Frus-ter-a-ted!

Oh Matthew....how I hate, hate, hate Walm*rt. (Borrowing from Maria, since God forbid I be libelous.) Before I start my rant, I have to say that I was really impressed with the article on the CEO of this store that was in Parade Magazine this weekend. I was pleased with the philosophy, and he seemed really down to earth. If only my store was like the ones he profiled. In the meantime, let me count the reasons why I've shopped there for the last time.

• Parking is a NIGHTMARE. People pull through parking spaces into the lanes and look at you like YOU are the one who is in the wrong. Not to mention that you have to park in another state if you plan to park at all. Or you could just sit in the middle of each lane waiting for 34 minutes for some parked car to pull out.
• The carts will NOT come apart. Period. Not to mention that if you FINALLY get a cart pulled apart it is inevitably fraught with weird-wheel syndrome. If the wheels work at all.
• NOTHING is where it should be. And finding someone to ask where to find someone is like finding a needle in a haystack. Heck, that would be easier. And when you DO find someone, they again look at you as if they can't believe you have the gall to ask them such a dumb question as "Where would I find a heating pad?"
• Find something to buy and it is not priced appropriately. Candy bar says $.50 at the end of the aisle? It says $.64 when it's rung up. Argue that and get a look. A mean, then confused look.
• People at this store think the 20 items or less checkout is a 20-ish item or less. And by 20-ish, they think 50 is ok. Or, 3 people shopping together ought to have 20 things EACH. And God forbid you say anything like, "Ummm, I think that exceeds the limit," because you will get told, "Are you the checkout police?" Do people not realize you should NOT screw with a pregnant woman? Lucky for them I was tired and reveling in the thought that I will NEVER GO TO WALM*RT AGAIN, God willing.
• The main reason that I went to this place was because a couple of weeks ago, a friend told me that I could get a gallon of the organic milk I've been drinking (and plan to continue) for $5.93 a gallon, where as it's way more elsewhere...even at the commissary, it is $3.54 a half gallon, so that's a nice savings. Couple that with the coupons that I have been diligently using on some of the lower prices I admit this place has, and it could be worth the trip. I went two weeks ago for the 1st time in a year and a half, and it wasn't terrible. Of course, I went in the morning, mid-week. I thought to myself then that I could probably muster up the courage to do that trip every now and then to save some pennies. Well. I go today to get milk and the expiration date for the gallons are in 5 days. I can't drink a gallon of milk by myself in 5 days. The last time I got milk there it was like that too but I thought maybe I caught the tail end of the shipment. Nope...that's how they roll. The half-gallons had longer dates, and I think that they just store the gallons. Shoot...if I am not even saving on the milk, there is really no reason to go. And frankly, after today, saving $1.00 is NOT WORTH IT TO ME. I doubt I am even saving a dollar because who knows how many things are mispriced and I don't bother arguing?

I could go on and on about the cleanliness, the organization and the conversations the employees have about being dropouts of the local high school and not allowed back because of the ankle bracelet they wear, but I'm just tired. And frustrated. Because I haven't even *MENTIONED* how Open House went today....

And that's all I'll say about that.