Walmart, Combat Shopping

Walmart, ground zero in the Greater Columbus Retail Conflict.  A true test for the experienced grocery shopping warrior. 

Lesser stores will provide irritable help, snarling cashiers, aggressive, hostile department clerks, or apathetic counter people who can spend minutes furiously typing into a terminal, while doing absolutely nothing to help.

Stores without such vast resources will confront you with pushy, self important customers, constantly cutting in front of each other, parking their carts in the middle of the aisle, reaching, clawing, scratching, elbowing, fighting for every can, box, bag, or bottle.

Walmart can bring to bear all of these things.  Walmart cashiers have, somehow, mastered the ability to be angry and apathetic at the same time.  A trip to Walmart is a demanding test of endurance, patience and fortitude.  

Don't attempt an expedition until you have completed a few invasions of Kroger, Safeway, or Piggly Wiggly, and a reconnaissance in force of Target, or Meijer's. 

And, we made it all the way from groceries to electronics, to school supplies.  It took standing in line at two different check out lanes, and weathering the icy glare of the cashier at lane eight, but we walked out of there unscarred.

As we were leaving there was a sign hanging above a long line of tired looking people that said "Customer Service" that always makes laugh.