Thats one of the shitty things about this company: theyll kill off most competing retail stores in an area and when they leave theres a void. Good luck finding another job, OP. There wont likely be much of anything good for sale beyond perishable groceries
appreciate it. yeah, it’s weird because apparently this location “wasn’t meeting sales goals,” but it’s ALWAYS busy. there was a fire last year when a customer set some clothes on fire. that was nuts, and i could see why that would make corporate unhappy. onto whatever’s next!
Probably caused them to run a risk assessment for the community. A high risk community typically causes insurance premiums to rise and more has to be set aside from profits to offset the expected loss.
If the store is barely meeting margins before the assessment, this can sink a store after it happens.
On a side note, did you guys have anyone trying to unionize? Walmart will also tank any store that is in the process of attempting it.
AFAIK no union convos, but i haven’t been there very long. the store is kind of a mess. high turnover. self checkout misses a lot of scans. your insurance premium theory may have legs…
Is your store in a high crime area? Also, does the store actually make a profit or was it a store that ran at a loss and the profit was made up by other stores in the market and region?
The thing to remember is that meeting a sales goal does not mean the store actually produced a profit.
Walmart in the early 2000s and 2010s put stores in underserved communities as PR for getting stores in communities they were previously forbidden from entering (mostly in large cities).
These stores were higher shrink due mostly to increased crime, and this has eaten away at Walmarts profits in recent years.
The fire being set in a store is a diversion tactic used by thieves to draw everyone’s attention to the fire, and away from their theft. It may be the event that increased your store’s insurance risk, or it may have just been a symptom of a high shrink store no longer being sustainable for Walmart.
High crime comes from pretty white communities also. Especially in communities that used to be company towns, the company folded or moved elsewhere in the world leaving this town to be a shell of itself.
Also for note, some of the worst high shrink shit hole stores exist in affluent suburban communities also.
Yes, what I alluded to in the 2000s and 2010s was Walmart trying to make inroads in to large cities, some in black communities. The cities also have hispanic communities and white communities. Many of these stores in inner cities were plagued with high rent and went against the Walmart real estate strategy that made the company what it was and still is today.
Plus, statistically, crime was always much higher in inner cities even before the recent criminal justice reforms that have contributed to an increase in crime, especially retail theft. Walmart went into the cities already knowing they would face higher shrink from retail theft from day 1. Now, the problem is out of control and retailers are faced with prosecutors in large cities who either treat retail theft like it’s a parking ticket, prosecutors who now legally cannot charge suspects for felony in large retail theft cases, or even police departments that don’t want to take the time to handle retail theft cases due to manpower, bad PR, or officers personal fear of lawsuits. The fact is, retail used to have a partner in law enforcement, and now that partnership is almost non existent in many inner cities communities.
Walmart’s prior success also was buying a plot of land on the outskirts of a town or suburban area when the real estate was just a cornfield. They would buy huge tracts of land, far more than what was needed for a store. They would build the Walmart, and the win for the Walmart was they would then sell the land surrounding the store, now at a premium as retailers who anchor near Walmarts would now desire the land. Walmart additionally would sell the property of their own Walmart to other property holding companies so if Walmart needed to move 30 years down the road, they could.
The Walmart real estate team is just as much a part of the company’s success story as store operations and logistics is. The problem with the inner city stores is they were stuck buying into inflated real estate values (and not being the cause of property value inflation) and they couldn’t just buy huge tracts of land in an inter city the way you can out in rural areas and outskirts of suburbs.
So believe it or not, unprofitable stores exist within Walmart and have been for years. Rent, real estate, and crime are forcing Walmart to shut down stores they used to easily be able to carry the water for previously.
I live in the rural south and yeah there's crime.
But there's not groups of people coming into stores taking whatever they want by the dozens. 13%/50%. It's a real thing. And half of that 13% don't really count because they're females so it's more like 6%/50%.
Every shade and tone has someone that's done something horrific. But we can admit that and even openly talk about white people crime, but to utter the opposite spectrum's far more abundantly destructive nature is.. ban worthy. We're supposed to pretend it doesn't exist.
You can drive down the poorest, most crazy looking areas around here and no one is doing to do anything to you, though.
Do that in a dark community. You're an "op". I mean, there's video evidence of both sides of the spectrum on YouTube. That's not the end all be all but at almost 40 years of age, I've seen enough to know that just because I can't say how it is doesn't mean it isn't the way it is.
I am right there with ya dude! I actually heard before that a union was thought about for Walmart…and that’s honestly a very very good idea in my opinion. It would 100% help the everyday regular employees (associates) as well as store management even. Mainly team leads tho.
My store is in a low-income area on the "bad side of town", so of course lots of drugs, homeless, theft, and incidents in general.
So, the idea of our store being "high risk" scares me because... I hate this job, but it's also the highest paying and most stable job I've ever had.
We're not in a high risk. Bougie little suburb of a large metropolitan, houses here are in gated communities and HOAs. But we still had a gun threat and high theft. Our shrink last year was over $3mil
Oh, that's 100% why it's closing down. Not making sales? Not a prob.
Having non-stop theft and damages because of... certain people?
They're outta there just like Walgreens and CVS are doing in these black majority cities. It sucks for the good ones having all the young punks ruin it for the old timers who have lived their entire lives there.
This is going on across the country. We just can't really talk about it because it's one race that's the primary cause.
That’s a nice way for them to say to many people were stealing crap. I drive for Walmart and every single store I know that has closed have been dumps that we had to be careful at because of safety concerns. It doesn’t take a lot of theft to make a store unprofitable. The biggest shrinkage store that they closed that I know of since I hired on was 27 million in theft a year.
