Big Box Annoyances Showdown

[tamias6]

Yes we all agree that Big Box Stores equate to out of control sprawl and death to local mom and pop's. Forum after forum on Urban Planet are stuffed to the rafters with such complaints. But as bad as Big Boxes are, most of us have shoped in them at least once. As we do, chances are we have encountered at least one of many annoyances that leaves our shopping experience mared, and us breathing a sigh of relief when we pull out of the parking lot. Having enountered many Big Box store annoyances myself, I've decided to make perhaps the most common annoyances face off in a polling showdown. Your votes and comments will shed light on what is the most irrating aspect of the Big Bix store shopping experience.

The first entry on the poll is "unhelpful staff". You know the drill here. You are looking for a particular item in a vast 200,000 square foot labyrinth of asiles. After an hour of wandering up and down the asiles like a lost puppy, you encounter an employee on a ladder restocking the shelves. Wearing slacks, a dress shirt, and of course the blue or red vest enblazed with the store's logo and slagan, you think he'll be, nice, professional, and helpful able to lead you directly to the obscure item you seek.

"Excuse me." you say, "Can you tell me where I can find a widget?" The employee turns around to answer your question. You heart sinks and your hopes of ever finding that item are dashed as you find yourself starring at a face full of infected white head zits, greasy hair that has not been washed in five years, teeth that look like they have been transplanted from a disfigured mule, and eyes glassed over with infinite stupidity.

"Uh hu-huh-huh. I think its -like- in asile 132 or somthing Uhh huh huh huh" he replies in a Beavis and Butt Head voice. His breath smells like the drain hole of a Parta-John.

"Can you take me to where the widgits are sold?" you ask hoping to avoid the hassle of trying to find the item but deep down you know is to no avail. The employee just stands here with a blank face.

"Oh never mind" you huff in frustration. "I find that darn widgit at another store."

Next up is "rude customer". You are in Sprawl-Mart looking for some bargains. To your delight, you encouinter a two for one special on the end cap of asile 9. As you reach onto the end cap to pick up the advertised items. You cart is broadsided. The items fall out of your hands on to the floor.

"Excuse me." you say.

"No I was here first!" rudely says a fat 900 pound woman in a gruffy voice. Wearing a moo-moo, she looks like a Glad trash bag filled to near bursting with a mixture of Bush's baked beans and Kraft Mayo. Taging along with her rotunded emmencity is her equaly chubby son wearing a black t-shirt adorned with a picture of his favorite WWE wrestler. "Oh Boy. She's from that trailerpark outside of town." you say to yourself. Not wanting any embassamt of having to augue with her, you begrudgingly let her pass.

As if that wasn't enough, next on the line up is "the screaming kid". Big Box stores are- well- BIG! They can be up to 250,000 square ft in some cases. But they are not big enough when the screaching siren of the screaming kid egos through out the store. Yes. We all know that sound. It feels like getting a spinal tap with each wale. "Why is the kid screaming?" you ask. It's simple. The mother made the fatal mistake of not getting the kid that peice of candy or toy he / she was asking for. You frantically make your way to the opposite side of the store. But there is no relief because it states in Newton's laws of physics that no matter where you go that screaming kid will follow. The only escape are the exit doors. But you can't leave now because you only got two items on your very long shopping list.

Any of us that shoped in Big Boxes have experienced similar cases. Annoying? Yes!! But which is the most annoying? Only your votes and comments will reveal all. Oh and you are more than welcomed to share your Big Box shoping experiences here on this thread.

[john_denver]

I prefer to not shop at a big box because so few of them reflect the identity of the local surroundings.

They are cookie cutter building plans.

I guess some people like the fact that you can go to a Walmart in Grand Rapids, Dallas or Puerta Vallarta Mexico and find the same layout/goods.

[Allison Slater]

Here's another:

It's around noon. You have a shopping list of about 30-35 items, and thus do a little shopping. The store is huge, with each item on your list in every corner of the store. You try to just go in a line and try to sweep through the store getting things, but one of the isles has an employee taking up the whole width of the isle with a pallet of unstocked items. There's a space you could squeeze though, but that 900lb woman from the trailor park is there. Let's not go through that again. After spending about an hour going through the entire store, you realise you missed an item.. back in that aisle that was blocked. So you try to get back there quickly, all frustrated, and out pops a woman with her cart completely blocking your exit from the aisle, talking on her cell phone and just staring blankly into space. You don't want to be rude and interrupt her conversation, so you back up, and try another aisle. Spilled goods. Yummy! You end up going at least 4 aisles down due to them all being blocked by something, and do a huge detour just to get to that one measley item. You've finally got it. Now you can finally leave and get some rest. You walk to the checkout lanes and find there's only 3 open. They have 30 or so checkout lanes, but only 3 open... each one with about 7-8 people in line, who all have shopping carts filled to the brim of goods.

