Wal-Mart Anyone?

I used to go to Wal-mart all the time. In fact, my first job was at Wal-mart. As I got older I started going less and less until I was eventually only going to Wal-mart about four times a year. I didn’t stop going for any political reason, I knew about their questionable practices and experienced their mistreatment of employees first hand, but that wasn’t on my mind when I stopped going. It was just something I stopped doing.

I heard that a 24-hour Wal-mart Supercenter was being built near me and things started to change. Suddenly I was going to my old Wal-mart (which is roughly 8 minutes away from me) about once a month to pick up something. It was always something small, usually one item, maybe two. Then the Supercenter opened and it’s about 10 minutes away from me (because I live right off the freeway). I said I wasn’t going to be there during its grand opening but I lied. I was there the first weekend, buying a bag of gum and walking around the new store. Now I have been to both Wal-marts quite a few times this year. I went to the old Wal-mart two weekends ago and I went to the Supercenter today.

The irony is that I don’t like Wal-mart. Granted most of the time when I go to Wal-mart it’s because someone else wants me to go with them, but still, I shouldn’t be going to a place I don’t like as often as I’ve been going. I feel guilty for going there and patronizing the store. I realize my typical $5 or less purchase isn’t putting any real money in Wal-mart’s pockets, but I don’t want to give the company anything.

I know this is a phase because I go through phases with everything, but I can’t wait until this phase is over. I’m tired of seeing the inside of Wal-mart stores. The rational part of me says don’t go, but the people pleaser in me doesn’t want to force someone to go alone because shopping alone is usually no fun. I need to find a way to get people to stop asking me to go to Wal-mart with them.


Status: Afraid of developing a liking for Wal-mart.