"Proud Wal-Mart Associate"

"Excuse me, do you work here?"

"Excuse me, can you read my nametag?"

Wal-Mart has always offered low prices on everything they sell every day, but what are those low prices really costing you? Sure, they may be low, but how is the money used? For every purchase you make, you do help pay the menial paycheck of the working poor. You also help the store "replenish" it's stock by ordering it and never stocking it back. But, most importantly, your money gets poured into the fake commercials showing how Wal-Mart is such an enjoyable place to work. Have you really asked anyone that works at a Wal-Mart, other than a manager on salary, if they truly refer to themselves as a "Proud Wal-Mart Associate?" The truth is that, when an associate speaks out against the company, they face the risk of being terminated for it. This blog is one example. Any manager can read it and know that I am talking badly about the company and can fire me for slander. However, does that really hide the truth of the matter? What's said is said, and some things cannot and will not be taken back.

The one truth about the company is the one that they hide from everyone, and that truth is the fact that Wal-Mart can do better to provide for it's associates through better pay, better benefits, and better training. However, it's not down to the situation where they are unable to do so. They simply choose not to. What does this mean to you? This means that the customers are just as unaware as the associates who work at the store and who have been with the company for many, many years. Hiding the truth from their workers and their customers is how Wal-Mart makes its money. In return, they ask for your obedience and support of the company through fun activites such as the stock purchase program and "Casual Fridays" where you can wear jeans. Does that really make Wal-Mart a better company at all? Does it make you want to quit your current job and immediately demand a job at Wal-Mart? Again, Wal-Mart can do so much more for their workers to show they truly appreciate them, but they choose not to. Instead, they bring in new ideas and new perspectives to hide the growing problems and to drown their associates in the media through their fake commercials.

An example of the company making a business decision that is guaranteed to bring more sales is the slight revamp of specific departments in several locations. If some of you are familiar with their last remodels, known as "Project Impact" and "Project Wow," then you will be very familiar with the tactics. For those unfamiliar with the previously mentioned programs, here is the summary of them. Wal-Mart moitors their competitor's layouts and methods for displaying products on their sales floors. Wal-Mart then clones, mimics, or copies their layout and adds a little Wal-Mart flair to it, usually by changing the colors or logos around to make it not look like copyright infringement. The ending result is a department or entire store that looks identical to their competitor's store, but now the low quality, low priced Wal-Mart brand is all over the place like an evil taint you can't banish.

Although this tactic is used in just about every business in the world, Wal-Mart takes it a step further down the wrong path. The major problem with the bigger and higher end stores is that they have the exquisite customer service that goes with it. For example, just about everyone at Best Buy is actually trained on their product they sell, not just trained on how to run a register and breathe oxygen for 8 hours. With Wal-Mart "borrowing" the higher end store layout and stocking the sales floor with higher end merchandise, customers will not only expect the lower prices they find there, but they will now expect to see better customer service along with the improved selection and layout. See the problem here yet?

Wal-Mart has a pretty decent CBL system for training employees on the simpler tasks, such as working without a backbone, ignoring your common sense, and how to budget on a budget. What they do not have is a system for training associates on what customers actually do ask them. For example, there is no CBL on what the differencen is between two television models are, other than one is a higher price because of the name. The majority of the Wal-Mart CBL system is so meaningless that it barely prepares an associate for the real world situations that they will encounter every day. This is the reason so many customers, and associates alike, get angry at the lack of knowledge required to answer a simple question. Most of the time it is up to the associate to do research for their product they sell while off the clock. Although this is great that someone does take pride in their work, the associate will then be target of all customer questions, regardless of simplicity. It is as if having one smart worker makes up for having a work force of other workers with a combined IQ that is on the same level as the social awareness of the typical fake house plant. Sure, it makes the place look fuller, but is it necessary?

And what of the corporate giant? What does it think about this method? Their solution is to keep that smart associate locked to their area with no hopes of advancement. They will sing praises of their outstanding knowledge and customer service abilities. They will even go as far as saying the associate "shows great potential for promotion," yet they will remain in a mediocre position at less than mediocre pay. To put the icing on the cake of the day, some will even go further to say that, due to the overwhelming knowledge the associate has and the great service they offer, they need to "underachieve" at their job. Wal-Mart could do better to properly train associates, but they choose not to.

What does the customer see on their side of the situation? The customer usually sees associates that are struggling with the simple task of answering a question, or even selling a phone card. The customer sees overworked associates trying to do 40 hours of work on a 25 hour schedule. The customer sees associates that have to depend on government assistance for everything they need. But what does the customer do? They blame the associates. It's always the associate's fault for everything. It's their fault the customer broke their phone. It's their fault the customer can't read the return policy. It's their fault the customer bought the wrong flavor cereal and they can't return it. It's their fault, no matter what happens, because they are doing their job to the best of their ability based off the training they received, and that training didn't prepare them for what really happens. The pretend scenarios and situations are what would happen in a perfect world if customers had respect for associates.

What does this all mean to you? The reality is that Wal-Mart and it's customers are two sides of the same coin, the very coin we sweat blood to earn them. Neither of them care for the well being of associates like they should care. They all just want the best service, no questions asked, for as little cost as possible. If a customer doesn't like the service you offer, they complain to management. If Wal-Mart doesn't like the service you offer, they fire you. The entire world is working against you, yet you have to remain silent and obedient. You have to be a "Proud Wal-Mart Associate."

How do you fight this? How can you change it? One of the simplest ways to get your manager's attention is to ask for their boss's information. This will scare them and they will do what they can to prevent you from going above their head. For smaller concerns this is a great method. If you feel that they cannot help, or if you have tried in the past and cannot get a solution to your concerns, go above their head and find their boss's information and just send them an email. In some cases you can even talk with the higher ups in person. I personally found my market manager's email address, emailed him, and even talked to him on the phone about my concerns. He then called my store manager and told him everything we talked about. The very same day I had a sit down meeting with my store manager and we solved a lot of issues. As you can see, taking a small bit of initiative can go a long way if you handle it the proper way.

Just remember, Wal-Mart could do so much better as a company, but they choose not to. As a "Proud Wal-Mart Associate, " would you choose to do nothing as well? Change starts with you, and without you, nothing will change.