By the time you finally get home, you find it is pushing 3 in the afternoon. 3 hours spent wastefully only to buy 30-35 items.

The screaming kid really doesn't bother me too much. Kids will be kids, and I can just tune him/her out. Rude customers always upset me, but I work at Little Caesar's... I've seen probably every single one of them, so I'm a little used to it and now generally expect customers to be rude.. so when I happen upon that one polite customer, everything turns out to be alright. Unhelpful staff is my biggest irk in the poll. I worked at Clyde Park Menards for a while.. and that is the #1 thing they focus on. Whenever you see a customer anywhere, you're supposed to ask them if they need any help (9 times out of 10 a customer won't even ask and will just leave frustrated). At a walmart, you could ask an employee and they will tell you "I dunno I only work here" (actually happened). The #1 thing however was what I mentioned in my rant.. with checkout lanes being the #1 thing.

[torgo]

Or how about the fact that they never have what you are looking for! 200,000 square feet of space, and do they have the windshield wipers that fit my car? Nooooooooo!

[Allison Slater]

Or how about the fact that they never have what you are looking for! 200,000 square feet of space, and do they have the windshield wipers that fit my car? Nooooooooo!

Specialty Shops & Internet FTW (for the win)

[hood]

I try to only buy groceries at big box stores, they are pretty good for that, ecpecially since my favorite local produce store closed.

[mejane]

WOW!!! What's with all this? tamias6, if you had a fat lady shopper with

kid in tow for each and every grammar and spelling error in your post, here,

you'd be squished dead several times over.

[snoogit]

I had to say "screaming kids"

because lets face it, no one is going to be helpful and courteous for 6.50 an hour... I don't care who you are.

[torgo]

because lets face it, no one is going to be helpful and courteous for 6.50 an hour... I don't care who you are.

Sorry snoogit, but I gotta disagree. It really isn't that hard for someone to be pleasant. I've worked my share of low-pay retail jobs, and in fact, it's really easy to be helpful and courteous; I managed to do it all the time. There is absolutely no reason for someone to be rude to the customers. Crappy customer service is probably my number one pet peeve when it comes to buying stuff, whether at a gas station or a grocery store.

[dtown]

i voted for the screaming kid.

but if it was on the list, i wouldve voted for when there are 45 lines in a store and theres never more than 5 open, and theres 20 people in each one, and 3 of them are Self-Checkout lanes. AAAAGGGGGGGHHH!

[mgreven]

HA HA! I had to laugh at this (the screaming kid part) because I went shopping for a camera this week and my 13 month old was a pain in Best Buy and then was screaming so loud because he wanted to run around at Circuit City that we walked out. The next day, we went to a small camera shop, they had an enclosed playland in the middle and I was able to look at cameras in peace! (Plus, the staff was great!) Needless to say, I bought a camera there.

[snoogit]

Sorry snoogit, but I gotta disagree. It really isn't that hard for someone to be pleasant. I've worked my share of low-pay retail jobs, and in fact, it's really easy to be helpful and courteous; I managed to do it all the time. There is absolutely no reason for someone to be rude to the customers. Crappy customer service is probably my number one pet peeve when it comes to buying stuff, whether at a gas station or a grocery store.

lol well torgo, there are some people out there who can be pleasant and still make the low wages, I'm just saying 75% of the world isnt like that. That might even be understating it. I'm not too worried about customer service anymore because hey unless you're a college student working 18 hours a week you're probably working two jobs 80 hours a week to pay bills, and that doesn't make a happy person.

[dtown]

HA HA! I had to laugh at this (the screaming kid part) because I went shopping for a camera this week and my 13 month old was a pain in Best Buy and then was screaming so loud because he wanted to run around at Circuit City that we walked out. The next day, we went to a small camera shop, they had an enclosed playland in the middle and I was able to look at cameras in peace! (Plus, the staff was great!) Needless to say, I bought a camera there.

at least you were considerate enough to leave, some people just stand there and let them scream.

