Re: What are Wal-Mart Greeters?

Chicago is defunct? I hadn't heard.

Brian

On Apr 25, 7:38 pm, "Tasha Miller" <tashamill...@gEEEmail.com.invalid>
wrote:

The amusement to be had from erroneous stereotypes was highlighted for
me many years ago, when I was in the corporate legal department of
Montgomery Ward, a chain of department stores based in Chicago (now
defunct).  One Sunday night an executive buyer brought a truck up to
the Chicago catalogue house loading dock, loaded the vehicle with the
most expensive and marketable stuff in the building, and tried to take
the vehicle to his fence.  Fortunately, someone sounded an alarm and
he was apprehended without a shred of an excuse.  White collar
criminals can be just as larcenous as the blue collar type, and
sometimes become known to us bearing names like Bernie Madoff.
--
Aloha ~~~ Ozzie Maland ~~~ San Diego

Target and Kmart shops have these greeters here in Australia. I think
Bunnings (large hardware chain) do as well and I also see them at
electronics and music stores. I don't know what they are called officially
but it's never occurred to me that they are anything other than security
personnel there more for the people exiting the shop than entering it. Mind
you, there is a lady who has been at the entrance of my nearest Kmart for a
good 10 years and I do often exchange a quick word with her when I go in.

But nobody ever seems very interested in my bags when I leave a shop! My 18
year old son had a different story, though. One day we were in JB Hi-Fi
where he was buying a computer game. I had a couple of bags from other shops
and I decided to pop across to the adjacent Borders to pick up a gift card
while my son was completing his selection and purchase. I strode out of JB's
with all my open bags that could have concealed a score of DVD boxes, plus a
good-sized handbag, right past the security guard who smiled benignly at me.
When I came back my son (clean-shaven, clad tidily in jeans and t-shirt and
without a backpack) was cheerfully showing his small sealed plastic bag with
the receipt taped to the outside to the same man who was given it a thorough
examination. This is his reality at the moment and fortunately he thinks
it's funny rather than insulting.

The profiling aspects to this amuse me because as a matronly middle-aged
women I seem to be smiled on benignly by security guards everywhere,
airports included. It's even better when I have my youngest child with me, I
get special kindness shown to me!

Yet another aspect: it's a "proven fact" that having a staff member
make personal contact with customers shortly after entry into a retail
establishment reduces shrinkage loss (shoplifting).

There you have the WalMart greeters as tools of capitalist overlords.

The evil aspect isn't related to the answer given Jan. Wal Mart has been
strongly criticized for treating their employees badly (I'll leave the
details to someone else) and union busting. As you say, Tony, the
greeters are usually retirees who like having the opportunity for
something to do and having contact with people. Provided the work isn't
necessary for livelihood, I agree that it may be a nice way for some
retirees to pass their time.

Wal Mart employs elderly men and women to stand by the doors and greet
people with a friendly "Hello" when they walk in the door.  They also
direct people to the Returns and Exchanges desk if necessary, and
request that knapsacks and other carriers be checked before entering
the store.

The job is minimum wage, but Wal Mart never has trouble filling open
positions.  Many older people really want to have contact with other
people, a function in life, and an extra income.  

I don't see the "evil" aspect.  The Greeters are not being exploited.
They take the job because they want something to do with their time
and to have some human contact.  They seem to enjoy what they do.

The customers seem to like it.  Sometimes they stop and chat with the
Greeter, and they usually return the "Hello".

 

A question about American folklore: what are Wal Mart greeters?

Taken from a nutty poster (a fanatical Ron Paul follower it seems)
who infests the ebooks groups with longish Subject headers like
"D.C has converted the U.S. into a Nation of Wal-Mart Greeters <real
subject>"
(or idem comments about Obama, Bush, trillions of debt, hyperinflation)

Anyway, what is a 'Wal Mart greeter'
and why it is supposed to be bad that them evil guys in Washington
have converted the USA into a nation of them?

Jan