Yesterday was one of those days that started off a little breezy and turned into full-fledged COLD by noon. Fortunately, it wasn’t my day to drive carpool so I managed to stay in my pajamas until around noon, at which time I threw on some clothes and headed to Walmart.
Yes, I said Walmart.
Back when I was a little girl, my Nanny and Big Bob had a lakehouse in the booming metropolis of Colmesneil, Texas, population 526. We’d spend weeks there in the summertime floating in the lake on various innertubes every day until we reached the point where no amount of sunscreen would protect our skin.
It was at this point that we’d all hop in Nanny’s Cadillac and head to the big city of Woodville, Texas. Why Woodville, you may ask?
Because it had a Walmart.
And not only did it have a Walmart, but it had a Walmart that sold the best corn dogs and fresh-squeezed lemonade in the whole world or at least in East Texas. Whatever.
At that point, my family lived in Houston and we’d never seen a Walmart. I realize that’s hard to believe, but it’s true. I lived in the days before Walmart took over the world.
We’d go to Walmart and spend hours wandering the aisles, stocking up on important things like Snoopy Zebco fishing poles, new pajamas and a few coloring books and boxes of crayons. Then we’d stop for a corndog and lemonade on our way out.
I thought Walmart was the greatest store ever. Even better than Weiners, which is saying something because Weiners is where I bought my first red satin jacket with blues stripes down the sleeves (Yes. I said FIRST red satin jacket. There were others.) and also where I bought a pair of faux leather cowboy boots when I was in fourth grade and my life’s ambition was to ride the bull at Gilley’s. (What can I say? I watched a lot of “Urban Cowboy”.)
But at some point, Walmart lost me. The bloom was off the discount retailer rose.
However, as of late, Walmart has rekindled my love. There are several reasons for this:
1. Now that Target has moved, Walmart is much more convenient.
2. Target didn’t feel the need to stock any girls’ size 5 red long-sleeve shirts or turtlenecks this holiday season.
3. Walmart had fleece pajama bottoms on sale for FOUR DOLLARS. They really need a slogan like “We’re Rolling Back Prices” or something clever like that.
4. At some point Target began to feel that it was the new Nordstrom. They got a little arrogant and started charging upwards of $19.99 for their Mossimo goods.
5. Every time I’m at Walmart and I see their “George” brand of clothing it makes me think about John F. Kennedy, Jr. because he had that magazine named “George”. I realize these two things are totally unrelated but it’s how my mind works.
Plus, you know when the Kennedy family got tired of hanging out at their Hyannis Port compound, they loaded up in the car and headed to Walmart for a corn dog.
6. If you shoplift at Walmart, you’ll still get chased down by an overweight security guard in orthopedic shoes and an ill-fitting uniform, the way God intended shoplifters to get caught. Whereas if you shoplift at Target, they’ll send this after you.
It’s all so high-tech.
7. Walmart still has all those ghetto rides by the door which are where quarters go to die. Just the sight of them makes me feel all warm and nostalgic.
If Walmart and I had a song that best described our relationship over the previous twenty years, it would probably be Bonnie Raitt singing, “I Can’t Make You Love Me”.
Oh, but these days our song would be ($5.00 if you know what I’m going to say) “Reunited and It Feels So Good”. Because y’all know I love me some Peaches ‘N Herb.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still shop at Target because I do love to check out the Mossimo apparel.
I also still have a deep longing to see the Asset Protection Device in action.
Rumor has it that the security guard even wears a helmet.
And that alone is worth the seven extra minutes it takes to get to Target.
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I, too, have recently rediscovered my love of Wal-Mart. There are just some things that I think Target charges too much for. And their selection of boys basic clothes is pathetic. Unless I want my four year old to look like a skate punk. Which I do not. Wal-Mart, on the other hand, has Grananimals!!! Talk about nostalgic!! And for like $5 per piece or something crazy like that. Cha-ching!!
BigMama – you’re fun. I think it’s time for another kid. Love you.
There is both a Wal-Mart and a Target close to our house. The Wal-Mart is one of those 24 hour, grocery store deals and is GREAT for things that I need in a pinch. I tend to like the furniture etc. that Target has better though.