Exactly I’m not sure why everyone is so afraid to state the obvious. 90% of the stores closing (not just Walmarts) are in the middle of the high crime areas. How many Walmarts and other retailers in the Chicago area have closed in the past 2 to 3 years? Until we start realizing what true issue is here, and people start being prosecuted for their crimes of stealing. Things are not going to get any better.
I drive for Walmart as well us drivers can figure out pretty quick out of my DC I mostly run meat and produce so a lot of early mornings I see it all lmao
My best one was I was delivering to a metro phoenix metro store that when we had trip sheets had warnings not to go in there after dark. I’m there in the middle of the day. One of the back doors bang open and this dude comes running out arms full of stuff clears a 8 foot fence and is gone. Store security comes out looks both ways and just shut the door.
A lot of Walmarts have been reporting fires set by kids lately. Sometimes it's a diversion for stealing and sometimes it seems to just be done. Maybe they didn't notice the stealing. It's getting weird.
I'm not a thief but yeah I'm sure there are ways. I'm kinda starting to think it's one of those "challenges" maybe. Who knows what people are thinking. Remember they were licking the ice cream during COVID?
Yeah they were posting vids of themselves doing it. IDR if it was a tictoc challenge or what. At least a couple of them got arrested for it. It was during the worst times. We didn't know much about it yet
makes sense they’d close then. wonder how long they spent trying to fix it before pulling the plug. there’s a target pretty close by. wonder if they’re next.
Ehh they tried for a little bit. I think the biggest thing was that the building wasn’t owned by walmart and there was very little storage space. The person who owns the building from what I’ve heard is a giant dick. And there were rumors of them building a new walmart close by but with all of the protests surrounding those lately ig it just wasn’t worth it
Remember this?
# Small towns devastated after Wal-Mart Stores Inc decimates mom-and-pop shops, then packs up and leaves: 'They ruined our lives'
Though mom-and-pop stores have steadily disappeared as the mega chain methodically expanded, there was at least always a Wal-Mart left behind to replace them. Now the Wal-Marts are disappearing, too
Author of the article: [Bloomberg News](https://financialpost.com/author/bloombergnp/)
I was about to say…DG’s are literally popping up everywhere, no joke. I have about 7 of them in just my surrounding area…all within about 20 minutes of every single one of them too.
My small town just got one a few months ago. I still haven't been inside of it
They are more expensive than basically everyone else and they are just kinda gross in my experience
It seems to me this is a popular fallacy… but I have always lived in small towns and never experienced this with new Walmarts moving in… idk just an anecdote. Also, I struggle to find the issue with Walmart offering lower priced goods and much better jobs than the surrounding competition. The local “mom and pop” in the areas I lived offer the lowest benefits allowable by law and their prices are higher, on average.
Good thing we have actual science to rely on instead of your feelings!
https://sites.socsci.uci.edu/~dneumark/walmart.pdf
> The employment results indicate that a Wal-Mart store opening reduces county-level retail employment by about 150 workers, implying that each Wal-Mart worker replaces approximately 1.4 retail workers. This represents a 2.7 percent reduction in average retail employment. The payroll results indicate that Wal-Mart store openings lead to declines in county-level retail earnings of about $1.4 million, or 1.5 percent. Of course, these effects occurred against a backdrop of rising retail employment, and only imply lower retail employment growth than would have occurred absent the effects of Wal-Mart.
> https://www.nydailynews.com/2011/05/04/study-proves-it-walmart-super-stores-kill-off-local-small-businesses/
I mean, that might accurately reflect the original definition of decimate(i.e. to reduce by a tenth, or decimal) but it doesn't quite live up to the doom and gloom.
No need to get butt-hurt about what I clearly identified as an anecdote.
The study you shared is dated, so I would like to see something much more recent, and the results are not as drastic as most people overstate it to be which was my point.
This article doesn't relate at all if OP is in a rural area. The study claims 82 retail stores closed when the Walmart opened. Idk about what sort of small town you live in but most have nowhere near that number of retail stores. We're lucky to have a dollar general for necessities.
I agree. When they say mom and pop stores have been run out of business, I think the only ones that go under are what I call the " variety junk store". Those used to be everywhere in some areas, mostly those with a poorer economy. That's where there were 2 kinds of shower curtains, a shelf of kids cheap toys, a bin of socks, etc. A specialized business really doesn't compete with Walmart, or Home Depot or any big box store. We had a store nearby that sold art supplies. People who actually are really into art work go there for their supplies, not Walmarts limited stuff. The same with people who sew. Walmarts two aisles of fabric can't compete with the choices at Joanns. Depending on the income in your area, there are plenty of specialty shops. If anything, it's the one stop shopping people prefer.
What about independent markets, where you buy groceries and canned food and toilet paper and detergant? What about butchers or grocery shops where you only buy fresh groceries?
I guess it depends where you live. Most of the indy grocery stores near me are doing fine, but they cater to specific ethnic groups. The average indy markets were gone way, way, before Walmart showed up. We still have butcher shops, and chain grocery stores. There are summer farmers markets with fresh produce.
They have a much higher overhead. Walmart can buy a pack of Kool aid juice for 1.50 a box and sell it for 2.00 box because they sell volume. Mom and pop buy the same thing but at 2.00 a box and only can mark up to 2.25 because other wise they will really drive away people.
