Walmart, Jefferson Ave., Cookeville, TN - Very Upset with Walmart

Walmart, Jefferson Ave., Cookeville, TN - Very Upset with Walmart

Very Upset with Walmart-danger to daughters welfare

Walmart in Cookeville ,Tennessee-Jefferson Avenue

My daughter and I went to Walmart today (April 22,2004) to do our major shopping. We finally found a checkout open. This was at 9:00 pm. There were A LOT of unsavory people in only what I can call packs of males. My daughter was very uncomfortable shopping because of a lot of stares and they spoke Spanish so we could not understand what they said. We knew it was directed towards her. We decided to cut the trip short and leave.

We checked out and went to my car. My daughter took my purse and keys. She opened the passenger door and put my purse in the console and the keys in the ignition. The lock button accidently got pushed and we were locked out! A nice man and his son did stop to help. He was a mechanic but needed a coat hanger to open my door. His son went inside Walmart and explained the situation. They would not let him have one. So the man said, you take my son with you and I will stay with your daughter.

You see my buggy of groceries was half in and half out of my car. My frozen items melting. I went to the Security manager and explained what happened and the fact my daughter was out there in the dark with a stranger we just met. He wouldn't even go out there to my daughter! The only thing he said was well, We don't know if you are trying to get into your car or steal that car. I told him IF I wanted to steal a car it would not be a 92 Ford Taurus. There are a lot better cars out there to steal.

Besides my car info is in it if he could just get my a coat hanger I would show him my ID. He told me to call a lock smith. DAH! My purse with all my money is locked up. I didn't have change for the phone! Then he told me "Maybe" customer service would call. In my favor I explained my situation. STILL no coat hanger! But he did call a lock smith. The woman standing there an employee in the Toy department told me to go to my daughter she would see to it that he got called. Then all of a sudden she showed up at the car with me and said she would stay until the locksmith got there.

That we didn't need to be alone in the parking lot. She took her own lunch and stayed with us. So much for the security! Walmart did not care that my daughter could have been in danger! The security nobody Except the nice toy department worker! I had to pay 25.00 to get my door opened. All I needed was a lousy coat hanger on it's way to the dumpster! Never mind the danger to my daughters life....but by god that Head of Security would have hung us if we had took a candy bar!

Lynne F

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I don't think there was any reason security could not have given her a coat hanger as she said everything was locked up in the car they could have came out and looked and saw that she was not intending on stealing the car with half her grocery s in and half out of the car. As far as leaving her daughter the man I am sure the fact that he had his own son with him made a difference in her decision of whether to leave her with him or not. The Point is Walmart could have done a lot more to be more helpful the her. The toy department Employee had enough customer service skills to realize that sometimes you take that extra step just because it is the right thing to do.

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Lynne I locked my keys in a rental car in PA at a walmart store they told me the same thing....knowing business I didn't blame them for it. If they give you that coat hanger they can also be sued if you stoled the car....so I hate it for you that people may or may not have been talking about your daughter but parents these days do allow their kids to wear clothes they shouldn't I see it all the time in Walmart...not sayin you did just sayin.....but hate it even more that you left her with God knows who that was stupid and you have no one to blame but yourself for that...of course thats just my opinion!!!

Comment On This

Think about it this way... Had it not been your car, who would get sued? You for driving off or walmart for allowing it to happen? Are you only going to have spanish speaking people saying things in walmart? Do you not think they also go other places and talk about people there? Does walmart have any control of what people talk about among themselves? You say you knew that they were talking about your daughter but you don't speak spanish yourself so that's an assumption. You met a "Nice" man who was willing to help you, you leave your daughter alone with him and then call the man a stranger when you yourself left her with the man in the first place. "Walmart did not care that my daughter could have been in danger." Neither did you or you would have told her to come with you. Here's what it looks like... You had a bad day, and blamed it on everyone else. Walmart didn't lock the keys in the car, your daughter did. Walmart didn't leave your daughter along, you did. Walmart is not immigration and cannot control what people say in a walmart as long as they aren't causing a public disturbance. I'm sorry you have trust issues and don't understand liability and legal responsibilities to public property.

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I ise to work at this Wal-Mart location. I do know on top of the building is video cameras. These cameras are found in alomost every Wal-Mart Super Center. I think it is a sad situation that security couldn't come out to help you. I do know they make their rounds checking the parking lot. I also know even though Wal-Mart is a cooperation it prides itself on customer service. Also they may not have had a wire coat hanger, but they do have a maintance department within that store all Wal-Marts have these workers. I am sure they would have had some wiring to help her. I hope next time you carry an extra key in your pocket.

James R.

Brasher Falls, NY

Comment On This

Well maybe you should be grateful for the employee that DID stasy with you and your daughter, instead of only looking for the negative in this situation. Large corporations like Wal Mart have many regulations they have to follow, and that security guard may have been reprimanded for sitting in the parking lot with you. Also, if you haven't noticed, most stores probably do not use metal hangers anymore and it is getting increasingly difficult to find them available for purchase. It's quite possible this store did not even HAVE any wire hangers, and the cheap plastic ones they do use to hang up clothes would have broken if shoved into your door, causing even more problems.