I had one of those Snoopy fishing poles. What I love about Walmart is that everything is mismarked on the shelf. So, when you get to the check out stand the price is so much lower.
That’s very, very rarely happened to me at Target. So, score one for Sam!
I’m with you….I’m starting to like shopping at Walmart…just don’t tell Nordstroms.
Big Mama. . .you’re my new hero! I just found your blog (I know. . .where have I been? Under a rock?). Anyway, I just about choked on my Strawberry frosted Mini Wheat! Haha!
Be Blessed,
Amy (Honestly)
Do you thin Walmart sells corndogs and lemonade for breakfast????
Don’t forget about Brookshire’s, they have good fried chicken!
(My husband graduated from Woodville.)
You may have ssen him in Wal Mart, he would have been the kid hanging out in the hunting/fishing section drinking a red icee and possibly sporting his own zebco rod & reel.
I’m totally with you on the JFK Jr./George thing. Everytime I see the brand, I think of him.
You are cracking me up. And who doesn’t try to reference the Kennedy’s every time you get the chance? So funny as I LOVE Walmart but a Target is being built DIRECTLY across the street from my house as we speak. By next July I will be able to walk over, get a Starbucks, and stroll through whenever my heart desires. Gosh we live in a great country! Have a great day!
Have I mentioned that we are very grateful for our Wal-mart! I’m so glad you discovered it again.
I remember when we didn’t have Wal-mart, but we did have a Gibson’s and a TG & Y. Anybody else remember those?
I really enjoy reading your blog. It starts my day with a good laugh!
We used to have to drive all the way to Ruston to go to Walmart. It was a BIG DEAL. And yes, we had a TG&Y in our town…
Thanks for the laugh (especially number 6)!
Ahh yes you need to do a commerical for Walmarket vs Target, like they did the pepsi v coke commericals!!!
I vowed years ago to never shop at Wal-Mart again. But, then ….. a new one opened very close to my home and I somehow fell in love again. I still have to go to Target each week (sometimes twice) because if I don’t, they will go out of business and I’ll cry forever. But, you’re right … the mossimo sweater I longed for last week was $22.99! I bought it, of course, but mourned the days when I could buy several in different colors. Those were the days …
I have noticed the recent swell of self-importance at Target, but I heart the new shopping carts there and the whole Starbucks-while-I-shop perk.
‘Course, it probably doesn’t hold a candle to the Walmart’s lemonade of yore.
Hey. I have that Peaches ‘N Herb album. I listen to that song every now and then. So glad you don’t have to pay for a whole album…um, CD, downloadable, whatever…nowadays. Just pick the song you like and download it. I wish I could go through my massive album collection that I won’t get rid of and just pick the songs I like off all the LPs. I can dream. Oh and I just discovered how to use playlist.com and it pretty much lets me do just that! That was long. Sorry.
It’s funny you should write this today. I have to go to Walmart today. I have noticed the prices at Target are a little high lately. And the last time I went to Walmart it was enjoyable. However, I waited in line for a while and the cashier spoke in a different language until I got to her and then she said, Hello How are you today? -plain as English. Maybe I don’t have that foreign look.
I’ve always loved Wal-Mart. A new Target was built about 1/4 mile away from our Wal-Mart, but I don’t think they have the cool “apprehending machine”, although they do have the space-age shopping carts. I’m all about missing TG&Y and Gibson’s this morning. heh.
I didn’t see my first Walmart until 1995.
I feel the same way except replace the Bonnie Rait version w/ the Prince version & we’re good to go.
ok laugh laugh laugh *snort* at #7
and great, now i have that stinkin song in my head all day again!
merry christmas,
ashley
Big Mamma,
I am rather new to your blog, but I swear I am hooked. Thanks for the good laugh. On a side note. My sister and I totally played a joke on my dad when we were kids. We didn’t have Walmart where we grew up until I think I was in high school. Every summer we went to the beach and there was Wal-Mart. Our father (God love him) stopped there first thing before we could even check in to the resort. We had his name called over the loud speaker in the middle of Wal-mart. They wanted to “Welcome Bob, all the way from Virginia.” People in the aisle came up to him and were like “you must be Bob”. (It was his five minutes of Wally World fame). Wink….
