Walmart Supercenter's New Business Ethics Practice. You won't like it!

           

Picture are my own.

 My experience The New Walmart Supercenter and their kind of Business Ethics that are off of I-10 East Freeway and N. Highway 146.

           Hello Walmart Shoppers and Former Walmart Shoppers I wanted to inform you all of the events that are taking place in my life regarding right now with what I now call, The Walmart Super-theft-Center, which all started and took place on November 04, 2014, Tuesday at 19:04:35 (for those of you that do not know military time that is exactly, 7:04:35 P.M. they have their time stamped on the receipt in military time).

November 4, 2014

            My husband, our roommate and I went to this Walmart SuperCenter on 8700 N. Highway 146 in Baytown, TX 77523 with the intentions of getting only his medication and then leaving. While they went to the pharmacy, I went to the bathroom and then went to the electronics department to check out the computers one more time (we were there shopping the night before for a little bit of groceries) because I really wanted a smaller laptop or even a tablet to take to college with me because I was afraid I would end up breaking or cracking the screen of my big laptop which I bought at Walmart in Liberty, TX last year or the year before and because my roller carry-all was full to the maximum of college books and binders.

            I figured smaller portable computer would do the trick so that I could put it in my purse or satchel. That would be the best bet for me.  While I looked at quite a few of them I could not decide on which one to buy. There are so many. I decided that the $149.00 one would be good enough because it had the screen and the keyboard came with it that looked like, a flimsy flat keyboard.  I told the Walmart employee that was helping me out I was ready and I wanted that one. It was inexpensive enough and hopefully would last while I was in college and through my University time too.

            He told me he would send me help. I decided that while I was waiting for someone I would go look on the next isle once again.  I informed that Walmart employee of that. A little bit later the same employee came to assist me.  He and I both looked at the different little computers and I asked questions about them, he wasn’t sure either so we looked together at them.  I decided to change my mind and purchase the ASUS Transformer Book NoteBook PC T100T. So he unlocked and opened the cabinet doors underneath.  There were just a few in other computers there, maybe 3 or 4 items. So I asked him to look in the other set of cabinet doors.  He did, there was only one ASUS box under there. The Walmart employee seemed just excited as I was.  I told him I will take it.

            The Walmart employee carried it to the counter and I am happily following behind him.  He scanned it, I scanned my card through the card reader, he bagged it and I asked him to double bag it for me because I truly do not like to go through the exit door and have to stop show my receipt while the Walmart employee scans my receipt and looks through the bags of items I purchased. As you all know, they do that.  Most are pretty nice about it and I don’t mind but, it’s the rude ones that bother me and having to go through the drill of checking my receipt which it is very time consuming.  I don’t think many people like that concept either. Just think if all stores did that then less people would go shopping.  I think all the stores that don’t do it probably hear too much flap about the pains of Walmart doing it. Anyway, then the Walmart employee said that I could also pay for what else was in my basket there too.  I thought, “Well alright, I am on board with this.” So I paid for my remaining items there in the electronics department and I went happily on my way to the front.

            I decided to stop by the pharmacy department and see if my husband had picked his medication or not.  The Walmart employees behind the counter checked and said, “No, he did not.”  I told them that I would go ahead and purchase that for him.  After purchasing his medication I then walked to the hair salon place that was inside Walmart to see if my husband did go there too because I did tell him he should get his hair cut.  He was there along with the roommate.  The lady of the salon told me I could bring my basket in there and sit and wait while she finished up with my husband. So I did, and chit-chatted with a lady that was there sitting in one of the salon chairs at the right side of the salon and her son was sweeping up the hair off the floor.  The kid could not have been any more than 8 to 10 years old.  He was only wanting to help the hair dresser.  Little kids are good about wanting to help out.  I thought that was sweet of him and very thoughtful.  My husband was finished and we all were walking back to the truck well, I thought we all were.  My husband decided to go get some milk, our roommate informed me.  We sat outside in the truck and waited for him.  He was gone for a while.  I knew milk surely was not that hard to choose.  He likes whole milk and I like Borden’s or Promise Land milk. 

            While I was waiting, I had such a strong desire to open my box and start fiddling with my new little computer but, I decided to wait and leave it in the back of the suburban and fiddle, fiddle, fiddle with my new computer once I arrived home.  The whole time while waiting for my husband the thought of it being in the back nagged at me to get it, open up the bag and pull the new computer from box to fiddle, fiddle, fiddle with my new device.  I could not believe how childish my thoughts were. It was beginning to annoy me with myself.  It reminds me of a child that knew his mommy bought him a gift for Christmas but he could not have it, see it or play with it yet.

