Though loved and frequently visited by millions of Americans, some people view Walmart as a “trashy” place to shop.
Because of this, I have done some research on why many view Walmart as a trashy and bad store. Here is what I discovered!
Key Takeaways
10 Reasons Why Walmart Is So “Trashy”
1. The Drama
Unfortunately, many people see Walmart as trashy due to difficult customers. We have all seen the viral videos of “Karens” in stores, and Walmart is no exception to customers with attitudes like this!
Additionally, with millions of people visiting Walmart stores on a daily basis, and with smartphones recording everything, any incident is instantly posted and shared. Below is a clear example of this!
2. History Of Walmart Related Crime
On a more serious note, Walmart as a brand has been featured on several national news outlets for crimes committed by staff or in their stores.
Though this is not a common occurrence, the media attention garnered by these crimes, ranging from theft to murder, is enough to make anyone a bit wary!
3. Pople Think Walmart Is Trashy, So People Act That Way
Since Walmart has a “ghetto” reputation for people shopping without shoes, shirts, or simply shopping in their pajamas. This in return gives other customers the reason not to care about their appearance for when they visit the store next.
Ultimately, this turns into a self-fulling prophesy as if someone is to perceive Walmart as trashy, then they themselves will care less about their appearance.
Because of this, every day people will go to Walmart unshowered, wearing old clothes, and half asleep (we’ve all been there!).
4. It’s Too Busy!
With the thousands of people visiting Walmart stores each day, it can be overwhelming and intimidating to interact with people from all different walks of life.
With many Facebook photo groups titled ‘seen in Walmart,’ sadly some people are happier than others to describe the way people look or act as trashy. Whilst these unknowing people continue to visit Walmart, unfortunately, others will continue to regard Walmart as trashy.
5. Cheap Products Attract Poorer Demographics
Since Walmart sells some of the cheapest products from any store nationwide, it only makes sense that it attracts those from poorer neighborhoods who want to save money.
Because of this, Walmart is sometimes labeled as trashy as it attracts people from all walks of life, which can lead to baffling scenes instore (see below).
6. Staff Pay
Pay at Walmart is generally low in comparison to other working outlets, though they have increased their minimum wage 3 times over the past few years.
As a result, staff may not necessarily have the motivation to keep up the great customer service, and bad staff experiences may tarnish Walmart’s reputation.
7. Reducing Staff Hours
Some may regard Walmart as trashy for reducing the working hours for staff, which also reduces staff income. Some may see this as disrespectful towards Walmart staff, and a ‘cheap’ move from the higher-ups!
8. Mispriced Items
Walmart recently had a mini-scandal on its website, where lots of items were suddenly reduced in price with no warning.
Lots of keen customers put their orders in but unfortunately, this was a technical error and Walmart said they would not uphold the new prices.
Customers were upset when their orders were canceled and complained that Walmart was being ‘cheap’ for not granting them the lower price due to the error being on their side.
9. Lack Of Warranty On Products
One major thing that customers dislike about Walmart is the lack of warranty on products! Mix this with the aforementioned low-quality materials, and you’ve got yourself another reason why people think Walmart is trashy.
10. It Hurts Small Businesses
Walmart is an established brand and the biggest retailer in America, enabling them to have a monopoly-like effect on other businesses.
By pricing their items so low and promising a money-back guarantee for cheaper products found elsewhere, Walmart has put many small local businesses under pressure – with some even having to shut down!
11. A Change In Suppliers
What once was a 100% American supplied brand has slowly trickled down until many former customers have complained about cheaply made imported products.
Many have taken the reduction of Walmart’s once-proud claim as a reflection on their frugality as a brand, classing them as trashy.
To learn more about this multinational corporation, don’t forget to see our other guides on whether or not Walmart is evil, why there are no Walmarts in NYC, Walmart statistics, and why Walmart is called Wally World.
Conclusion
To summarize, Walmart has largely gained itself a trashy reputation among some former customers due to cutting corners on materials and items, as well as where these have been sourced, in order to keep the prices low.
While some may love these consistently low prices, others find it too cheaply made to hold any redeemable qualities. Partner this with Walmart disturbing the local economy of several small businesses, and Walmart’s reluctance to involve their workers with any worker’s rights unions whilst arguably underpaying their staff, these factors are more than enough for some people to class Walmart as a trashy store!