Was wondering if anybody was having the same problem with Wal-Mart I have . I have had a display and cards in a Wal-Mart store for 5 years. Kept it clean and updated and checked cards every week. Two weeks ago they climded a ladder and took a screwdriver and forced my name plated from my display. I had a special name plate made to match my card color and put it on a two deer foot gun rack and it hung in the lower center of the 4x8 display. I had a custom mount of a labador with a duck in an oak display with a 2x3 brass and black name plate the you could not even read from the floor and they forced it off also. You know how hard it is to remove name plates without breaking them. I was told that Wal-Mart has a new policy that no advertising can be done in the store. Instead of calling me they chose to destroy my property and now can't seem to find the pieces. The district manager was real nice and is a hunter and was very sorry about what they did. They say I can leave the display but I can not have anything to show my name. So why have it? If anybody has any suggestions lets hear them. The manager said we should bombard Wal-Mart with complaints and maybe they will change their mind. Just once I wish the little guy could do something to make a difference. He did say that he would see that I got paid for my name plates but he can't do anything unless they tell him different. Any suggestions?
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I forgot-they won't even let anybody have business cards. They removed them not only from this store but also from another one. They did manage to find my cards and the holders I made from cedar.
I've never "advertised" via placing a mount in a store or anything. According to fellow taxidermists, the grief thoroughly outweighs (any) benefit you'd get from the exposure. The maintenance of cleaning and/or repairing things that (Walmart) customers cause when "looking" at things is too much work for me.
I'd ask for compensation for damage to your mounts - maybe a credit towards a purchase or something. Don't hold your breath though...
A few years back I had a Wal Mart ask for some mounts to display, everything was fine until a no minded manager decided he would change things. He piled the mounts in a back supply room breaking fins, ears, etc. I was told I could have contacted corporate headquarters and be conpensated for the damages. That came from WalMart themselves. I've been told that there are no problems advertising my services there they even requested them. I think there's more to whats going on then your being told. Probably either the manager or asst. has someone they want to let display rather than you.
This same exact thing happened to me about 2 years ago. No cards, but the mounts can stay. Mine do have name plates on them. I was told, just no business cards. "New policy". I felt shafted, because in my state 9 out of 10 Wal-Marts have taxidermy advertisements in them. I guess the new policy is finally reaching all stores. Anyway, your not alone.
Its your local store managers way of doing things not Walmarts idea.
I went through this with Walmart myself. I got tired of the damage to my mounts, so I pulled them out of their store. Know what? I didn't loose and business!
For the most part the "sportsmen" who shop Walmart are the meat hunters who never get anything mounted anyway. My customers shop Walmart, but not for the sporting goods. For that sort of thing they go to the gun shop or tackle shop. My customers reload their own shells and tie their own flies. How do I know this? I ask them. Every new cuatomer that comes in my door is asked why they are here. It only makes sense if you are spending MONEY on advertizing, display mounts are MONEY spent on advertizing.
Walmart needs you more than you need them. And they DON"T need you.
Dont no where you people live but where we live if it was not for Walmart shoppers we would have no successful bussines. Different parts of the country vary where people shop but if there is a Walmart near you can bet the people shop there for what ever they need and for a good price or they are a C.E.O. of Kmart of Sears ect. The founder of Walmart was a great outdoors loved hunting just as much as anyone. The president of Walmart now is a avid hunter,just like many of the vice presidents and on down to the stock boy in back room. Every store manager and sportings good manager does things different. Walmart spends Millions each year promoting fishing tournements like the FLW, or Walmart Outdoors hunting shows just so some buba like you say might see the TV show.Well that bubba might see the show and go to Walmart and buy a pole or lure , thats Walmarts way of advertising,but bubba might also go out and catch a big one or buy some camo a shot a ten pointer but if you think none of the bubbas ever bring you something to mount I think you have missed out on some bussiness. We get calls every week from someone that has seen mounts in Walmart or since we dont live in town its an easy way to tell a new person calling if in doubt about our ability just to run by Walmart and look at work. We do not display anything unless they ask for us and they display only our mounts, that way there is no fighting over cards and who is best, the manager if he wants to suggest you he can but he is not picking one or the other.