            Yea finally, here he comes with a grocery cart full of groceries.  When he arrived to the truck I told him, “We don’t need all that stuff and why did you get it?”  He said, “It’s my birthday present to me.”  I felt like he slapped me in the face because I forgot his birthday was in three days.  I thought to myself, “Just wonderful!  Way to go bozo!  You forgot your own husband’s birthday, cheez that is what he is supposed to do; forget your birthday.”  Then, I thought, “Just great, where are we going to put that crap.”

           We arrived home, unloaded the truck and while the roommate and him are unloading the groceries and putting them up who knows where as I go outside to feed our pets.  Still irritated at my thoughts about the new little computer and wanting so much to open it and fiddle, fiddle, fiddle.

            Finally, I get to into the bedroom, yea! I’m excited because I get to fiddle, fiddle, and fiddle with my new little computer.  How exciting! I am happy as I rip the double bags apart to get to the box. Of course, I do it slowly because I do not want to be too childlike about it.  I noticed that the tape was cut. I did not think much of it and blew it off while I was opening the lid.  I see the keyboard, a white little bag underneath, a little plug, and a usb string/cord.  No tablet.  I lifted up the plastic thing that was holding the keyboard, the plug, the usb cord and the little pamphlets and proceed to pull it out of the box.  Still no tablet.  My first reaction was I gasped in disbelief.  I looked around on the bed thinking I opened it faster than what I was thinking and perhaps it might have slid onto the bed.  Nothing.  I picked the box up and looked underneath.  Nothing.  I started panicking, lifting up the other bags. Nothing.  By this time, I was freaking out.  I yelled, “Where is the tablet?”  I told my husband, “The tablet is not in here!”  He replies, “Are you sure?”  I wanted to smack him because I was outraged that the tablet was not in the box and he had the audacity to ask such a question as that.  He is a quick thinker.  He seen the horror on my face.  He said, “Call them.”  So, I grabbed the phone and called the Walmart at 8700 N. Highway 146 in Baytown, TX.  By the way, this is the new Walmart Supercenter in Mont Belvieu, TX at FM 146 and I-10 East Freeway, just so you will know.

            I called Walmart, some woman answered, she put me on hold.  It seemed like forever in those few minutes, so I told my husband, “We are leaving and we are going back up there right now!” I could see the frustration in my husband’s face.  He did not want to go. He was tired and just wanted to go to bed.  I was going no matter what.  That Walmart Supercenter did me wrong, I wanted my tablet that went with the keyboard and I was going to get that tablet that some Walmart Employee or whoever else has access to the computers had taken.  I was ticked, ticked and ticked at Walmart. $409.32 is a lot of money.

            I arrived there, show them their mistake and asked for either an exchange or a refund of my money.  They called the night manager up to the customer service. He came, he looked at the box and did not open it at first.  The first question out of his mouth after we told him what had transpired was, “Who did you talk to over the phone about this.”  Before I could say anything at all, my husband retorts, “It doesn’t matter who we have talked to, there is a missing part and we want it. We paid for it.”  The night manager said that he was going to go to the back and see if this was a display. I already knew it was not because the display was locked to the counter top it was on.  But before I could say anything, he walked off to the back of the store. 

            We waited.  He finally came but with nothing in his hands and he brought another Walmart supervisor or manager with him.  That is when the night manager informed us, that he could not refund it nor could he replace it. And his little female assistant, or whatever she was said, “Why didn't you check to see if everything was in the box before you left.  I was dumbfounded by that question and did not know what to say that because when I bought the big laptop I have at the Liberty, TX Walmart store, I asked if I could look at that before I purchased it and the manager on staff there told me no because they are not allowed to open the sealed tabbed boxes.  So, that is why I never even thought to ask.  The Walmart employee that assisted me did not check the box as far as I can recollect. He had to have known the box was open unless he was just as obliviously to paying attention to it as I was.  I don’t know, but what I do know is that I was just excited about getting it. The night manager and his little female assistant, maybe she was a customer service manager, who knows and who cares, I know I don’t, all I know is I was very angry at the both of them and how they were handling the situation.  Jerks!

