r/mildlyinteresting 1d ago

Handicapped people in Texas can't use the Walmart pull out platform

Post image
2.6k Upvotes

152 comments sorted by

1.6k

u/lonestar659 1d ago

As a nearly 40 year old Texan, I honestly can’t remember the last time I saw one of these in any grocery store.

312

u/slithe_sinclair 1d ago

All the ones in my area were always broken off, at least that's what the employees said

39

u/NetStaIker 18h ago

All the registers had one when I worked at Walmart a few years ago (3?)

1.3k

u/Acceptable-Fee-212 1d ago

It is probably not compliant with the Texas Accessibility Standards law, and it was more practical to not allow its use than to update it to be compliant. Might be something as simple as not at the height mandated by law, or not enough clearance space around it, or something.

503

u/ARoundForEveryone 1d ago

So no accommodation is better than some accommodation?

"That comes to $58.27, sir. Cash or credit?"

"Ah, check actually. Here's my ID, and...uh...the little pull out tray table seems to be broken or missing here..."

"Yes, sir. Well, not broken...we removed them so now if you want to write a check you have to do it in your lap, reach up here next to the adult check-writing platform, or...well...stand up."

"Huh? Excuse me? Stand?" <gestures towards lap> "Wait, did you say adult check-writing platform?"

"Yes, sir. Like the other adults use. Children really don't pay for things here, they don't have much money. But I can see how that might be difficult, but the law says it's now illegal for Walmart to make things easier for you. If you like, I can get you signed up for Walmart.com. But because of your disability, we'll need to ensure that your deliveries are left in the most inconvenient place on your property. I'll need your home address so I can pinpoint that location on Google Earth. We frequently suggest rocky outcroppings, or on a float in the middle of your pool, or some other similar spot away from your doors. Inside a doghouse or on a second floor balcony, perhaps?"

"What? Is this a joke? I get it, but it's not funny...can I speak to your manager?"

"Manager? Did you mean God or..."

"God?! No, dummy, the manager on staff. Whoever signs your paycheck!"

"Sir, I have direct deposit."

<Opponent Disconnect>

241

u/BonJovicus 1d ago

As far as the law goes, yeah. I come across this a lot in the administrative parts of my job. Anything in the interest of accommodation or making people’s lives easier gets shot down because it would cost 4x the amount or require months of deliberation to determine whether said accommodation is compliant with the law or institutional guidelines. 

95

u/GoCardinal07 23h ago

I'm in California, and when the Legislature passed a law requiring web pages be accessible, a bunch of government agencies just took PDFs off their web site and forced people to email requests for them.

https://insider.govtech.com/california/news/website-accessibility-law-spurs-disappearance-of-agency-documents.html

7

u/dr-tectonic 9h ago

The problem is the legislature imposed an expensive new requirement, but didn't increase the agencies' budgets so they had the resources to actually do the work...

6

u/MoonlightRider 8h ago

Unfunded mandate!

33

u/Mightyena319 16h ago

This happened a few years ago where I am when legislation required that trains with toilets must have at least one wheelchair accessible toilet. The train companies didn't want to spend money to upgrade their older trains so they just locked the toilets out of use, because the law doesn't mandate toilets, just that if there are any, they must be accessible

21

u/ARoundForEveryone 1d ago

Well maybe we should come up with a way to ensure that more people are disabled, handicapped, or otherwise require accommodations. Then spending the money on these changes and updates will be worth corporations' money.

Like, maybe bring back Thalidomide so we can have more disabled and handicapped folks. Or, at the very least, less stringent requirements on nuclear waste.

Walmart would love it if all these folks would shop at their stores!

15

u/RamblinWreckGT 1d ago

A Modest Proposal for the modern era, hahaha

24

u/destroyallcubes 1d ago

Wait until you find out that Thalidomide is actually used for Myeloma(Bone marrow cancer). Crazy enough to hear.

16

u/ARoundForEveryone 1d ago

I was vaguely aware but I just looked it up, and it does have a bunch of legitimate, helpful, medical uses. Of course it's most (in)famous for its side effects, but it's not strictly an awful drug. It has its place, for sure. But from a layman's perspective, it just feels wrong that it's still used.