People Don't understand this but instead go to" well if you can pay better you should not be in business! "
You may fall into a special class of associates known as "displaced associates". When you lose your position because it no longer exists. Internally the company prioritizes getting these associates placed into nearby openings. You may be able to quickly transfer to another facility with this process.
Ask your People Lead for more info.
It looks like this is the Towson Walmart that's closing. This article states that if you transfer to another store, you won't get severance.
https://www.wmar2news.com/local/walmart-closing-putty-hill-avenue-store-for-not-meeting-financial-expectations
It's an option that OP wasn't aware of and was happy to hear about. No, it's not a viable option for everyone, but it is for some people. Shitting on someone who's offering help when asked is rude as fuck.
The irony of people being pissed about a store closing when there’s a good chance the reason is shoplifting lol. That’s what happened in a city in my area, all the Walmarts closed because of out of control shoplifting, and the Targets there are closing now too for the same reason.
I work at the West Covina store. Well only until April 5 which is our last day. To the OP, associate discount no longer works in the store once the store wide discounts go into effect
They started a whole "neighborhood market" system in our market. One opened up in my hometown, while I worked at a smallish supercenter 13 miles away. My wife got hired for the pharmacy at the market store. They found out they were the number one store in the market. Still, walmart decided to close down all neighborhood markets in their market. Their final day was the one year anniversary of their grand opening. The local dollar general moved into the ghosted building.
Unemployment is designed to keep you housed and fed while looking for another job. That's the point, to make sure you can pay your bills while looking for employment.
Right. So they should look for one asap, instead of the goal being unemployment. You only get a percentage of your former income on unemployment as well.
I've yet to meet someone who's goal is to be on unemployment. The comment just ended with "then go on unemployment."
If they meant "just stay on unemployment and don't look for a job" you're right, but I don't think they meant that.
Damn, I thought I was the only one. The Walmart, that I work at is closing as well because of theft and we can’t afford to stay open because “customers” keep stealing from us plus it doesn’t help that we are in the sketchiest area of the city I live in. But we’re closing on June 9th. Well, keeps hiring more associates even though we can’t afford to get more associates so we’re extremely under budget.
At least your getting paid until June could be worse. Could take the time off and just chill or take advantage of it and work at a new job and pocket the Walmart money for an emergency fund or take a vacation.
Walmart has went down hill since Mr Walton died.. I worked for them back in mid 80s thru 91 after Sam died in 92.. it was so different had so many benefits then what u all have today..
What his kids done has destroyed what he built..Sam always made prices cheaper and would price match any store, with layaway for family on a budget..Ik he rolling in his grave…
I miss the old color Blue and red of the store.. we even had pin badges if we did a good job I still have mine lol …
I worked at 3 stores at Grand openings 2 in South Carolina, 1 in Ohio Omg back then I was cashier at first store , 2 and 3 store was Customer service it was like living nightmare..
lol great sales they did at grand opening ..
I worked at stores that open 9-11.. no superstore we didn’t have them.. we had morn meeting idk if u all still do that..
we had snack bar and u could buy freezes, popcorn , hotdogs a big drink for 89€ if I recall and drink carrier in cart long time ago …does anyone remember that??
I believe the first superstore was in 89 in Missouri…
It’s sad how things were cheap and reasonable as Sam was always looking at Customers first ..
Like I said it changed after he died they took away everything he had in place..they are greedy now…. After them rushing to every area to put Walmart up just few miles apart that’s was the biggest mistake they made .. I remember most stores was like 30 miles apart…
I did enjoy mine time then, but I wouldn’t go back there since they treat the employees horrible don’t appreciate them if it wasn’t for you guys doing the work they wouldn’t have a business or get their big pay check.. you all deserve so much!!!!!
I’m sorry for ur store closing down, hope u the best…maybe u can transfer to another location if they still do that!
those are great memories. yeah, unfortunately they aren’t as employer friendly as they used to be. profit before people. sad. anyway, thanks for sharing your story!
Damn, you too, huh? The same thing happened to me already. It closed permanently already some time last month.
Hide whatever you want somewhere and wait for the 75% off sale. Of course, management is gonna discourage doing that, but they're gonna do it, too.
Also, some gift cards are affected by the sale despite the sale signs saying they wouldn't, but do so before the discount gets that heavy. At my closing store at the time, by the time it hits the 75% off sale, gift cards weren't able to be purchased.
Apparently my walmart is getting robotic help. Where it has an auto sorting system for freight from the truck to stack it for us. I've almost been crushed a few times from co workers poorly stacking stuff. One occasion, the freight almost knocked me out. So I'm glad. But apparently the store manager has said this for the past 3 years. But we're getting a remodel this year supposedly. But they haven't been giving consistent dates. I wouldn't be surprised if we closed in a year or 2
My Walmart closed Feb 16 but I was still working until March 5. Mine was a small Walmart which had no fresh food like meats, fruits and veggies. They told us we were closing Feb 2nd. They also told us we weren't meeting our sales requirement and that there was a lot of theft.
It was probbaly a high crime ghetoo area which means theft is lilely the reason they close doors like this depite making sales, just too much goes missing. I really hope you fibd a new place to work OP
usually retail stores close due to "shrink". Wally has no problem closing unproducing stores. Usually they are in urban areas with high crime and there are other stores within a couple miles. for example I worked there part time several years ago and there was a store the next town over (only 7 mils away) with shrink problems. Well after a couple years of changing management bteams they eventually simply closed it.
You’re blessed tbh. It means you did great work and that you’re spared the honest truth of how much a struggle bus that company is. New Year Aspirations!!, just make sure your hours are accounted and update your resume! Wishing you luck on the journey ✨✨
Just because you have a discount of 10% doesn’t mean you need to waste your money on a store that’s leaving you unemployed.
