The Walmart experience.

I took this video off youtube!!! I love it!

Yesterday after my volunteer job, I took a trip to Walmart. My son needed some dress pants for his chorus concert tonight, and I figured it was right down the road, and I can get my pictures developed at 13 cents a pic. Walmart; where you can buy your groceries, get your retail shopping done, change your ties, buy a tree for your garden, do your banking, get your glasses, have a mani-peti while you eat a big mac, and be greeted by a man in a wheelchair who has the biggest crooked smile on his face. Oh yeah and get a sticker!!!! You simply cannot beat this one stop shop! I am not anti-walmart, my mother is, she saw the movie that exposed Walmart and how it treats foreign workers, as well as workers in the US. I also saw the movie, and quite honestly I have selectively forgotten any horrors she has held true to her heart. I also saw the McDonalds movie...and had a much more reactive response and didn't eat Mickey D's for about two months. It didn't last, I just cannot pass up a $1.00 cheese burger with French fries stuck in the middle of it. (That's how I get my McDonalds cheeseburgers). When it comes to Walmart,  I say, a penny saved is still a penny saved and apparently millions of people agree. For 1pm on a Monday afternoon, I was certainly NOT alone on my quest to find great deals, but when is Walmart empty? I headed to the self developing photo section and began my selections first. I have over a thousand pictures on my camera and figured it was about time I get them off there. I only decided on 70 to keep at this point. Having to wait about an hour for the pictures to be ready...I had to find something to do, so with plans ONLY to develop a few pictures and get some dress pants, I was bound to pick up a few more things.
I am pretty funny about my shopping. Most times, I have an objective, a well developed list and a slew of coupons to match. Let loose in this Walmart, coupon free and an hour to spare was nothing short of a store clerk disaster. (Funny I even ran into a friend of mine, who asked WHERE my coupons were?). Why am I a store clerk disaster....well I have a tendency to pick and carry. I do this at the Thrifty Store too. What is a pick and carry? I will look at items, judge their price, and if I feel it is a fair deal and I might need it, I place it into my cart. As I continue my shopping, I will retrieve the item from my cart, look it over and ask myself..."Do I really want this? Do  I really need this?" Usually one NO answer if enough for me to return the item to the shelve, this is where the nightmare for store clerks comes in, I am awful as I will usually put the item right there on whatever shelf is adjacent to me. I learned a long time ago, returning to the area where such item was obtained in the first place will usually result in yet another purchase as I will find it in a different color, or a bigger size or the same item in a bulk or whatever, and I end up again placing such item in the cart only to review it over again just before check out. I have even gone so far as to have an entire cart full only to leave everything minus one item at the door. I know I am awful, and ice cream sandwiches stored in the jeans department is not appropriate.
 Pictures in development, I headed to my second, which was actually my first objective finding dress pants. I found it incredibly difficult to locate the dress clothing section and initially I was in the men's department struggling to figure it all out, I eventually landed in the boys and had to sort through 90 pairs of pants in no particular order or color to find the correct size. I only located one in his size and it was the wrong color, not to be discouraged I threw the pair into my cart, which at this point in time, was free of anything except my gigantic purse (coupon free however), and continued to scan the area until I found yet another section of dress pant, much more organized this time. Found color and size...now I have two pairs in the cart. Do I get both? What if they don't fit, what if he only will wear the black pair...the pick and carry debate continues and psycho women (me) has such debate out loud. Thankfully no one is around to interject and convince me to get both pair, I drape the tan pants over some rack and head for another area of the store. I look at my photo return slip, curse out-loud and decide to head to the grocery section. I had already decided to do all of my trip grocery purchases on Friday morning as there is a sale and I have my coupons ready for Price Chopper...why am I even heading in this direction? Walmart has a knack and this I am sure is their sales pitch. Located on every corner every aisle is a big display of some stupid item with the FALLING prices logo. I am drawn to the prepackaged cereals; bowl included and in our favorite Kellogg's flavors JUST $1- per package. Thinking these would be great for our camping trip I select four and move towards the bulk chips when I spy licorice for $1.88 and look right there a steal of a deal on chocolate chip granola bars. Cart is getting fuller now. I find myself in the bulk chip area and pull both frito's and cheese doodles in the PARTY size off the shelf, and notice an entire Family side Fruit Loop box is only $3.60. I stop analyze my four 2oz packages of bowl included cereals and zip all four are now sitting next to the Family sizes. Which I know I have at home and even if I didn't I have a coupon for. Pass it up, and decide I do need prepackaged lunch meat. Don't have my coupons and I know I saw it cheaper somewhere I do not even pick up a single package and head towards the dairy, milk...can wait, what about eggs, we need eggs, I grab a 24 monster pack and slide this into my cart. (WHO EATS 24 eggs?) these get left somewhere near the plastic stackable containers that I find on sale for $3- each. These get slid into the cart. I also find a cool pink drinking cup with a rubber straw in it. No price anywhere but is in the slot marked $2.98, decided I need it, into the cart it goes. View my photo return slip again....still lots of time, well I haven't eaten lunch and I have to pee! Cart gets strategically placed inside those invisible line that could be considered theft. I head to bathroom and all four stalls are occupied....go figure! I stand outside now doing the peepee dance, and cannot understand how all four of these people are taking so stinking long. Finally relieved I head to the McDonalds and review the dollar menu.....NO DOLLAR menu!!!!! What, apparently they do not offer this, nor do they offer the current promos $4- Big Mac meal! So I stop being so cheep and offer up the additional $2- for the meal. I decide that I will need about $2- in napkins, salt packets, and soda refills for my suffering I added in a few pepper packages for good measure and considered asking for ketchup packages, but didn't act on it. Photos should be done I head to the counter present my slip and notice this very cute, pink camera case with the $29- price tag. I hold it, turn it, adore it, actually put my camera in it, take out the strap feel the inside of it....I WANT this bag. Haven't had my pick and carry opportunity as I am standing at the check out! I place it to the side and decide that based on my total I will then make a decision to buy it or not. Scan, scan, scan, opps....my cup has no price tag on it. The clerk asks me, "do you happen to recall the price on this?" Really? Today only there are FREE!!! What do you think I'd say. Of course I don't know and I blurt out that it was located with the $2.98 cups, (Of course it looks nothing like those cups). She decides that my price is incorrect and waddles off to inspect the pricing. More like $9.98!!! No thank you, but thanks for taking the time to find it. Scan, scan, scan....$67.00!!!! YIKES!!! I only wanted dress pants and photos!!! I cough up the cash, hold the beautiful camera bag and again slide my camera into it to make sure it fits. No I cant buy this. I place it down next to the unpicked cup with the adorable pink rubber straw, and head for the door thanking the clerk in my most sweet voice.
WOW!!!! I should never be allowed to enter a Walmart again. I left more items around the store and make this one poor clerk obtain and now have to replace a cup as well as a camera bag, that by the way the strap had fallen out of and I still went home spending nearly $70- . I almost always say to the clerk when the total come up...Oh My what did I buy? They almost always have to begin reviewing the receipt explaining what items were properly rung up or have some amazing "a-duh" explanation like these little items sure add up, don't they? They sure do. SO to my Walmart experience, I cannot make claim on what people I saw, because I was just not paying attention. I have to watch the video to see what I might have missed!