Help Yourself

Everybody knows that WalMart in December is hell. The entire month in that place is horrible – it’s overcrowded, the lines are ridiculously long, and everyone’s rude. So I do my best to avoid it around Christmas time. Which is fairly hard when you live in a town where the only shopping options are WalMart, Walgreens and Family Dollar.

So I ordered everything online. This way, all I have to do is run in, go to the back of the store, pick up my stuff and GO! Right?

Wrong.

I did run in and I did go to the back of the store but that’s where my luck ended.

There wasn’t a WalMart employee to be found. They had a neat little sign instructing me to touch the kiosk to get an associate, but the magic little genie inside that lamp didn’t feel like cooperating because no associate appeared. So I waited. And waited. And waited.

At some point, when I knew I had been waiting past an acceptable time, I whipped out my phone. Yep, now I’m trackin the time.  The kiosk had stopped blinking so I touched it again. This time a little more aggressively. Blink, blink, blink.

I’m looking around trying to find someone when I spot a woman in a blue shirt and khaki pants walking towards me.  Does she work here or is that just an unfortunate wardrobe choice?  As soon as she senses me, the head goes down and she tries at all cost to avoid eye contact. Definitely works here.  I shout out “I have an order to pick up, is there someone that can help me?” She looks more than mildly annoyed but tells me she'll get someone.

No one.

I punch the kiosk. Blink, blink, blink.

Nothin.

It’s been 10 minutes since I began tracking time. That’s my cut off.  Time to get these people moving.

I dial the WalMart number and ask to speak with a manager.

“This is Susie.” The way she said it, it might as well have been “Just shoot me now.”

In my sweetest voice I proceed, “Hi, my name is Amber Mitchell. I ordered some items online that I’ve come to pick up and I’m back in the Site to Store area but there isn’t anyone back here. It’s been over 10 minutes so I’m just gonna run back into your stockroom and grab em. I just wanted to let someone know.”

“Wait. What? You’re in the store?” Obviously, she tuned me out after hearing ‘online’.

“Yeah.  I’m here to pick up my order but there isn’t anyone here and I can’t find anyone. So I just wanted to let someone know I'm gonna run back there real quick and grab them myself. They’re already paid for-”

“Wait. I’m headed that way now.”

And guess what? Within 60 seconds I had a manager and two associates ready, willing and able to help.

Funny how that happened.