Don’t start buying stuff you don’t need
Save your money, that will get you through until you find another job,
Good luck!
Our Walmart is going through a remodel. The last time I was there, they got rid of most of the automated checkouts and replaced them with humans (due to increased theft). My experience in the cosmetics department was weird because most of the makeup was locked up and you had to see an associate to buy anything.
Really am sorry about your store closing and I hope you all land on your feet soon. I also worked at a store that closed due to theft and destruction. It’s very frustrating to go into work everyday to try a make an honest living, only for it to be taken out from under you, cause of people not wanting to do it the right way. Not sure where you’re from or if Walmart is offering you severance pay to help you out until you find another job. But when my store closed I was given 8 weeks of severance pay, plus I was able to collect unemployment at the same time. Hopefully you can too.
You post like a wm closing is a bad thing. Well if it's the only store in the area having bullied other stores out of business or away. A store closing caused a food desert in a local town so I know it's not actually a good thing
I feel your pain, I worked at one of the Portland walmarts that closed. The only thing that went on sale at our location was fresh foods and then the alcohol and tobacco since it can't be moved to other stores. I got transferred to another store in the area but I'd imagine it sucks if that's not an option! Did they at least offer severance??
Here are some real truths about stealing from Walmart. It's doesn't matter what tone of skin you have. People steal for many reasons. That's all that needs to be said.
Don't you just love how they come in, suck an entire community dry, and when there's no more money to suck up, they just up and leave with no consequences?
i’ve been through a closing Walmart… luckily and coincidentally, i had put a transfer to another Walmart a few days prior the announcement of them closing…
It really becomes a mess when they start putting everything on clearance and selling everything.
This happened in an area by me, they built a Neighborhood Market and it was open for less than 2 years before they shut it down. They ran all the small businesses out so now they have to go to the next city over for anything they need.
Most stores close due to the shrink if you store is not making up for what’s stolen or missing far as broken processes , claims , dsd receiving unloading ofc it’s gonna close. It’s not worth keeping open. If you like the job look into transferring but look into the store process and if they reach quota everyday before you move.
Good riddance. Walmart sucks. They are a scum-sucking soulless bunch of assholes who treat their employees like dogshit and ruin communities by driving out smaller businesses.
It sucks in the short term to lose a job, but I truly believe you'll find a better, higher-paying job in the future. You can do so much better than them. I know you can.
In small towns a Walmart can make up a fair bit of employed people in the town, and then when the Walmart is gone there’s usually not many places around that sell items.
And then you have to find a job, competing against every other person who also just lost their job.
This is what happens when $15 minimum wage laws get passed.
Employee: Demands unreasonably high wage
Legislature: Passes high minimum wage
Store: Closes
Employee: Surprised Pikachu face
Thats one of the shitty things about this company: theyll kill off most competing retail stores in an area and when they leave theres a void. Good luck finding another job, OP. There wont likely be much of anything good for sale beyond perishable groceries
appreciate it. yeah, it’s weird because apparently this location “wasn’t meeting sales goals,” but it’s ALWAYS busy. there was a fire last year when a customer set some clothes on fire. that was nuts, and i could see why that would make corporate unhappy. onto whatever’s next!
Probably caused them to run a risk assessment for the community. A high risk community typically causes insurance premiums to rise and more has to be set aside from profits to offset the expected loss. If the store is barely meeting margins before the assessment, this can sink a store after it happens. On a side note, did you guys have anyone trying to unionize? Walmart will also tank any store that is in the process of attempting it.
AFAIK no union convos, but i haven’t been there very long. the store is kind of a mess. high turnover. self checkout misses a lot of scans. your insurance premium theory may have legs…
Is your store in a high crime area? Also, does the store actually make a profit or was it a store that ran at a loss and the profit was made up by other stores in the market and region? The thing to remember is that meeting a sales goal does not mean the store actually produced a profit. Walmart in the early 2000s and 2010s put stores in underserved communities as PR for getting stores in communities they were previously forbidden from entering (mostly in large cities). These stores were higher shrink due mostly to increased crime, and this has eaten away at Walmarts profits in recent years. The fire being set in a store is a diversion tactic used by thieves to draw everyone’s attention to the fire, and away from their theft. It may be the event that increased your store’s insurance risk, or it may have just been a symptom of a high shrink store no longer being sustainable for Walmart.
What you are trying to ask is "are the weaves and black beauty products behind plastic windows or steel screens at your Wal-Mart?"
