It is the dept that is over the seasonal spot in the front of the store. Think Christmas gift items. A nightmare when the non qualified are promoted to this very high profile/ high profit area. They had people with 4 weeks employment at Walmart being made leads. Doomed to be overwhelmed, then quit in frustration. I had a major product line up there, so was in there weekly in and saw how insanely the store was being run. 7 trailers of Xmas in the back of. the store. 140 of a $29.99 item and not a single one on the floor. They took a custom freestanding 12 foot display of higher priced kids items off the sales floor the week BEFORE Christmas to put a bin of $2.99 balls in its place!. There were still hundreds of the display items in the trailers. No one wanted to dig in the trailers to get them. Merchandisers were not allowed in the trailers. The stuff was still selling well too. What a waste of potential sales.

@cindy55 wrote:

It is the dept that is over the seasonal spot in the front of the store. Think Christmas gift items. A nightmare when the non qualified are promoted to this very high profile/ high profit area. They had people with 4 weeks employment at Walmart being made leads. Doomed to be overwhelmed, then quit in frustration. I had a major product line up there, so was in there weekly in and saw how insanely the store was being run. 7 trailers of Xmas in the back of. the store. 140 of a $29.99 item and not a single one on the floor. They took a custom freestanding 12 foot display of higher priced kids items off the sales floor the week BEFORE Christmas to put a bin of $2.99 balls in its place!. There were still hundreds of the display items in the trailers. No one wanted to dig in the trailers to get them. Merchandisers were not allowed in the trailers. The stuff was still selling well too. What a waste of potential sales.

I know EXACTLY what you are talking about, Cindy55!!! At Christmastime in Walmart, you are right...absolute insanity!! And hoo-boy! Don't ask to go into the extra trailers to look for any product!! I absolutely believe the scenario of the $29.99 item being left in the trailer and not selling any of the 140 of them!! You are bringing back memories of all the times I worked in my 5 Walmarts over 7 years!! Nutso at times!!!

I rarely do a Walmart but I have been in the trailers at Kohls. No lights or heat. No wonder nobody wants to go in looking for items.

@cindy55 wrote:

The retail environment here has had so many budget cuts since last January, the stores are now using the merchandisers to the max.

No kidding. After resetting 6 suit walls this week and another 40 hours of merchandising shirts, ties, sport coats and dress pants in those same stores to be done this week I have been getting my share of resets this month.

@@AuburnHarleyMama wrote:

Standing in line at Customer Service Desk?
I've always just stepped up to the end register and signed the log book. Rarely do I need to ask where it is, because I know where my stores keep them. Plus, I'm not there as a Customer, and i don't need service.
No one has ever looked sideways at me, and I do this in every store i service.
Saves huge on time spent...i too don't like hitting the high traffic hours. :-(

I always check in at Customer Service. This way I know who is on duty and they know why I am there. They usually see me hand me the book and ask what I am working on after 1 customer so I'm not waiting for long. Often I am there for several different products with multiple merchandising companies. I also avoid high traffic hours but most managers don't. They are there when the customers are. I would rather have points of contact throughout the store so I know which backups I can count on.

As for nobody looking at you sideways, don't be so sure. (I get stopped while shopping asking what I am working on today or told something came in that I've work on and where should they put it.) I know all the store managers know who I am and I make sure to introduce myself to every employee I see telling them who I am and what I am doing there. I also tell them we will be great friends as I will make their job easier if they let me. Merchandisers are granted access to places in stores that are off limits to shoppers. There should be trust involved.

In and out gets the job done but does not garner relationships. I find these relationships help me do my job. The store employees tend to pay a little more attention to my products, knowing I will be in soon. Visual managers place signs or bring them out when they see you, stock magically comes out of the stock room on its own when they know you will put it on the shelves. IMO, That saves huge on time spent!

FYI I work suburban and city locations (although my city is pretty suburban )

Amen on making friends! I even bring hard candy with me to give them a treat. My best friend in any store is the receiver! They know where my shippers are, a handy accessible place for my back stock. A good relationship with them and the POG/ Signing lead makes your life so much easier.

