LesterOfPuppets

Walmart is a place with no excuse. If they don't want people pushing a bike through the store, how do they expect people to buy the bikes they sell???

Reflector Guy

That's one good reason to have a large basket mounted on the bike. It gives you an excuse to bring the bike into the store. "Oh, but sir, it's not a bike, its just wheels for my grocery basket!"

eduskator

Yeah, those mobility scooters they provide are as big as bicycles

indyfabz

I do unsupported touring, so my bike is out of sight while I sleep in my tent, among other times. A lot of times, I won't bother locking it. All depends upon where I am.

cweb99

I’ll put my bike inside. Usually ask the clerk if it’s ok. They always say yes. If a cop is there and tells you to put it outside then I would do it and tell the cop to stand there and make sure nobody steals it. Then take like 30mins to shop around the store. If someone steals the bike then you sue the department and get a better bike

rsbob 

Mike drop

tomato coupe

Good plan.

Chuck M 

I was looking to get one of my grandkids a bike at Walmart. Pushing it to the front of the store afforded me the opportunity to find that the rear wheel would seize up. I left it in the aisle because I wasn't going to carry it back to the bike area.

LesterOfPuppets

If I'm too close to civilization I tie a line from the fly to the bike, that way I'll get woken up if someone is stealing my bike

LesterOfPuppets

That seems rude.

base2 

Walmart selling "not bikes" with wheels that don't roll (making them not wheels) with bearings that have no grease and don't function (making them not bearings) is rude.

Walmart fired the first shot.

LesterOfPuppets

So it's a race to the bottom, who can be ****tiest, the store or the customer?

base2 

Nope. Not who can be the worst. Life lesson time: Whoever cares least controls the relationship. Who needs who less? Chuck ended the conversation mid-sentence because he was having none of Walmarts crap. It's what you are supposed to do when encountered with someone who would take advantage of you. In this case, that's the cost of being cheap. Walmart was not being a respectable retailer in turn it was not respected. Parity. It's not like it was disrespected with harmed goods or passive/aggressive Karen-rage at some poor employee/manager...That would be rude.

He met Walmart ambivalence with ambivalence. He simply left the situation. I don't see the problem.

LesterOfPuppets

I'm sure Chuck knew going in that he was too good for Walmart, if he wanted a well tuned bike he'd pay more for a Trek or Specialized or he'd order a boxed bike from Walmart and assemble it himself.

Chuck's time became precious all of a sudden, he couldn't take two minutes to wheel the bike back to the bike corral.

base2 

Doesn't matter. Walmart was discovered to be a dishonest trading partner misrepresenting goods as "bicycles."

I just don't understand your charitable attitude towards respecting a swindling con-mans feelings...and that's ok. I don't get it. But, that's ok.

LesterOfPuppets

I do not have strong positive feelings towards the C-suite of Walmart yet I choose not to litter their aisles with merchandise. If you believe doing so sends a message about the quality of their bicycles to anyone on the board I'm pretty sure you're mistaken.

tomato coupe

I encountered a similar attitude in an unrelated (non-bike) forum -- person purchased an item from an online retailer known for low-priced, low-quality products and wasn't happy with what he received. He demanded a replacement item and refused to send back the original because he thought they owed it to him because of "his time" spent confirming it was cheap crap.

Reflector Guy

It was quite neighborly and downright nice of him not to send them a bill for his time.

Chuck M 

Calm down over there. I can see where you could get that righteously indignant feeling from that, but I didn’t desert it in the middle of the aisle and storm off to the next store. I left it to the side. Prior to that I had been pushing it by the stem with one hand and pulling my cart with the other. Taking the bike anywhere at that point wasn’t going to be that easy. I told an employee at the end of the aisle about it and she said she would take care of it. Then I went to pay for the items in my cart.

It’s ok. I’ve read things online and got judgmental myself. It happens.

LesterOfPuppets

Kudos.

That reads much better than the previous telling of the story.

jlaw

I take my bike into Lowes and Home Depot - no issues. I mean come on, where I live people bring their dogs in these places all the time and nobody says boo. I even saw a short dog fight one day in HD. I'm not going to leave a $4500 bike out front locked to a snowblower. Plus, just imagine how many battery-powered grinders are hiding in those trucks in the parking lot.

The two supermarkets I frequent both have wide hallways in the front across the width of the store. In both there is a heavy steel rail that keeps the carts from contacting the big front windows. I lock to that rail. The aisles are too narrow anyway and the bike would be more hindrance than help while grocery shopping.

Coffee shops/convenience store/library - locked outside to a tree or heavy fence rail - where I can see them. No room to bring inside.

No police or obvious security in stores where I am - so no need to interact.

ls01

cuz then he'd be out a hundred pesos and short a bike

ls01

winner

Reflector Guy

Of course, there's however-many videos on Youtube showing people riding Walmart bikes within the store.... Doing wheelies, etc.

Just don't bring in your nasty outside bike!

NVFlinch 

I just tell them that it's my emotional support guide bike, and I'm a blind rider. Hint, don't make eye contact!