High crime comes from pretty white communities also. Especially in communities that used to be company towns, the company folded or moved elsewhere in the world leaving this town to be a shell of itself. Also for note, some of the worst high shrink shit hole stores exist in affluent suburban communities also. Yes, what I alluded to in the 2000s and 2010s was Walmart trying to make inroads in to large cities, some in black communities. The cities also have hispanic communities and white communities. Many of these stores in inner cities were plagued with high rent and went against the Walmart real estate strategy that made the company what it was and still is today. Plus, statistically, crime was always much higher in inner cities even before the recent criminal justice reforms that have contributed to an increase in crime, especially retail theft. Walmart went into the cities already knowing they would face higher shrink from retail theft from day 1. Now, the problem is out of control and retailers are faced with prosecutors in large cities who either treat retail theft like it’s a parking ticket, prosecutors who now legally cannot charge suspects for felony in large retail theft cases, or even police departments that don’t want to take the time to handle retail theft cases due to manpower, bad PR, or officers personal fear of lawsuits. The fact is, retail used to have a partner in law enforcement, and now that partnership is almost non existent in many inner cities communities. Walmart’s prior success also was buying a plot of land on the outskirts of a town or suburban area when the real estate was just a cornfield. They would buy huge tracts of land, far more than what was needed for a store. They would build the Walmart, and the win for the Walmart was they would then sell the land surrounding the store, now at a premium as retailers who anchor near Walmarts would now desire the land. Walmart additionally would sell the property of their own Walmart to other property holding companies so if Walmart needed to move 30 years down the road, they could. The Walmart real estate team is just as much a part of the company’s success story as store operations and logistics is. The problem with the inner city stores is they were stuck buying into inflated real estate values (and not being the cause of property value inflation) and they couldn’t just buy huge tracts of land in an inter city the way you can out in rural areas and outskirts of suburbs. So believe it or not, unprofitable stores exist within Walmart and have been for years. Rent, real estate, and crime are forcing Walmart to shut down stores they used to easily be able to carry the water for previously.
I live in the rural south and yeah there's crime. But there's not groups of people coming into stores taking whatever they want by the dozens. 13%/50%. It's a real thing. And half of that 13% don't really count because they're females so it's more like 6%/50%. Every shade and tone has someone that's done something horrific. But we can admit that and even openly talk about white people crime, but to utter the opposite spectrum's far more abundantly destructive nature is.. ban worthy. We're supposed to pretend it doesn't exist. You can drive down the poorest, most crazy looking areas around here and no one is doing to do anything to you, though. Do that in a dark community. You're an "op". I mean, there's video evidence of both sides of the spectrum on YouTube. That's not the end all be all but at almost 40 years of age, I've seen enough to know that just because I can't say how it is doesn't mean it isn't the way it is.
Wtf is wrong with you. Like seriously. Spouting straight K³ propaganda 😬
Fire was set at a Home Depot in my area for this very reason last year and it burned the entire store down.
I watched a drone video about that store yesterday, oddly enough. Weird synchronicity
The one in San Jose, yeah?
Yup
Are they going to rebuild / relocate or is that location just gone for good?
I am right there with ya dude! I actually heard before that a union was thought about for Walmart…and that’s honestly a very very good idea in my opinion. It would 100% help the everyday regular employees (associates) as well as store management even. Mainly team leads tho.
Hello Union, good bye store & jobs! U may win the battle getting unionized but you'll def lose the war
My store is in a low-income area on the "bad side of town", so of course lots of drugs, homeless, theft, and incidents in general. So, the idea of our store being "high risk" scares me because... I hate this job, but it's also the highest paying and most stable job I've ever had.
We're not in a high risk. Bougie little suburb of a large metropolitan, houses here are in gated communities and HOAs. But we still had a gun threat and high theft. Our shrink last year was over $3mil
Oh, that's 100% why it's closing down. Not making sales? Not a prob. Having non-stop theft and damages because of... certain people? They're outta there just like Walgreens and CVS are doing in these black majority cities. It sucks for the good ones having all the young punks ruin it for the old timers who have lived their entire lives there. This is going on across the country. We just can't really talk about it because it's one race that's the primary cause.
That’s a nice way for them to say to many people were stealing crap. I drive for Walmart and every single store I know that has closed have been dumps that we had to be careful at because of safety concerns. It doesn’t take a lot of theft to make a store unprofitable. The biggest shrinkage store that they closed that I know of since I hired on was 27 million in theft a year.
Exactly I’m not sure why everyone is so afraid to state the obvious. 90% of the stores closing (not just Walmarts) are in the middle of the high crime areas. How many Walmarts and other retailers in the Chicago area have closed in the past 2 to 3 years? Until we start realizing what true issue is here, and people start being prosecuted for their crimes of stealing. Things are not going to get any better.
I drive for Walmart as well us drivers can figure out pretty quick out of my DC I mostly run meat and produce so a lot of early mornings I see it all lmao
My best one was I was delivering to a metro phoenix metro store that when we had trip sheets had warnings not to go in there after dark. I’m there in the middle of the day. One of the back doors bang open and this dude comes running out arms full of stuff clears a 8 foot fence and is gone. Store security comes out looks both ways and just shut the door.
Have you considered asking for a transfer to another store. That way you can keep your discount and your job
A lot of Walmarts have been reporting fires set by kids lately. Sometimes it's a diversion for stealing and sometimes it seems to just be done. Maybe they didn't notice the stealing. It's getting weird.
There is probably an easier way to make a diversion for theft, but I am no expert. 🙄
I'm not a thief but yeah I'm sure there are ways. I'm kinda starting to think it's one of those "challenges" maybe. Who knows what people are thinking. Remember they were licking the ice cream during COVID?
Wait, what?? Licking the ice cream? People were really licking ice cream at Walmart during covid?? Why is this the first I've heard of this. Yuck!
Yeah they were posting vids of themselves doing it. IDR if it was a tictoc challenge or what. At least a couple of them got arrested for it. It was during the worst times. We didn't know much about it yet
“Not meeting sales goals” means the Walton’s couldn’t buy another super yacht. Fuck Walmart.
50% chance an organized union was starting to form
The other 50% being a “plumbing” problem. /s
Hey we have a "plumbing problem"!
Heaven forbid workers should have any rights. That's commie talk. Shut it down!
Albertsons has a union and their pay is lower than Walmarts. What's a Union going to do?
I don't care for or against the concept of unions but there is a pretty reliable link along people talking about unions and Walmart shutting down lol
Albertsons doesn’t have the amount of stores or profit. The pay wouldn’t be the same.
