigger the lock on my card.

Their solution was that I should call to alert the bank in advance of any future large purchases at stores I don't routinely patronize. Of course, that is fraught with its own set of problems for which the bank had no answers.

[kcr]

8. If you're calling from the phone number listed on your account they'll know it's you

They used to call customers to verify these things and reserved placing holds on the accounts only as a last resort.

[eridani]

14. I made a down payment on our new car with a credit card, but only after I had called to

--alert them. The algorithms may not be perfect, but they are useful. A few years ago I was contacted by one of my card companies about a KitchenAid stand mixer I bought at Fred Mayers, just because the algorithm noticed that my bill for that store was higher than usual. Mostly I get a call before anything is turned down.

[Aerows]

7. When I have to go into Wal-mart, do you know what I do?

I smile at the people working there. I'm polite and respectful.

Be kind to everybody, even those that work in places that you detest, because chances are, they hate working there, too.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

13. me too...that's my general rule always.

[BlueJazz]

33. Sorry to change the subject but that HAS to be the strangest cat picture (animation) I've ever seen.

I mean, I like it a lot and enjoy seeing it but it freaks me out...kind of like wanting to go on a scary ride at the carnival.

[Jackpine Radical]

18. Absolutely

Their lives are miserable enough already. I generally try to joke around with them a little & lighten their day a little. Good for my soul.

[FrodosPet]

36. YES!!! When we all find peace with the people in our presence

It makes it easier to find peace with the rest of the world.

[Jamastiene]

22. Oh, they do hate working there.

I used to work at our local Walmart. I hated it and so did most who worked there. I didn't meet anyone who liked working there except the manager. It's not their fault, most of the time. Walmart becomes THE major employer in smaller towns, LITERALLY. Not sure how it works in medium sized towns, but in smaller towns, everyone just takes turns working at Walmart, because most other jobs are either good government jobs that are already taken* or under the table landscaping and other odds and ends that are not steady work.

*I know in my home town, the only way to get government jobs (the few non Walmart jobs available from time to time) is to be born into certain families. The same families run those jobs. Like the dog catcher's son took over as dog catcher/torturer after his dad retired, finally, cruel bastard that he was. Park ranger was my dream when I was younger, but I was taught really quick like that because I wasn't in a certain family, I could put in applications for that job until Hell freezes over and would never get the job. It would go to the sons of the current park rangers. And that is pretty much how it all works here.

[FrodosPet]

35. Too many people are confusing rudeness with political action

It's amazing how much further you can get in mellowing people out when you treat them like people and not enemies to be conquered.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

45. Absolutely.

The clerks were very friendly and professional. I never take out my anger or disdain at a company on its lower rung employees.

[bullwinkle428]

48. GREAT advice for any business you walk into, regardless of reason

for being there.

Of course, if someone there starts giving you shit (typically some supervisory-level person on a power trip), then all bets are off!

[kardonb]

10. walmart

I have shopped at W. for years , not every week , but last twice a month . I have always gotten value for my money ; never had credit card troubles , and have always fond employes courteous , knowledgable, and helpful .

.

[DrewFlorida]

26. Courteous, helpful, knowledgeable, and living in poverty because they are paid poverty wages!

When a company pays such low wages that their employees must depend on the social safety net to survive, you are not getting good value for your money! You are getting ripped off!

[DebJ]

29. Yes you have to add your tax bill for social supports to obtain the true cost of your purchases. nt

[ProdigalJunkMail]

11. i began pumping gas using a credit card that i only carried for emergencies

because i am a klutz and pulled the wrong one from the wallet. while the gas was still pumping my mobile rang and it was the CC company asking if it was me making the purchase... MAN, that's fast...

sP

[Shrek]

43. That happened to me once

My son was doing study abroad in Italy and couldn't get the ticket machine at the train station to work.

He called me and I bought the ticket from their website . . . my cell phone rang literally within two minutes and it was AMEX calling to verify the charge.

[SheilaT]

12. Maybe, just maybe, if the exact same brand of battery

cost half at WalMart than anywhere else, I'd be tempted to buy there. Of course, I'd never actually be doing such a price comparison myself.

The two or three times in the past several years I've had a chance to do price checks on WalMart vs other stores, the other stores have always come out cheaper. I wonder why?

I haven't actually bought anything from one in a good decade now.

[joanbarnes]

15. Congratulations! My proudest day: Sam's Club Membership revoked (expired)!

[951-Riverside]

17. Long lines, crying babies, obese people and poor people? No thank you!

This is why I shop at Target where its clean, the lines are short, the checkers are friendly and appealing, the store doesnt smell like feet, no one bugs you about showing a damn receipt at the door, people actually attend to their kids so they're not crying and crawling on the floor AND I don't have to worry about a security truck running me over as I walk out the door.

[scarletwoman]

19. Nice slam on "obese people and poor people".

Did you forget where you're posting?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

46. To be fair, Walmart could sell fabrage eggs and caviar and be frequented by Rockerfellers....

....and Vanderbilts, and it still would be the most utterly depressing, darkest and dingiest place on earth to shop.

My dislike of Walmart has nothing to do with its clientele and everything to do with the fact that their stores are just so incredibly soul-sucking and their labor record is so bad. I will say that Targets are considerably more cheerful and enjoyable places to shop. Even newer Kmart stores are a lot nicer looking that Walmarts.

[scarletwoman]

60. Walmart is beside the point. The utterly offensive comment about "obese ppl & fat ppl" is the point.

[alp227]

47. that message was kept 3-4! really despite the obvious classism and fat-phobia? nt

[Sheldon Cooper]

20. Obese people AND poor people???

[Drahthaardogs]

23. Only member clubs can demand to see your receipt

And only then becausenyou sign a piece of paper thst said they could.