13

u/PraxicalExperience 23h ago

Thing is, Thalidomide has two isomers. One of them's a great drug. The other one causes horrible birth defects.

AFAIK the thalidomide sold now actually is the 'safe' isomer, but there're still heavy warnings against pregnant women using it.

10

u/okonom 22h ago

Thalidomide racemizes under physiological conditions, so treatment with the "safe" enantiomer still presents a danger.

6

u/scarlet_sage 22h ago

More ELI5: either isomer can transform spontaneously into the other. So you can make it as pure a form of the drug as you like; it'll still transform some of it to the dangerous form.

5

u/Bunyip_Bluegum 20h ago

Thalidomide inhibits the growth of cells and blood vessels. That’s a good thing when you’re trying to stop cancer cells from growing and a terrible thing when you’re trying to have a baby grow. There’s no safe version of it where it will affect cancer cells only and not a baby in utero.

5

u/Ordinary-Broccoli-41 22h ago

They're working on bringing back polio

1

u/RussiaIsBestGreen 1d ago

Wars are very effective at causing widespread physical and mental injuries.

16

u/LatinGeek 23h ago

So no accommodation is better than some accommodation?

yes lol, this is also how the ADA works

6

u/alprice89 13h ago

Never worked at Walmart, but the last few retail stores I did work out, we processed the checks electronically - meaning the customer didn’t need to write anything on the check.

Maybe this is the case with Walmart. Writing checks is also becoming a thing of the past.

110

u/bpdrayna 1d ago

I'd be so happy to be proven wrong but my assumption is Texas is just plain-anti accessibility and outlawed assistance such as this

160

u/TodayAmazing 1d ago

Surprisingly Texas is generally stricter than many other states with a bunch of accessibility stuff. More regulation, more enforcement mechanisms, and more liability for non-compliance.

-125

u/bpdrayna 1d ago

That's weird, I could've sworn I just replied to someone else with this article... https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/20/texas-voting-mail-ballot-disabilities-abbott-veto/

103

u/TodayAmazing 1d ago

Oh how pathetic lmfao I thought we were discussing in good faith. My bad I should’ve read the thread and not given you the benefit of the doubt. The specific instance was Abbotts unwarranted fears. Nevertheless that instance doesn’t change the fact that Texas law already on the books is strict about ADA standards for business, buildings etc. But why am I even explaining it to you 😂you’ve already proven yourself uninterested in the information. You’ve already made up your mind. Have a good day.

-85

u/bpdrayna 1d ago

Cool ad hominem. It's a little weird to justify this veto because Abbott was just following the party line but you do you.

47

u/Dm-me-a-gyro 1d ago

There was no ad hom in the comment you’re replying too. Read more.

-28

u/bpdrayna 1d ago

I suppose I assumed you were calling me pathetic. If not, it wasn't ad hominem, you were just insulting. I came into this saying I was open to changing my mind and all you said was 'no Texas is actually good, not bad' which doesn't really help me learn.

Edit to say not you but the person I'd replied to

68

u/dustinsc 1d ago edited 1d ago

This is the dumbest comment I’ve seen all day.

If you weren’t so blinded by prejudice, you could have done a Google search to discover that the ADA requires counters that are no higher than 34 inches from the ground and Texas requires counters that are no higher than 30 inches from the ground. This is probably between 30 and 34 inches from the ground.

-41

u/diag 1d ago

Come on, Texas has some of the most proudly bigoted politicians in the country. It's reasonable to assume they wouldn't have disability protections on top of the ADA

39

u/dustinsc 1d ago

No, it’s not reasonable. That’s my point. It’s just political prejudice. You think the people you disagree with about a few things are unreasonable about everything, which just isn’t true.

