LISSA’S: Wal-Mart Hypocrisy, or “Do As I Say, Not As I Do”

Picture it. Sherman, TX Wal-Mart. Sunday, January 13, 2008. It is time for the playoffs. Today's games are San Diego Chargers vs. Indianapolis Colts and the Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants. Management is in a full panic because they won't be home to watch the game. They go into Electronics and try to wire up rabbit ear antennas to the televisions to try to get the game. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that a big metal building will block most "through the air" television signals. I have also heard rumors of management running a long coax from their office to the outside of the building to get an antenna outside the building.

My husband tried to help out and give the next best thing. He took a computer display and found a website that updated with every play and covered both games. He also found an internet radio station for each game and set up speakers to broadcast the games. This way anyone could keep up with the game.

After getting everything set up, assistant manager Glen McKinney came over and pushed everyone away from the display and told them that it is alright to look at it every once in awhile, but don't hover. "Customers come first." No problem, my husband isn't much for sports, so he just went around helping and cleaning.

About one and a half hours before the game ended, the employees began to realize that all the managers in this store were gathered around this computer display. Not only were they engrossed in the game, but as pictures I have seen plainly show, they blocked the main aisle in the Electronics Department. Customers were having to take the long way around to get help from the Electronics Associates. Associates had to walk long distances to get the customer checked out.

So, it is basically alright for managers to do the things they ask their associates not to do. Wal-Mart is clearly not a "Lead By Example" company.

This is not the first time this has happened. Associates are told not to have cell phones on the floor. They can get in trouble for answering cell phones, up to and including termination. But yet, I have talked to associates who have heard managers on the floor talking to their families making plans for after they get off work. Managers can use their cell phones to ask their families if they can buy items at another stores price, that they will not allow other customers to get. Case in point. An Associate overheard the same Glen McKinney on the phone asking his wife if she wanted a Microsoft Zune that Radio Shack had for sale at such a cheap price that they pulled all the Zunes off the shelf. Associates have seen managers walking around text messaging. Again, if the management can do it, why would the employees get terminated for doing it?

Don't even get me started on sleeping on the job.

Like I said, Wal-Mart has proven itself not to be a "Lead By Example" company, but a "Do As I Say, Not As I Do" company.