[WhiteAndNerdy]

28. I used to shop at a K-Mart occasionally that did it. nt

[Tree-Hugger]

31. Wal-Mart does it

Our local Wal-Mart did that for years. I haven't been there recently. I have had that requested ofcne at Target as well.

[Drahthaardogs]

38. They can ask to see it but you can say no

And they have no right to detain you unless they have reasonable suspicion you stole something. To do so is class 2 false imprisonment.

[spooky3]

39. Best Buy does it.

[Live and Learn]

40. Target security did it to me one time.

I handed (not nicely) the receipt over and told them to keep it (since I knew I wouldn't be returning the item anyway) and walked out while they were still looking at it. Never happened again at a Target store.

[smokey nj]

42. That's happened to me at Target too.

[Tree-Hugger]

30. You forgot

<------you left that out of your post.

[MattBaggins]

32. What a snobby elitist shit filled post

[leftstreet]

54. +1

[Ash_F]

37. You are pretty snooty for a Target shopper.

[tabasco]

50. Your disgusting insult of poor and obese people was allowed to stand.

Congratulations. Now go try to find a soul.

Juror #1 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Fat shaming.. not good. smh
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, but Walmart shoppers generally are proof of what the result of that lifestyle looks like.
Juror #3 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Elitist, snob. I don't see intended sarcasm, just a stupid brutally honest post one no one would make unless they lacked the basic skill of empathy.
Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Not obvious to me.
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: It's not obvious to me. I agree with the poster, not with the alerter. Let it stand.
Juror #6 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #7 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: The chiding this poster has received should be enough. If they persist then it would be a hide, in my book.

[LanternWaste]

51. Any more minority demographics you'd like to add?

Any more minority demographics you'd like to add?

Or is your intolerance simply feeling weary today...?

[Jamastiene]

21. Lol!

That was good.

[Barack_America]

24. Why even look on their website?

I wouldn't go to their store if the damned item was free.

[DrewFlorida]

25. I have only been to walmart 2 times in the last 4 years, I would never shop there for low prices!

I was enjoying your story until the part about the lowest price!
Of course I don't have to tell you how walmart attains those low prices by cheating their employees out of a living wage.
I thought you were going to tell me they were the only store still open within a 10 mile radius, that would have made sense to me, but LOW PRICE, that sounds like cuss words to my ears!

Shame on you!

[trackfan]

27. I've never set foot in a Walmart.

There aren't many of them in Los Angeles. I've only ever seen the sign of one from a distance, in Duarte.

[Cali_Democrat]

34. I rarely shop at Wal Mart although I did visit one recently

I was shocked to see there was a basically a grocery store inside. I always thought of Wal Mart as a K Mart.



I couldn't believe my eyes.

There just aren't a lot of Wal Marts where I live.

[raven mad]

41. Walmart opened here for the first time about 12 years ago.

They put a lot of local business out of business.

I haven't stepped foot in it once, and won't unless I'm having a life-seizure failure and they have to carry me there.

[Ratty]

44. Actually I'm about to go to WalMart

First time in several years. I need to get new glasses and since I learned about the glasses frame scam and why the frames at the optometrist are so ungodly expensive I refuse to get my frames there anymore. I read that Walmart is really the only place with a large selection of attractive, cheap frames you can try on.

[RebelOne]

49. Yes, I will be making a trip to Walmart for glasses.

I went there last December because I thought I needed glasses, but the optometrist told me she thought I had cataracts. She recommended an eye specialist and she was correct. I had operations on both eyes and got rid of the cataracts. Maybe I can thank the Walmart optometrist for finding the problem. My eye surgeon gave me a prescription for glasses and I have delayed filling it because reading glasses work fine right now.

[shanti]

57. Walmart glasses

I got some there ONE time, but won't be back. The lenses just weren't very good quality. My eye dr said they weren't "crisp". Costco's lenses are great, but it don't love their frames, and they don't sell rimless anymore.

[Ratty]

58. I get my lenses free through insurance at the optometry clinic

Or at least basic lenses. Cost more if you want the fancy coatings. Insurance pays a reasonable sum for frames too but of course none of the frames at the clinic are reasonable. It's the Luxottica monopoly extortion scam.

[RKP5637]

52. I rarely go there, but sometimes there is something good. I just bought sunscreen there

that is highly rated and about the cheapest. The Walmart here is pretty calm, nice people and polite cashiers. ... but, I don't go there because of the reputation of Walmart, and, they are NOT the cheapest for many many items.

[Tarheel_Dem]

53. I never shop at Walmart, and haven't since the mid 90's. They suck!

[drray23]

55. strange

that they outright denied it. My cc companies just phone. Amex has done it in the past. They phoned me to confirm the charge but had not denied it to start with.

I tell my bank when I travel abroad if I want to use my visa card to make sure they do not deny it. Its a pain but that is what you have to deal with nowadays with credit card fraud. The banks try to be proactive and protect you.

[gvstn]

56. A bit off topic but one tip I learned this last year.

Is that a lot of automotive chain stores have coupon codes for online purchases only. Fairly good such as 20-30% of orders of varying minimum amounts. Most let you buy online and pick up in store. I just bought a $127 battery with a 25% off (orders over $100) coupon and paid $96. Earlier this year I had a similar experience at a different auto chain. Seems to be very common and available in some form at just about any time of year. A heads up for any one buying auto parts that cost more than $25 or so. Your mileage may vary.

[Boom Sound 416]

61. You don't go to Walmart

You end up there