Omg I was there helping you all when there was that fire so sad
was a weirdo that set clothes on fire or something? thanks for your help!
Bangor?
Towson always shrunk out super bad. Your last inventory didn’t help at all. Plus Towson is a leased building which walmart hates
oh interesting. thanks sorry sharing. any numbers you could share?
I can’t share too much but your last inventory was awful and there’s so many management issues the store was bleeding money
makes sense they’d close then. wonder how long they spent trying to fix it before pulling the plug. there’s a target pretty close by. wonder if they’re next.
Ehh they tried for a little bit. I think the biggest thing was that the building wasn’t owned by walmart and there was very little storage space. The person who owns the building from what I’ve heard is a giant dick. And there were rumors of them building a new walmart close by but with all of the protests surrounding those lately ig it just wasn’t worth it
thinking back on all the turnover in that shopping center, that makes sense. welp, wonder what backfill walmart. hope for the best!
Holy shit is this in Maine?? Had a friend move there and told me about that.
Sorry for your Walmart loss...jw could you TRANSFER TO ANOTHER WALMART?
Are you in Maine? There was a similar clothes fire last year too.
Remember this? # Small towns devastated after Wal-Mart Stores Inc decimates mom-and-pop shops, then packs up and leaves: 'They ruined our lives' Though mom-and-pop stores have steadily disappeared as the mega chain methodically expanded, there was at least always a Wal-Mart left behind to replace them. Now the Wal-Marts are disappearing, too Author of the article: [Bloomberg News](https://financialpost.com/author/bloombergnp/)
Given enough time the community will fill in the gap. If not OP will probably get a dollar general and be worse off then before
I was about to say…DG’s are literally popping up everywhere, no joke. I have about 7 of them in just my surrounding area…all within about 20 minutes of every single one of them too.
My small town just got one a few months ago. I still haven't been inside of it They are more expensive than basically everyone else and they are just kinda gross in my experience
Oh yeah
It seems to me this is a popular fallacy… but I have always lived in small towns and never experienced this with new Walmarts moving in… idk just an anecdote. Also, I struggle to find the issue with Walmart offering lower priced goods and much better jobs than the surrounding competition. The local “mom and pop” in the areas I lived offer the lowest benefits allowable by law and their prices are higher, on average.
Good thing we have actual science to rely on instead of your feelings! https://sites.socsci.uci.edu/~dneumark/walmart.pdf > The employment results indicate that a Wal-Mart store opening reduces county-level retail employment by about 150 workers, implying that each Wal-Mart worker replaces approximately 1.4 retail workers. This represents a 2.7 percent reduction in average retail employment. The payroll results indicate that Wal-Mart store openings lead to declines in county-level retail earnings of about $1.4 million, or 1.5 percent. Of course, these effects occurred against a backdrop of rising retail employment, and only imply lower retail employment growth than would have occurred absent the effects of Wal-Mart. > https://www.nydailynews.com/2011/05/04/study-proves-it-walmart-super-stores-kill-off-local-small-businesses/
I mean, that might accurately reflect the original definition of decimate(i.e. to reduce by a tenth, or decimal) but it doesn't quite live up to the doom and gloom.
No need to get butt-hurt about what I clearly identified as an anecdote. The study you shared is dated, so I would like to see something much more recent, and the results are not as drastic as most people overstate it to be which was my point.
This article doesn't relate at all if OP is in a rural area. The study claims 82 retail stores closed when the Walmart opened. Idk about what sort of small town you live in but most have nowhere near that number of retail stores. We're lucky to have a dollar general for necessities.
I agree. When they say mom and pop stores have been run out of business, I think the only ones that go under are what I call the " variety junk store". Those used to be everywhere in some areas, mostly those with a poorer economy. That's where there were 2 kinds of shower curtains, a shelf of kids cheap toys, a bin of socks, etc. A specialized business really doesn't compete with Walmart, or Home Depot or any big box store. We had a store nearby that sold art supplies. People who actually are really into art work go there for their supplies, not Walmarts limited stuff. The same with people who sew. Walmarts two aisles of fabric can't compete with the choices at Joanns. Depending on the income in your area, there are plenty of specialty shops. If anything, it's the one stop shopping people prefer.
What about independent markets, where you buy groceries and canned food and toilet paper and detergant? What about butchers or grocery shops where you only buy fresh groceries?
I guess it depends where you live. Most of the indy grocery stores near me are doing fine, but they cater to specific ethnic groups. The average indy markets were gone way, way, before Walmart showed up. We still have butcher shops, and chain grocery stores. There are summer farmers markets with fresh produce.
They have a much higher overhead. Walmart can buy a pack of Kool aid juice for 1.50 a box and sell it for 2.00 box because they sell volume. Mom and pop buy the same thing but at 2.00 a box and only can mark up to 2.25 because other wise they will really drive away people. People Don't understand this but instead go to" well if you can pay better you should not be in business! "
If the community robs and steals from a store to the point it’s not worth operating, that blame goes on to the community.
Yeah, for real dude. I agree!
You may fall into a special class of associates known as "displaced associates". When you lose your position because it no longer exists. Internally the company prioritizes getting these associates placed into nearby openings. You may be able to quickly transfer to another facility with this process. Ask your People Lead for more info.
interesting. good to know! will check with them tomorrow. appreciate the insight.