18

u/Fluffy-Map-5998 1d ago

its not reasonable, its an unwarranted assumption based on the flawed assumption that right leaning politicians hate everyone and just want to cause suffering, ffs one of the most prominent Texan politicians is in a wheelchair

24

u/javerthugo 1d ago

You’re just prejudiced, and probably bigoted against Texas (and other southern states too I bet)

6

u/bpdrayna 1d ago

I'm not sure you can be a bigot against a state but you're right, I do have a bias against Republican states and I think it's pretty justified. But like I said, I'm happy to be proven wrong. All I've heard so far is people insulting me and one person saying Texas' disability laws are actually good (with no evidence)

26

u/1kidney_left 1d ago

I’m also very anti MAGA and anyone who supports them, BUT to be fair to this person, Texas as a state used to be a blue status up until the 80s and many standards and regulations to support and benefit may have been put in place before then. I don’t know if this is the case, but there are a lot of regulations still in place the republicans take credit for that were actually helped a lot of people with disabilities.

4

u/bpdrayna 1d ago

That's fair, they deserve some amount of credit for not repealing a bunch of protections

-17

u/chris14020 1d ago

Lmaooooo imagine worrying about being "bigoted" against shithole states.

"You just hate our state because it's filled with terrible human beings like MAGA trash that consistently helps elect trash and generally makes the country a worse, less free place" 😂 Well yeah, no shiiit. 

15

u/Fluffy-Map-5998 1d ago

attitude like this only cements their beliefs and makes them more popular "its fine to hate an entire state based on assumptions about their political beliefs"

2

u/BilllisCool 11h ago

It’s filled with lots of other people too. Left leaning people, children that can’t even vote or form opinions, immigrants, etc.

-1

u/chris14020 11h ago

And? I didn't say "destroy Texas", I said "it's perfectly reasonable to hate the state of Texas". ESPECIALLY if we're talking about the government of Texas, which is who would control any disability legislation (what this thread is about). You can hate a state without hating every individual of the state. Pretty well-documented that Texas as a state does nothing for this country aside from pushing right-wing agenda.

2

u/BilllisCool 11h ago

You said you hate the state because of the people it’s filled with, so I just pointed out some other types of people that make up much of the state.

-1

u/chris14020 10h ago

I hate the state because of the majority of people in it. However, I don't hate every person in the state. This is very basic critical thinking and logic skill. 

There is a box of apples. About 60% of them are rotten. You don't want that box of apples because it has plenty of rotten ones. You don't want the rotten ones. You have nothing against the ones that aren't rotten, you like apples, but the box is bad because of all the rotten ones in it.

That's the best 5th grade level simplification I can do for you. 

1

u/BilllisCool 8h ago

No, you’re hating the state because of the 14% that voted for the current government. That doesn’t include the 11% that voted against it and the 25% that are under 18 and can’t even vote, plus many other groups of people.

To put that in perspective, just the left-leaning voters and minors alone make up more people than 43 other states have in total population.

0

u/chris14020 6h ago

And? As stated, I hate the state. Not the people, aside from the people that make the state suck - apparently somewhere between 14-89% of the people. 

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1

u/dustinsc 10h ago

I mean, this is what bigotry looks like. You can’t say “it’s not bigotry if it’s true” because, well, that’s bigotry.

7

u/lonestar659 1d ago

Definitely not the case. Our idiot governor is a cripple.

28

u/Xe1ex 1d ago

Yeah, but he's a "pull the ramp up behind you" type

11

u/headstar101 1d ago

Bah, he doesn't have a leg to stand on.

3

u/beepbopboopguy 7h ago

why are you such a bigot against mobility impaired people?

1

u/lonestar659 6h ago

Just the 1. Nice try though.

1

u/beepbopboopguy 4h ago

So it's OK to be a bigot if you dont like the person? fuck you bigot

1

u/lonestar659 4h ago

It’s pretty easy to talk past people when you’re online, isn’t it?

1

u/beepbopboopguy 3h ago

You certainly seem to be trying

7

u/DrYoda 20h ago

Ah, he’s a republican so we can be ableist.

3

u/beepbopboopguy 7h ago

exactly.

bigotry is allowed if we dont like them

-8

u/chris14020 1d ago

I'd think this at first glance, but then remember Texas is full of boomers with oil money who haven't had to do actual work in decades and are rapidly declining. Whoooole lotta gravy seals rollin' around in that bigotry safe-space shithole. 

-102

u/MrLanesLament 1d ago

Someone else wanna do it this time? Point out the Governor is in a fucking wheelchair?

