'Are the computers on lunch break?' blasts Walmart customer as self-checkout shakeup makes shopping 'infuriating' | 3V98ZFG | 2024-05-12 17:08:01
A WALMART shopper is fed up over frequently closed self-checkout lanes and is confused as to why they would not always be available.
The shopper argued Walmart self-checkouts should always be available to use since they are machines.
'Are the computers on lunch break?' blasts Walmart customer as self-checkout shakeup makes shopping 'infuriating'GettyWalmart customers made sarcastic jokes about its self-checkout consistently being closed down[/caption]
A user on X, formerly Twitter, explained their frustration with the closed self-checkouts.
"It drives me nuts when you go to a place like Walmart or anywhere with self-checkout and half of the stations are closed," Tony (@cardinalfan9633) said on X.
"Are the self-checkout computers on their lunch breaks?"
Another Walmart shopper made a sarcastic comment about the store's checkout process.
"Shopping at Walmart is usually easy until you have to checkout," they replied to Tony's tweet.
"Can be infuriating!"
SELF-CHECKOUT WOES
Many shoppers are unhappy with the number of self-checkouts kept open throughout the day at their Walmart store.
Walmart shopper Colleen shared a post on Facebook to explain her self-checkout troubles and how there were "rarely any lanes open."
"Walmart I have a huge bone to pick with you," Colleen said.
"You have removed the option to self-checkout unless you are a Walmart member."
"I am still waiting on my paycheck for working there every single time I have to use self-checkout," another Walmart customer said on X.
Someone else said, "I am going to start to bill you for my time if you can't solve these service issues."
Some Walmart stores have even started to limit who can use self-checkout.
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This is due to certain self-checkouts being reserved for Walmart+ subscribers.
A Walmart+ membership costs $98 annually.
"We continually look at ways to provide our customers with the best shopping experience and that includes adjusting the checkout area in stores," Walmart spokesperson Josh Havens told Business Insider.
'Fix this' Target shoppers demand over self-checkout issue that leaves store 'looking like Walmart' | 3V98ZFG | 2024-05-12 17:08:01
TARGET shoppers are being tested as they stand in long checkout lines to purchase a few items.
Ranting on social media about shopping trips gone wrong, some compared the checkout experience to long wait times at Walmart.
'Fix this' Target shoppers demand over self-checkout issue that leaves store 'looking like Walmart'Target shoppers say they're stuck in long lines after self-checkout was shutteredGetty
Lengthy checkout lines with few workers available have set off Target shoppers across the US.
Despite complaints about self-checkout, some customers are even yearning for the kiosks back.
"Why is the self-checkout lane closed?" questioned one user on X, the website formerly known as Twitter.
"These lines [are] looking like Walmart. Girl fix this. I have three items," he continued.
The shopper said his five-minute trip turned into a 25-minute one because there were only two lanes open, with lines extending into the women's section.
Target responded to the post and said it's "prioritizing full-service check lanes to support [its] guests during the entire day and intends to open Express Self-Checkout to support busier times."
But many customers would classify their trips as happening in busy times, with another describing a 35-minute wait in line.
Posting from Jansen Beach in Portland, Oregon, another user described a line that was 26 people deep "with only one checkout person."
"You decided you didn't want people going through self-checkout," he continued. "And you are confused when people just walk out with stuff."
Meanwhile, a Target shopper in El Cajon, Californiaposted a picture of the scene at their store.
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"Once again. 10-15 people in every open line and self-checkout closed," he said.
The customer described self-checkout as "four lanes that move faster than any manned station" but "closed every single time and in no seemingly logical time frame either."
Target once again responded to the shopper, explaining that self-checkouts are open during busiest times, but that these times "might not be convenient for everyone."
The U.S. Sun reached out to Target in a request for comment.
SHIFTS AT THE SELF-CHECKOUT
Complaints are flying amid recent changes by the big box retailer to curb theft and prevent long lines at the self-checkout.
'I haven't had my check in 21 months,' cries Social Security user who claims IRS issue and now she's stuck on hold | 3V98ZFG | 2024-05-12 17:08:01
A SOCIAL Security beneficiary is facing some gloomy news after not getting their check for months.
In a comment on a Social Security Association (SSA) Facebook post, this user aired their grievances.
'I haven't had my check in 21 months,' cries Social Security user who claims IRS issue and now she's stuck on holdA person impacted by the situation conveyed their troubling ordeal in a comment on the aforementioned post. (Stock Image)Getty Images - Getty
The SSA shared a post on how to appeal an overpayment decision or amount to the agency along with ways to waive the debt if you're unable to pay it back.