Great walmart one of my least favorite subjects. I agree with the person who said that walmart is not where your advertizing dollars should be spent because thats not where taxidermy customers come from. When I go to Walmart which is on a rare ocassion of my last choice I see CHEAP all over. Cheap prices, cheap wages, cheap products and cheap people and that is not the image that I try to promote for my business. I remember how walmart used to advertize "made in America" a few years ago, don't you? Have you seen it lately? I have not. Thats because they don't activly buy American made products anymore, they buy and sell with one thing in mind CHEAP. I live in a town of 12,000 people and walmart has run most of the good old American family owned stores out of business. They have devistated many of the locals who had businesses here by selling Chineese trash. Did you know that walmart is soley responsible for 5% of China's gross natioinal product! China is huge in many ways and 5% ? think about it. Walmart is not the choice for me to "give" them my mounts for their (and mine) use or advertizment, there are much better places to advertize unless you looking for the cheap way out. And by the way the property they distroyed was yours, not theres. What do you think would happen if you distroyed their property? Bet you would end up paying for it, maybe even proscuted! Don't roll over, get them to pay for it.
I make it a point NOT to go to wal-mart and shop. I hate the store and company for what they have done to numerous small business' across the country and now in other countries as well. I wouldn't put my stuff in wal-mart if they begged me to! (and by the way, they just about did 5 years ago). I told them to forget it. I don't want my quality associated with their crap.
The use to call me to try to get me to join their "SAMS Club". I documented when I told them "no, quit calling me" and who I talked to and then asked for a supervisor and told them if they called again, I would sue them for phone harrassment. That has been years ago.
How many times have we here at the forums suggested you guys get signed contracts for this kind of stuff, to protect yourselves. THIS is the reason why...good luck, though, I hope all goes well. Your best advertising will ALWAYS be your own showroom and word of mouth.
You must be kidding yourself, and trying to lie to us.
My ex-wife did TORT CLIAMS for the U.S. Goverment, even they cannot get Walmart to pay for damages caused by a pallet standing on edge falling on a five year olds leg and breaking it causing a compound fracture.
Since Walmart has a very good legal staff on their payroll working in Bentonville offices full-time, why kid yourself and us.
call 1-800 Walmart and ask for yourself.
I have been told this new policy is the result of a law suit filed by the people that Wal-Mart decided could not beg for money right in the front doors of the store. They suppose to have taken pictures of displays and even bullentin boards in the auto repair dept. that had business cards for clean up and detail work and also in the cloth and crafts where people had cards to do crafts and sewing. I have gotten a lot of business from the display and somebody has taken app. 1000 cards in 5 years. The day they took down my name a guy had caught a 3 pound crappie and the guy behind the counter gave him my number and I have his fish to mount. They consider this solicitation and since the beggars won the law suite(according to the district manager) they had to remove everything. I have so much work now and am so well known it will not hurt me at all it's just the principle of the thing. I am going to remove my display and send a bill for the damages and let everybody know about it I come in contact with. An E-mail to Wal-Mart would let them know some of us don't like the way they have become.
Hell with calling just file a lawsuit thats what every other fool does. Every body thinks because Walmart and the Waltons have so much money they owe it to you to just lie down and let every stupid claim be paid. A couple years ago 80 year old Helen Walton ran a stop sign and in town and hit a dump truck and wouldnt you know it the driver of dump truck after he found who the lady was that hit him all the once became totally disabled , it took a few weeks in court but they finally threw it out of court and threw the guys lawyer in jail for wrongful suit.Walmart should be responsable for the real claims but because of those lawsuits that have no meaning it has caused some stores to try and keep clear of any possibe trouble. If you could not afford to have any of your mounts damaged you should have not put them on dislpay in first place. As far as the idea of buying from foriegn countries if we wait a couple more years half the stuff made in USA will be made by legal or illegals from another country working in USA factory any way.If Walmart was to come to you and ask to put up a sign along your property advertizing Walmart you would want paid from them for it, then say you was out mowing your lawn and you hit it and it fell over do you think you would pay to have it put back up, I doubt it. I think Walmart still helps many more taxidermists than it hurts by displaying their mounts but will not for long if a few start trying to collect for damaged mounts it might turn out to be a company policy in all stores not to display any thing
I do not have any mounts in Wal-mart, although I have been asked. I do however have both business cards and brochures in there. Have not had any problems so far.
you say that if wal-mart cameto someone and asked them to display advertisment for thier stores that that perspn would want compensation for it.
