COLUMN: Where do these customers come from?
After the Howl ended on Halloween a few years ago, a group of college students came in wearing nothing but blue paint and white thongs. They said they were Smurfs.
The day after Thanksgiving people came and got in fights for the latest Care Bear stuffed animals.
Around Christmas time a little boy was chased down by a Chinese man for riding his bike around the store while knocking things over.
Anything can happen at Wal-Mart.
As an electronics employee of the world’s largest retailer I’ve decided that everyone should work there once. It doesn’t have to be for very long. The average turn-over rate is 44 percent. They don’t expect people to stay forever. Everyone should just work there long enough so they can say they’ve almost seen everything.
One hundred million people shop at Wal-Marts across the country every week, according to pbs.org and they come in all shapes and sizes. They come from all different backgrounds, families and ethnicities. So in a sense, working for Wal-Mart is almost a cultural experience.
I’ve helped the high school cheerleaders that have nothing better to do than laugh at themselves as they shop at the 24-hour discount store on a Friday night. They think they are so funny.
There are the people that come on dates to go on scavenger hunts for random items and they always expect associates to be oblivious to them. And since outside isn’t good enough, teenagers really love Wal-Mart tag.
I’ve been invited to a party by college guys wearing pink footsy pajamas and “My Little Princess” jewelry. They said I could come if I wore pink too.
I’ve helped technologically illiterate people with their cell phones that they bought at the Wal-Mart Connection Center. One man said he couldn’t get a dial tone. Let’s remember cell phones don’t have dial tones.
There’s always the people in the Wal-Mart motorized carts who aren’t using them because they’re handicapped, but because they are overweight and don’t want to walk anywhere. Those people are always fun.
I’ve helped the customers that swear at me over nothing and the ones that have left me at the register in tears.
Answering the phone for people is always a joy when old ladies call and want to know about every telephone, their prices and which one’s the best buy. We only sell 50 phones, you know.
I’ve heard more than my share of screaming babies, screaming parents and those who don’t mind making a scene in front of the whole community. In particular, one husband through his coat and keys on the floor and yelled about some personal problem that his wife apparently couldn’t “get over.” I always have to wonder why people like that don’t just go home instead of embarrassing themselves.
Employees at Wal-Mart help everyone from the people that can’t speak English to the ones that think everything in the world is ours or the companies fault. One man complained to me because his daughter ripped her pants walking by a display. She got new jeans for it. Oh please. A person could rip their pants anywhere. She better never go outside.
The best is when we associates become babysitters as parents leave their children to play Playstation demo games or roam around the toys section as if it were a playground.
All in all, Wal-Mart is an experience everyone should try. Maybe then the place wouldn’t be so chaotic because people would have more empathy for the associate. They would know what we do, what we see and what we laugh at when customers aren’t around.
And hey, there’s going to be a new Wal-Mart in Logan soon, which will bring roughly 500 jobs to Cache Valley. One of them could be yours. Any takers?
Manette Newbold is a senior
majoring in print journalism.
Comments and questions can be
sent to mnewbold@cc.usu.edu.