mlh122

well what i mean is they are educated as far as i expect them to be, i don't expect them to know any really technical details of stuff in the store, like the wattage output on the external speaker plugs of a TV, or the gear ratios on any of their bikes, or which shoe would be best for my messed up ankle. but my questions like "where's the motor oil" and "do you guys have blank dvd's" get answered very well. though if i went to a high end video store and they didn't know the wattages of tv speaker outputs, or at least be able/willing to look it up, i'd consider them useless. and a bike store dang well better know or be able to look up gear ratios.

karmalaundry

Actually, I've never considered applying for a job at Walmart. But by some chance that I ever got suicidal enough to try, they probably would reject my application saying that I was overqualified. I hold two bachelor's degrees and am pursuing my master's. I don't hold your station in life against you dobber, I just didn't like your attitude in your original reply. No more, no less. Cheers.

tomcryar

https://www.ncf.carleton.ca/freenet/r...hs/karma2.html

karma is what you put out, will come back to you.

Python

To be fair to our ASDA Walmart, we shop there often and know most of the staff, especially at night (not unusual to be up there after midnight) and if we need something they try and find it for us. If ever we've had to return something because it was faulty, they replace or refund it and apologise profusely. As stores go over here, I'd give them 10 out of 10.

tomcryar

what is ASDA?

karmalaundry

The British subsidiary of Walmart.

dobber

There is always the food service industry. Knock yourself out, don't take no for an answer.

Brian Sorrell

An old friend sued K-Mart after a bicycle failed under him. He won

gpsblake

Given a choice between Walmart putting a bike together vs an AVERAGE parent putting it together, I would choose Walmart. BTW, Walmart bikes are the only ones I use and never had a problem with them except for normal wear and tear.

Just think how many lawsuits Walmart would face if they didn't assemble the bikes. It would be staggering.

trackhub

Good point.!!

KrisPistofferson

How many bikes have you bought from Walmart since you joined this forum in 2004? Why would you buy that crap when you could buy a used, quality bicycle for the same price? Just curious.

I recognize you as being one of two Wally World shills on this forum who swear by their bikes,(there's some other guy who tours on them, lol,) but seriously, if you really enjoy riding on a regular basis, why bother buying junk when you can get something better at Goodwill? 98% of the people who defend Walmart bikes on this forum don't actually ride one, they just have silly Libertarian notions banging around in their heads from reading Atlas Shrugged when they should've been studying about the Robber Baron era of American history.

It's sort of a question of common sense if you ride your bike more than twice a year. Think about it, bro.

tomcryar

I've been riding a Roadmaster for about three years now. I'm estimating approx. 10-12 thousand miles on it, and the only thing that went wrong, besides regular wear and tear, is I broke two spokes after an unseen pothole. I have wire baskets on back that I carry my tools and tubes and stuff, and my pump and lights, and it has served me very well.

slowandsteady

The real difference isn't necessarily about skill level. The parent is motivated to put it together properly and check it out, because it is THEIR child that is riding it. The Walmart employee simply doesn't care since no one they know will be riding it. The walmart employee is just looking to make as much money as possible and get as many bikes assembled as possible. This doesn't make Walmart employees sociopaths, but there is definitely a different motivation at play.

yuhoo

Are you describing the same attitude with most Amercian employees too? Afterall, they are all assembly line works (see Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times.") from bank tellers to UAW's - and who does not want to make as much money as possible and get as many products assembled as possible?

Poguemahone

"How many bikes have you bought from Walmart since you joined this forum in 2004? Why would you buy that crap when you could buy a used, quality bicycle for the same price? Just curious.

I recognize you as being one of two Wally World shills on this forum who swear by their bikes,(there's some other guy who tours on them, lol,) but seriously, if you really enjoy riding on a regular basis, why bother buying junk when you can get something better at Goodwill? 98% of the people who defend Walmart bikes on this forum don't actually ride one, they just have silly Libertarian notions banging around in their heads from reading Atlas Shrugged when they should've been studying about the Robber Baron era of American history.

It's sort of a question of common sense if you ride your bike more than twice a year. Think about it, bro.
"

While the Ann Rand references are nice for an internet rant, let me point out a few things:
1) Any bike you find at goodwill is far more likely to be a department store special than anything else. I've seen enough Goodwill bikes to know that.
2) Although I have no interest in riding a walmart bike, there are two gentlemen in my neighbourhood who do so on a daily basis. I've seen both miles from the neighbourhood, pedaling away. One maintains his own bike (I've talked with him, as I think his riding is cool); the other, I don't think so, but the bike (a coaster cruiser) holds up fine. As I've said in prior posts, the key to riding a bike consistently is not where you bought it, it's the maintainence. In my experience, it's best to learn to do this yourself; it's thankfully not rocket science. I've seen plenty of LBS hustled crap, some with minimal miles, broken in garages. Or at Goodwill.
3) Atlas shrugged is well worth reading. The sex scenes are some of the best comedy ever written, worth drudging thru the rest of the book for. Absolutely roll on the floor hilarious.
4) In that I regularly restore old roadies, and agree with you on the superiority of used bikes v. department store ones, I think nearly every bike I've bought at goodwill over the years (the number is quite high, 50 or 60 at least--Please keep in mind the local goodwill auction can have that many bikes in a day, and it is held 4+ times a week) has had mechanical issues, and the standard old bike issues (odd threadings, parts issues) would frustrate most novice bike repairmen.
5) The last new LBS bike I bought had the following break in the first six months of riding: Handlebars, seatpost, crank. LBS refused to service it under warranty, claiming a ten mile commute constituted unusual use.