[NA] why do WalMart, et. al....[NA]

timwinters

timwinters

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...install such rough floor coverings at their front entries?

I think I've figured it out.

If you think it's for slip resistance, I'd suggest you keep thinking. Slip resistance can be accomplished with a relatively smooth tile with a "sandy" surface, or similar and doesn't require the "rougher-than-a-cob" surfaces that these guys are using.

What I'm talking about is tile and/or stamped concrete that replicates split stone face or other extremely rough surfaces.

They tend to use it in the entire vestibule and then for about the first 30' into the store before you finally get to a smooth concrete surface.

I'll reserve my speculation for now.

Whaddaya think?
 
To help prevent shopping carts from unintentionally rolling into the streets.
 
Loss prevention. Keeps loaded shopping carts from being pushed out of the store easily and quickly.
 
Yeah I can't stand that! They have the worst carts ever so you don't really know you have a crappy one until your well into the store. Drives me nuts. That's okay because I ditch right there and go get a new one. My way of sticking it to them. Don't get me started on Aldi!
 
I suspect the answer is so that when tracking stuff in from the parking lot, it gets stuck near the door more easily, reducing time spent cleaning the floors throughout the store instead and letting the cleaning crew focus on cleaning the front area instead
 
simtech said:
Yeah I can't stand that! They have the worst carts ever so you don't really know you have a crappy one until your well into the store. Drives me nuts. That's okay because I ditch right there and go get a new one. My way of sticking it to them. Don't get me started on Aldi!
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Ding, ding, ding!!!

We have a winner. That's why they do it....so you can't tell if you have a jacked up cart until you're 50' inside the store and then most people (including me) are too lazy to change it out unless it's REALLY jacked up.

And then, if you do trade it out, you won't know if the new cart is jack up until you're 50' inside the store again...so it can become a never ending cycle!

(at least that's my theory and I'm sticking to it!:cool:)
 
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The local Walmart here is in the process of removing the flooring. Bare slab must be in vogue now....

And yes, I will go through the line of carts until I find one that rolls straight and easily...
 
Zeldman said:
The local Walmart here is in the process of removing the flooring. Bare slab must be in vogue now....

And yes, I will go through the line of carts until I find one that rolls straight and easily...
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The Wal-Marts here resemble warehouses inside. All concrete, dark and dreary lighting.
 
Loss prevention.

People walking out of the stores with shopping carts full of merchandise knowing the store employees can no longer physically stop or chase you absent a sworn LEO is becoming a rampant epidemic for retialers. The faster you go on the innocuous "rumble strips" the more violent and difficult the exit becomes with the cart. Last thing a typical dumb arse criminal attempting a smash and grab job will wanna do is slow down so the hope is they will abandoned their stash and bolt vs risk getting caught.

Wanna test my theory?...move along at increasingly faster speeds with a cart next time you are there and see what happens.
 
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Sam D said:
ADA
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That would be the the yellow tactile paving strips which used to alert the visually impaired of approaching streets and hazardous surface or grade changes...I think different from what is being described here.

...unless they are also trying to slow down Honey Boo Boo Mama from zipping into the store at mach 2 to get to the HoHo aisle on the electric scooter
 
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flhrci said:
The Wal-Marts here resemble warehouses inside. All concrete, dark and dreary lighting.
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That's the going thing these days, not just WalMart, most retailers are going to it.

Hardened and polished concrete is far easier and, more importantly, far cheaper to maintain than VCT. Scrub it with the ride-around machines and the luster just continues to get better. No more waxing and buffing, etc.
 
Some of the wally worlds around here have the carts inside at the end of the row of checkout counters, on the smooth floor. The rough entry floor is still there, but the carts aren't in there. I believe all of the one built within the last several years are like that.
 
rtk11 said:
Ever seen the headquarters in Bentonville? Just saying...
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No but I know a telecom engineer who was permanently banned from their data center there for lifting a single floor tile.

They’re just a wee bit paranoid. And this was almost 20 years ago.

They trust their employees so much there’s about a 3:1 ratio between number of cameras watching customers and number of cameras in the non-customer areas of the stores. And the 3 part is watching the employees.
 
Walmart — I went there once this winter. Didn’t have to go in.

That’s thanks to their new service where you order online and then pick it up curbside. Actually curbside means in a special parking space. A smiling employee brought my purchase to me, as I waited in my car.

Best shopping experience I’ve ever had at Walmart. Completely avoids seeing other Walmart shoppers, pushing shopping carts, queuing at cash registers, and the whole experience.

I will gladly do it again the next time I need something from Walmart, which might be many months from now.
 
Shawn said:
Loss prevention.

People walking out of the stores with shopping carts full of merchandise knowing the store employees can no longer physically stop or chase you absent a sworn LEO is becoming a rampant epidemic for retialers. The faster you go on the innocuous "rumble strips" the more violent and difficult the exit becomes with the cart. Last thing a typical dumb arse criminal attempting a smash and grab job will wanna do is slow down so the hope is they will abandoned their stash and bolt vs risk getting caught.

Wanna test my theory?...move along at increasingly faster speeds with a cart next time you are there and see what happens.
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I can't make sense of this. If, as you say, store employees can "no longer stop or chase" a thief, then how does it help anything slightly slowing them down? If they can't, that can't...fast or slow?
 
I also noticed the Walmart in Atlanta Tx where my mom lives doesn’t have the small hand baskets. Encourages overbuying I guess
 
LongRoadBob said:
I can't make sense of this. If, as you say, store employees can "no longer stop or chase" a thief, then how does it help anything slightly slowing them down? If they can't, that can't...fast or slow?
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Because your average criminal that shoplifts at a Walmart is dumb. The faster they go, the more violent the cart unexpectedly shakes and more attention is drawn to them. Yes, if they are anticipating it the solution is to slowly walk out of the store, but most are not that smart to figure out what is going on...at least that is the intent.
 
JCranford said:
I also noticed the Walmart in Atlanta Tx where my mom lives doesn’t have the small hand baskets. Encourages overbuying I guess
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Either that or the hand baskets just keep walking out of the door and they gave up having them. I've lived in a few towns where the retailers actually put the security tags on the hand baskets because they have so many walk away. One WalMart manager I asked about it in Swainsboro, Ga said he averaged 2 dozen a week. Then, when I'd be driving around, and noticed someone out picking veggies in their garden, guess what they using? Yep, a basket with a big WalMart logo on it. Right there in front of god and everybody!

I won't comment on exactly what type of area I've experienced this to be the biggest problem.
 
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timwinters said:
Either that or the hand baskets just keep walking out of the door and they gave up having them.

...

I won't comment on exactly what type of area I've experienced to be the biggest problem.
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Gives all new meaning to the term, “hell in a hand basket”. :)
 
its for sand ,dirt .soil, salt that they dont want tracked into the building. I use the carpet kind at my home entrances
 
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