Walmart — Local services in Hawaii

I haven’t shopped at a Walmart for many years, on principle of how low they treat their employees, and how customers are treated. But in Hawaii we had no choice because there aren’t a lot of options to get provisions since we were there for a month.

The store was very clean and organized. I got groceries, some toiletries, and a heating pad. We found everything we needed, and went to check out. I was in an electric cart, I had a LOT of items in the basket in front of me. I had been in there 2 hours because people treat those in mobility devices like pariahs. Had to constantly wait for others to shop to get to the end of the aisle.

At checkout, a light was on indicating a register in the middle of all the check stands was open. I went in there and started unloading the items onto the conveyor belt.

A worker came over and informed me that all lanes are self checkout and asked me if I knew that. I said no? The lanes by the doors of the store were long and I figured those were self checkout. She told me she can help me a little bit and started scanning items and told me to keep putting things on the belt. She was pretty cool to talk to. I liked her.

At this point of scanning a few items, I was told that “bags are illegal in Hawaii” and I had to purchase all their reusable bags for $1.99 each. Odd, since Safeway, Longs, and getting takeout all came with paper and plastic bags.

I was suffering from sciatica so bad I couldn’t walk. Leaning forward to lift things and scan killed me. I called my husband to come in from the car and help me because the worker had told me to finish, then left. No one was behind me.

She came back at the end and chatted a bit. She pulled out long receipt off the printer and handed it to my husband, who’s on the spectrum. Never hand him a receipt, he has a blind spot for where he put it. But I was in screaming pain and wasn’t on top of it.

Let the games begin. We get to the door and he has NO IDEA where he put the receipt. He forgot Walmart treats customers as thieves.

Door guy wouldn’t let us leave. We told him who helped us and she even handed us the receipt, and told him the lane number. But she had just got off work and wasn’t there. We dug through all the bags and his pockets. Not there. We asked them to just reprint the receipt, and showed them the $312 purchase push notification on my phone at Walmart from 10 minutes ago at this location from my card. Still wouldn’t let us pass. He also said they can’t reprint receipts, which is BS. Husband went back to the check stand but it was now closed. They refused a supervisor to help us. After 15 minutes of looking everywhere for it, our ice cream and frozen items were melting fast in the heat.

I had to finally throw a fit because I was in severe pain and needed desperately to get in the car and recline back to get the pressure off my sciatic nerve- which they knew. I’m disabled and in crisis! Just help me so I can leave! NOPE. The 4 workers were there surrounding me closely, causing serious anxiety, and I just yelled I’M CALLING THE POLICE NOW! YOU ARE HOLDING ME AGAINST MY WILL AND I WILL PRESS CHARGES FOR UNLAWFUL DETAINMENT! I grabbed my phone - and they said we could go. Then we were followed out to the parking lot to our car. We were in the front row handicap spot, in a brand new BMW X7. My husband told them he will bring the cart inside so they can go.

No response. Just watched us like criminals. 3 of the workers, in the dark, hovering over us. One behind us by 2 feet, the other 2 on each backside of the SUV. I was legit scared at this point. I don’t get why they needed to play mafia games with us. But this was strictly for intimidation. Groceries were in, cart was returned, and the 3 moved to the front of the car, staring at us. One looked like he was taking pictures of us and the car.

We got home and found the neatly folded receipt shoved into a frozen bag, stuck to the bottom of a dripping wet bag of melted fries.

This is a reminder of why I refused to shop at Walmart and I’m glad I have other...

It’s good they making self checkout some cashier has no proper customer service I had one item waited in the electronics for 10 minutes for cashier waiting on a customer that was still looking for things while I’m standing there waiting I asked cashier if I can just go to the front to purchase a phone card. So she tells me I can go to any register and have them scan it. I walk to the front of store to purchase this phone card all lines are crowded I stand at the less crowded register then cashier tells her customer can you put the close sign up while I’m standing there waiting she tells me sir I’m closed. I’m already aggravated with the first cashier that had her customer still figuring what else to get while I’m ready to purchase. I can see now why they replacing workers with robots because they have no good customer service and yes I said to the cashier this service is getting worse I only have one item why would you tell me your closed when your sign was not there until you asked the lady that you was helping doe’s Walmart have no good customer service anymore if I was the cashier I would of just took the customer with one item and have the closed sign up as people see this and would find a open register. Shame on Walmart I think I’ll just shop at target from now on you lost my business that cashier left her station to call security on me for telling her that she has no good customer service and that the sign was not there until you told your customer to put it thank god for the security she was nice and de escalated the problem and had me taken care of from self checkout I’m thankful for those with a logic and understanding but that cashier need training if she wants customers there less customers less money for Walmart. Now on you won’t get my business my family will not go there anymore she made like I was the problem customers should not be treated like this no excuse. I had my daughter with me also and even the customers on the side said that it was unnecessary for her to tell me she can’t check me out because she is closed if she had the sign up in the first place I would of just changed lanes. Shame on her. I can order online and go other places don’t need to support this type of service. FYI I have a video of her telling security he is there and her telling the customer she had about how she felt about my situation so...

While I like the location, and the selection, and the pricing, there are two things that make me use WalMart Kona as a VERY last resort for a shopping experience. First, I fail to understand, nor do I appreciate, that this store, despite having enough high-tech cameras to film any 5 Hollywood movie productions, facial recognition tech, and A.I., they seem to think that planting some minimum wage person to assault me for my receipt at the door is somehow helping. SPOILER: IT'S NOT. All this is doing is creating a HUGE bottleneck at the only main exit door of this location, and as a local, law abiding business owner, only makes me feel like you suspect everyone trying to exit the store, like I just bought cigarettes at a prison canteen, or something. On top of that, this person's wage, to perform a completely useless task, only translates to higher prices for the products you're trying to sell me. So, as far as I'm concerned, you either don't trust your customers, or you don't trust the people you hire to monitor all that high-tech anti-theft gear you have. Which is it? CLEARLY you don't trust your customers by parking this useless speed bump at the exit door. Second, What happened to stocking the store at night? Why have you stopped doing that? Even during the busiest of Saturdays in the Kona store, with HUNDREDS of people trying to get around the store, I have to ALSO constantly dodge the big restocking carts and wagons of employees who are ALWAYS in the way of EVERYTHING. ALL. THE. TIME. It's bad enough the store actually closes at night, but these things are a huge turn off to me as a shopper, and as much as Target's selection here in Kona isn't near as good, at least I'm trusted to pay for my items and leave without being assaulted for my receipt, and I don't have to dodge huge stocking carts all day. It's just ridiculous. Thirdly, I TRIED to address this with a private E-mail to Wal-mart, and all I got was some blanket answer, with no intention of addressing my concern in any way, nor trying to give me any good reasons for these actions, besides "that's how we do things", and was completely ignored. Worst customer service I've ever seen. Would...