[GRDadof3]

My wife and I were just discussing the "screaming kids" thing tonight. When we see a kid acting like a terror in public, we feel very sorry for that kid. It is 9 times out of 10 the fault of the parents, and the poor kid suffers for it and is on the path to being a mal-adjusted adult. We watch in shock as parents train kids to act up in public by rewarding the bad behavior with toys, snacks, juice-boxes and treats (bribes), or buying them anything nearby to quiet them down. Hell, I'd throw a fit at a store too if I could get something out of it! That and just a complete lack of parenting skills. It's painful to watch.

Although I don't know if it's contained to just big box stores. We should refrain from making fun of fat trailer park residents too.

[GRGridGirl]

You forgot "having to be in a Big Box Store."

[dtown]

My wife and I were just discussing the "screaming kids" thing tonight. When we see a kid acting like a terror in public, we feel very sorry for that kid. It is 9 times out of 10 the fault of the parents, and the poor kid suffers for it and is on the path to being a mal-adjusted adult. We watch in shock as parents train kids to act up in public by rewarding the bad behavior with toys, snacks, juice-boxes and treats (bribes), or buying them anything nearby to quiet them down. Hell, I'd throw a fit at a store too if I could get something out of it! That and just a complete lack of parenting skills. It's painful to watch.

Although I don't know if it's contained to just big box stores. We should refrain from making fun of fat trailer park residents too.

we think alike GRDad

[MJLO]

damn kids!

I love little kids. I think they are really cute. But after a kid turns about 5, I have no use for them and they annoy the crap out of me until they turn about 17. Of course there are always exceptions. But trust me when I say i've been sorely tempted to slip a small sedative in my 6 y/o nephews OJ.

[mgreven]

My wife and I were just discussing the "screaming kids" thing tonight. When we see a kid acting like a terror in public, we feel very sorry for that kid. It is 9 times out of 10 the fault of the parents, and the poor kid suffers for it and is on the path to being a mal-adjusted adult. We watch in shock as parents train kids to act up in public by rewarding the bad behavior with toys, snacks, juice-boxes and treats (bribes), or buying them anything nearby to quiet them down. Hell, I'd throw a fit at a store too if I could get something out of it! That and just a complete lack of parenting skills. It's painful to watch.

Although I don't know if it's contained to just big box stores. We should refrain from making fun of fat trailer park residents too.

Amen! Having only a 13 month old, it's hard to know what's wrong or communicate so I just leave if he's going crazy. I too, can't believe when I see older kids allowed to cry and scream in a store. I always think, "I won't let my kid scream in the store, at least you could talk to your kid and or punish him/her." Drives me crazy to see older kids acting like a crying baby.

[midude]

I usually can't even get my car parked before I'm annoyed.

[michaelskis]

I voted unhelpful staff

[AlexPKeaton]

I voted for unhelpful staff, as usually when I'm at a big box store I know more about the products than the sales people, and I just want them to leave me alone.

-nb

[torgo]

Ever go to the Best Buy in Grandville? Good God, those people drive me nuts! Next time they hassle me I'm going to stab them.

[TheCityGuy]

Rude customers, unhelpful staff and screaming kids happen everywhere, in every type of store. Not just in "big box" stores. It's only natural that the more people in one space, the more pronounced the problems will be. I think the poll is a little to vague and really doesn't get at the point of what really is the difference in shopping experience between the Meijer's of the world and the local mom and pop stores.

The thing I dislike the most is just the sheer amount of people. I like to be able to stroll into a small store with maybe two other people in there and grab what I need and get out. I don't like having to manuever my way around 4 dozen people. But most of them probably feel the same way.

As a parent, I try to sympathize with sreaming children. Often, we have no idea why they're crying. However, as GRDad said, most of the blame is usually with the parents.

[Occam]

All the walking is what gets me. Anyone here work at Meijer? The new store planning that places the groceries way over on one side of the store, but the toothpaste in the exact opposite side of the store is rediculous and manipulative.

I'm not buying all your other junk just because I have to walk past it for a mile to add a tube of toothpaste to my grocery cart. Is it so much to ask that the toothpaste be near the groceries? Forget it.. I'm never buying toothpaste at meijer again. I'll stop by the friendly family fare where they don't make me hike thru womens fashion, sporting goods, toys, and automotive.

[tamias6]

Screaming kids tops my list. I do most of my shoping at the Standale Meijers and that was my biggist annoyance. But ever since they put in the rent-a-carts with the built in TV's for kids to watch, I haven't heard one peep from the screaming kids. I probably jinxed myself by saying that. Tomarrow when I go back to the store, there will be a contest to see who can make there kid scream the loudest.