Walmart

This Walmart is a really good store to go to when you need things, LOTS of things and the associates are helpful and the store is clean and open with lots of room. You will see how some clowns will down Walmart as a bad company and they are just nuts this is a vital store in the area. I shop in Delaware all the time but I always come back to this store during the week due to traffic is horrible in Delaware after about 10 am. Some people right long reviews about the people that shop at it and to those that feel ELITE shop some where else we will not miss you. As a matter of fact I’m getting ready to go now.

Initially, I shuddered at the thought of a Walmart: their reputation for employee relations was not the greatest. I reluctantly took the ride down to this store last Monday and was very pleasantly surprised at the prices, quality and friendliness of their employees. Hands down, they have the most competitive prices, and their employee team was particularly cheerful for 10:30 on a Monday night.

It’s tolerable, considering that the alternative is driving way out of the county, or paying the leaving-​the-​state tax to cross a bridge to Delaware or Pennsylvania. If we had a Target nearby, we’d probably never see Walmart, again. Ah, to dream. Thanks to family obligations, not by choice, we are stuck out in the boonies, even out past Salem City, itself. Just going to Walmart in Pennsville is kind of a big deal, but it’s either that or else burning the better part of a day just to leave the county for points north or east.
I suppose we should be grateful even for this Walmart. For the most part, the employees have been friendly and helpful enough, and some are even fun. Some recognize us, now, and are more relaxed, knowing that we’re not going to give them a hard time just to amuse ourselves. Stock is iffy; don’t count on finding something on the shelves just because it was there last week… or yesterday. Large gaps on the shelves are common. Be flexible.
The pharmacy is all right, although they also run out of things and sometimes forget to reorder. We’ve sweated it, once or twice, unsure if we could get what we needed in time. «If it wasn’t for the last minute…», as the saying goes.
We really only go here for the pharmacy, CDs, DVDs, bird seed, toiletries, and some basic groceries, i.e. coffee& cereal. We seldom buy clothes or shoes, here, and when we have, most haven’t lasted as long as we’re used to, but that’s the case at Walmart, in general.
It’s better during the week, with fewer other customers. You can almost forget that you’re at a Walmart. Going on a weekend is like playing bumper cars. Aisles are narrow and the wider ones have the obligatory displays stuck in the middle. This is a very small store, Walmart-​wise, so they have to use every square inch, I guess.
There’s probably not much point in even writing a review for Walmart, especially in this area. I mean, what are the options? If you’re passing through on your way to Atlantic City, it’s a place to buy sunscreen at a reasonable price. If you live in the area, it’s pretty much your only viable option unless you carefully plan your shopping trips elsewhere and make a full day of it.
I shop online more than I used to.

I’ve been putting off this particular review for a long time, because to review Wal-​Mart is to admit to shopping at Wal-​Mart. I know there are an awful lot of unsavory reasons that support the idea that Wal-​Mart is a vile establishment that you shouldn’t patronize; this review, while acknowledging these concerns, is not about them. The problem: it’s a Wal-​Mart located in the middle of Salem County. This is not conducive to your sanity.
As you may or may not know, Pennsville (and indeed, the county at large) is a hell-​hole. Wal-​Mart is the shopping epicenter for the dregs of Salem County, and boy howdy, do they come out in droves. Shopping in any sort of leisurely fashion is not possible at this particular location, because the insanely narrow aisles are full of these people. They’re loud, pushy, fat, obnoxious. It doesn’t matter when you go into the store; mobility is a huge problem. (And it doesn’t help that there are fleets of motor scooters supporting the very fat or the very elderly zipping around every corner. It’s the only store I can think of where you’re in very real danger of being run over by a vehicle. IN THE STORE.)
None of which is necessarily Wal-Mart’s fault — all they really did to facilitate this was open up a Wal-​Mart in an area convenient to gross people and offer goods at relatively low prices. But the poor layout design — and the store has been remodeled several times over the last 20 years or so — requires that you share insanely tight space with some pretty gross people, and the shopping experience takes a hit. It’s a flustered, morbid, angry affair, shopping at this particular Wal-​Mart. If you can avoid it, do.
Now, I understand that this all may make me sound elitist, to a certain degree. I want to assure you: I am. And when I enter this particular Wal-​Mart, and see people bedecked in Michael Vick jerseys and confederate flag baseball caps, I feel a smug sense of superiority. Sorry, but those of us who practice personal hygiene, are intelligent and thoughtful, and don’t advertise the stars n’ bars (seriously, this is New Jersey in 2013, not Alabama in 1863 — how do you get away with wearing a symbol that literally means «I wish I could own black people»?) have earned the right to lord our superiority over the stretch-​pants-​wearing, mouth-​breathing, camo-​clad masses.
But I’ve digressed a bit. This Wal-​Mart could, in theory, be a decent place to shop, but Salem County is a pit, and the crowded aisles and close quarters require you to interact with the denizens of that pit. It’s a singularly unpleasant experience, although I suppose if you’re interested in what it’s like to wear pajama bottoms as an acceptable shopping outfit, or if you have a series of screaming children that you can’t afford that you’d like to let loose on the general public for an hour, your opinion may differ greatly.
Digressing again! I apologize. Let me offer more constructive criticisms: I have encountered some severely unpleasant people working here. Mind you, I’d have trouble being kind to the general public in this particular circle of hell, but it’s difficult to deal with the surly ladies at the information desk who actively snap at you for asking them questions (as per, you know, their JOB). (There was a younger woman who was quite helpful the time I lost my phone, but incidents like these are few and far between.)
Also, good luck finding stocked shelves; whether or not you’ll actually be able to pick up what you entered the belly of the beast to purchase is a crapshoot. The other day I needed a jar of alfredo sauce, and a bag of salad greens. I struck out on both accounts. This is not unusual, not in the least; empty shelves are the norm here. It’s as if all the employees have realized, «hey, I work at Wal-​Mart,» which sent them spiralling into an existential crisis, which led to their lack of effort.
I’m making myself sad writing about this place. Seriously, this is what hell is like. If you’ve never wanted to punch an elderly person or a baby, check out Pennsville Wal-​Mart. You’ll be surprised at the disquieting depths your soul will sink to.