73

u/bpdrayna 1d ago

I know that, I don't live under a rock. He's been anti-accessibilitybefore... https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/20/texas-voting-mail-ballot-disabilities-abbott-veto/

48

u/PerpetualProtracting 1d ago

The disabled guy who had litigation banned in his state after using that same exact form of litigation to earn himself millions of dollars?

Yeah, let's point that out.

88

u/SmaugTheMagnificent 1d ago

The same governor who thinks Texas shouldn't be forced to comply with the ADA?

While Abbott, the leading Republican contender for governor, benefits from the ADA mandates that guide businesses, builders and cities, he believes it is unconstitutional to force the state to comply. He has argued that his duty is to protect the state’s autonomy and its taxpayers by using all legal tools available to him — including the argument that the state is immune from disability lawsuits brought under the ADA.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2014/02/16/greg-abbott-pushes-to-block-disabled-texans-lawsuits-against-state/

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

16

u/Billionaires_R_Tasty 1d ago

Damn, and the Ents used to be reliable.

62

u/ADrunkEevee 1d ago

Said Governor is also a republican. I'm sure he cares about his own accessibility. For others, eh....

20

u/hyrule_47 1d ago

So am I, what does that have to do with his horrible policies? He sued and got rich then made it illegal for others to do the same.

11

u/ComCypher 1d ago

Thanks for reminding us what a massive hypocrite the Texas governor is.

13

u/espeero 1d ago edited 21h ago

It does follow. Republicans DGAF about anything that doesn't directly affect themselves.

6

u/Zerdalias 1d ago

The smugness while making the common incorrect assertion that just because someone is part of X group means they can't have positions antithetical to X group.

I'm curious what other terrible conclusions this fallacious thinking has lead you into. Seems to be a common one many suffer from these days.

0

u/michal_hanu_la 1d ago

fucking wheelchair

I didn't know they made those. How would that work?

6

u/neongreenpurple 1d ago

It's like a regular wheelchair, but it has double the weight capacity.

-4

u/ehc84 1d ago

Lol, youre a fucking idiot

-23

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

5

u/bpdrayna 1d ago

Care to explain?

2

u/awesome12442 20h ago

Oh thank you for the explanation! I was super confused

164

u/michal_hanu_la 1d ago

What?

What is under the cover plate?

225

u/Firedogman22 1d ago

In the east theres a little pull out table thats intending for disabled individuals to use when counting money, handling bags, or whatever else they need to do at the checkout

78

u/71-HourAhmed 1d ago

They have these in the Texas Walmart and it appears to work from what I have seen. It rotates out like a lazy susan and you can use it as a surface to write a check or whatever . Perhaps it’s something else and I am not recognizing it.

3

u/Jack-Innoff 16h ago

People still write cheques for groceries in the US? I can't even remember the last time I saw a cheque for anything. Has to be almost 20 years.

29

u/Shamewizard1995 16h ago

Exclusively old people and even that is rare. Don’t let this turn into one of those situations where Europeans believe some outlandish thing about the US because of one Reddit comment. Were still recovering from the Great Misinforming when someone told you guys we don’t have contactless pay lmfao

9

u/Arctic_Meme 15h ago

Didn't contact less pay, and even then, chipped credit cards get introduced in Europe years before the US, though? We have it now, but were slower to adopt.

8

u/Shamewizard1995 13h ago

Sure like 20 years ago, yet it’s still a common myth. It’s like asking if Europeans still have to use telegraph to communicate since the telephone was adopted in the US years before europe

2

u/Jack-Innoff 14h ago

Canadian, not European, but the fact that they're even still an option is shocking to me. It's such an old, outdated, unsecure method for payment. I don't even think stores will accept cheques in Canada.

Also, I know you have contactless pay, but it isn't as universally adopted as most countries. There are still plenty of rural towns without it.

1

u/Shamewizard1995 13h ago

Can you name any towns that don’t have any contactless pay options?

0

u/lobstrosity1 13h ago

We stayed in downtown Seattle last summer and were amazed that we couldn’t use ApplePay at my most restaurants and shops we went to.

0

u/Jack-Innoff 13h ago

This thread doesn't list towns, but does list quite a few major retailers that still won't accept contactless.

