Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Why I Hate Wal-Mart


Because our other Leap Pad pen cord was used as a leash to pull the Leap Pad around the house with, I was in the market for a new one. I found them very reasonable at gasp! Wal-Mart. I hate our Wal Mart. I hate it almost as much as I hate cockroaches. (And I do realize I didn't do the cockroach post, but I'm working on it.) The price was $24.88. I was running so very late , so when it rang up at $34.88 I just paid and left with the intention of coming right back for a price adjustment.
When I went back, the WalMart drama began. I was behind a car in the parking lot that had its blinker on for 5 minutes waiting for this other car to back out. Frustrated that I chose this aisle (because my special talent is choosing the wrong lines everywhere I go! Oh, and also having tall people sit in front of me at the movies.), I had no choice but to wait. But, in true Wal Mart fashion, trouble was brewing where parking spaces close to the front are concerned.

Facing our direction was a Kia SUV that had just happened upon the scene and stopped to wait too, but illegally. He was not there first and he did not even have his blinker on. Could he be so rude as to whip in a take the spot of the rightful owner who was waiting an eternity with her butt blinking? YES, he was that rude! He practically flipped the Kia to get it into the spot before the legitimate lady had time to take her foot off the brake.

It didn't end there. The lady actually pulled her car up behind the Kia and jumped out with a hot Mocha in her hand and started charging at the mullet-wearing Kia driver and his passengers. She was screaming and shaking the Mocha so hard I was a bit concerned she might scald her face. (Maybe it was assault with a deadly...or hot...weapon) She continued her banshee act, but Kia-driving-mullet-boy just laughed at her. Then she just got back in her car and went to find another spot.

PEOPLE! (Well, people of my particular town) Do you not realize that we live in redneck-gun-toting territory? This is not LA, but many people here have visible rifles in their vehicles (just in case they see a deer I guess) and a portion of those people are a few sandwiches short of a picnic basket. Albeit, most gun-toters don't drive Kia Sportages. But whatever. (I'm didn't say I wasn't the Drama Queen.)
Nerves shaken, I still proceeded into the Wal-Mart to get my ten bucks back. And, here's the main reason I hate our WM, everybody there was in their "best" pajamas. Hmmm...must be a special occasion. Oh yes, it was the day before Valentines Day. I love a Pajama Party, but with my close friends, not strangers in the Wal Mart. Even though people were shopping for their loved ones, these same people had them in tow and were screaming at these "loved ones", be it child or significant other, as if screaming loud and trashy is going to get the good attention. Those PJ wearin' screamers were buying cheap Sam's choice candy in mass quantities.. I can't take these people seriously; they were wearing the clothes they obviously slept in for the last week. Couldn't they at least upgrade to sweat pants?! I saw them in Woman's World for $2.88. The same price as the Sam's Choice chocolates. I also have seen reasonable prices on bras in Lingerie (if you could call WM undies "lingerie".) Bras are there to help us. Please use them, even under pajamas. If you can't put on a bra to go out in your PJ's, you shouldn't have freshly filled, polished and decorated acrylic fingernails. It sort of defeats the purpose when they are back dropped by dirty pajamas and grungy slippers.

So, making my way to the customer service counter, I tell them they overcharged me $10. They send a girl to go all the way across the store and investigate. Too bad for me that she walked like she was heading to her own execution. I moved to the side and prepared to wait.

You can't help but people watch when you are surrounded by the wierdest people grouped together in one shop-til-you-drop setting. I swear, in 20 minutes three guys came in to take jumbo size diaper packages back and get some money. They seriously all had mullets. They all wore plaid flannel shirts and black Levis. And all the diapers that came in were the same cheap White Cloud brand, with the packaging looking like it had been dragged through the yard by a Kia with a gun rack. I mean, they'd only be getting about $4 back! Suspicious.

Finally, the slow clerk came back after 20 minutes and reported that all of the Leap Pads were indeed $24.99, except for the one I chose. What was the difference?! Electronically, not one thing. Features different? Nope, exactly the same. But the one I chose happened to be green. I sarcastically said, "Isn't that funny, they're all that price, even the pink girly ones, but the green is $10.00 more. Goodbye!"

I left fuming, vowing I' would never step foot back in that store again.

