Walmart Supercenter

I am writing to express my concerns about a recent incident I experienced at facility number 5624 in Osprey, Florida. My respect for Walmart has always been high until recently, when I experienced discrimination and disrespect when applying for a Cashier position at Walmart. Despite Walmart touting acceptance of diversity on its website, there is still a discrepancy between what Walmart advocates for and the actual conduct of its representatives. Unfortunately, I had to experience unacceptable and prejudiced behavior firsthand to see that Walmart has yet to live up to its promise of fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. On November 21st, I went in-person to Walmart facility number 5624 after I was invited for an in-person interview. Anticipating a thirty minute interview as described by the email I received, I was stunned when my interviewer, Regina, walked me out within two minutes. What transpired within those two minutes was extremely unexpected and not reflective of Walmart’s purported company culture. During my interview, Regina asked me how many hours I could work. I stated that I was available after school and on weekends, and I had listed Tuesday and Wednesday from 2 pm-4 pm and Sunday from 8 am-12 pm on my application. She then informed me that I must work 4-6 hours without clarifying how many days this would be for. I proceeded to inform her that I was flexible and willing to meet that requirement despite what I initially listed on my application. She then claimed she did not know how many hours I would have to work in the first place. In retrospect, this lack of knowledge about her own role was a symptom of poor management. Then, she informed me that I should call her back when I had more availability, even though I kept emphasizing the fact that I was available and more than willing to work. I tried to stay engaged and continue to show interest by asking questions, but she simply did not seem interested and rushed me out of the door. Afterward, I talked to Customer Service to see if they could connect me with her again because I felt I was not given a fair chance during my interview. She met with me and reiterated that I would have to be more available, and she offered poor excuses for why I should not be hired, considering I met all of the qualifications and was more than willing to accommodate any scheduling issues. After the interview, I had to process what just occurred, and wondered why I was denied even a quarter of a complete interview. I am still questioning why this occurred. Was this because I am Hispanic? Did my interviewer think I was unqualified due to my age (17) despite the application age requirement of 16? Reflecting on my experience, the whole process seemed rushed and disingenuous even from the beginning. It was clear the manager did not take my application seriously. I perceived that the manager thought I was not educated, although I currently have an internship, am an excellent student with multiple AP courses, and want to dedicate myself to working hard. This attitude concerns me, as I was judged as unworthy of a full interview before explaining my entire situation. I felt that preconceived notions associated with either my age or ethnicity (or both) caused this infuriating experience. Furthermore, this experience shows how although some people want to work hard and dedicate themselves to a job to gain experience and contribute to society, barriers exist that prevent them from reaching their full potential due to personal factors. Since jobs can be crucial for building income, character, and a sense of self-worth (especially for a younger person such as me), discrimination from employers is extremely detrimental and contributes to socioeconomic inequalities. I hope Walmart will take action and live up to their code of providing fair treatment to all. I hope Walmart will not allow others to be treated in the way I was treated, through productive corrective measures such as training and creating a more inclusive culture at all store locations. Otherwise, I feel obligated to take matters into my own hands to prevent age discrimination and ethnic discrimination. Walmart has lost my respect. I hope experiences such as mine are an exception to the rule, but the sheer disrespect has been ingrained in my mind and the minds of those I know. If these experiences continue, Walmart loses brand equity, with each transgression chipping away at Walmart’s reputation.

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They are helpful, knowledgeable, and quick. They reach out to help you and always ask “How can I help you?” and when you tell them, they say ,“OK this is what we need to do…” They always treat me professionally and They know the cell phones really well. They know the plans, the contracts, activating, etc. If I could give an A- I would give the minus because they are so busy sometimes helping people that you have to wait a while. Otherwise they are wonderful.

We were happy with ther service and the television. It works very well.