Say goodbye to Walmart store greeters

Say goodbye to those nice friendly seniors who greet you at the entrance every time you walk into a Walmart store.

Walmart has had "greeters" -- usually retirees from other jobs -- at their doors since 1980.

They were the idea of Walmart founder Sam Walton, who wanted his big box stores to be more friendly.

Times Are A'changin'

But Bloomberg News reports they are going away this year, a victim of changing times and tighter budgets.

Late last year, Walmart stopped using greeters after 10 p.m. to save money.                                

Walmart stores will soon retrain greeters to become floor assistants, according to the Bloomberg article. They will wander the store to help customers with questions.

Sam Walton created the "greeter" position because back in those days, most shoppers had never been in a huge big box store. He wanted it to feel more like a corner hardware store, with a personal smile at the door.

But those days are long gone, as is the need for door greeters.

To read the full Bloomberg story, go to http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-27/wal-mart-to-pull-greeters-from-store-lobbies.html .

As always, don't waste your money.