An affected individual, who has been receiving Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits for 18 years, shared their distressing experience in a comment on the aforementioned post.
"I personally haven't had my check in 21 months," they lamented. "How do you expect us to live without money?"
The individual continued, "I have been trying all this time since July 2022 responding showing agents actual documents of payments not received also have fixed my IRS issue.
"When I call them… no answer or after being on hold an hour; call drop," the affected individual recounted.
"They don't pay me because of any reason they come up with out of the clear blue sky," they added.
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OVERPAYMENT PAINS
This kind of issue is not rare for those who do are being paid through Social Security.
A recipient of Social Security benefits has alleged that they are being demanded to reimburse thousands of dollars due to an apparent overpayment matter.
Expressing frustration, the individual asserted that they were provided with just a single month to generate the required funds and remit them to the SSA.
"I just got a notice giving me only 30 days to pay back $5,235.80," the recipient wrote in a post to a SSA blog on Facebook.
"I would have to dip into my dwindling IRA funds to get this kind of cash, which would further cause me to get hit with income tax on these funds," he added.
"I don't see an 'effective as of' date anywhere."
According to the recipient's remarks, it appears that they were not informed in advance about the overpayments until the total reached $5,235.80.
Overpayments may arise from either a mistake made by the recipient or by the SSA.
If the SSA is accountable for the error, they will notify the recipient accordingly.
Typically, the repayment procedure can be tailored to accommodate the recipient's circumstances, with deductions periodically made from future checks.
Elsewhere, another Social Security beneficiary lodged an appeal with the administration after experiencing a decrease in her benefits stemming from an overpayment dating back three years.
Additionally, a separate beneficiary was informed that they owed SSA over $8,000 due to being overpaid.
'I can make my own,' say Starbucks customers turning their back on chain – as ex-CEO calls for 3 changes to address rut | 3V98ZFG | 2024-05-12 17:08:01
STARBUCKS customers have revealed how the cafe chain's star has lost its shine in the face of falling profits and more competition from rivals.
Now Howard Schultz, who served as Starbucks CEO for 24 years in three different spells, has broken his silence on the coffee giant's money woes.
'I can make my own,' say Starbucks customers turning their back on chain – as ex-CEO calls for 3 changes to address rutGettyStarbucks has seen a downward trend in profits in recent years[/caption]
'I can make my own,' say Starbucks customers turning their back on chain – as ex-CEO calls for 3 changes to address rutGettyThe coffee giant has been hit by union disputes and other financial woes[/caption]
'I can make my own,' say Starbucks customers turning their back on chain – as ex-CEO calls for 3 changes to address rutAP:Associated PressFormer CEO, Howard Schultz, took to LinkedIn to offer the chain advice[/caption]
Posting on LinkedIn this week, Schultz wrote that Starbucks' stores, which have been hit by labor disputes, accusations of illegal union-busting, and declining sales globally, need to establish a "maniacal focus on the customer experience, through the eyes of a merchant."
The answer to their problems, he says, "does not lie in data, but in the stores."
Starbucks, which has over 17,000 stores in the U.S., recently experienced its first drop in quarterly revenue since 2020, with sales in North America declining by 3% in this year's second quarter, according to the chain's financial reports.
The reason behind the revenue drop, according to Starbucks' leadership, is the rise of the "cautious customer."
As inflation is running rampant in the country, consumers are forced to be more aware of where they spend their hard-earned cash.
While corporate profits now account for the highest share of national income in more than 10 years, according to the National Bureau of Economic Analysis, consumers are feeling the strain more than ever in their lifetimes.
A majority of Americans are worse off financially now than compared to before the start of the pandemic, according to Yahoo! Finance.
"Money changed," Jacqueline Phillips, a New Yorker and daily coffee drinker, told the U.S. Sun as she explained why she stopped frequenting the chain.
"The price of everything going up leaves little extra for the spoils," Phillips said. "Starbucks has become more of a treat than an everyday necessity. I can make my own latte now at 7-11 for $2 as opposed to $6 at Starbucks. Does it taste as good? Eh, but it's good enough and I can afford it."
Phillips also details how changes to how the chain gives customers rewards, now having to earn twice as many points to earn a free cup of hot coffee, turned her off from the brand.
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But it isn't just points and finances that are pushing customers away from the coffee giant.
