Say Bye to Wal-Mart Greeters

Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton fought for years to get people greeters positioned at the front of each entrance of his retail stores, but now customers have to say a slow and sure goodbye to the 32-year run of those greeters.

This week, news is spreading throughout business circles about Wal-Mart's greeters being phased out.

The nation's biggest retailer will pull greeters from the lobby and into the store so they can more actively help with customer service, Wal-Mart  spokeswoman Ashley Hardie said.

An article about this topic on Huffington Post last week said Walton first stumbled onto a greeter at a small Walmart in Louisiana in 1980. The greeter explained to Walton he had a "dual purpose: to make people feel good about coming in, and to make sure people weren't walking back out the entrance with merchandise they hadn't paid for."

Here is what some Bolingbrook Patch readers think:

• Christine Lewis Buerger: "We love our store greeeters here in town!"
• Lisa Frieri: "Doesn't matter to me. The greeters in Bolingbrook never say hi when I come into the store."
• Tim Carlson: "They have greeters? I agree with Lisa: they have never said hi or hello. Meijer on the other hand, their greeters always say hi!"
• Joann Deaver Shapiro: "The greeters never have really made any of my visits anymore enjoyable. Actually one kinda insulted me before when I was nine months pregnant about using a motorized cart."
• Laura Dusing Voss: "Sometimes there is a greeter just standing there, pacing, with arms behind back, not even acknowledging anyone — then they should go. On the other hand, I went into Walmart around the holidays and this very nice older woman was so sweet and even grabbed a basket for me and was super friendly. I hate to see someone like that lose a job."
• Jamie L Hall: "I have had only positive experiences with greeters at Wal-Mart, and have met some sweet people. I had liked that they even hired people in wheel chairs and children with mild disabilities. I tend to not favor Wal-Mart, but this I gave to their benefit. It would break my heart to think of all of these people without jobs."
• Valerie Podolski-Flores: "I agree with Tim. Whenever I visit Wal-Mart, the greeter ignores me! But the greeters at Meijer are always very friendly."
• Kristina Springer: "I don't really care if I'm greeted going into any store. I'd rather they have people stocking — Mejer at least is always out of whatever is on sale that week."
• Kimberly Faber Parzyszek: "Clay is the best greeter at the Bolingbrook Walmart. The others not so much...very bored looking."
• Keri Lynn: "Yes I agree, greeters don't make a difference, but more ordering on the inventory!!! More smiles and small talk at the checkout too. Cashiers rarely are smiling or a say a word to you. At Bolingbrook anyway."

YOUR TURN: What's the most interesting interaction you've had with a Wal-Mart greeter? Or most interesting thing you've seen a greeter do? Please share your memories in the comments' section at the end of this article.