Walmart Ditching The One-Way Gates???

[thenetwork]

I couldn't find the most recent thread which mentioned the hatred about those one-way entry gates at Walmarts...

Over the last month or so, many of the Walmart in my area (I only deliver product to them, otherwise I stay far far away from them) have totally removed those gates, now allowing for people (and the usual amount of shoplifters) to exit the store without having to go through the checkout  lines.

Some of these stores installed these gates less than a year ago.

I usually heard the annoying alarms go off a few times while in the store -- either by a shopper saying "screw it" and they exit that way anyway, or its a Walmart associate using it as an authorized shortcut. 

Seems like they gave up on the deterrent as they weren't really yelling at people who were using them as exits.

[roadman65]

How about in Oregon and Washington making you pay a nickel each for a bag. None of them here in Florida do.

[Max Rockatansky]

Haven't been to a Walmart since April of 2020.  I didn't need much of a push to never go back to the place when friendlier/better options exist.

[Scott5114]

Oh, good, now there's only 172 irritating things about Walmart instead of 173.

[roadman65]

Today I went to Walmart and they had no shopping carts brought in.  Had to go outside and find one to shop. I guess like Buffalo Wings, Rental Cars, and Wheelchairs there is a shopping cart shortage as well.

[plain]

Someone told me that they are removing the gates at some Walmarts, I haven't been in one since I bought another phone early last year (I have Straight Talk). I'm pretty sure they were used as a deterrent to shoplifters. I used to go there more often for groceries but not so much nowadays since the prices are about the same as anywhere else now, plus their generic brand (Great Value) sucks. The Food Lion generic is far superior.

[roadman65]

We never had the gates in Lakeland, but Tampa and St. Pete did.

[LM117]

Someone told me that they are removing the gates at some Walmarts, I haven't been in one since I bought another phone early last year (I have Straight Talk). I'm pretty sure they were used as a deterrent to shoplifters. I used to go there more often for groceries but not so much nowadays since the prices are about the same as anywhere else now, plus their generic brand (Great Value) sucks. The Food Lion generic is far superior.

I'll take Food Lion over Walmart for the sheer fact that there's actually more than one cashier working. There's a Walmart Neighborhood Market here in Danville that was fairly decent when it first opened in August 2017, but the service has gone to shit since then. The deal breaker was when they decided to have only one cashier working. The self-checkout lanes are often backed up because of customers with full carts that have no clue how to use the checkout machines.

The only time I go to Walmart now is to pick up a prescription from the drive-thru.

[Takumi]

It's been so long since I've been in a Walmart that they hadn't even installed the gates last time I went in one.

[tchafe1978]

I work at a Walmart, and have worked there for just over 20 years. Those gates were meant to deter shoplifting. The store I work at never got them, we weren't considered a high theft store like those that got them. They were determined to not be effective enough at deterring theft to outweigh the inconvienience to other customers, so out they go. I'm sure Walmart was tracking the data on their effectiveness, just like they do with everything. It seems to me it might be more effective for Walmart to invest in people rather than equipement for certain things like this. Bringing back the greeters would probably be better thet deterrence. Other recent investments that are quickly going away are the pick-up towers, for example. The one in our store went in about 2 years ago, and is no longer being used, and is set to be removed soon. They're being replaced because the online pickup and delivery is taking its place. Some stores had those things in for less than a year, and I'm sure they weren't cheap.

Another observation I've made is people sure like to bang on Walmart for certain things, when other stores do the same or similar. Self checkouts for example, how many other stores have them, and how many people complain about them at other stores vs. Walmart? Or the gates at the entrances. Other stores like Menards have gates or turnstiles at the entrance to allow one way movement only, and I don't hear nearly the complaints about them as I did about the ones at Walmart. Must be because banging on Walmart is so easy and popular.

[roadman65]

The problem is everyone hates Walmart for ruining the mom and pops.  So everyone is prejudiced towards so people jump in when a common mistake is made and make a big deal.

[Scott5114]

There are enough mom and pops in Norman that I don't really feel too strongly about that. What I hate about Walmart is the constant beeping of the security cameras, and the fact that it takes twice as long to shop there than anywhere else, because the aisles are too narrow and you have to wait for people to get out of your way, and because they're constantly rearranging the store so you can't find any items you need.

My local grocery store (Crest) has prices that are the same or better than Walmart, the aisles are wider, and stuff stays where it is. For anything else, there's Amazon. I basically only go to Walmart when there's something I need immediately and can't afford to wait for Amazon, or to get the oil changed in my car.

[Flint1979]

I went in a Walmart the other day for the first time in over a year. I try to avoid that store as much as possible.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I posted last night but I deleted it myself because it seemed too thorny so I'll try to rephrase it without the snark. I haven't been to a Walmart in about a year, but were these designed for loss prevention or for COVID mitigation where they were trying to keep people generally moving one direction and prevent people leaving from mixing with people entering?

[jp the roadgeek]

The ones in my town were removed, but occasionally, you have a greeter there asking if people who don't have masks if they want one.  The Supercenter a couple towns away still had them.  I'd imagine they'd stay up at more urban locations.  At least the one door in and one door out policy is gone, and thank God one way aisles are gone (does Covid really get you more if you walk the wrong way down an aisle?)

