[HamiltonJay]

Wal-Mart, the No. 1 retailer, is widening its array of stylish-but-cheap goods in hopes of winning over middle-income customers, putting it head-to-head with a rival that has proved it can compete and thrive against a company six times its size.

Wal Mart won't win this one.... I don't shop at Target thanks to their caving to the pillow biters on the Salvation Army, and their decision to sell sexually suggestive clothing to children.... However Wal Mart is not going to convince the middle income folks to go be cattle at their horribly overcrowded and understaffed stores.

Typical Saturday in my town you go to Wal Mart, you are going to wait in line at the check out for 30-45 minutes!!!

Middle Income and higher folks are not going to give up an hour of their day waiting in line to save .10 on a Gravy Dish they can buy at Target and be in and out in 5 minutes.

Sorry, once you hit a level where you realize your personal time is worth more than a few bucks at the checkout, you will not shop at Walmart, no matter how much they try to "upscale".

[Das Outsider]

Typical Saturday in my town you go to Wal Mart, you are going to wait in line at the check out for 30-45 minutes!!!

Same here....And that's regardless of the day or hour. Waiting in line behind teenagers with obnoxious cell ringtones, broadcasting their personal lives to the world, and folks who don't understand "20 items or less," only to be waited on by a guy with 6 facial piercings, 20 earrings, and a sleeveless shirt who acts as though you're not even there--for what?

[mlc9852]

My Super Wal-Mart is usually very well staffed with often no waiting time in line. Maybe yours just had a bad manager.

[colorado tanker]

Bingo! Unless Wal-Mart hires enough cashiers so's it's not a 30 minute checkout, this strategy ain't gonna happen.

[wireman]

The Walmart near me is a complete sh!thole with a staff composed of brain dead idiots - Heaven forbid you should try to get any information on the phone.

Other than that, I love the place.

[The South Texan]

"Typical Saturday in my town you go to Wal Mart, you are going to wait in line at the check out for 30-45 minutes!!!"

Same here at the local Wal-Mart supercenter. I almost try to never go in there, except if I don't feel like driving another 4 miles to the next nearest supermarket for groceries. I'll go Home Depot to get all of my yard stuff and go to Best Buy, Target, etc for most of my electronic needs. The only time I will willingly go to Wal Mart is on a weekday morning before 10AM.

Wal-Mart is going the way of K-Mart. K-Mart started having the same problems at their Super K's with the 30 checkout stands and having only two or three operational. The same ratio is true most of the time at my local Wal-Mart. Maybe 40-50 check out stands with 7-10 operational during busy times.

[mr_hammer]

100 percent agree! The Wal-Mart experience is disgusting from the time you walk in, till the time you leave. The merchandise looks as picked over as the clientele. The unions should not waste it's time with them. Wal-Mart has chained it's self to serving the low end commodity shopper. Remember, live by the sword, die by the sword.

P.s. Wal-Mart and GM, the lowest priced goods will not guarantee your survival in the market place. A quality product with courteous clean sales people will win hands down everyday.

[Ciexyz]

I've never had to wait more than five minutes in line at any time I've been to Walmart.

I shop at both Target and Walmart, because I believe it's good to support two strong discount stores in this area. I'm satisfied with my purchases in both stores. Walmart has the best price on books and CD's, so I hit Walmart first. But I've brought good-quality household goods at Target that seem a cut above Walmart's.

Both have excellent service. Target has a phone system thruout the store where the customer presses a button, and an associate comes running within 45 seconds.

[Final Authority]

WRT to reply #4, I observe that if one wants to save the cost of learning what a third world country is like all one has to do is visit the WalMart in Salem, NH on any Saturday. NH is about 98% white but WalMart on these days is about 98% other than white and no one speaks English. The body odor is something else, the number of overweight, no, really fat people is something to see. The cars out in the lot are all from Massachusetts and would not pass a safety inspection in NH which makes me believe that they are illegitimately on the road through some nefarious process. We know that most of them are not insured and many, since they are criminal aliens, are not licensed. Much of what is spent is welfare debit card money and I was told by a WalMart cashier that they are not to verify the ID of bearers anymore because in the past they have uncovered much fraud that it put them in the position of turning in customers, so now the policy is like the Sgt. on Hogan's Heroes, "I see nothing, nothing".

So save your airfare, the cost of a passport, hotel room and still sleep in your own bed. Come to Salem, NH and visit what the USA will be in 25 years. Just another third world, stinking, hellhole of what passes for humanity.