For customers like Morgan Bissett-Tessier, a 31-year-old law school student and part-time school administrator in New York, reports about mistreatment of Starbucks employees, union-busting, and not being allowed to wear Black Lives Matter attire, despite that policy being reversed, ruined the brand for her.
"Starbucks was never a regular thing for me because it was expensive, so it was a treat," Bissett-Tessier told CBS Money Watch. "Now it doesn't feel worth it."
Last year, the National Labor Relations Board found that Starbucks violated federal labor law over 270 times since the campaign to unionize started in Buffalo, New York two years ago.
This makes Starbucks "one of the worst violators of labor law in modern U.S. history," said Clara Wheatley-Schaller, the political director for Workers United, the union representing Starbucks workers.
But despite these roadblocks causing customers to look elsewhere, Schultz believes Starbucks will recover from their recent downturn.
"Of that, I am certain," he added.
"Senior leaders — including board members — need to spend more time with those who wear the green apron," he went on.
Schultz also advises the chain to "reinvent the mobile ordering and payment platform," to "make it the uplifting experience it was designed to be."
He also says the chain's go-to-market strategy needs to be overhauled and elevated with "coffee-forward innovation that inspires partners and creates differentiation in the marketplace," saying the brand needs to "focus on being experiential, not transactional."
"We always appreciate Howard's perspective. The challenges and opportunities he highlights are the ones we are focused on," a Starbucks spokesperson said in response to Schultz's remarks.
"And like Howard, we are confident in Starbucks' long-term success," they concluded.
But is that enough to win customers back?
Diane Cantave, an activist with Long Island Jobs for Justice who helped unionize seven Starbucks locations on Long Island, including two in Hempstead – the most populated town in the country, isn't so sure.
She believes that if Starbucks were to treat their workers fairly and stop creating a name for themselves that is synonymous with illegal labor practices, maybe more customers would be willing to support their business.
'I'm going to bill you for my time,' blasts Walmart shoppers over long lines and do-it-yourself bagging self-checkout | 3V98ZFG | 2024-05-12 17:08:01
WALMART shoppers are struggling to stay loyal to the store amid growing frustrations with self-checkout.
Airing out on social media, customers say they say they're sick of bagging their own groceries and dealing with long lines.
'I'm going to bill you for my time,' blasts Walmart shoppers over long lines and do-it-yourself bagging self-checkoutSome Walmart shoppers say they feel like they're working for the store when they use self-checkoutGetty
'I'm going to bill you for my time,' blasts Walmart shoppers over long lines and do-it-yourself bagging self-checkoutWalmart has implemented a series of changes to its checkout policies in an effort to curb theftGetty
In an effort to cut back and curb theft in the wake of financial struggles, Walmart is revising its self-checkout policies.
But customers are still consistently frustrated over the same issues.
"I am still waiting on my paycheck for working there every single time I have to use self-checkout," said one customer on X, the website formerly known as Twitter.
It's common for Walmart customers to say they feel like they're working for the retailer when using the kiosks.
With 77 grocery items, I had to bag my own stuff at self checkout," one user recalled after saying they waited 20 minutes for an associate to unhook a television they were buying due to the store's anti-theft policies.
"I am going to start to bill you for my time if you can't solve for these service issues," they continued.
Walmart responded back with a post, imploring the user to provide more details on the shopping experience the retailer said it "does not want" for the customer.
But stories vary from store to store, with one user saying their local Walmart "regularly forces [them] to use self checkout due to zero cashiers."
They described their self-checkout process as "soooo slow" because they "try to show everything clear on the cameras to avoid false accusations" of stealing.
"The lack of any human cashiers is why I don't shop at Walmart anymore," another user responded to them.
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Meanwhile, another X user said their local Walmart has "no human cashiers and the self-checkout line is ALWAYS long as f**k!"
"Please hire more cashiers," pled one user in response.
Walmart has shuttered self-checkout in some locations to prevent theft, and Target has reportedly followed suit at some locations.
Meanwhile, some users say their local Walmart is still open but with a limit of 20 items.
The U.S. Sun reached out to Walmart in a request for comment.
'It's a great opportunity for customers,' says Whole Foods CEO as he announces plans to open 30 new stores | 3V98ZFG | 2024-05-12 17:08:01
WHOLE Foods has confirmed plans to largely expand its operational footprint as it makes the most of new technology and processes.
CEO Jason Buechel who has been at the helm for a year and a half has announced hopes for the 30 new Whole Foods stores.
