Posted on 01/31/2012 5:32:30 AM PST by rawhide
Supermarket chain Walmart is to dispense with the outdoor 'people greeters' who have traditionally welcomed customers outside its stores.
The retailer got rid of its night-shift greeters four months ago, and now intends to move day-shift staff inside its shops.
Known for welcoming shoppers with 'a cart and a smile,' the greeters have been a feature of the chain's customer service since 1980, when the store's founder decided that 'aggressive hospitality' would help set it apart from competitors.
While many staff have expressed fears that their jobs will soon be scrapped, Walmart spokesman David Tovar said, 'they're not going anywhere'.
He said the greeters would be given more responsibility under the indoor move, so that they can 'really focus on customer service,' and interact more with customers.
Jerome Allen, a greeter from Fort Worth in Texas, said he has been allocated a new job standing in 'high traffic' areas of the store, asking customers if they need any assistance, and directing the flow of traffic.
He said his hours have been cut, and that he fears he will soon be made redundant.
Mr Tovar said the decision was a way to to rein in costs and prices.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
What? Did Bain buy Wal-Mart?
I never seen an aggressive greeter at Wal Mart they have all been very polite.
There’s three Walmarts around me, and there’s never been any greeters outdoors at any of them. They greeters always been indoors where the carts are stored. To me, outdoors, is out in the elements.
The Wal-Mart Ninja Greeters who ambush customers with a smile and a “hello” are being relocated??
/sarcasm
And I've rarely met a polite one. They are the second reason that I consider Wal-Mart to be the "store of last resort" (the first is rude clientele, but I digress). Hassle going in, hassle coming out. Good riddance.
I firmly believe the greeters are an idiotic idea. They’re friendly enough to me but I know a lady who usually has bad experiences with them. She can smile and say hello, or say nothing, and the result is the same, they look right through her.
Whatever training the greeters get, it is not adequate, and I believe there are a lot of shoppers who do not get any sort of lift from the greeters at the door.
The greeters do wipe the rain off the carts; if they used monkeys for that, the job would still get done and more shoppers would be smiling as they went in, too.
While we’re on the subject, Walmart gets a thumbs down for the people allowed to stand there with hands out, or tin cups. Whatever their fundraising cause — pests, all of them.
I don’t see the big deal. All they need to do is send their resumes to the White House and they’ll be re-employed in no time.
I have never known stores in my area to have outdoor greeters. The employee who marks return items and checks receipts is indoors.
Wal-Mart should replace them with Chinese for the sake of accuracy.
I’ve never seen an outdoor greeter at Wal-Mart. Only indoor. Is this just unique to some states? I’ve only been to walmarts in Washington, South Dakota, Florida and Kentucky, so my experience may be limited.
Perhaps that is why they are getting rid of them...
I too, have never been greeted outside with a cart and a smile.
As a stock holder, I welcome this. I have been in Walmart and see them standing around talking. Half the time they don’t even see people walking by them as they are so into their conversation. Thank you Walmart for being smart and saving money on these useless positions.
I remember back in business school, we studied Wal-Mart for a marketing class. Wal-Mart had determined that the door greeter was their most successful anti theft deterrent. It seems shoplifters were much less likely to steal when the door greeter was the first impression of the store that they received when entering. The psychological reason for it was that seeing the jovial, elderly door greeter made people feel that if they stole from Wal-Mart they were stealing from their own grandparents.
checking receipts will be more responsibility which "my" walmart already does
The first are the older ones who seem like they're there to earn a little extra money to supplement their Social Security checks. They're usually friendly in that sugary sweet Southern old person sort of way (this is NC), which I'm sure is supposed to be happiness-inducing, but which I just find to be a bit insincere, since I come from a region of the country (the Midwest) where people are genuinely friendly, but don't have to pretend to tell you about it every second of the day.
The second type of greeter are the younger ones, usually female, of a more, ah, urban type of demographic. They're usually loud, involved in their conversations with each other, or talking on their cell phones. When they're not, they're usually surly and act like it's offensive for them to actually have to do a job to get a paycheck.
Frankly, I think phasing out the greeters is probably a good thing.
Yeah, me too. Well, there's always selling peanuts and cracker jack at the ballpark. At least get in to the games for free.
"Welcome to Wal-Mart, now get your $#!% and get out!"
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