that may very wellbe true but from what i am reading it was not the taxidermists here that were askingwal-mart if they could put advertisements in the stores
but wal-mart asking them if they would put a display in. so before calling someone a fool and being rude next time why dont you be sure to make sure that
they were not asked by the company you seem to be defending. and yes i do agree there are some frivilous lawsuits and
when people find out who it is they tend to go for the throat but that doesnt meanthat everyone does nor does it mean any of these guys are
the little guy can change wal-mart policies if you keep at it. i had a problem with them asking for my receipt when i am walking out the door with this
huge sack that says wal-mart right after they watched me pay for it at the cash register. i kept telling them no they cant see it and let them know why.
eventually enough people told them the same things and they stopped it.
as for the people that shop at wal-mart not being the type of people that have things mounted
that is an untrue statement also. there are alot of places that the only thing that is near by that has any sporting goods is a wal-mart
and yes there is a good chance it is because they ran the smaller stores out of business but the fact remains
they are there and unless you want to drive 100 miles or more you may have to shop there
and if a taxidermist or fishing guide or whoever has a card there then there
is a good chance a customer that maybe interested in in using that service is going too.
but keep in mind also a good portion of the people that shop wal-mart dont have the money
to shop specialty stores so your prices maybe more than they can afford.
and that could be a good reason that your customers are not wal-mart shoppers.
Cool site. I'm new but this site really looks neat. I see that no one has posted since July, so I don't know if everyone has left this site. If so never mind, or if everyone is leaving or want another place to spend time at besides this cool site. You can come to:
http://groups.msn.com/WWAssociates
You opinion is always welcome on the above site I listed about Wal-mart, not matter what it is.
hey all of you people who are agianst wallmart. i'm doing a project and i need all of the infomation against wallmart. i'm loving all of your stories and i will use them. Thanks for the help.
-dirty
My name is Cory. I just got fired from Walmart #2412 at 3200 N. Ridge Rd. Ellicott City, MD. 21043
I was a truck unloader from 4:00PM to 1:00AM. We are told to unload every truck within 2 hours each or faster. That I could understand. When we were asked why it took so long I answered: sometimes we have to set up all the pallets before we unload a truck. That takes time to get them from outside depending on the weather. (Snow, rain, ice...) Another thing is the forklift is not starting sometimes and we must pull the pallets by hand. Another thing is people leaving thing's in our way and that takes time to remove them. Even if all is prepared for us to unload the truck, The truck can have things broken and slowing us down. I can go on and on with excueses, but thats not the big problems this store has.
L. J. is the Manager of that store. He asked us to take a half hour lunch to finish the job faster. I said that's cool with me if I get payed for it. He said all you have to do is punch is and punch out for 30 min. I did so and notesed I still got one hour taken off my check. It is programed by the computer to take an hour automaticly. I guess he think's all truck unloaders are stupid. If I had not said anything then all the 4 to 1 crue would be working for free.
Another problem for this walmart is drug dealing. One of L. J.'s most faveret slave is this 40 year old black man named Jay. He sells CRACK and WEED. I know becuse Jay asked me is I would like to buy some. He has lot's of custemers to buy his goods. I have no proof that L. J. has anything to do with drugs, but I do know that everyone that has worked at that walmart for atleat a year knows he sells drugs. that meens L. J. would have heard from someone at sometime. In other words I beleve L. J. is a buyer.
It just goes to show you that all the rules made do get broken.
Hello I was wondering if this happened to anyone as well as it happened to me.
I got this packet in the mail about a year ago and it was a bunch of papers well it was a small claim suite well I decided yeah you know what they don't treat their impoyee's right well I was living and working for the one in Sterling Colorado while I was an employee I didn't get break's I didn't get asked to stay I never got the hours that I was told I was going to get I was hurrassed my the store manager him self. I decided to file and send it back and I have heard that they WON! well if this is true well I think that I am on that claim infact I know I am. Can someone help me tell me who to call to find out what it is that I need to do?
Thanks
Shannon
please help me. i worked for walmart and was injury, they fired me and as a employee I experience the walmarts roll back wages- making us work - not paying us.
shelia minor
Walmart's Managers Stink!
The managers and co-managers at the Port Covington store in Baltimore Maryland are some of the most uneducated, trashed down, and inconsidered people I've met in my life time. Store manager Paul Kram does not know if he's coming or going. His protocols for store safety is untimely DUMB! Asst Mgr. Lulu, she needs surgery to straigten her mouth out, so that more kinder word would come out of her mouth, because she talks to much trash to people that you think you're back on the plantation. Racist, well that's when you meet up with asst mgr. Sue! What a joke, she can bearly spell her own name, but yet she calls us ignorant, I don't think so girlfriend! Pick up a book and read about culture, how to treat people or better yet, just plain old common courtesy.
This store is trash!