Thread regarding Walmart layoffs

I think that you’re going to see two issues.

First, as Walmart treats their employees poorly, they will have no qualms about spending their dollars elsewhere or telling other family members/friends how poorly the company treats them.

Second, it’s demoralizing to be treated like some sort of organic robot with no soul. After all, if you’re just a number who is gonna get laid off some day soon, you don’t give a c-apola about store standards or company goals. It’s just a paycheck at that point. The company doesn’t care about you past the work it can get out of you. And associates don’t care about the company or the customer past a paycheck.

Walmart’s death will be caused by how they treat their employees. Because how you treat your employees will translate to how employees treat your customers and take care of your stores.

I am a former employee. I will certainly do what I can to shop elsewhere. I imagine the many others that got let go feel the same.

I was one of the associates whose job was eliminated due to restructuring. What I see in my former store and the stores around me are shelves not getting stocked and a lot of empty space. The associates are overwhelmed with all that is expected of them and the jobs aren't getting done. The freight isn't on the shelf because there's not enough stockers to get it out.

People that I know are telling me that they are going to other stores because they can't find what they need or an associate to help them.

If this past Black Friday shopping event is any indication, I would say that Walmart does not care about its customers either. I am a customer, never have been an employee of WM but my sister use to work at WM many years ago and she hated working there. That being said, here is what I experienced on Thanksgiving evening at Walmart:

Arrived around 8:30pm to avoid any "rush" they might have. I was not going to WM for their "sale" but was shopping for a Christmas gift for a family member who was in town for Thanksgiving and I would not see them until next year sometime. Family member came with me. Parking lot had the normal number of cars parked, nothing unusual there. Went inside and no crowds. Busy for an evening, about the same as I see on a Saturday. Lots of employees standing around in groups of 3-5 and just talking. Long checkout lines, because only 2 checkouts were open (remember those employees just standing around) and the self checkout which had a long line too. Shopping for a few gifts only took 15 minutes but I stood inline for almost 30 minutes.

If that experience was repeated at other WM all over the place, then yes, they will lose customers.

At one time 4 of 5 of my direct family members worked for WM, with the 5th applying. We are now down to 2 of 5 currently still there and I think it will be down to only 1 within 6 months. In our surveys, 1 question is always would you recommend WM as a place to work. I know of no one who will privately admit to saying yes. When the workers of a company won't recommend it, that company is having problems.

If sales drop significantly enough to cause a problem, it won't be because of public out cry against working conditions/employee abuse. The consuming public couldn't care less about retail workers; many of them don't even think of them as human beings. Even organized labor unions won't boycott shopping at Walmart, I've seen countless members with their proud union coats on pushing carts through the stores.

If anything is going to take this behemoth down----which will likely never happen completely, tho we are seeing the tip of some very huge changes in their 'Rome conquors the world' approach----it will be the continued frenzy of on line ordering. Walmart simply cannot compete with that, the way it currently is structured.

What ever happens, good or bad to that company, will have nothing to do with the public's feelings towards Walmart's employees at all.