            To add to my anger they had informed me in round about ways without plainly saying it in exact words, that we stole my tablet out of the box.  I was so angered by their insinuating comments. My one thought was to punch them each in the face.  Which, the thought was actually surprising to me. Too bad I did not but I am glad I did not because that would have wrong and that would have never justified their means of wrong doing.  As I have always heard, “Two wrongs do not make a right.”

            My husband started yelling at the night manager and I got upset too.  But the night manager insisted that I would not give my money back or give a replacement of any kind.  I told him, “Your store just stole from me.  If someone came in and stole $409.32 worth of merchandise from this store they would go to jail. Am I right?”  He did not answer me.  I felt the heat of anger rising within me.  I started yelling telling all the customers what Walmart did to me, how they sold me the box with only a keyboard for $409.32 without the tablet that was supposed to go with it and to be aware of Walmart’s business practices. They are not being honest people.  I was so angry.  I saw the other supervisor, or whatever he is, telling them to get security.  I told him, “Good call the police, I want them to come.  Your store stole from me and I want what I paid for.”

            The manager, supervisor and a few other employees followed us all the way to the door. The night manager and the other supervisor were telling me to leave the store.  I felt all they did was encourage theft at Walmart.  I consider them apart of the theft and I consider them a problem for all the future Walmart Shoppers.

            Of all days, I would forget my cell phone.  Even walking out to the truck I was telling all the people coming in what that Walmart did to me.  This has become personal and financial! I used another customer’s cell phone to call the police to report the theft of Walmart.  The dispatcher said she would send someone out there in a little bit, asked for my description and then hung up.  We waited until 11:15 p.m. No police showed up. I left and went to the police station and told them I wanted to report a theft that Walmart had done against me.  The officer behind the counter said that I could not do that because this was a civil matter and she gave me the number of a Judge.  I thought, “Wow, what good will come from that?”

            I went home and started repacking and rebagging everything we had bought Monday and Tuesday at Walmart Supercenter and I was bound and determined to send everything back and get my money and I loaded it all back into the truck.  I posted the nights events of Walmart on Facebook and now I am blogging it. I will tweet and whatever else it takes to get the message of warning to all potential shoppers of Walmart.  I want to protect these people, to help them avoid being done wrong too.

            It is amazing to me how some businesses can get away with theft and label it, “Corporate Business” I am anger by this and I do not understand this concept.  Would someone care to explain that concept to me?  Now, if someone steals from a store, they go directly to jail or prison and they should.  Why is it when business’ steal from their customers, it is all of a sudden justified as righteous, or they say, “That’s just business.”  Explain this to me please. Help me to understand the wrongs in that type of thinking and actions.  Someone broaden my mind upon that type of ramification, please.

 November 5, 2014

            Right after my English Composition II class (9:15 A.M.) my husband and I leave the college and go immediately to Walmart with everything including the box with the keyboard, little plug and the usb string/cord in tow.  I told my husband that if they make this right, then I will not demand a refund on all this stuff I will gladly take it all back home.

            We arrive there probably about 9:30 or 9:45 a.m., get out of our truck, unload all those bags full of items into two baskets over flowing, marched into the Walmart to the Customer Service Center and reiterated everything from last night.  The customer service lady was going to give us a refund and I thought, “Finally, someone is going to make this right.” until that night manager’s little assistant/customer service manager showed up at the counter. She flat out told us that we were not getting our money back and there was nothing that Walmart could do.  I told her, “Well then, we want our money back on all this stuff, now!”  She said, “Fine waved her hand and walked to the other counter across from that counter.”  I so wanted to punch her.   Maybe she thought she was doing her job.  Maybe this is the new way of how Walmart now does business.  Whether it is or not.  I will not be shopping at Walmart from now on.  Never again.  They are horrible people, (now, that is not to speak for all of them.  I'm speaking Walmart as a whole meaning the kinds of people like these night managers and the store manager are). 

            I called corporate 3 times and they have transferred me to their “Priority Line”.  They refuse to let me speak to the CEO, the President or anyone higher up.  They are not allowed to patch us through.  The third time I called the lady gave me the General Managers and the Regional Manager’s names but not their numbers.  Gee, how helpful.  All they told me was I would have to wait for the manager of the store to call me in two or three day.  There was some window of a 24 – 48 hour wait period to go through the proper “Chain of command.”  What a crock!  Their “Chain of Command” is not doing anything about it.  The store sure did not waste time in taking my money from me.  $409.32 I lost, wasted away, gave away to Walmart Supercenter unbeknownst to me until the moment I realize they made a fool and mockery out of me.  Part of me wants to see that the night manager, the other supervisor/manager, the night manager’s little female assistant or customer service manager or whatever she is, and all the other employees that helped walk us to the door get fired.  That is how angry I am.

