Flying over Wal-Marts

[slushie]

I've been forgetting to ask this for MONTHS now:

When flying over Walmarts in Vegas at night (for at least 6 hours every week!), I notice that most of them have this grid of lights on the roof.

What the heck is that?

Out of the 20 or so within sight of my route, all but one or two have them (The oldest ones don't).

What say you? Where is our resident wallyworld CA?

 

[darrenf]

Just a guess, but maybe it is a grid of windows to let the light in during the day?

 

[slushie]

Just a guess, but maybe it is a grid of windows to let the light in during the day?

That's one of my guesses.

But I haven't noticed them from inside the store. And given my absolute repulsion to going inside walmart, I may never find out!

 

[Turbulence786]

*deleted post**

 

[IslandFlyer]

I think it's the aiming point for touch and go's! Try a couple out, see how they go!

J/K

 

[unclenobby]

Landing pad for smiley faced aliens. Wal Mart is just an ellaborate cover, the ultimate goal is global dominance. All those old people working there are in on it.

 

[TGatch]

That's crazy I've often wondered the exact same thing. My guess was always windows as well, I'll check it out next time I'm in there ha.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

All of the new stores have skylights. A computerized system adjusts the number of fluorescent lights that are on during the day in order to achieve a certain amount of "light" in the store. So on a bright sunny day there might not be any lights on. On a cloudy day, maybe only half the lights are on. And at night all of the lights are on.

This saves an amazing amount of energy (and money) per store. So you can imagine what thousands of them nationwide saves. Just one of a number of environmental initiatives the company is embarking on worldwide.

Lights in the refrigerators are now on motion sensors, stores in desert climates use evaporative cooling, rainwater recycling for irrigation, hybrid trucks are in the works... you name it, they've thought of it.

Please be respectful in your responses.

 

[darrenf]

All of the new stores have skylights. A computerized system adjusts the number of fluorescent lights that are on during the day in order to achieve a certain amount of "light" in the store. So on a bright sunny day there might not be any lights on. On a cloudy day, maybe only half the lights are on. And at night all of the lights are on.

This saves an amazing amount of energy (and money) per store. So you can imagine what thousands of them nationwide saves. Just one of a number of environmental initiatives the company is embarking on worldwide.

Lights in the refrigerators are now on motion sensors, stores in desert climates use evaporative cooling, rainwater recycling for irrigation, hybrid trucks are in the works... you name it, they've thought of it.

Please be respectful in your responses.

Shove it.

 

[BajtheJino]

Stupid Walmart and their employees and their environmental hippie crap! I hate shopping someplace that has everything I need! Down with Walmart-up with Target!?
To all the Walmart snobs-where do you shop? How many stops do you have to make? How much CO2 (trees gotta breathe too dont they?) are you pumping out to mother earth by doing this?

 

[slushie]

Zap, thanks for the positive conclusion to my question!

Stupid Walmart and their employees and their environmental hippie crap! I hate shopping someplace that has everything I need! Down with Walmart-up with Target!?
To all the Walmart snobs-where do you shop? How many stops do you have to make? How much CO2 (trees gotta breathe too dont they?) are you pumping out to mother earth by doing this?

A combo of Target/Office MaxDepot/the internet.

Walmart is for post midnight "need to have it now or else I'm screwed" purchases.

My reasons for avoidance are the customers who behave in a manner I rarely see elsewhere, employees who don't wear uniforms, and have to pull their headphones out to answer a question, but don't know the answer anyway, and having to wait behind 30 people to buy one item because only one of 30 registers is open.

Oh, and the suspicious alien landing pads

 

[killbilly]

I noticed a Target store with a giant bullseye painted on the roof on final into ORD last week. I cracked up.

 

[jdlilfan]

My reasons for avoidance are the customers who behave in a manner I rarely see elsewhere, employees who don't wear uniforms, and have to pull their headphones out to answer a question, but don't know the answer anyway, and having to wait behind 30 people to buy one item because only one of 30 registers is open.

When you're on the flight instructor financial plan, you don't mind...

 

[Cessna414JJB]

Walmart is for post midnight "need to have it now or else I'm screwed" purchases.

Or, 'screwed the wrong person and now I can't afford to shop anyplace else'?

My reasons for avoidance are the customers who behave in a manner I rarely see elsewhere, employees who don't wear uniforms, and have to pull their headphones out to answer a question, but don't know the answer anyway, and having to wait behind 30 people to buy one item because only one of 30 registers is open.

Obese employees & average appearance of customers do it for me.
However, the lights are probably a communication tool with the leaders of corporate America, who must by now, reside somewhere in outter space.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

having to wait behind 30 people to buy one item because only one of 30 registers is open.

I think you'll start to see some changes this year, if you haven't already. Staffing is now based on peak times, stores are in the process of remodels. Growth this year has slowed in favor of improving the customer experience.

 

[Goonie]

I think you'll start to see some changes this year, if you haven't already. Staffing is now based on peak times, stores are in the process of remodels. Growth this year has slowed in favor of improving the customer experience.

Can you tell the powers that be to put more shopping cart returns in the parking lot? I think the usual patron of Wal-Mart is either to fat and or lazy to walk them them back. Its like driving through a autocross track to get to space.

Thanks

 

[slushie]

I think you'll start to see some changes this year, if you haven't already. Staffing is now based on peak times, stores are in the process of remodels. Growth this year has slowed in favor of improving the customer experience.

Good to know.
I figured most big business heads couldn't hold onto that poor of an image for that long, and attributed most of my experiences to lack of oversight due to massive numbers of locations.

As my grandma told me once, "Walmart is a poor man's store, and you're a poor man."

Not for long, Grandma, not for long.

 

[trafficinsight]

Can you tell the powers that be to put more shopping cart returns in the parking lot? I think the usual patron of Wal-Mart is either to fat and or lazy to walk them them back. Its like driving through a autocross track to get to space.

Thanks

You could put a cart return in every parking space and they'd still get left wherever... people are *that* lazy.

 

[slushie]

When you're on the flight instructor financial plan, you don't mind...

Given the current pay rates and student loads at the schools in Vegas, I don't see the problem. Especially since I have been accustomed to living frugally for so many years...and Lush Aviation is currently paying my share of the rent ($325)!

 

[Minuteman]

Wal Mart has an improving retail offering, and I don't mean to imply they're in trouble, buuut...

"Is Wal Mart too big to fail?"

If they closed their doors, would there be Congressional hearings as with the banks and insurers?