Until I remembered I have pictures waiting for me in Photo...... Oh yeah, and we don't have a Target.


25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Poeple really go shopping in proper PJs? OMG; at least here they wear velour tracksuits so it isn't so obvious. Walmart owns Asda, one of our supermarket chains. There isn't one round here, Tunbridge Wells is far too posh for that sort of thing, but where I used to live there was one and I used it till they kindly built a Sainsbury's nearby. I was always puzzled by the clientele - in Sainabury's people put their trolleys to one side while looking for something so other people can get by, but not in Asda. They left them blocking the aisles; and there would be crowds of them having long involved conversations blocking the aisles. In fact, most of them seemed to be 'special'. I suspect the area had something to do with it, but I found out later that there were three residential homes for the not quite with it in the vicinity so I think the staff must have bussed the residents in (whenever I was in the store) to get some peace and quiet.

I was so glad when I didn't have to go back there.

My wv is bashankc - which is also something they used to do to me a lot there.

Cassoulet Cafe said...

Alienne,
I love hearing about foreign shopping adventures and differences!
Here it seems the norm now for the PJ wearing people to block the aisles with their carts. And they must be deaf too, because saying "excuse me, pardon me," doesn't get any attention. I always have to back up and go down the other aisle.
Velour tracksuits are ok as long as they are cute, right? :) Of course, that wouldn't be kosher in France, as people tend to really dress UP to go to the market. (full makeup, high heels, jewelry etc).
Walmart really is the worst in my town for nasty people...the other stores just don't have the same ultra-concentrated clientele of 'special' people. :)

Cassoulet Cafe said...

PS. I like bashankc! :) Great word for the new language! lol thank you for using it in a sentence

La Belette Rouge said...

Sorry it took me a while to get to your post. But this post was hilarious!!
I fear this might sound elitist, but my joke about Walmart as they don't sell sandals or thongs there as there are so many children of kissing cousins who shop there and they all have six toes and that people with six toes cannot wear sandals. Hence, we call it "Six-toe Store."

La Belette Rouge said...

p.s. No Target??? Poor you!!!

~Tessa~Scoffs said...

laughing today. good stuff.

Cassoulet Cafe said...

LBR,
I'm offended. I have 6 toes.

HAHAHA just joking! Don't you hate it when someone does that to you? :) I really have ten toes, five on each foot. For the record.

PS. You didn't get a good verification word this time?

Blicky Kitty said...

Yeah but do they have acrylic nails on their sixth toes? Because that just screams understated elegance almost as much as custom airbrushing on your Kia gun rack.

Although I only go to Target these days, I couldn't really talk since I wear my good pajamas out to the driveway to wait for the school bus.

Cris, Artist in Oregon said...

LOL Oh how I understand your frustration. I hate it that we dont have a Taget in our town. What is with that??? I NEVER frequented Walmart in CA but when one has no choice in the matter one has to frequent what they have. arrrrgh.
I do try to go at the earlier times tho. I can hardly stand those lines...in the parking lot.
We must see the same PJ wearing people. They obviouly don't watch 'WHAT NOT TO WEAR' with Clinton and Stacy.

Cassoulet Cafe said...

Blicky,
Ok, pajamas to the bus stop are ok. And if I must confess, ahem, I wear them to drop my son off at school (we have tinted windows too).
The only thing that terrifies me each time (cuz I totally do not have cute PJs) is what if the car broke down, and what if it was the time I was wearing slippers instead of shoes???? These are things that would scar me for life, because all the mom's at my kids' school think morning drop off is fashion show minute.

Cassoulet Cafe said...

To Everyone: I just reread my post and realized I published it without editing. UGH. Sorry. Too late now! ;)

Nanny Goats In Panties said...

I'm beginning to wonder if there exists even one blog that does not have at least one entry about Walmarts/Wally World/etc. I've heard some people actually like the place, although they may the ones shopping in their PJs and bunny slippers.

Deb said...

I love Wal-Mart. Yup. I do. Only because they have a Dunkin' Donuts inside by the entrance. I can sit there for HOURS with an iced coffee watching the toothless, stained-stretch-pant-clad Beasts of Maine come through the door. They look like they don't have a pot to pee in or a window to throw it out, but when they leave the store they need three shopping carts to tote their goods out to their pickup with the wooden bumpers attached with clothesline, three-tone-primer-colored truck.

