Ye Olde Wal-Mart(e)

I avoid Wal-Mart whenever possible and at all costs. It is, to me, a last resort in all situations. Kokomo has one Wally World (which, frankly, surprises me given the economic blueprint of this city), and I just returned from my bi-annual excursion. Maybe I'll get lucky and this will be my only trip to ye olde bargaine city this year.

I went just now to check out patio furniture & the selection of organic anything that my store might carry. We recently *found* $100 left over from Christmas and latched onto the idea of finally procuring someplace to sit and eat and socialize outside despite the postage stamp of a patio that we have. Finding something to our liking that is in our price range, to our size specifications, and looks decent has been quite elusive. Hence, my decision to brave the hell on Earth that is Walmart. It's kind of like overeating when the food wasn't that great--you just feel gross when you're done.

The first problem was the serious parking lot issues, as in 1/2 the parking lot is blocked off because it has apparently been recently repaved and painted. But this isn't half of the rows, this means half of every row, which also means that you can't drive up and down rows. Irking. Understandable that this has to happen sometime, but still irking. And, whoever plans parking lots in Kokomo just flat out should be fired. The worst parking lots in the universe. Hyperbole? No...a fact.

Then you can never walk anywhere in Wal-Mart because they seem to have the biggest, most cumbersome shopping carts ever that are constantly clogging up every walkway. These are always driven by women who are trying to look at something and believe that the only way to do this is to park the cart perpendicular to whatever it is that is being looked at. Or, there are the chatty Cathys who socialize in the middle of the aforementioned aisles with their big, bulkies blocking the way. It's like a neighborhood block party (except, ironically, no icy cold beverages or appetizers in the middle of the health and beauty section).

I don't know if this is true of all Walton's finest, but my Wal-Mart has NOOOOO organic produce at all, anywhere, in the entire store, period. What up wi' that, yo?!? I had it in the back of my mind that Wal-Mart was moving to accomodate the growing interest and demand for organic living. Is it just Kokomo that obviously lacks such support? Maybe I missed it, but where the heck are they hiding it if it's there somewhere?

And then there's the registers, the majority of which never seem to be running...even the self serve. What?!? Why?!?

Let us not forget the exorbitant amount of people in motorized wheelchair/scooters. They'll run you over with no qualms, it seems. Are there more people running these contraptions at Wal-Mart than other retail stores??? It seem like it to me, but I also recognize my bias.

Craziness abounds.