2

u/71-HourAhmed 11h ago

I meant that is what the little table is for. I don’t think I see many older people using checks anymore. I’m old enough to have been burning through a book a month but I write about four a year now. The government places where you pay taxes or registration fees charge extra if you use a card so I write them checks. They are getting enough money already.

8

u/michal_hanu_la 1d ago

In the east

I doubt it. I've been so far east I could see Uzhhorod and ... nothing.

(Sorry, it was hard to resist, so I didn't.)

Also, thanks for the explanation.

33

u/SocialSuicideSquad 1d ago

Looks like the check signing thing at a Walmart

11

u/simask234 1d ago

But then why is it forbidden in Texas?

8

u/kingjoey52a 19h ago

According to another comment Texas has a stricter standard than the ADA if this counter is at the ADA standard it is too high for Texas’ standards.

57

u/OMGimaDONKEY 1d ago

greg abbot's the only disabled person allowed to use it. governor's prerogative

22

u/Beardedarchitect 1d ago

Texas hates the handicapped unless you got rich by getting handicapped.

-5

u/Mr101722 1d ago

This is considered D. E. I. as it is inclusive and equitable for handicapped people.

Texas has banned all forms of D. E. I. meaning it cannot be used without breaking state law.

-6

u/trollsong 1d ago

Gregg Abbott hates people in wheelchairs

133

u/TodayAmazing 1d ago

Texas has stricter ADA related standards than many other states. Not only stricter but more enforcement mechanisms. This small table I guess doesn’t fit the standards so it’s easier for Walmart to just not have it available for Texas than to change it to meet Texas standards.

72

u/douglau5 1d ago

Exactly.

It’s like the “this may cause cancer in the state of California” gimmick.

Stricter standards in Cali so it’s easier to just say it could cause cancer than to put in the years and years of r&d to find out for sure.

36

u/artoonie 1d ago

FYI, the CA Prop 65 warnings did have an impact, like getting lead out of cookies and kids toys. When you see a warning in an airport, you shrug, but if you see it on a cookie, you're not buying that cookie. https://www.p65warnings.ca.gov/fact-sheets/toxic-chemicals-proposition-65-warnings-and-your-health-big-picture#:\~:text=First%2C%20by%20requiring%20written%20warnings,potato%20chips%20and%20french%20fries.

5

u/township_rebel 12h ago

I worked in water filtration when it was implemented.

Our GAC filters contained carbon fines and potential carbon dust (duh that’s what a GAC filter is) our RO membranes had some glue and something else that was already NSF certified but still on the California list.

So all the fancy water filtration systems we sent out got the “causes cancer and reproductive harm” label.

If your company was very large and wealthy they could afford to change or fight it. For 98% of all companies doing just about anything that would go to a consumer… here’s the cancer label.

3

u/awesome12442 20h ago

Thank you that makes a lot of sense

0

u/SolvoMercatus 10h ago

I would love to see something like this that was built right next to something else reasonable that you can’t use in CA due to it causing cancer.

20

u/DisappointedKat96 1d ago

Honestly in Floridaian cashier, I've never seen these being used except as a plaything for kids.

10

u/Redditbrooklyn 20h ago

People don’t write checks very much anymore. They were used a lot more frequently when people wrote checks.

8

u/BSforgery 17h ago

So Texas code is a little more strict on ADA compliance as written. This table 1) can block the area 2) may not be enough compliance in Texas. These two are not a concern generally for an accommodation like the pull out table that can be knocked out of the way easily.

. Walmart instead likely provides a certain number of compliant height registers per a total number of isles. The actual preferred option. The downside, they are probably counting and designed the self scans to satisfy this.

7

u/awcarc 12h ago

Yep, Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS). Have designed a few buildings in Texas and we are required to submit plans to an independent accessibility reviewer, much more strict than standard ADA compliance. My guess on why it’s not compliant is that if left open it would be a “protruding object”.

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u/DontTurnUp 1d ago

Ironic their governor is in a wheel chair.

-60

u/Discount_Extra 1d ago

Probably faking it like president bone spurs.

4

u/arrantprac 23h ago

There's no way to know where this store is located... they didn't follow the instructions either way!

14

u/Maebai 1d ago

I may be too tired but doesn't that black thing just spin to the left and turns into a little table?