'It's a great opportunity for customers,' says Whole Foods CEO as he announces plans to open 30 new storesWHOLE FOODSWhole Foods CEO Jason Buechel has spoken out about his pride surrounding the retailer's growth while announcing plans to add 30 stores annually to its portfolio[/caption]
'It's a great opportunity for customers,' says Whole Foods CEO as he announces plans to open 30 new storesGettyWhole Foods will continue to grow its operational footprint while introducing new store formats for those who are 'on-the-go'[/caption]
Not only that, but he hopes to see this level of expansion year on year.
"Everything from my perspective is going great," Buechel told Yahoo Finance at a conference in Califonia.
The CEO detailed how the Texas-based chain launched its 10-year vision for the company at the beginning of 2024 in which it vowed to "grow with purpose."
Buechel explained that the company would be focusing on "expanding our reach" and "serving our customers in more ways."
As well as this, the team behind the retail giant will be looking at how they can continue to serve customers while also helping the planet which the CEO said is its "higher purpose."
While discussing goals to expand, Buechel noted that the growth of Whole Foods is something he is "really proud of."
He detailed how the chain has gone from single-digit store growth to now having a goal of opening "30 plus stores a year."
In addition to this Whole Foods currently has 75 stores in development.
But talking of his annual increase of 30 or more stores, the CEO proudly acknowledged, "That's expansive growth that we have taken on."
"We are really excited about it because we've got a lot of customer interest a lot of communities that are looking for us to bring stores and I'm excited because we're going to be bringing new formats as well."
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Buechel detailed how a new version of a Whole Foods store will first be arriving in Manhattan.
The retailer announced in March that it will launch Whole Foods Market Daily Shop which is a smaller version of the usual store.
"This will allow us to open stores where we can't fit another full physical whole foods market store," Buechel said.
"This will be an opportunity for us to serve customers in a new way and I think this will be a great opportunity, especially for fill-in shops for customers."
Explaining the new format, Buechel said that larger shops may be completed once a week at an original Whole Foods store.
Then, during the week for smaller items such as milk or bread, or items on the go, the new Market Daily Shop will come in.
Regular Whole Foods customers will soon be noticing more changes that will benefit them including "seamless checkout" and lower prices.
Buechel highlighted how the cost of inflation has been "on the minds of many customers" and that as a result, the retailer has been working with its suppliers to try to limit the impact.
However, the "reality is inflation has been real," he said though Whole Foods has tried to minimize it for customers by increasing promotions.
Arsenal put seven players up for sale ahead of summer transfer window | 24F596N | 2024-05-12 16:08:01
Mikel Arteta is set to be backed with a significant transfer budget this summer (AFP via Getty)
Arsenal are ready to listen to offers for seven players this summer, according to reports.
Mikel Arteta is set to be backed by Arsenal's hierarchy with another significant transfer budget this summer as the Gunners look to cement their place as one of the Premier League's frontrunners.
According to the Sunday Mirror, Jesus is not among the players who Arsenal are looking to sell but the club are open to offers for Aaron Ramsdale, Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson Kieran Tierney, Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga.
The report adds that Arsenal will also 'evaluate the future' of Thomas Partey, who will have just a year remaining on his contract this summer.
Arsenal are open to offers for Emile Smith Rowe (Getty)
Smith Rowe has previously attracted interest from Aston Villa, with Arsenal turning down a bid in the region of £30m for the midfielder in 2021.
The 23-year-old still has two years remaining on his contract, while he has been restricted to just three starts in the Premier League this season.
Ramsdale has also struggled for playing time following Arteta's decision to sign David Raya from Brentford last summer.
Arsenal are expected to make the Spaniard's loan deal permanent for £27m at the end of the season and Ramsdale has already indicated that he needs to be playing regular football.
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Earlier this week, Tierney made it clear that he expects to leave Arsenal this summer following his loan spell with Real Sociedad this season.
'There is every chance,' Tierney told The Athletic. 'Look at the squad depth in that position now.
'They have [Oleksandr] Zinchenko, [Jurrien] Timber, [Takehiro] Tomiyasu, [Jakub] Kiwior. Four players can play there. So if I go back and it's the same as before then I'm not silly, I know the chances are I'll be leaving.
'But you never know in football. You get the rare case with [William] Saliba, where he came back after a couple of good seasons [out on loan] but you don't see it too often with someone who has played for four years, left, and then come back to play again.'
