Walmart Strains to Keep Aisles Stocked Fresh

[Sherman A1]

Michelle Obama visited a Walmart in February to extol the fresh, healthy food in the company’s grocery aisles. But Walmart, Ms. Obama’s corporate partner in a campaign to make food healthier and more affordable, has been running into problems with food that is not so fresh.

Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer and grocer, has cut so many employees that it no longer has enough workers to stock its shelves properly, according to some employees and industry analysts. Internal notes from a March meeting of top Walmart managers show the company grappling with low customer confidence in its produce and poor quality. “Lose Trust,” reads one note, “Don’t have items they are looking for — can’t find it.”

Walmart is addressing the grocery concerns with measures like a new inventory system and signs that will help employees figure out what is fresh and what is not, Jack L. Sinclair, Walmart United States executive vice president for food, said in an interview. Brooke Buchanan, a company spokeswoman, said Walmart felt its stores were fully staffed.

Before the recession, at the start of 2007, Walmart had an average of 338 employees per store at its United States stores and Sam’s Club locations. Now, it has 281 per store, having cut the number of United States employees while adding hundreds of stores.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/business/walmart-strains-to-keep-grocery-aisles-stocked.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

What I find especially telling are the points I have placed in bold. 1). That Wal Mart is going to use signs to help employees figure out what is fresh and what is not (I guess that is because actually taking time to train people to understand the product they sell is simply to hard) and 2). The significant reduction of employees per store, which I figure to be in the 15 to 20% range. That is a whole lot of inventory that simply cannot get to the shelf and empty shelves make for lost sales and the old saying in retail is "you can never make up lost sales."

[livetohike]

1. Telling the difference between Iceberg lettuce and a head of cabbage would be a good start

I could write a book on how some employees have no idea what produce they are looking at. Sad.

[Sherman A1]

2. Well,

the are both green and kinda roundish.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

6. I could write a book on asshole customers that expect us to put that much effort in a shitty job. nt

[irisblue]

8. and having to deal with the blood sucking managers

who are afraid for their own jobs; yet upper management is doing very very well.

[lapislzi]

12. Not a Walmart shopper (thank heaven), but...

I can't tell you how often I have to identify the fruit or vegetable for the checker. Most don't know a turnip from a tangerine. And, I am committed to using human checkouts, because that produce-challenged person needs that job!

[Lugnut]

3. I'd never buy produce at Walmart.

My son has been a produce and frozen food hauler for many years. He told me that Walmart buys a lot of produce that has been rejected by other grocery chain buyers. I hardly ever set foot in a Walmart but when I've been there a lot of the produce doesn't look fresh.

[octothorpe]

4. I've noticed it's hit or miss with Walmart...

There was a time I'd never buy anything from walmart, let alone buy meat or produce, because the one I lived next always had poor quality food. But then I moved and the Walmart I lived next to had decent quality meat and produce.

[Skidmore]

5. I don't by produce or meat there.

I tend to buy a limited amount of dry goods and cleaning supplies.

[livetohike]

7. I wish I had a choice out here in the woods. There is an Aldi, but their produce goes

bad within a couple of days. I live 25 miles away from both stores, so I only make a shopping trip once a week.

[Sherman A1]

13. I would suggest

you check into Rubbermaid Produce Keepers. I have found they really make stuff last a long time.

[forestpath]

9. Why was Michelle Obama doing PR for Walmart?

[alp227]

10. She's been doing so for TWO YEARS already

helpful links

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/WorldNews/michelle-obama-walmart-join-forces-promote-healthy-eating/story?id=12723177&singlePage=true

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2007/05/sweet_column_michelle_obama_qu.html

http://www.ilsr.org/why-michelle-obama-s-food-initiative-promoting-walmart/

[forestpath]

14. Thanks. I guess it shouldn't surprise me. I still find it disturbing.

[Cali_Democrat]

11. The last time I stepped into a Walmart was more than 10 years ago

And it was because I was in the middle of nowhere and there were no other stores around.

I'm never going to willingly step into that shit hole again.