IAMA Walmart Store Manager (try your best not to get me fired today)

What is the extension # you dial to get on the intercom.

I would like to be able to call the store, ask to be connected with extension xxx, then be live over the intercom.

Hilarity ensues.

You're supposed to be trying not to get me fired today.

Why are your vegetables so shitty? do you only take in vegetables from abusive farmers or something? And how come there is always pieces of bone in the ground beef? Don't you guys know which part of a cow is inedible?

Upvote for you anyway. (customers are always right)

I work retail as well, and you know very well thats not true.

Upvote for you (customers are always right).

Unfortunately we don't buy the product at store level we just do our best with what we receive. Not trying to pass the buck but the buck must be passed here.

How slimey do you feel doing that Walmart chant thing every morning?

I hate it. The associates hate it. I would get rid of it (if I was trying to get fired today).

As a previous unloader we managed to always get away without doing any of that shit. The crew also played catch with HDTV's on days where the truck would come late... so, you know..

here is an honest unloader.

When I worked there, I would stand in the back with my poker face during the chant. Then I figured out as an associate, nobody would notice if I just walked away slowly.

I remember you

As a previous manager at walmart, I'd always suddenly have an important phone call or report review/print.

I might have trained you.

Why do you have 20+ open registers and only 3 of them actually open and there are usually more than 15 people in the line? That drives me crazy.

I'm sure everyone understands the low prices come from low expenses and how that is managed. Most issues I see in WM stores are that the attandance for terrible jobs like cashiering / cart pushing / unloading trucks is very poor. Lots of managers fail to do anything about it and the 6 registers that should be open turn in to the 3 that you see.

I loved being a cart pusher back in the day... before the machine came in.

Freakin rise of the machines in its infancy.

Also -- I could be wrong about this -- Black Friday. When that rolls around, you bet they need those 20 registers.

It's like your car. Do you use it 24hrs a day? No. But when you need it - it's there.

Speaking of Black Friday...what's your highest grossing day? I worked at a small retail chain and we usually do $45,000 on Black Friday as a small store with at most 8 employees working that day.

We have a lot of stores that do over $1mill on BF (we call it "the event")

What's the worst thing you've ever seen happen in your store?

A customer threw a home made chemical bomb in our vestibule which exploded on a couple of customers. Every one was ok after medical attention. Makes you kinda hate people a little.

I was a CSM what a shitty job!

Upboat for you. You know why.

I got paid 9$ an hour to do alllll the stuff the managers did and made bank!

Remember when there was "lay a way" sigh i dont miss that place.

I get asked EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. if we're going to bring it back.

What's that?

I heart you.

Every time I leave walmart I'm slightly depressed about humanity. How do you deal with this on a daily basis? I commend you sir. (or ma'am)

You should try working there for 50hrs a week. <Insert sad face here>

Walmart store managers can land some hefty bonuses. What was your largest yearly bonus?

Largest bonus was $122k

And this, children, is why working at Walmart is not a joke if you're willing to climb that corporate ladder.

Those were the good ol days. Hard to get one that big now. But yes it has been a blessing financially.

How do you feel about the website, peopleofwalmart.com? How are the customers in your store - would any of them make the peopleofwalmart.com cut?

I think it's hilarious. Probably most of those customers are standing in line at my store right now. Bless their hearts.

why is it that, every-fucking-time i find something i like at walmart, they stop selling it?

Product availability is very complex. Either the item didn't perform well for the chain, or a manufacturer stps making it, or they can't keep up with the demand falling below the instock % goal, or there isn't room for it on our "modulars".

Ooorrrrr, the maker refused to drop the price as far as Walmart was demanding so you pulled it from your shelves.

You sir are not only a fantastic bastard, but correct as well. I'm sure there are other reasons. I'm not privy to the interwebs of haggle admin in the corporate office unfortunately.

Why does it take 45 minutes to find someone to unlock the video game case?

Most stores are required to leave the video game cases unlocked.

Do you just hire anyone? The staff I have had interactions with are some special kind of stupid and have no idea what is going on. Maybe it is just the Walmart near me.

