I
have said many times before that one of my strangest quirks is that I really
enjoy going to WalMart. There’s just
something about the way people there think they have entered a bold new world
that allows them to do or say things they wouldn’t dream of elsewhere. Well, that may not be true. They may be perfectly comfortable acting as
they do anywhere, but it’s just that WalMart provides such a wonderful scenario
for silliness.
Kind
of like the three young men we heard/saw yesterday. One of them was in military garb, so that
gives you an idea of their approximate age.
As we made our way down the aisle that passes near the toys/sporting
goods section, we heard a horrendous sound.
Reminded me of something right away.
It was a raspy sort of honking, like a very sick or very old goose that
just had his tail stepped on. As we
rounded the corner we saw the offenders.
Our three fine, upstanding young men were at the bicycle accessories
station doing some product testing on bicycle horns. That’s why it sounded so familiar. I have one on my bicycle …
Now,
as part of our journey yesterday, we also managed to experience the joys of
some WalMart good news/bad news. Back in
the electronics department they have done some pretty extensive
renovations. Taking a cue from nearby
Office Depot, they decided to build some nice glass cases that lock for their
more expensive items. Understood. However, one of the products that now resides
behind glass walls is printer toner.
Again … not a problem. That’s
expensive stuff. We located the number
of the kind we needed – 61 XL. We headed
over to the checkout counter in electronics to get someone with a key. The first pass I made, the guy was down on
his hands and knees looking for something, so I walked on by. The next time he was off the floor, but I
heard what he was seeking. He was trying
to assist a customer in removing one of those little security tags from the
clothing she wanted to buy. Yep. Clothing in the electronics department. She had no electronics, by the way. The sales guy was getting more frustrated by
the second. When he realized we were
standing there, he queried, “What do you need?”
A bit abrupt, but under the circumstances, understandable. We explained that we needed someone with a
key to open the toner case. He let out a
rather exasperated sigh and replied, “I’ll get over there as soon as I can. They only have one of us working here.”
Now
we decided to just leave it at that and get the toner another day. But it hit me as we walked away, and again as
I wrote this post, that I wasn’t at all upset with that guy. And he wasn’t at all frustrated with us. So who was the culprit in all this? Ah … THEY.
THEY changed the procedure. THEY
installed the new cabinets. THEY took
away his security tag release tool. THEY
only scheduled one person to cover an entire department. Hmm. One
would suspect that THEY need some lessons in retail management. But then, that might affect the quaint,
quirky appeal that is WalMart’s and WalMart’s alone. I say, leave it alone … but then THEY would
never listen to me anyway.
Psalms
107:8-9 says, “Let them give thanks to
the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he
satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”
Father,
be with that sales guy at WalMart. Give
him a day full of encouragement on his next shift and at home. Amen.
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