I live in a small (but quickly growing) town that is extremely close to a much larger town. Because I'm originally from a town that's about as small as the town in which I am currently living, large towns are too big for me. Most people would consider the much larger town near my small town to be...well, still kind of smallish. I think of it as a big city...a metropolis, if you will. I've only been downtown a couple of times, and even then, someone else was driving. It's because I'm scared of the metropolis...even if the metropolis is really just a large town.
Now, I was either in middle school or high school when something remarkable happened in my small hometown. It was an event that changed that small town forever. What was this remarkable event?
We got a Super Wal-mart.
Never again would we have to make trips to multiple stores. Wal-mart now had Wal-marty things AND grocieries. It changed my life, I tell you. And I knew it was because I was from a small town. Only in small towns would people get excited about the opening of a Super Wal-mart, right?
Only...a few months ago, in this large town/metropolis that is near the small town where I currently reside, a new Super Wal-mart opened. And people went crazy. Apparently, Wal-mart is a big deal whether you live in a small town or a big town.
I like Wal-mart. I like it a lot. I like it because I can get a week's worth of groceries, a birthday present for my niece, a hair dryer, a pair of jeans, and a turkey baster--all in the same place. If I can find a short check-out lane, I can get in and out in about half an hour. I like it because it's comfortable. I know the layout of the store so well that I don't even have to plan my shopping route. (Other people do that, too, right? You plot out the best path from the shampoo aisle to the produce aisle, taking account the possible traffic you might find in women's clothing and jewelry as compared to the open aisle next to electronics...right?) I like it also because I know I'm going to spend less money on all my random purchases, because let's face it--nothing says "CHEAP" like Wal-mart. The thing I have to be careful about is getting distracted by shiny objects and buying things I don't really need. But if I'm careful and stick to my list, I'm safe.
Wal-mart and I are good buddies. BFFs. We get along just great. The only problem I really have with Wal-mart is that I've heard they don't treat their employees very well. I've had a lot of friends who have worked at Wal-mart who have confirmed this. The way they spoke, Wal-mart was like the darkest, deepest, most depressing pit of evil imaginable ever.
Shrug.
I've never worked at Wal-mart. Never.
I've been mistaken for a Wal-mart worker more times than I can count.
The first time it happened, I was standing in the deodorant aisle, looking for...well, deodorant. This older middle aged woman came up to me and asked me where the tampons were. My first thought was to say, "Are you sure someone your age still needs them?" but instead I just smiled and said I wasn't sure. She got a all moody and huffed away, which only confirmed my original suspicion that this woman was long past her need for tampons. Then I realized what had just occurred. She was asking me where something was because she thought I worked there.
This was the first of many incidents. There was the lady who asked me if I had any more shirts in her size. There was the gentleman who asked me to do a price check for him. There was the other gentleman who wanted me to help him find something. When I told him I didn't work there, he asked to speak with my manager.
...?
Yeah. I'm not sure what it is about me that screams "I WORK AT WAL-MART"...because I don't. I mean, I can understand how some people might assume I work at Target since I accidently wear red almost every time I go there, but seriously. I do not have one of those "How can I help you today?" blue vests. I don't have a name tag with a smiley face on it.
Maybe I just look like someone who's desperately trying to claw her way out of the deepest, darkest, most depressing pit of evil imaginable ever.
...only I don't get an employee discount.
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