            Well today, there was something good that came out of all this mess, but not through that Walmart’s Hands, of course.  I want you all to know that we went to Office Depot and bought the same computers that we had returned to Walmart for $200.00 less each. WOW!! What a bargain. That was amazing.  We shared our Walmart story of experience with Office Depot.  That is where we should have went in the first place because none of what happened at Walmart would have happened.  But what is done is done and Walmart won’t even blink to try to rectify the damage done.

            I did send a report to the manufacturer of the computer and asked the technicians if they could put a trace on the tablet. I hope they can because I want to catch the thief and I want to file charges on them and Walmart for wrongful acts, for mental anguish, loss of money and to me it’s a lot of money.  I know with Walmart it’s just a little tiny speck of a drop of money in the bucket to them).  I really hope the manufacture can help me with this by tracking the culprit down.

            My shopping will be done elsewhere from here on out.  I learned a very, very expensive lesson, it was a $409.32 lesson which really eats at me right now.  But I know that I know, what they sow, they shall reap.  I called it the “Boomerang effect”, what they do to their customers, whether current or previous will come back and bite them, if it is bad, or bless them if it is good sooner or later.

November 6, 2014

            Today I was sick, throwing up (3 times today so far) and miserable.  I had an intern job interview I went to.  My day was not good it took 45 minutes to find a parking spot in Downtown, Houston, TX.  I cried.  My nerves are so shot.  Maybe I will get the intern job.  I really need the good news right now. 

Still no phone call received from Walmart Supercenter’s manager, and no phone call from the corporate office.  I definitely have the distinct impression that Walmart could care less who they do wrong to.  I am now thinking maybe they think they are above the law because they are so big.  I really don’t know what to think about them.  I know I will not stop here. It will fight to get my money back or the rest of the little computer.

            Something a little good came out of this.   We went to Kroger’s to get me some Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup this evening after I got off work from the college. And we saw a news channel vehicle in the parking lot of Kroger’s near the street. My husband gets out of the truck, goes to this news Channel vehicle and taps on the window.  My husband informed them as to what Walmart Supercenter did to me.  The man in the vehicle who was dressed in a long sleeve colored blue shirt with a tie and nice men’s dark dress pants and nice dark shoes, well groomed too (the man had opened the vehicle door that is how I know what he looked like and what he was wearing), informed my husband that we need to go back to the police station in Baytown and get a report filed because regardless what that night officer said that was behind the window, the police cannot deny me the right to file a police report and get a copy of it and then send the report to him because he would love to make that report on Walmart.  Tomorrow that is exactly what I intend to do.

Until tomorrow, Goodnight.

November 7, 2014

Hello Blog readers, the Walmart manager gave me my refund yesterday.  He told my husband that this was the first he has heard of it.  It makes me angry because we went up there twice, to try to get it our money back or the rest of the merchandise that belonged in the ASUS box, called corporate headquarters 3 times and all I got was, they had to go through some chain of command and that the manager would call me in a day or so.  NO one called.  It took my husband to make the initiative again and call on Friday and that is when the Manager there said that was the first he heard about it and he told my husband to bring it back along with the receipt and the receipt from Office Depot showing that we bought another little computer just like it elsewhere.  We did that but he never asked us when we got there for the Office Depot receipt.  He just looked at the customer service lady and told her, "Give them their money back."  Even though the store manager (not the night manager) rectified it and made it right,  I know one thing, I will NEVER shop at Walmart again.  The end. 

June 20, 2015
To this day, I still do not shop at Walmart. I have no desires to go there. I shop elsewhere. I enjoy the regular and real grocery stores near my community (12 miles from my home one way and the other way 16 miles from my home).  A Dollar general or family dollar, whichever, had just built and opened up shop 6 or 7 miles from my home. Which, by the way it has become my husband's favorite place to shop. My husband will go to Walmart to get his medicine, if and when I need medicine I go elsewhere. 
Walmart will stay forever on my blacklist. And with their recent tales of untruth as to the reasons of their closing of five of their stores ensures my reasons for not going back to Walmart. They can't even tell the truth as to their closing the first time. The truth did come out but, only after the untruth. Will Walmart ever learn? I doubt it. They are nothing but a shame in my eyes. And their untruths are "Business as usual" for them.  
Have a great day.