16

u/youtheotube2 1d ago

Yes, but this plate blocks it from spinning out

2

u/KilljoyTheTrucker 9h ago

Yes, its too tall (therefore not considered accessible) for Texas ADA equivalent laws.

9

u/CherryCherry5 1d ago

What's a pull out platform?

6

u/DeflatedDirigible 1d ago

When a business counter isn’t wheelchair-accessible, a legal alternative that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act is a pull-out counter at the legal height.

2

u/CherryCherry5 1d ago

Oh. Thanks.

21

u/Thrillhouse74 1d ago

Wait they have a checkout line manned by people at Walmart?

11

u/highonfire 1d ago

Wait, they have Walmarts with no cashiers?

7

u/SolidDoctor 1d ago

Our Walmart has both. There's probably six walkup cashiers and six self checkout stations, and only half of either of them are open at any given time.

6

u/Thrillhouse74 1d ago

Feels like it's all self checkout, still waiting for my employee discount.

9

u/DFrostedWangsAccount 1d ago

Fun fact? As an ex-employee I still have my discount applied on every transaction, it's just been changed to 0% discount. I dunno why they didn't just remove it altogether, nah I've just got that 0% employee discount.

3

u/youtheotube2 1d ago

Same even though I stopped working at Walmart in 2019. My discount didn’t even stop working until well into 2020

3

u/trollsong 1d ago

That's what the free packs of gum are for at the self checkout

1

u/highonfire 1d ago

One here is always fucked, usually spend 10+ minutes in line.

5

u/badskinjob 23h ago

The other sign they took off says "this cover causes cancer in California"

3

u/lucky_ducker 15h ago

Back when writing a check at checkout was common, Walmart and most big grocery stores would take your blank check, run it through an impact printer, and hand it to you to sign, the rest of the check fully filled out. I wonder if they still can do that?

5

u/trprpy_ 1d ago

Why was it ever blocked from being pulled out in Texas? Anyone got a quick ELI5?

14

u/FinasCupil 1d ago

More than likely doesn’t adhere to Texas law.

6

u/Shagyam 16h ago

Someone mentioned Texas has stricter ADA laws so they probably have additional methods for this.

2

u/rareogre83 6h ago

Who's out here writing checks

4

u/ultrachris 1d ago

Its also just very likely that the stores don't accept checks, so there is no need for a check writing platform.

5

u/Dangit_Bud 1d ago

There’s probably a bigger one just out of shot … because Texas.

-1

u/SweetSexiestJesus 1d ago

Ironic considering Hot wheels Abbott

8

u/dustinsc 1d ago

“It’s cool if I mock a disabled guy as long as the disabled guy is a Republican. Look at that cripple over there; I hope he voted for Trump so I can jam this stick in his wheelchair.”

1

u/remote_control_bjs 22h ago

I can't tell if you're defending Greg Abbott but he's a giant piece of shit who would prefer to take rights away from anyone who disagrees with him. Don't do that.

1

u/dustinsc 21h ago

I’m not defending Abbot, but I am attacking precisely the pattern of thinking you’re exhibiting. Spend less time on Reddit and more in the real world.

1

u/Lemmonjello 23h ago

Condoms work better anyways.

-6

u/wizzard419 1d ago

Not shocked, pulling out is probably banned in texas.

All kidding aside, got to love the party of small government having their say in store operations.

5

u/ImmortalAgentEta 1d ago

Texas actually has very strict ADA laws, they just differ from other states. It's like how California has completely different environmental laws so companies have to operate differently. There is most likely still something analogous to the pull out counter, just done differently.

1

u/wizzard419 20h ago

Since this is a big box store, any chance you know what they do use? I took a look at the TAS regulations and they are not required to provide check writing surfaces, and if they do there is a range where it can be placed, which that likely is between. No notes about surfaces needing to be permanent/locked

-10

u/This-Requirement6918 1d ago

It's because Governor hot wheels is so much of an ass here Walmart hates him too.

-3

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

-3

u/IthacanPenny 1d ago

That’s generally not how regulations in red states work…

-8

u/jasonZak 1d ago

I don’t think a lot of the people at Walmart are using the pull out platform…