I worked in retail for quite a few years and I can tell you it's AMAZING what people try to do!

I worked in retail my whole life. Manager, dm, buyer, and sales rep.

The things I've seen, oh boy, and many times been assualted physically and by guns and knives.

Most recent, a pharmacy oxycontin, hold up.

This holiday season has been lovely so far. /rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> Many shoppers have no idea where their personal space begins and ends.

My daughter works for Walmart, she is a far cry from a drone, she's in her second year of nursing.

I remember last year in New York on Black Friday, shoppers before the 5 am opening, broke the glass doors and trampled a store employee to death.

Police were injured by the shoppers while trying to give the male employee cpr, as was a preganat woman.

Walmart is my most unfavorite account, mostly due to customers. The constant thinking I work for the store, and customers getting hostile while I nicely explain I don't.

Then the mutterings while they walk away. I will never shop at Walmart.

As a consumer, I think you have to realize discount does not equal service.

In Delaware where I do some of my shopping, id's are asked for on a regular basis, with purchases when using a credit card. Credit card fraud is very big.

Return scams are the highest this time of year. Most retailers are in the red before this time of year, hoping to be in the black.

All the scams, cost the consumer in the end. During this difficult time with the ecomomy, many chains are on their toes with returns and have adopted many of the retail return policies of twenty years ago. Good for them, I also as a consumer don't want to pay more.

I came home yesterday from store calls, drank a bottle of wine. I really hardly drink.

I shop on the internet, I hate going to stores any time of year. Sometimes, I even have my groceries delivered.

This time of year for work, makes me mental.

Cyber Monday, has some good deals also. I feel protected, too. /wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

If you got your deals, amd made it safe to your car and home, thank god.

Parking lot theft and muggings rise now, even in what is known to be likely a safe area.

Be careful shopping!

symp, i didnt buy the shoes with a credit card. i had bought them with cash the day before.

it's the only time i've ever been asked for an ID when exchanging something. really weird.

as for Black Friday. i see all the horror stories on the news, but the truth is

i've never seen that around here. maybe people are different in New Hamshire.

i black friday every year and have never seen any real craziness. i mean there

is the excitement when you can get the items, but no one is hurting anyone

and people actually do work together (your allies haha).

i wouldnt go if it was like i've seen on the news. my life isnt worth risking for any sale

I laughed really hard when I read your return story.

Heidi, That's the biggest scam in the world, having a left and right foot. /laugh.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

It would be really funny after asking you for your id, if they asked to see your sons feet. /laugh.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

Some how this relieved my stress. /biggrin.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

I'm putting items in my carts for Cyber Monday, and checking the status.

I'm home in PJ's safe and toasty. /biggrin.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

I'm trying to stop going to Walmart because I ALWAYS have problems w/the products I buy there.

I gotta shop at Target and Best Buy more often. Is it any wonder I do the bulk of my shopping on Amazon?

Thank you very much for an excellent treatise about why I NEVER shop at Walmart no matter the weather or the season. Can't stand the company or how they treat their employees.

Cheers!

Oh Monk, I'm sorry for the pain in the arse, but that was hilarious. Good to know that it's not just the Walmart here – but it's Walmarts everywhere!

Re returning lingerie – I worked at Victoria's Secret for three years when I was an undergrad – you WOULD NOT BELIEVE the things that people returned. The policy was that we accepted any returns. We were always floored that people would bring back underwear they'd worn and washed for two years. So disgusting. I used to believe that people having sex in lingerie store dressing rooms was urban legend – after that job – not any more! One time we heard suspicious "noises" coming out of one of the dressing rooms, and our manager walked over to the door, banged on it very loudly and yelled, "IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT IN THERE? CAN I BRING YOU ANOTHER SIZE TO TRY ON?" We heard very breathy "no, everything's fine," and then saw a slightly embarrassed couple shuffle out, buy the lingerie and leave. At least they bought it! I very shortly stuck with working in the stock room and stopped working on the floor, LOL.

I worked at JCPenneys ONE Christmas season in the Men's department. Basically my job was to assist people w/purchases/options, cashier and straightening up the section. Anyway, I get this incredibly flamboyant Asian gentleman who has me trailing after him as he shops and then the dreaded Bataan death march to the dressing rooms as he tries on his various outfits. It wouldn't have been so bad but he kept prancing and preening in front of me in various stages of undress while partially outfitted w/the clothes he'd selected asking my opinion. My nightmare ended w/him dashing out w/no pants or underpants to ask what I thought about this oxford he'd picked out, bare @$$ naked from the waist down w/his rod and reels swinging in the breeze. He even pretended he'd dropped something so he had to bend over and show me the full moon over Shanghai. I got up and told him to get dressed or i'd call the cops because there were children around. He wound up buying $600 worth of clothing and I got a nice commission off the sale, but wound up using the money to buy eye drops and counseling.

I'm not trying to cast ALL Wal-Mart employees in a poor light. I'm sure there are quite a few who break their butt over there and as I stated in a post made later on, I have a feeling that most of these people are just shell-shocked by what they have to deal w/on a daily basis. It just seems as though everytime I GO to this particular Walmart, I have the same experience. There's another Walmart farther away that has better service but it's a logistical nightmare trying to get there. I've also been assured by others that Walmart wasn't always this way but appears to be a recent development as they've expanded.

Oh, I wasnt being nasty in my post either, just had to put it out there. I am very proud of my son, and have to let everyone know! He is a college graduate that worked his way through college on his own and is now working in the field he chose!!!!! YAAAAYYY /laugh.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />