Edward T.
Yelp
Before my review of Walmart, indulge me (while I indulge myself), and let me get something off my chest--- is there anything about Yelp, where I've been a reader and/or reviewer for going on a pretty long time now, that angers or upsets me? The loss of Yelp Elite status? No. Actually, it's untruth in advertising. They feature the caption "Your trust is our top concern, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews." Well, I wrote a review some time ago about the Cedar Knolls Plaza Mall, formerly known as Morris County Mall, only to have it removed for reasons that I consider to be specious at best, out-and-out lying at worst. I reviewed the Mall itself, where I spent much of my teenaged years, in a bittersweet manner, sad to see it transformed into a nearly dead ghost-mall. Wrote it only to have it removed because Planet Fitness claimed I was reviewing their gym when I had never actually been a patron. I never mentioned Planet Fitness once and obviously someone connected to the place applied pressure to Yelp to remove my review, which they did. Someone named Mike wrote "I just saw the stupid review of the Planet Fitness by Edward T and Hank C ...Everyone I know is extremely excited that Planet Fitness is coming to Morristown. GREAT location and plenty of parking...I am not a snob so I love the selection at Walmart...You snobs should go back to the backwater of Bernardsville and stay out of Morristown." Actually I'm in B'Ridge and Hank is in Short Hills, but...ok. I wrote it off, and forgot about it, but...in looking back over the reviews recently, I'm sorta chagrined to realize that Hank C's review was left on Yelp but mine was removed! So much for "Your trust is our top concern." I guess Hank is not quite the snob Mike thought he was! Me? Ok, let me review a place at the Mall that I've patronized in real time, and it ain't Planet Fitness.
Look, nobody would be happier than me to see the mall revitalized. I don't wish local businesses any ill will, not even Planet Fitness. I like to see a thriving economy and hopefully they pay their employees more than minimum wage. I've read that Michael's is considering coming to the mall, as well as a pickleball court (can I stop for a second to ask...when the hell did pickleball become a big thing?).
Walmart? Following a period of unemployment some years ago (me? a snob? more like terrified wage slave...), I was able to secure a job in Florham Park. Not a great job, but a job. At that point, I had gotten over my distaste at shopping at Walmart out of necessity. I had patronized the one in Branchburg (until it went out of business; if Trump can go bankrupt in the casino business, I guess Walmart is capable of failing in what seems like a foolproof business too), and the one in Flemington, which still has the biggest selection of foodstuffs of any Walmart I've ever been in.
On my way home from Florham Park, I'd sometimes make a detour here to pick up some necessary items, usually involving food. Not an extensive selection to choose from, but they had milk, bread, frozen dinners, soup, etc. The available check-outs were crowded, but at what Walmart aren't they? Parking was (and is) available, but the parking lot is crowded, and tight. I much preferred the spacious parking in Branchburg and Flemington. (I think the building where the Walmart is used to be a movie theatre; I remember seeing "Altered States" there, so my history with this location goes back a long time).
My reactions as far as buying non-food items are mixed. At one point, I tried to buy a lamp, which they sold as separate from a lampshade. I asked one of the "clerks" for assistance. I think he was more confused than I was, and wandered away after muttering a few unintelligible words. I think asking one of the "extremely excited" patrons of nearby Planet Fitness would have been more productive. I ended up buying one of the lamps (and a shade), which crapped out in a few months. Caveat emptor.
On the other hand, I bought the computer I'm writing this on at Walmart, and the process was relatively smooth, and the computer still works (Hewlett Packard). Maybe I just got lucky for a change, or maybe the salesclerks working that day recognized me as a snob from the backwater of Bernardsville and made an extra special effort for me. Or maybe...
I no longer work in Florham Park, so I don't come here much anymore but when I last did (and when the "ghost-mall" state of the entire facility so depressed me that I felt compelled to write my subsequently removed review), the parking lot was full and the Walmart itself seemed in no danger of going out of business.
I hope it continues to thrive, even though the Walton family, the richest in America, keeps its employees at the poverty level, and even below the poverty level. I hope more stores open in the mall. I hope Planet Fitness thrives and justifies the "extremely excited" hopes of Morristown residents in particular and NJ shoppers in general.