Walmart - Sam's Closing

I was running errands today which ended with a stop at my local Sam’s Club in Stone Crest. As I drove into the parking lot looking for a space to park I noticed two news vehicle nearby and a couple of camera men who appeared to be filming the scene as people walked by. I also observed what I thought was a store employee at the front entrance who was turning potential customers away. I later found out he was a security officer. Not wanting to get out my car and risk getting wet if the store was close, I pulled up close enough to ask one of the onlookers what was going on. Her response was that she didn’t know but the store was closed. Another woman offered that if I had a prescription to pick up they would let me in, other than that people were being directed to other stores.  

Curiosity got the best of me so I made a few calls trying to decipher what was going on. I called my friend who works at the Sam’s in Columbus but did not get her, so I called my daughter. She didn’t know anything but googled it - got to love Google – and reported that the store was permanently closed today due to “financial performance”, among other things.   

Once I got home I eagerly waited for the local news report to see if they would shed some more light on this unforeseen development. I mean from what I gathered, it appeared the store was doing great business. Like its location neighbor Walmart, which by the way are owned by the same corporation, the parking lot was always full and there was always a steady flow of customers. In fact, my favorite thing to say to my friends when I am circling the parking lot looking for a parking spot is, “How people say they don’t have no money? Can’t tell by Wal-Mart’s parking lot. Come early or late, the parking lot always full and the checkout lines long.” 

As I think about it now, I should have known something was up as the parking lot at Sam’s was virtually empty with only a hand full of cars sprinkled throughout.

Local media reported that the Stone Crest Sam’s was one of several stores that were abruptly closed across the country today, but the only one in Georgia thus far. It came without warning. One employee who was interviewed shared that she worked a full shift just yesterday and there was no indication that the store would be permanently closing its doors the next morning. Other employees echoed the same sediments but added that they were a “family” who worked together for five to eight years, now it was all gone. 

The other breaking news that came on the heels of these stores closing is that Walmart Corporation announced today, that they were raising the minimum wage to $11/hr for Walmart employees. Guess that raise/money had to come from someplace.

While there might be legitimate reasons why Walmart Corporation decided to close these stores, there are so many things that is just down right wrong about the way they decided to do it. Can you imagine coming in to work only to be told you have no job? No warning, no period of time to get use to the idea that you have to find another job? Can you imagine the stress these employees were thrust into thinking about mortgage payments, car payments and other monthly obligations they have? I mean I am pretty sure if they knew they were going to be out of a job going into the holidays, they would have spent a wisely.  So not cool or a good start to the New Year. Sure employees were told they would get 60-day severance pay and then could apply to other stores for employment, but who wants to go work for a company who thought so little of you to begin with? 

Personally I expected better from Walmart. There is absolutely no excuse to handle these employees the way they did. If it was a question of security, i.e. thinking employees would get irate or act out, there are precautions they could have taken for that. Just like they had the presence of mind to hire a security guard to stand at the door to redirect customers, they could hire one to be in the store until the final closing day approached.

It is truly a sad day here in America when the self-proclaimed “low-price leader”, a giant in the employment world would treat its employees this way. What example are they setting for other corporate giants? It is truly a sad day indeed for those 1000 plus employees across the country who virtually got their financial rug pulled out from under them over night. I only hope the other employees who are still employed are taking notes and making plans/arrangements to find employment before they too find themselves in the same predicament as their counterparts.  I’m Just Saying. I got issues – what about you?

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