Access at Walmart, Kmart--and Target

[Lily Kerns]

Interesting day this week. I was in all three of these stores.

None of the Walmarts in the area has ever even blinked when I have ridden my Segway in. I do have a small disabled insignia on it for just that reason. Absolutely no problem there. I did overhear an interesting comment the other day, though, from another Walmart shopper, "Yes, on those things all you have to do is think where you want to go--and they go." <G>

K-Mart welcomes them. They even have a sign near the door that says if you are disabled and use a wheelchair or scooter (no, Segways are not mentioned, so I asked) you can stop at the desk and get a 2-way communication device to use if you need assistance while shopping there. Now that is consideration worth applauding!

Target? Now that was another story. Flat NO. Corporate policy. I could use their scooters. Since you insist, I will go talk to the manager. They called corporate to check. NO! Talk to the manager? Not here. Reason for denial? Now that really gets interesting--"Too many people and some one might get hurt."

Doesn't seem to matter that in 2008 corporate purchased a fleet of 150 Segways to use for their security people (not in this area yet..) So they will expose their customers every day to these oh so dangerous machines!

I just did a search through some older chat threads here--apparently some Targets do--or have--allowed disabled use. Guess I will use that 800 number and see what happens. From my Google research on complaints about Target, it sounded like complaining to corporate probably wouldn't be worth the time it took....

Lily

[Bob.Kerns]

Originally Posted by Lily Kerns

Interesting day this week. I was in all three of these stores.

None of the Walmarts in the area has ever even blinked when I have ridden my Segway in. I do have a small disabled insignia on it for just that reason. Absolutely no problem there. I did overhear an interesting comment the other day, though, from another Walmart shopper, "Yes, on those things all you have to do is think where you want to go--and they go." <G>

K-Mart welcomes them. They even have a sign near the door that says if you are disabled and use a wheelchair or scooter (no, Segways are not mentioned, so I asked) you can stop at the desk and get a 2-way communication device to use if you need assistance while shopping there. Now that is consideration worth applauding!

Target? Now that was another story. Flat NO. Corporate policy. I could use their scooters. Since you insist, I will go talk to the manager. They called corporate to check. NO! Talk to the manager? Not here. Reason for denial? Now that really gets interesting--"Too many people and some one might get hurt."

Doesn't seem to matter that in 2008 corporate purchased a fleet of 150 Segways to use for their security people (not in this area yet..) So they will expose their customers every day to these oh so dangerous machines!

I just did a search through some older chat threads here--apparently some Targets do--or have--allowed disabled use. Guess I will use that 800 number and see what happens. From my Google research on complaints about Target, it sounded like complaining to corporate probably wouldn't be worth the time it took....

Lily

I've been in our Target here on several occasions. I did encounter a bit of friction once, but overcame it.

[gbrandwood]

jryan on here posted a lot about his battles with Target. I seem to recall he had some success.

[Lily Kerns]

I got an email from Target this morning. Segways are allowed. The store has been alerted. Apparently I was lied to when I was told that they had called corporate offices to check.

All's well that ends well.....

[KSagal]

Originally Posted by Lily Kerns

I got an email from Target this morning. Segways are allowed. The store has been alerted. Apparently I was lied to when I was told that they had called corporate offices to check.

All's well that ends well.....

Look on the bright side. Maybe they did not lie, and they were just incompetent!


I am always conflicted when some yahoo comes along, and does some dumb and frequently mean thing, just to assert their authority. Deny access to a retailer fits the bill...

My conflict comes from the fact that I have no desire to force anyone to accept my retail dollars. Maybe this is just because I am luck in the densly populated north east, and retailers are a dime a dozen... If one store annoys me with dumb stuff, I can just go to another store next time...

I try not to get the ego all worked up, and tell an idiot that they are an idiot, but I am not always successful... Mostly, I try to talk to the manager, and let them know of the business they are loosing. When the manager is the idiot in question, there is my delema...

Does anyone else feel this? Does anyone else do like me, and bypass one store to go to another, just because the first store did some dumb thing, or some annoying thing, that has little to do with their primary function, like the price of their merchandise, or selection?

I don't want to hurt myself by paying too much, or doing without exactly what I want, or even by driving too far, but going to a place that has demonstrated that they do not care for me as a patron seems very awkward...

On the other hand, I have visited a place that is new to me because of some other item they have done which I approve, like sponsor a charity event I respect, or contribute to society in some way...

I guess what I am saying is that I treat a corporate citizen in many ways like I treat a private citizen... If a man I know acts like a fool enough, I will not hang out with him... if a company does the same, I will not hang out there either...

[Lily Kerns]

Originally Posted by KSagal

Look on the bright side. Maybe they did not lie, and they were just incompetent!

I am always conflicted when some yahoo comes along, and does some dumb and frequently mean thing, just to assert their authority. Deny access to a retailer fits the bill...

My conflict comes from the fact that I have no desire to force anyone to accept my retail dollars. Maybe this is just because I am luck in the densly populated north east, and retailers are a dime a dozen... If one store annoys me with dumb stuff, I can just go to another store next time...

I try not to get the ego all worked up, and tell an idiot that they are an idiot, but I am not always successful... Mostly, I try to talk to the manager, and let them know of the business they are loosing. When the manager is the idiot in question, there is my delema...

Does anyone else feel this? Does anyone else do like me, and bypass one store to go to another, just because the first store did some dumb thing, or some annoying thing, that has little to do with their primary function, like the price of their merchandise, or selection?

I don't want to hurt myself by paying too much, or doing without exactly what I want, or even by driving too far, but going to a place that has demonstrated that they do not care for me as a patron seems very awkward...

On the other hand, I have visited a place that is new to me because of some other item they have done which I approve, like sponsor a charity event I respect, or contribute to society in some way...

I guess what I am saying is that I treat a corporate citizen in many ways like I treat a private citizen... If a man I know acts like a fool enough, I will not hang out with him... if a company does the same, I will not hang out there either...

It is possible that this was just an individual case of incompetency but suspicious since the person at customer service did go to "talk to the manager" and was gone long enough to have made a phone call to higher ups--since the "manager was not there to be talked to". I have no way of knowing.... and no reason to be more than mildly upset with an employee just doing what he was told to do -- when that is truly the case.

I will go back just to be sure they got the message from corporate for the benefit of other disabled seg owners who happen to wander in there in the future, but will plan to shop at the nearby Kmart which, as noted earlier, really does seems to care about disabled customers and goes beyond just compliance. First impressions really do make a difference!

[Bob.Kerns]

I think it likely they really did make a phone call, but reached someone who didn't know what they were talking about but was willing to make it up.

I don't see any gain to their lying, and they could be risking their job by doing so.

[KSagal]

Originally Posted by Bob.Kerns

I think it likely they really did make a phone call, but reached someone who didn't know what they were talking about but was willing to make it up.

I don't see any gain to their lying, and they could be risking their job by doing so.

Ahh Yess, but it is far easier to tell the problem to go away, and expect they will, and you will never have to hear about it again, than to tell them they can do something that will later get you in trouble... Especially if your brain cells that work are individually numbered and accounted for...

When people are not too bright, and posed with a question they do not know the answer, nor how to find someone else who will take responsibility, are really prone to say no rather than yes... In their minds, it is the more safe choice, even when wrong...