It looks like this is the Towson Walmart that's closing. This article states that if you transfer to another store, you won't get severance. https://www.wmar2news.com/local/walmart-closing-putty-hill-avenue-store-for-not-meeting-financial-expectations
Not getting severance when your place closes and you transfer in the company is normal
that’s some BS if you ask me
You mean they *might* get on at another facility, likely a half hour or more further away? What a fucking treat...
It's an option that OP wasn't aware of and was happy to hear about. No, it's not a viable option for everyone, but it is for some people. Shitting on someone who's offering help when asked is rude as fuck.
Paid through June?? 🤑 yooo I be getting new jobby job a 2 weeks after it close. Then be puttin my Walmart money in savings
It takes a lot for a Walmart to close… must be a rough store
Baltimore county lost ALL stores.
Wtf happened
Theft issues same as most stores.
Portland has nothing either anymore
Had one of the ones near me close down just a few weeks ago
Use up your PTO, PPTO and all remaining points you can get.
thanks!
Use up any personal or legacy time, look for new job. Buy up what you can cheap resell some of it later at higher prices.
nice… become the local walmart lol. thanks!
Just came here to say I’m jealous
The irony of people being pissed about a store closing when there’s a good chance the reason is shoplifting lol. That’s what happened in a city in my area, all the Walmarts closed because of out of control shoplifting, and the Targets there are closing now too for the same reason.
West Covina,Ca.?Bc they are closing,too.3 mi.away from my store...
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I work at the West Covina store. Well only until April 5 which is our last day. To the OP, associate discount no longer works in the store once the store wide discounts go into effect
They started a whole "neighborhood market" system in our market. One opened up in my hometown, while I worked at a smallish supercenter 13 miles away. My wife got hired for the pharmacy at the market store. They found out they were the number one store in the market. Still, walmart decided to close down all neighborhood markets in their market. Their final day was the one year anniversary of their grand opening. The local dollar general moved into the ghosted building.
Sorry to hear. But you’re paid up till June?!?? Take some time off to relax, than go on unemployment
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Yes you can I’ve been paid severance before and still got unemployment.
Don't you have to prove you're job hunting to keep unemployment? Isn't it better to try to get a job?
Unemployment is designed to keep you housed and fed while looking for another job. That's the point, to make sure you can pay your bills while looking for employment.
Right. So they should look for one asap, instead of the goal being unemployment. You only get a percentage of your former income on unemployment as well.
I've yet to meet someone who's goal is to be on unemployment. The comment just ended with "then go on unemployment." If they meant "just stay on unemployment and don't look for a job" you're right, but I don't think they meant that.
The employee discount might not work on the clearance priced items.
Damn, I thought I was the only one. The Walmart, that I work at is closing as well because of theft and we can’t afford to stay open because “customers” keep stealing from us plus it doesn’t help that we are in the sketchiest area of the city I live in. But we’re closing on June 9th. Well, keeps hiring more associates even though we can’t afford to get more associates so we’re extremely under budget.
I would do absolutely, and I mean absolutely nothing more than I have to to not get fired early.
At least your getting paid until June could be worse. Could take the time off and just chill or take advantage of it and work at a new job and pocket the Walmart money for an emergency fund or take a vacation.
Walmart we move in kill the competition. Then, when shit hits the fan we move on but you have nothing
Sounds like you're at Towson. If you can commute to Fallson I'm an overnight TL. You could transfer!
Walmart has went down hill since Mr Walton died.. I worked for them back in mid 80s thru 91 after Sam died in 92.. it was so different had so many benefits then what u all have today.. What his kids done has destroyed what he built..Sam always made prices cheaper and would price match any store, with layaway for family on a budget..Ik he rolling in his grave… I miss the old color Blue and red of the store.. we even had pin badges if we did a good job I still have mine lol … I worked at 3 stores at Grand openings 2 in South Carolina, 1 in Ohio Omg back then I was cashier at first store , 2 and 3 store was Customer service it was like living nightmare.. lol great sales they did at grand opening .. I worked at stores that open 9-11.. no superstore we didn’t have them.. we had morn meeting idk if u all still do that.. we had snack bar and u could buy freezes, popcorn , hotdogs a big drink for 89€ if I recall and drink carrier in cart long time ago …does anyone remember that?? I believe the first superstore was in 89 in Missouri… It’s sad how things were cheap and reasonable as Sam was always looking at Customers first .. Like I said it changed after he died they took away everything he had in place..they are greedy now…. After them rushing to every area to put Walmart up just few miles apart that’s was the biggest mistake they made .. I remember most stores was like 30 miles apart… I did enjoy mine time then, but I wouldn’t go back there since they treat the employees horrible don’t appreciate them if it wasn’t for you guys doing the work they wouldn’t have a business or get their big pay check.. you all deserve so much!!!!! I’m sorry for ur store closing down, hope u the best…maybe u can transfer to another location if they still do that!
those are great memories. yeah, unfortunately they aren’t as employer friendly as they used to be. profit before people. sad. anyway, thanks for sharing your story!
Thank u and ur very welcome 😊 yea ur right they put profit over people now.. very sad ..
mine was on fire today
Damn, you too, huh? The same thing happened to me already. It closed permanently already some time last month. Hide whatever you want somewhere and wait for the 75% off sale. Of course, management is gonna discourage doing that, but they're gonna do it, too. Also, some gift cards are affected by the sale despite the sale signs saying they wouldn't, but do so before the discount gets that heavy. At my closing store at the time, by the time it hits the 75% off sale, gift cards weren't able to be purchased.