[J N Winkler]

I haven't been to a Walmart in about a year, but were these designed for loss prevention or for COVID mitigation where they were trying to keep people generally moving one direction and prevent people leaving from mixing with people entering?

They were designed for loss prevention and pre-dated covid.  Mostly they inconvenienced shoppers by forcing them to exit through a chokepoint regardless of whether they had bought anything.  Typically the most convenient exit point was the self-checkout (it had an ungated exit and the underpaid clerk overseeing it was not going to neglect 200 terminals to give chase), and there was an even chance it was on the opposite side of the store from the merchandise you wanted, the door you entered through, and your car.

My local grocery store (Crest) has prices that are the same or better than Walmart, the aisles are wider, and stuff stays where it is. For anything else, there's Amazon. I basically only go to Walmart when there's something I need immediately and can't afford to wait for Amazon, or to get the oil changed in my car.

I wouldn't say that Dillons (our local limb of the Kroger octopus) necessarily competes on price, but it does offer a more pleasant shopping experience.  I do go to a Walmart Neighborhood Market three or four times during the winter to stock up on some ingredients, such as fifteen-bean soup, that Dillons does not carry.  Regular Walmarts have become my go-to for motor oil since the other large discounters (such as Target) have stopped carrying it and it tends to be expensive to order through Amazon.

[1995hoo]

There's a Wal-Mart within walking distance of our neighborhood, but I don't remember when the last time I went there was. I try to avoid it if at all possible. I've never seen the gates in question in person.

How about in Oregon and Washington making you pay a nickel each for a bag. None of them here in Florida do.

Good chance that's a question of state or local law. Consider the political bent of each of the states you just mentioned. Here in Fairfax County, there is no bag tax yet, but the Board of Supervisors are planning to enact one this fall, in which case Wal-Mart here will start charging 5¢ a bag just like all the grocery stores will.

[Rothman]

In Cicero, NY, it seemed the gates popped up and were removed over a course that only lasted less than six months.  Pretty bizarre.

[Bruce]

How about in Oregon and Washington making you pay a nickel each for a bag. None of them here in Florida do.

Washington's plastic bag ban takes effect in October (having been delayed because of COVID), after which a reusable plastic or paper bag will cost 8 cents. Many cities already have bag bans in place with various charges, and most businesses that are statewide have switched to charging for bags regardless of jurisdiction.

[hotdogPi]

after which a reusable plastic or paper bag will cost 8 cents

Oh good, get out those pennies...

[SectorZ]

Having worked at the Walmart in my hometown from 1996-2001 (which was medium-risk for theft thanks to the city next to us) they thankfully never put these in during this recent era of them installing them.

It goes to the heart of a problem Walmart has, and it's so antithetical to what they preach, in that they inconvenience everyone due to a few people being a pain in the arse. They treat everyone as guilty from the start. I feel this problem has gotten worse since I've worked there.

[1995hoo]

How about in Oregon and Washington making you pay a nickel each for a bag. None of them here in Florida do.

Washington's plastic bag ban takes effect in October (having been delayed because of COVID), after which a reusable plastic or paper bag will cost 8 cents. Many cities already have bag bans in place with various charges, and most businesses that are statewide have switched to charging for bags regardless of jurisdiction.

There's no law that says anyone has to use a bag. Back in the 1980s, my mom went to Shoppers Food Warehouse in Fairfax City, Virginia, and they charged 3¢ per paper bag (no plastic back then). You also had to pack your own groceries. She, and many other people, brought cardboard boxes (facilitated by the store giving away boxes rather than throwing them out). I just bought two cases of wine at a winery last night and I thought about saving the boxes for grocery shopping, but they were the wrong shape (too tall, not long enough) so they're outside with tonight's recycling.

[Rothman]

Yep, we never buy bags or use bags.  Just take the unbagged stuff out of the grocery store and pack it when we get to the trunk.

[Bruce]

The small charge is already making a difference, at least for me personally. I've been reusing my own bags more often or just trying to balance everything in my hands (as I've gotten used to for small Costco runs).

Anecdotally, the following stores in my area charge for reusable bags: Walmart (on the rez), Target, Grocery Outlet

And the following don't charge for their regular/flimsy bags: Walmart (off-rez), Fred Meyer/Kroger, Safeway/Albertsons, WinCo, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Haggens

[Scott5114]

I prefer using reusable bags anyway, since mine are bigger than the bags the store has, so it takes less trips to bring the stuff into the house (I'm lazy, and also the fewer chances I can keep my idiot cat from getting into the garage, the better).

One of the many irritating things about Walmart is their checkers' tendency to put one or two items in each bag. Also, they don't offer paper bags, and Norman doesn't accept plastic bags for recycling, so I have to hang on to them until I remember to bring them back to the store. We have one of those dispenser things to hold them in the rare event we need a plastic bag for something, but usually it just gets stuffed full since I use the reusable bags for most of those applications too.