@cindy55 wrote:

Amen on making friends! I even bring hard candy with me to give them a treat. My best friend in any store is the receiver! They know where my shippers are, a handy accessible place for my back stock. A good relationship with them and the POG/ Signing lead makes your life so much easier.

Bribing them with candy. Good idea. I used to do Keurig demos in some of my stores. I always made sure the staff got a hot cup and gave them supplies for their break room.

kalfini, you are lucky. None of the Walmart managers in my area care or want to develop relationships with the merchandisers and vendors. They are for the most part belligerent and obnoxious. I avoid our Walmart stores whenever possible. Now, if I out of my city and into the more rural areas, the associates and managers are pleasant, polite, and helpful. Just not in the city where I live, and since my company won't pay mileage until I have driven 40 miles, I try to stay close to home with my merchandising jobs. Give me grocery store resets any day, but please don't make me go to Walmart!!!

I'm beginning to wonder if managers in Wal-Mart are just an urban legend. 1 time out of 10 that I look for one am I actually successful. You can only wait for so long when you are on a set fee job. I am doing balloons in one Wal-Mart but I am about to drop it. No one, not the receiving manager or celebration manager, have any idea what happens to the boxes when they arrive. So I spend 10-20 minutes of my time walking to the back of the store and looking for it. Have yet to find one. Then I go all the way back to the front in the produce department where the helium tanks are, picking up limp balloons on the way. I usually have to move stuff to get to the tanks, find a ladder to get to my stock which is on the top shelf and I am vertically challenged. Quickly blow up a few new balloons, climb back up the ladder and then put it back where it came from. Then take a balloon laden buggy back out to the floor. My time given is 1 hour. Which I rarely can stay within. And then I get messages about how I need to but even more balloons out on the floor to increase sales. The only fun part is the smiles on peoples faces when you drag a cart with 20 or so bouncing balloons hanging off of it through wal-mart.

@timberlace wrote:

I'm beginning to wonder if managers in Wal-Mart are just an urban legend. 1 time out of 10 that I look for one am I actually successful. You can only wait for so long when you are on a set fee job. I am doing balloons in one Wal-Mart but I am about to drop it. No one, not the receiving manager or celebration manager, have any idea what happens to the boxes when they arrive. So I spend 10-20 minutes of my time walking to the back of the store and looking for it. Have yet to find one. Then I go all the way back to the front in the produce department where the helium tanks are, picking up limp balloons on the way. I usually have to move stuff to get to the tanks, find a ladder to get to my stock which is on the top shelf and I am vertically challenged. Quickly blow up a few new balloons, climb back up the ladder and then put it back where it came from. Then take a balloon laden buggy back out to the floor. My time given is 1 hour. Which I rarely can stay within. And then I get messages about how I need to but even more balloons out on the floor to increase sales. The only fun part is the smiles on peoples faces when you drag a cart with 20 or so bouncing balloons hanging off of it through wal-mart.

All that for $10. Is it worth it?

@timberlace wrote:

I'm beginning to wonder if managers in Wal-Mart are just an urban legend. 1 time out of 10 that I look for one am I actually successful. You can only wait for so long when you are on a set fee job.

I had 7 Walmarts with a particular merchandising for over 8 years.....your comment made me chuckle because I've been there!!! Many times I had to end up finding an associate who was willing to sign off just so I could get a signature, and then add to the name: no manager available within time allotment. And yes, I've had to search and search for stuff in the back room, too! Ahhh....those memories of my Walmart days!!!

A year ago after 6 months of begging I excepted a merchandising position under my terms. My other job/jobs/personal life comes first. Every Friday I text in my availability for the following week. Last Friday I sent "Rest and Vacation all week." The phone rang right away...20 minutes later I convinced my supervisor to leave my name on the schedule even tho he would be merchandising for me. >>>>fast forward 1 week

The 2 people I follow behind were fired today! I was offered a full time position with a small raise but, turned it down.