Rachel Ann said...

LOL...what an accurate description of Walmart! Unfortunately, I live in a very small town where the only shopping is Walmart! Go figure.

You were ahead of me on roll call over at SITS this morning so I thought I'd pop over! Have a GREAT Friday!

Cassoulet Cafe said...

Deb,
Your comment is why I keep reading your blog.....You are so funny and you said it even better than me. Oh please do a post about Walmart based on your comment here! :)\

And that is NO FAIR that you have a Dunkin Donuts in yours. We just have a Half McD's. And there is a toothless lady who works there.

alexandra's kitchen said...

Right on! Never return. I hope I never do. Clerks can be so infuriating!

Cassoulet Cafe said...

Rachel Ann,
Thanks so much for stopping by :)

We went to a teeny-tiny town in Georgia to visit my husband's relatives, and they only had "the Walmart" too for shopping. (Besides the Piggly Wiggly for groceries).

I remember I had a traveler's check (this was in '95, I guess I didn't have a debit card back then?) anyhow, the lady was shocked when I tried to pay with the traveler's check. She asked me what it was. I told her. She said, "Hmmm. I'm gonna have to call management." And she did.

And the management lady said, "Oh, this is one of them traveler's checks. I've heard about them, but never seen one before."

It was quite an experience, :) but fun! This was before my own town even had a Walmart.

Cassoulet Cafe said...

Alexandra,
Oh I promise to never return, but I must like being angry and crazy, because I usually end up there at least twice per month.
Wait, who am I kidding?! They have some great prices on Covergilr LashBlast and Ipods.

PS. I do REFUSE, no matter what, to go there from October thru March. Can't do it. Nope. And on pay days too. Although it would give me some more blog material.

Anna Lefler said...

Oh, that's a hilarious post...but I do feel your pain for several reasons:

1. Being caught in the parking lot without your ammo clip.
2. Putting up with asshats wearing their pajamas in public.
3. Not having a Target! That's just wrong!

:^) Anna

Anonymous said...

OMG.

We are stunned. And we mean *all* of us are stunned. (You know... us...we...heh-heh-heh.)

This sounds worse than any Best Buy 'Returns' line the week after Christmas. Pajamas? In public?

The 'mullet-wearing Kia driver' had me (um, had us, yep, it was us) in stitches. That is such a priceless phrase!

We shall pray to the Retail Pohh-bahs that the Boutique Tarzshay finds its way to you.

Until then....

Grins & Giggles,
tp

PS: We find it very selfish of you to refuse to visit that establishment from October until March, simply because it is a little tedious for you Miss CC. After all, as you point out, it *would* provide such incredible fodder for the blog. That just seems, well...shallow. Really.

Anonymous said...

I think you live in middle-of-nowhere Missouri. That sounds exactly like the WalMart I just moved from! What is it about that store that makes people think they don't have to get dressed. They know they're going to see everybody and their mamma in there.

I'd be fuming too. At least you got a good story out of it...probably wasn't worth $10 though :)

Cassoulet Cafe said...

Preppy,
Ok ok, I"ll go back but ONLY because you forced me to. And ONLY because I'll get a good post out of it. And ONLY because I'm not selfish. And NOT because I'll get a whopping carton of Whoppers for 88 cents. :)

Vicki,
Good guess, but nope, you're way off. :) I'm in Oregon...somewhere. :)

Anonymous said...

Happy Friday, you were above me on SITS this morning.
I am so sorry you don't have a Target! I can't understand people wearing their pyjamas, ones who still think mullets are ok and others who drive like maniacs! I live near a mall that offers both a Target and a WalMart and needless to say I never, ever step foot in that WalMart... it actually makes me angry! Is there a "WalMart anonymous"?

Cassoulet Cafe said...

Kelli,
Thanks for stopping by! I shall reciprocate :)
Yes, it is a sad, sad town I live in with no Target.
But, i have hope! There are rumors and we are also getting a Costco. This may bring Target...and I would be happy forever if we also got a Trader Joes!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I hate Walmart too, and what's worse they're set to rake in massive profits this Christmas while they continue to outsource our jobs. Did you see this video claiming that nearly 70% of their items come from communist China?