re: Walmart is getting rid of greeters

Amazon is ultra competitive. It’s amazing how cheap WalMart food is compared to Whole Foods yet online pricing of Amazon can kick WalMarts arse. It’ll be I tersting to see this one play out. Not a Bezos fan but the convenience of online shopping with Amazon since 2004 has saved my countless DAYS of time of not having to deal with store BS like parking, weather, and people of Walmart, malls, and etc...

They are there as a loss prevention issue.
I do not see how lifting 25 lbs would be required for this task.
They do greet and are there to check receipts to make sure the items in the basket are not being stolen.
They also direct people with returns to returns.

The only task they should need is see, be able to communicate with customers, and common sense.

quote:

---

Is there an exception to minimum wage or federal/state credit for mentally disabled workers?

---

\
Yep
When I was in La in the 80's, there was one for recently released felons. Covered half their wages.

quote:

---

Gotta feel bad for these folks. Where will they go?

---

Not sure if you are being serious or just a jerk.

I can think of a few posters on this board that will be out of work.

There's a kid (now a man) who has been working at the Rouse's at Power & Kawanee for at least ten years. He's about 6'-6", so he's kind of hard to miss. He bags groceries, I've seen him stocking shelves sometimes, sometimes he's on cart detail. I don't know what exactly is wrong with him, but he's not 100%. He's a little slow, but is always very friendly and courteous. If Rouse's wasn't willing to employ him, I'm not sure where he'd be.

If Rouse's gets to hire him for a discounted rate and/or gets some type of tax credit, I don't have a problem with it.

quote:

---

Do companies get subsides to hire? Dependent on state or is it at the federal level?

---

I'm not sure. My mentally challenged little brother (who is 2 years older than my sister) also now works for Walmart(but one of the neighborhood grocery stores). He also used a state program in AZ that helped him find the job. I do remember his job application having lots of questions asking if you get govt assistance (SSI, etc))...so I'm assuming there are some incentives for the company to hire people like with physical and/or mental disabilities.

quote:

---

How about health insurance?

---

My sister has some health insurance coverage at her work...not sure the extent of it cause she is considered part time(she works about 30 hrs a week....unlike my brother she doesn’t get SSI so she can work as much as she wants). Walmart doesn't have many full time positions. Just like many other minimum wage places....they won't offer as much full time positions so they don't have to offer as many benefits.


I will say both my brother and sister make the full minimum wage here in AZ (which is now $11/hr). They are not paid less cause of their disabilities.

quote:

---

A beloved, longtime Walmart greeter with cerebral palsy met with store management in Pennsylvania on Friday in a bid to keep his job but came away with no guarantees, and his family is girding for a fight.

Adam Catlin, who uses a walker and is legally blind, is worried he'll be out of work after store management told him he would need to be able to lift heavy weights, read receipts and perform other tasks. The retailer has been replacing "people greeters" with "customer hosts" who are responsible for helping with returns, checking receipts to help prevent shoplifting, and keeping the front of the store clean.

Catlin, 30 — who has been a fixture at the Selinsgrove store since graduating from high school — and his family met with Walmart officials for two hours Friday afternoon. His mother, Holly Catlin, said management suggested several other open positions, including cashier and photo lab assistant, none of which he is physically capable of doing.

She said she insisted her son could do the host job if Walmart would make reasonable accommodations, as required by federal disability law.

"Everyone was very nice, it wasn't ugly at all, but we didn't really get anywhere," Holly Catlin said. "I don't know where we stand, but I'm not backing down. He must still have a job. There's just no way around it."

Walmart said it's working with Catlin on a resolution.

"We recognize this is a unique situation and it will take time to explore possible solutions. As we phase the greeter role out of this store over a 60-day period, our store management and local human resource teams will be in regular contact with Adam and his family as we explore every available option to him," said Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg. "We will be thoughtful during the process in hopes of finding a way for Adam to stay with the store."

At least a dozen disabled Walmart greeters in seven states — Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin — say they were pushed out the door, forced to accept lower pay or otherwise harmed when the retailer replaced the greeter job with host, according to the National Disability Rights Network, whose state affiliates are working with impacted employees, and in some cases suing Walmart.

---

Disabled Greeter Meets With Walmart About Job; No Resolution - US News.com