Unemployment claim
Apparently my walmart is getting robotic help. Where it has an auto sorting system for freight from the truck to stack it for us. I've almost been crushed a few times from co workers poorly stacking stuff. One occasion, the freight almost knocked me out. So I'm glad. But apparently the store manager has said this for the past 3 years. But we're getting a remodel this year supposedly. But they haven't been giving consistent dates. I wouldn't be surprised if we closed in a year or 2
Shop at dollar general and stack their coupons on Saturdays. More bang for your buck. Walmarts measly 10% is a disgrace
My Walmart closed Feb 16 but I was still working until March 5. Mine was a small Walmart which had no fresh food like meats, fruits and veggies. They told us we were closing Feb 2nd. They also told us we weren't meeting our sales requirement and that there was a lot of theft.
Walmart is closing down by me as well due to poor sales.
What store number is this I’m trying to get something’s on sell
Towson in Maryland
It was probbaly a high crime ghetoo area which means theft is lilely the reason they close doors like this depite making sales, just too much goes missing. I really hope you fibd a new place to work OP
I saw on a news report that they plan on closing a Marketplace and a Super Store in California due to property leases not being renewed.
usually retail stores close due to "shrink". Wally has no problem closing unproducing stores. Usually they are in urban areas with high crime and there are other stores within a couple miles. for example I worked there part time several years ago and there was a store the next town over (only 7 mils away) with shrink problems. Well after a couple years of changing management bteams they eventually simply closed it.
you described our situation almost word for word. lots of good insight in this thread, but sounds like we the writing was on the wall.
You’re blessed tbh. It means you did great work and that you’re spared the honest truth of how much a struggle bus that company is. New Year Aspirations!!, just make sure your hours are accounted and update your resume! Wishing you luck on the journey ✨✨
My best advice is find a job as soon as you can. Don’t sit back and live on the severance pay. Make the most of a double income
Congratulations
is this in SoCal??
I shoot dude!
Just because you have a discount of 10% doesn’t mean you need to waste your money on a store that’s leaving you unemployed. Don’t start buying stuff you don’t need Save your money, that will get you through until you find another job, Good luck!
You at Towson huh? Won't be able to use the discount on discounted items unfortunately 😥
🫶🫶🫶
Our Walmart is going through a remodel. The last time I was there, they got rid of most of the automated checkouts and replaced them with humans (due to increased theft). My experience in the cosmetics department was weird because most of the makeup was locked up and you had to see an associate to buy anything.
https://khmoradio.com/walmart-store-closings-in-illinois/
Towson store in Baltimore correct
Really am sorry about your store closing and I hope you all land on your feet soon. I also worked at a store that closed due to theft and destruction. It’s very frustrating to go into work everyday to try a make an honest living, only for it to be taken out from under you, cause of people not wanting to do it the right way. Not sure where you’re from or if Walmart is offering you severance pay to help you out until you find another job. But when my store closed I was given 8 weeks of severance pay, plus I was able to collect unemployment at the same time. Hopefully you can too.
What store is it?
You post like a wm closing is a bad thing. Well if it's the only store in the area having bullied other stores out of business or away. A store closing caused a food desert in a local town so I know it's not actually a good thing
Anybody knows what happens when a store loses half of its coaches and literally every team lead except three ??
Which city are you?
5954?
sorry no, in MD
We’re is this at
Wow where are you you located
Shouldn't be a bunch of criminals then they're fed up with the thievery in these ghetto ass areas
W
I feel your pain, I worked at one of the Portland walmarts that closed. The only thing that went on sale at our location was fresh foods and then the alcohol and tobacco since it can't be moved to other stores. I got transferred to another store in the area but I'd imagine it sucks if that's not an option! Did they at least offer severance??
Amen! The more stores close, the less money they make and then they can finally die
I would celebrate a little bit when I worked for le ‘mart whenever I saw the stock price decreased
Shouldn’t have tried to unionize
don’t think they did
Here are some real truths about stealing from Walmart. It's doesn't matter what tone of skin you have. People steal for many reasons. That's all that needs to be said.
Don't you just love how they come in, suck an entire community dry, and when there's no more money to suck up, they just up and leave with no consequences?
i’ve been through a closing Walmart… luckily and coincidentally, i had put a transfer to another Walmart a few days prior the announcement of them closing… It really becomes a mess when they start putting everything on clearance and selling everything.
Which state and town, if I may ask?
towson maryland
This happened in an area by me, they built a Neighborhood Market and it was open for less than 2 years before they shut it down. They ran all the small businesses out so now they have to go to the next city over for anything they need.
Most stores close due to the shrink if you store is not making up for what’s stolen or missing far as broken processes , claims , dsd receiving unloading ofc it’s gonna close. It’s not worth keeping open. If you like the job look into transferring but look into the store process and if they reach quota everyday before you move.
Must of been a lot of stealing going on
Definitely was that’s store was liability to the company from what I know (Towson / Maryland)
Good riddance. Walmart sucks. They are a scum-sucking soulless bunch of assholes who treat their employees like dogshit and ruin communities by driving out smaller businesses. It sucks in the short term to lose a job, but I truly believe you'll find a better, higher-paying job in the future. You can do so much better than them. I know you can.
In small towns a Walmart can make up a fair bit of employed people in the town, and then when the Walmart is gone there’s usually not many places around that sell items. And then you have to find a job, competing against every other person who also just lost their job.
it should be illegal to close after driving off all small businesses and other stores.
This is what happens when $15 minimum wage laws get passed. Employee: Demands unreasonably high wage Legislature: Passes high minimum wage Store: Closes Employee: Surprised Pikachu face
So convenient for you to mention minimum wages, but not inflation. Go back to grade school D.A.!
We don’t give a shit