Walmart — Local services in Town of Brookhaven

I just love Walmart. Being 5 and 10 minutes distance between two of them gives you such a great shopping experience. You might say it's therapy. If one doesn't have it in stock, the other one will or you can order on line and it will be there next day. The hours are great, just in case you need to get something either very early or really late. Forgot milk, eggs; someones' birthday? A quick run solves it all. The only problem I've had so far is trying to get someone to help, especially in the Garden department. For instance, there was no price sign on an item too heavy to carry to the register, so I took note of the upc code and went to "customer service". Reluctanctly and after much nuddging the lady looked it up. Great price! Have to get it!! So I go to the self check out because all the lines were really long, "look up item" only works for fresh vegetables.......a lady approaches to investigate, so I tell her I want to pay and have someone load my car. Takes my little pad with the number....(much lip service)...but does not try to enter it on the self check out register. Instead, back up comes to check what's going on. Second lady tries to help but code is not coming up. She goes to the department. Good effort. First lady still lip service. I keep asking for alternative searches on the item. She tries. Second lady comes back and enters the code I originally gave her and bingo!! It came up. All it took maybe 25 minutes. I reassure myself I really need it and want it. Finally get my receipt and off I go to Garden Dept. looking for an able body to load my car so I can be on my way. Well looking...looking. The nearest and only register clerk has a line 10+ customers long, preparing myself for the leering eyes as I approach him to ask if there is anyone in the department; I am told to look around "seasonal". I walk, look, walk some more, walk....get to the first clerk (cosmetics section) ask her to call for someone....The look of amazement was indescribable. I had to say, listen I walked all over, it's hot, I'm sweating and if I wanted a work out I'd go to the gym! Lady sees I am getting a bit agitated by the nonchalant attitude, bluntly said "OK, I'll call" ....I walk away back to the Garden dept. I hear her on the loud speaker.... Great results! In a manner of minutes John shows up. Nice helpful man. I pull my car to the pile of bags to make it easier for him to load since they are soooo heavy. I can only fit half, I tell him I will return for the rest. This only took approximately an 1:35 minutes. HD would've taken 30 minutes, but remember the price was right. So at the end of the story, the prices are really great. Especially on end of season items and clearance, for instance I got a $9.97 oil filter for $2.50 and specialty anti freeze for $8.00 (normally $15). The variety of goods is terrific. Where else could you do all your shopping from clothing, food, automobile tires, bicycles and even hunting/fishing gear as well as lotto tickets in one place. However the help, well...it's just not there. There is a lack of employees (real shortage) and a bigger lack of helpful attitudes. The greeters are the only ones with a smile and from time to time there will be a nice young man who will bring something down off the top shelf for you (only if asked, of course). If you want to shop and need no assistance it is the perfect place. You can walk around for hours and get some exersice as well. All in all you learn to overlook these trivial moments and gracefully accept the good prices, hours and the fact they are almost never closed and shelves are somewhat always stocked. I seemed to have over extended my say, I apologize. My other wishful career is columnist, writer and review editor...non fiction, of...

I will never shop this store again and quite frankly have considered never entering any Wal-Mart again. Over the past couple of years my experiences have been frustrating but I have realized the attempts of bettering these situations. Yesterday was the absolute end for me though. One star is only because zero is not an option. My experience in 3 locations has been sloppy and half empty shelves, narrow and difficult to navigate aisles and long lines. Yesterday, and after three days of putting it off I finally made a trip to this store. I managed to navigate the narrow aisles which I will state were neater, I was able to find most of the items on my list which was a pleasant surprise and then I headed to the front registers because I needed batteries and lighters. I immediately noticed the reconfiguration of the registers. There appeared to be less, they were spaced tighter. Normally I check out at the garden center but spotted a register that appeared to be a short wait. Huge mistake. The cashier was finalizing a sale and the woman in front of me had about 7 items. I attempted to load my items but the belt had been turned off, a space at the front left and only turned back on when the woman in front of me attempted to manually push her items. I did get distracted with the impulse items at the sides and wondered why we didn't appear to be moving, contemplated moving to another register but the lines were building. A man opened the register next to us, turned to the man in back of me and stated since he only had a few items and he could only take those with a few items inviting him over. He continued to take customers never turning on his light. My cashier analyzed and remarked on almost every item, I waited patiently looking around and thinking how I always seem to find "the one". As I looked around though I did see several seeming to move with no purpose, wonderful. Then "the item", the one not on file, the one that caused a complete standstill. The cashier is dazed and confused looking around, the customer leaves to get "another one". I knew exactly how this would play out. The other item is different inventory and the dazed cashier didn't get what the woman has asked before leaving to get that item. I look at the guy next to us, yep, still ringing, not acknowledging that I am stuck. The cashier walks away, in a circle and returns. Walks over to the male taking small purchases and he claims items not on file can't be sold. The customer whines. I am now standing on line longer than it took me to gather maybe $200. worth of general basic household, cosmetic and personal care items when a woman in a brightly colored vest walks over. She explains that the item can be rung under department and a price of $7.49. This woman had been standing a few registers down talking the entire time and now there are stares, no movement by either her or the cashier. Count one, two, three, four...still no movement, no acknowledgment that I am standing there, five, six, is someone going to move? That is it, I am done and I announce it as I leave. No one tries to stop me and I am sure they believe me to be some lunatic but I do hope they see this. You see, I worked retail for over a decade and I do have the utmost sympathy for those who deal with upper-mismanagement and the customer, the not on file and the mispriced. I am grateful I no longer work retail but I also understand. I also recognize bad customer service and if you can't seem to take my money in less time than it took me to navigate your poorly laid out and spaced aisles I will take...

Experience was so bad it was almost laughable, they run such a chaotic operation I doubt any manager or employee cares about their customer service or reviews. I came to purchase a primo water cooler system, among a couple other standard items. I noticed the coupon that was on the boxes was ripped off, my husband asked an associate (this older black guy with glasses walking by) about the coupon. Very rudely just says immediately “you’re asking the wrong person, I don’t know about that!” Without even trying to understand what we were asking, anyways the main point, we drive all the way home through an unexpected blizzard and unwrap the box, just to discover that not only was the cooler scratched and damaged, used, caked in filth, but also THE COMPLETE WRONG PRODUCT; One that is a significantly cheaper model. we promptly drove back to this location with the receipt in hand, the card we paid with, and the product just as we found it. We explain the situation to customer service and the lady said she’d need to get her manager and do an exchange. I told the manager that the only other box that was in the store looked beat up on the outside and that if you’re selling people used dirty broken product at full price then I’d honestly prefer a refund and to take my business elsewhere. To which she just tells me “no, I can check if the other one is the right product but you’re not getting a refund, only an exchange.” Which, if you see the product listed on the website, it has a 90 day free return. I said how can that be? At centereach they take the product back with no issues. She shrugs and says “Ok. Go to center reach then.” Mind you I’m speaking to the manager. Before I completely lose it, I agree to let her show me the other cooler. She comes back with the only other box in stock and reveals that it is also somehow the wrong model, also very dirty with hairs sticking out of it. There was even a small bag full of trash in the water compartment. She then fights with us that it is the correct product, and we are pointing to how it clearly isn’t, fighting back and forth until a third associate comes along and checks the serial number on the box and on the machine itself just to confirm that it is indeed incorrect. Even though you could literally tell from looking at it first glance that they are nothing alike. Shouldn’t be such a hassle to get a refund if it says online that I can. I’m not looking for someone to kiss my feet but not a single time did anyone say “sorry this happened” it’s clear the employees are treated like garbage and are well aware of the conditions...