Walmart: And The Survey Says...
- lmb523
- 6 hours ago
- 6 min read
I recently sent in feedback to Walmart corporate because it was truly a bad experience. This wasn't just the first time, and my shopping experience is getting progressively worse each time. I could only fit 1000 characters, so at the end I wrote "out of room."
My Feedback
Hello, The last three times I visited Walmart — 17961 US-441, Summerfield, FL 34491 Walmart Supercenter, I was not able to find a hand held basket. My visit on 3 April 2025, the greeter did not speak English, but she did seem to understand what I was asking, 'are there any baskets'. She walked over and glanced at the first self check out spot, and shook her head no to indicate there weren't any there. I do not wish to use a grocery cart. I wound up purchasing a reusable bag that I saw near the frozen aisle to put my items in while I finished my shopping. I had to remind the cashier to charge me for the bag after all my items were rung up. On the way out, I asked the same greeter to report the issue of no hand held baskets, but I am 99% sure she did not understand. Lastly, the greeter, two of the online shoppers, and my cashier all had grimaces on their faces like they were the most unhappy people in the world. Other employees were on their phone or chatting with each other—out of room.
I wanted to add that two employees were having a personal conversation and were blocking the isle for over five minutes. They were not whispering and I finally said, "excuse me" and walked between them. My main issue was not having a hand basket to put my groceries in as I shopped. The "apology" I received was really a non apology in my opinion, but just an acknowledgement they received my feedback.
A Response From Walmart
Hello Linda My name is Angel, and I'll be happy to help you today. We value the fact that you contact us regarding the service you received in our store. Our commitment is to always provide friendly and attentive service so that our customers have a pleasant experience with us.
Please be assure that even though the store may not contact you back, we are committed to addressing this situation by sharing your comments with management team, for them to act accordingly.
You may receive a brief survey in your email regarding my service to you, for my management to see how my assistance was. I will sincerely appreciate any comments and be grateful for your time.
Best regards, Angel Walmart Customer Care
As stated, I did receive an email the following day with the subject, "Walmart Customer Care Survey. How was your email with Angel?" I had worked on my response the night before in anticipation of the email. If I didn't get the survey, I was going to resend feedback to corporate. Angel's response really left me feeling unheard.
My Walmart Customer Care Survey Response
The message from Angel on behalf of Walmart reads more like a customer service form letter than an actual apology or acknowledgment of my specific experience. It lacks empathy, doesn’t address the multiple concerns I raised, and shifts the focus to the agent’s own survey rather than resolving or validating what I went through. That kind of response feels dismissive and transactional.
I am providing the following sample response to demonstrate how a professional and personalized message could have addressed my concerns more effectively:
"Thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience at our Summerfield Walmart. I sincerely apologize that handheld baskets were unavailable during multiple visits and that you were left without the assistance you needed. I understand how frustrating that must have been, especially when a cart is not your preference.
I also regret that the interaction with our team did not meet your expectations. Every associate should provide a welcoming and helpful environment, and I am sorry that was not the case during your visit.
Please know that your feedback will be shared with the store manager for further review. While you may not receive a direct response from them, your concerns will be taken seriously and reviewed internally.
You may receive a brief survey about my service, which will be reviewed by my management to assess how well I assisted you. I would sincerely appreciate any feedback and thank you for your time.
We appreciate your feedback and your continued patronage. It helps us identify areas we need to improve."
Angel’s response was courteous, but lacked clarity, personalization, and a sense of genuine concern. It felt like a template that didn’t address the specific issues I raised. A more human, empathetic tone with clear acknowledgment and an understanding of the full message would improve the experience for customers.
I hope my feedback and the sample response provided will help highlight the need for a more human, empathetic approach to customer service.
Kind regards,
Linda Milam Brown
Retired Executive Customer Relations, Amazon
The next section of the survey asked, "What could Angel do to improve?" and there were six options: Knowledge, Professionalism, Problem Solving, Responsiveness, Clarity, and Friendliness. I responded by choosing Clarity, Professionalism, and Responsiveness.
After continuing, the next question posed was, "Did Angel's response solve the issue?" I chose the "No" radio button and a text box opened up.
No, Angel's response didn’t solve the issue. It didn’t offer a resolution, provide a timeline, or even address the concerns directly. It was just an acknowledgment of receiving the feedback.
No. Because:
The issue with the baskets is still unaddressed.
There is no confirmation of any action being taken.
My experience was not validated.
The tone was generic and impersonal.
It Never Ends
I have not received any further communication about this particular survey. I have been to Walmart twice since this exchange, and there were no hand held baskets either time. If Walmart no longer provides these hand held baskets, they should make that known. They were available at the front one month ago. In addition, on the trip at the beginning of the week, I purchased pork chops and my hands were sticky after picking out my selection. Walmart has two hand sanitizer dispensers near the meat isle for this scenario. However, both dispensers were empty. It is little things like this that have me questioning the benefit of shopping at Walmart.
In close proximity are Publix, Aldi, Winn Dixie, Target and delivery from Kroger. I stopped in Aldi for the first time the other day after I left the Post Office. I found the prices at Aldi to be comparable to Walmart, but instead of shopping there because I was feeling anxious, I decided to just go to Walmart—familiar, affordable, and near my home.
Today, all I wanted was some ice cream, cool whip, and maybe some cake. I brought with me the reusable bag I purchased on a previous visit. It is a good thing because no hand baskets were available, again. I went through the aisles, placing my choices in the bag. Everything I bought was frozen. When I got to the register, the cashier started to place my items in plastic bags, and then he was going to place them back into the reusable bag, even though he watched me remove all of the items from the reusable bag. I told him there was no need to place the items in the plastic bags first. He then decided to argue with me saying it needed to be in plastic to keep from getting the bag wet. There was a lot I wanted to say, but I just remained focused, checked out and left.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, these last few trips seem to be creating more anxiety and not a lot of convenience. It is not like I am looking for issues to complain about—they are issues that are presenting themselves. The best way to resolve an issue is to report it. Walmart sent me another survey after the hand sanitizer trip, and I did provide feedback. I am sure another survey will be coming in the next day or two. I think employees should be aware and understand the purpose of reusable bags. If employees are going to continue to place items in plastic before putting them in the reusable bag—it defeats the purpose.
Colossians 4:6
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
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