To the Editor:

I am a residence of Mayfield Apartments. My 84-year-old mother also lives there along with many other seniors.

At some point, we all find ourselves having trouble getting around. When I take my mom to Walmart, she has to sit in the benches provided by Walmart at the front of the store. It is great that they do provide the benches, but when she wants to go to the back of the store to look at something, she can’t do so because she can’t walk the whole store without resting.

Now I know they have the motorized carts, but some of us can’t do that. I have repeatedly talked to the Managers about this and they will put out a few benches for a while, then they disappear again.

I can’t believe that this isn’t an issue for other seniors in the area. If my mother didn’t have someone to go with her, she wouldn’t be able to frequent Walmart at all.

I was in the store on Saturday and of course, no benches. After shopping for what we needed and running back and forth to show her what I got and was it the right thing, I went to the customer service desk and asked to speak to a manager.

The clerk behind the counter paged the manager and I stood and waited. Finally the phone rang at the customer service desk and it was the manager.

He asked the clerk what I wanted and when she related to him my concerns, he refused to come up and talk to me.

Now, maybe I am wrong, but I would think that when someone has a concern, the manager should give them the courtesy to talk with them. Guess not.

I thanked the clerk on the phone with the manager and I asked her to relate to him that his lack of response to my concern made me question whether Walmart was really interested in the business that seniors generate.

I hope that this letter will be seen by someone from Walmart and bring it to the Manager’s attention.

Don’t we, as seniors, have the right to full access to the whole store. It is just a few benches placed throughout the store for our use. Where do the Handicapped Access laws address this.

Dianne Mayo, Potsdam