Just to add my little drama to this. I went to Scotia bank today to change some dollars with my Mexican passport. They told me to change money as a Mexican I need my IFE (which I don't have) and to change it as a foreigner I need a passport (foreign). So they wouldn't accept my Mexican passport as a valid ID to change the dollars!
Really TJ, don't you have anything more important to do with your life than try to prove to a Walmart girl that you know more than she does? And even if you do, you lose cause esto es Mexico!
Not entirely to the point is my observation that order, cleanliness and service at Walmart Centro seem to have declined in recent weeks. I also noticed how dark it was inside. They were using only about 10% of their overhead lighting. That made me think they may be experiencing some management, or cost containment (or both) problems. Your most recent experience, T.J., finding it hard to get them to respect their own, relatively new rule regarding purchases with foreign currency, mainly just illustrates how poor is the public education given in Mexico: the lower level institutions (the kind the majority of Mexicans attend, who can afford to attend) are extremely underfunded, the teachers unqualified for the subjects they teach, and the outcomes just what you'd expect. It doesn't surprise me that you find it hard to get to deal with someone who knows how to do percentages, even WITH a calculator. As for the "just pay in pesos" argument, we have to keep in mind that it's the official, posted policy of this Walmart to accept foreign currencies..., and T.J. even went so far as to meticulously observe the posted policy, but to no avail- not because they don't take foreign currency, but because they couldn't figure out the application of their own rule to a particular case. Why make excuses for them? To my mind it just reflects poor management: if you can't find reasonably well educated people willing to work for 20 pesos per hour!, then you have to be ready to do the math for them- when a customer needs help, as in this situation. Too bad you didn't have more time, T.J. You may have needed to carry this problem all the way to the general manager level to get results.
Fun - I know you are joking. You know that Walmarts in the states don't post the exchange rate for Pesos, whereas Walmart here posts it for USD. Gringation - It should not have to be a hassle for a customer to follow a merchant's own policy. STOP reading here if you want as that answers your question. A longer and additional answer is that an FM3 Rentista holder cannot work here, needs to prove income from another country and therefore needs some method of foreign currency into pesos. When you have to do that for every single dollar, doesn't it make good financial sense to try to get the best rate for every dollar, GBP or whatever? You would exchange at Bank A instead of Bank B, avoid casas de cambio, etc. All I was trying to do was to make my purchase, tender payment in dollars, enjoy the rate that they advertise/have posted and do so according to their new policy, as stupid as it may be. Of course I carry pesos and dollars and I ask what the exchange rate is, and then make my decision on what is best for me based on what the merchant's policy is. If I withdraw pesos with my ATM card at $12.50 I would pay Walmart in pesos if their rate was only $12.40. I hope that answers your "hassle" question. This is really not much different than you taking your hard earned pesos and buying things at one store or another, for the best bargain for your currency, whatever it may be. I am pretty sure that you don't do your grocery shopping at OXXO, or if craving a Big Mac, hop on the bus and go buy one at Party Center in the HZ. Jim - "in the heat of the battle, blah, blah, blah" LOL jen - A Mexican friend had her wallet stolen, gets paid in dollars and Scotia would not accept her passport as "official identification." Go figure. I feel your pain. Nice guy that I am, I took her dollars (and my passport) went to Scotiabank, who typically has the best rate for dollars to pesos, and helped her get "the coin of the realm." Cancun Nurse - You can't be serious, but knowing you, you are. Of course I have more important things to do, like going home and unloading $2,000 worth of groceries. Surely you don't think this was about proving anything to some Walmart girl. You miss the point completely. I had spent about an hour shopping, went to pay and Walmart has tradionally been a great place to use dollars at a good rate. I acted in good faith, according to the policy, buying more than 90% of the value of the dollars tendered so that my change would be less than their self imposed limit of 10%. OMG, why am I getting into this detail with you on your thoughtless post. V - Great comments and observations. You seem to get the point, unlike some others. Gringation and Cancun Nurse - From now on I can "avoid the hassle" and do things "more important to do with your life" by very simply taking my business elsewhere. But by being the selfish bastard that I am, I can go to Walmart Comalcalco, pay with all the dollars that I want and get the change in pesos at better than bank rates.
This is not a new policy. This has been going on for months. My belief is that they are trying to curb locals from buying a container of milk with a $50 bill and making money on their exchange. I have been buying alot of toys for the kids for the past 5 years and have never had a problem AND they give me a 10% discount on ALL toys purchased for the kids. AS TJ has said, there are other Walmarts to try to change the money in. "Cancun Nurse - You can't be serious, but knowing you, you are" ...TJ we met once. You don't know me. I can't believe someone would spend a day in their life running all over town to save $2 or $3 dollars. If it wasn't a matter of proving a point, you had 2 options...pay or leave. Please....don't get me started.....
Nancy: The policy was implemented at the end of June. I think the notice says the 27th. I never met a lot of people on this board but I know them from conversations, postings, reputations AND FROM THOSE WHO DO KNOW THEM PERSONALLY. So I feel I know you in that sense as I know others that I have never met face to face. Who said anything about running all over town or whatever to save $2-$3??? No mas. You are trying to make this personal, which it is not. (But I guess it could be for you.)
TJ - No need to get upset about my comment. To be clear, I agree with you that if they post something, they should stick by it. That being said, both of us have been living here for some time, and we know that sometimes things just don't make sense in Mexico. I used to try to fight it, but then I realized I was trying to change an entire culture, and that's not my place. (Ok honestly I still fight it sometimes, and my husband has had to talk me down from beating up Oxxo employees on several occasions.) I'm not saying you're wrong, but you can't change these kinds of things here just by complaining to the supervisor. Here, putting in a complaint usually just makes them want to help you even less. Again, I think you're 100% right and they should stick by what they say, but we're guests in this culture and sometimes we just have to accept the way things are, as backwards as it may be. If we were in the US, I'd say to fight it, but that's not how it works here.
Walmart I'm just sitting and giggling TJ...no need to put the heat up. I rarely post (unless it's about charity stuff) but this just seemed so silly. Sometimes you just can't win and the waste of energy, to me, is more important. "Get a life" in NY means get over it. Didn't mean to make you feel it was personal. Hope from reading this you can tell I didn't mean any harm...
