My Complicated Relationship With Wal-Mart

Disclaimer:

If the majority of Wal-Mart store employees appeared like this (look down) whilst working, this blog would become irrelevant to yours truly.  Can a blog be irrelevant if never composed?  <ponder>

 

But because the majority of Wal-Mart store employees I encounter have this mood on their face (look down, again), the characteristics of Wal-Mart that bug me; REALLY bug me.

 

Let us commence with features I wholly appreciate about good 'ol Mr. Walton's brain child.  

 

• Wal-Mart is the only big box store in my perfect triangle of existence* that enables me to buy Super Glue, extra virgin olive oil, socks, ingredients for all of my DIY adventures (more on that later), a new spatula, sit for a pedicure, stop for a McMocha, and fill an eyeglass prescription - under one, mass-manufactured roof.
• Although I have found Wal-Mart is not always the least expensive (or by more than a few cents), it is a resource that provides people on an uber strict budget a place to buy their necessities; especially when every penny literally counts.  And they often do.
• The organization is normally always hiring, which is key in our economic times.  I worked for Wal-Mart when I was in college and it enabled me to pay  mostly pay my bills.  It's also the source of my sister's income for her young family.

But.

• Let's face it, the produce often blows like a prairie wind in west Texas, and the shelves are frequently devoid of basic items - especially on certain days of the week.
• I think the rule of "no more than three customers in line or we'll open a new register!" has collected a LOT of dust in the original operational manuals.
• Some of the cashiers frighten me.  They often appear unhappy - which I can relate to - see prior comment about a college job of mine.  The same relates to a random floor employee that can sometimes be spotted (with heavy searching) for customer assistance.  
• I realize that no corporation of any size, especially a monster like Wal-Mart, can operate under perfect and 100% moral codes, but "come on, man!"  It seems not that many months elapse without some report of a lawsuit, gender/age/race discrimination - and "The University of Wal-Mart" for managers sounds a wee bit cultish to me.  I've also watched some documentaries about the corporation and they did nothing to make me feel better about giving them my business.

I support them with reservations, but not every week, and I'll cop to sometimes hiding the bags, from Charley, as evidence that I've visited the monster.

*Perfect Triangle of Existence:  I love to travel outside of my town, but I don't enjoy driving all over Creation to meet my career, social, exercise, and household needs.  A perfect triangle of existence allows me to attend to any of those outlets within a five mile radius, if that.