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# Why Profit Centers Work Better On Paper Than In Reality
- URL: https://www.kevinmeyer.com/why-profit-centers-make-more-sense-in-business-school-than-in-reality/
- Published: 2011-12-18T17:29:56.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-06T20:53:30.000Z
- Author: Bill Waddell
- Tags: Uncategorized, #Migrated-1752356847400, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-07-12 14:48

I went online with walmart.com Friday evening – bought a barbecue grill for my son in California to be picked up at Anaheim Walmart. Got an order confirmation, and $160 hold was put on my debit card. Woke up Saturday morning to an email from Walmart telling me the grill was unavailable at the Anaheim store – order was canceled – the hold would drop off of my debit card within 5-10 days depending on my bank policy. Suggested I try another Walmart nearby. Thought I can only stand so many $160 holds so this time I would check to be sure grill is in stock before I ordered again. Found five more Walmarts near Anaheim – all had the same grill in stock. In fact, the Anaheim store showed it in stock. Not trusting the computer, I called Anaheim Walmart. Delightful lady offered to check – confirmed they have four of the grill I ordered in stock. Called walmart.com – asked why my order was canceled due to non-availability when, in fact, they have four at the store. Young lady named Alberta explained to me that walmart.com is a separate company from the store, and store inventory is not the same as walmart.com inventory. “*Really?*” I asked. “*So you are not part of the Walmart Corporation in Bentonville, Arkansas?*” “*Yes we are*,” she answered. “*Then the* *Walmart store in Anaheim is not part of the Walmart Corporation?*” “*Well, yes*,” she said, “*It is*.” “*Which part of this deal is not a part of Walmart?*” I asked, “*And if Walmart Corp owns four grills in Anaheim, and Walmart Corp confirmed that I paid for a grill in Anaheim, why did Walmart Corp cancel my order and tell me there are no grills available for me in Anaheim?*” “*We are all Walmart*,” she replied. “*It’s just that walmart.com is a different department, and the stores decide whether they want to make any of their inventory available for walmart.com or whether they want to keep it for themselves. They might charge a higher price in the store than we do.*” “*So Walmart Corp makes promises then each Walmart Corp store manager gets to decide whether he feels like keeping those promises?*” “*Walmart didn’t make a promise to you*,” she answered clearly not liking where the conversation was going. “*Sure you did, Alberta. You promised me a grill when you sent me a confirmation and reached into my bank account and put a $160 hold on it*.” “*No,*” Alberta said, “*That’s just the way our computer is set up*.” “It *sounds like whoever set up the computer set it up for an auction,*” I said. “*You should have told me that I wasn’t buying a grill – that I was actually bidding on one, and some Walmart guy in Anaheim had the right to reject my bid and take a better offer if he could get one*.” “*Would you like to talk to my supervisor?*” Alberta asked. “*Does he know anything you don’t know?*” “*No, but he can explain it to you better*,” she said. I then essentially repeated the conversation with a guy named Michael. The conversation was beginning to bore me until, in closing, Michael said, “*Your satisfaction is my highest priority*.” “*C’mon, Michael. I’m sure you are supposed to say that but we both know that’s not true*,” I said, “If *it were you would sell me the grill I paid for*.” “*I can’t do that*,” said Michael, “*But how else can I satisfy you?*” “*What do you have in mind, Michael? I don’t want or need anything from Walmart other than the grill I bought and paid for. I am not poor but I can’t afford to keep buying grills at Walmart stores around Los Angeles until I find one that has a manager who feels like giving up some of his inventory to make a sale*. *I could be out a thousand bucks in a big hurry without ever actually getting a grill. Can you do anything about that?*” “*You could call the store first*,” Michael suggested, “*and be sure they will sell one before you place the order*.” “*Are you listening to yourself, Michael*? *Seems like Walmart.com ought to call the stores first to see if one is willing to deliver the stuff before you try to sell it*,” I said. “*You sound like a good guy. Doesn’t is bother you to make promises all day with absolutely no ability to keep your promises? If anyone else ran a business that took money from people online, knowing they had no control over whether the customers ever got what was promised they would probably go to jail. I would think it would bother you to be the front man for what strikes me as basically a criminal enterprise*.”  With that, Michael chose to end the call, politely apologizing for not being able to help. I then called the Anaheim store and asked to talk to the manager. A young lady put me on hold, then returned and told me the manager was "*busy with something important*". She offered to take a message. I asked how she knew what the manager was doing was more important than what I wanted to talk to her about. She said, "*I don't know but she said to take a message*." "*Ask her to call me and explain the organizational structure at Walmart and how the accounting system works*," I said. "*What?"* the young lady asked. "*On second thought, just ask her if she is in cahoots with a guy named Michael in a criminal enterprise*." "*What?"* the young lady asked again. I was trying to formulate an even better message when my wife pulled the phone from my hands and said to me, “*Will you leave those poor people alone*!” To the young lady in Anaheim she said, “*Thank you for your time*,” and hung up, so we will never know if the store manager and Michael are aiding and abetting each other in a larcenous conspiracy. 

My wife then told me she had found a better grill for the same money at Lowes in Anaheim and directed me in no uncertain terms to leave Walmart alone and buy it. I did as I was told, of course. The grill was picked up the same day by my son.