We do background and drug screens on all applicants these days. But we are mostly looking at people's availability to work. Can you work evenings and weekends? If so, you're usually in as long as you can pass the screens.

Is it true that WalMart takes a life insurance policy out on every employee, not for the employee, but for the company?

I read an article some where about how they take out policies on salaried managers and collect it after we die without us even knowing. I know there is a lawsuit out there somewhere on it. Not 100% on that tho.

Have you reached the pinnacle of your career or are you gunning for district manager or corporate gig?

Most of us are trapped by the money. I think as bad as it all is - most of us still want to move up. It's crazy I know.

My dad has spent most of his life working in grocery stores. When I was born, he was an assistant store manager, and he slowly moved up to store manager, district department manager, district store manager, regional manager and now to some top-tier executive position within the company. My whole childhood he was stressed out beyond belief and just an angry, angry man. But with the position he has now, he says it's a tenth of the stress he had and twice the pay. So, if you're lucky and keep climbing, you might one day actually get to a rung on that ladder that isn't so bad.

And FWIW, I was in the First in Line program in college but gave it up for journalism when I graduated college. Sometimes I look back and still kind of miss that satisfaction I got from seeing a customer who was completely wrong go apeshit or the joy of catching a scummy family using their children to shoplift.

Your dad must be a good man. Glad he made it over the wall.

Do the overnight managers actually expect zoning to get done? I can't recall more than two or three times when I actually had time enough to do even a half-assed job of bringing one row up to the front.

Depends on the store and the managers. I expect it. My boss expects it. His boss expects it. It does look nice for the customers. Just work hard and do your best.

Is it true that Walmart trucks don't use pallets in order to cram the largest amount possible into them?

Our grocery trucks come on pallets. But everything else is stacked from floor to the ceiling. Hand stacked on / Hand stacked off.

Have you watched Walmart: The High Cost of Low prices? What are you thoughts and feelings about the issues they brought up in it? Such as cost of insurance and putting businesses out of business.

Honestly I've never watched it. It is in my Netflix Queue. I'll try to watch it and report back later.

When my mother worked at Walmart, one day a man shit in his pants and shook the turds down his pant leg on to the floor and left them there. Have you ever dealt with a situation like this? How was it handled?

I think that's happened in every WM in America. Sad to say, worse to see. Honestly you do your best to not embarrass anyone and get it cleaned up the best you can.

How good is your LP security? In my youth I took a cart, a bunch of walmart bags, and put a majority of the liquor section into said bags, and carted myself out, without a single glance from an employee. Is it just lack of personnel?

Depends on the store. Some do great job with LP and some don't. Every store is unique depends on the overall leadership.

Did you start as an associate and climb your way up the ladder?

I did. I was hired as Christmas help. Stayed on - loved it for years. Here we are.

You loved it? What did you love about it? What other jobs did you have before you started there?

It used to be fun. It was like a family in those small stores. Everyone knew each other and took care of each other. We only worried about filling shelves, taking care of customers - it was great.

Yeah, lack of drug tests did miracles back in the day.

Ha never thought about that.

Do you ever have to kick people out?

I have. More than I care to remember. I hate that part.

What region/state/city are you in? Feel free to answer any/all of those.

Florida

How many of your staff have health coverage?

My store is around 40%. Everyone has an opportunity (even part time associates). Most that don't are either covered under a spouse or parent from other jobs - or they simply can't afford it.

Perks for working in Walmart? From the lowly cleaner to manager level?

Promotion potential and money. Great 3 on 3 off schedules for ASM's and shift managers now. 10% discount. Company matching $ for $ up to 6% of your 401k. Job security as long as you come to work and do your job.

Any advice for a part-timer trying to jump to full-time?

Get promoted. One of the only ways right now.

At times like Black Friday, what kind of stuff seems to be running out the fastest?

We always forever and ever sell out of the cheap cheap appliances like clockwork. The laptops are a freaking nightmare. We always miss the boat on a couple of items not even coming in to the store.