You are too funny! Thanks for the laugh, but I still do not like going to Wal-mart!
I’m with you on #4. The prices at Target sometimes are the same as what you would pay at Macy’s or Steinmart (with a sale of course).
I have both Target and Walmart within 2 miles of my house, so I shop at both!
I think of John F. Kennedym Jr. when I see the “GEORGE” clothes, too. I’m sure the Kennedy’s shop at wal-Mart for that very reason.
You’ve lost me…I lived in Arkansas way too long to really appreciate a rekindled romance with Walmart. It burns my buns that Walmarts “thing” is serving me with a happy smile and that the smiley face is everywhere but all of the employees are one crappy customer away from going postal.
I completely agree! While I love me some TAR-JAY, I never turn my back on Wal-Mart. At the end of the day, they might be a bit ghetto, but their prices USUALLY can’t be beat!
You totally forgot to mention Walmart’s hassle free return policy. After too many return nightmares at Target (not to mention their prices) they lost me as a customer.
Thanks for the great blog. I look forward to reading you every day.
I too have that Love/Hate relationship with “Wally World” (yes, we really do call it that)
You crack me up! I do find myself shopping at Walmart some. However, around here we refer to it as “Walfart.” That term is due to it’s lack of customer service. Not that Target is much better. Funny, funny post!!!!
I’m not a Walmart fan-still as the customers would run over you in a heartbeat for those $4 pajama bottoms. However, I purused the Black Friday ads and we actually went there at 5am the day after Thanksgiving. There were clearly 2 groups of people- those that would have a throw down over a tv and those that would push you down for a crockpot. Fortunately, I kept my distance and did get my inexpensive goodies. My husband endured the electronics and got most of what we set out to get. It was a bargain. I do long for the days of the corn dogs and lemonades at the smaller Walmart. That was the Walmart I think Sam envisioned. The ones of today would probably make him flip in his grave.
My gosh – I laughed so hard – I had to send this to the person in the cubicle next to me… you just can’t get entertainment like that from anywhere else!
A couple things:
I agree with auntiw, it IS time for another baby
Target IS better than WalMart… you know this, it’s embedded in your blood. So just put aside the “higher” prices and give them a little more lovin’ this holiday season.
WalMart will always be great for those summer cabin trips. Always.
I too have bravely ventured back into Walmart recently. The new Subway they opened INSIDE the building was just more than I could resist. Where else can you pickup a Spiderman DVD, a package of bacon, some cool flipflops, and a footlong sub?
Good for you! I love Target the best but there are just some things about Wal Mart that are irresistable:
1. cinnamon rolls (packaged in the clear box) in the bread/cookie/deli area are to die for (they remind me of the cinnamon rolls they used to sell in the school cafeteria). I had one at my son’s 2nd grade Christmas party and I circled the room to find out who had made them, only then to discover that they were from Wal Mart!!
2. Danskin workout wear…….inexpensive and always a good selection
3. tights for 5 yr old girls -I had the good fortune of receiving a Shilav outfit for my daughter last year and the only place I could find coordinating orange stripey tights was WAL MART!!!!
4. they have a sewing/craft department which includes lots of craft stuff for kids (which you’ll never find at Target)
5. they usually have a Subway
6. they’ve upped the ante in their wine department and are carrying some great wines
7. last but not least fellow guacamole lover………..their avacados are always reasonably priced (anywhere from 49 cents each to 79 cents each)
I used to love Walmart but I have been a Target fan for years. Maybe I need to check out Wal-Mart again. I would love to be able to shop in one place again but I would have a very hard time giving up my HEB.
so my hubs and I stoped by Target this week. It’s 30 miles from us! I know. Anyway, We were looking at toys and I said oh I’ve bought this one for our son and was showing the hubs because he has no clue what the kids are getting for Christmas then I said, “OMG, It’s $5 Cheaper at wal-mart.” Then we left Target with nothing in hand. It was sad.
To Becky, the previous comment maker, If I lived across the street from a Target, I’d loose my house to foreclosure because I’d spend all our money there. If the Hubs hadn’t been with me, I would have spent at least $100, but he was there and I can’t let him know I do stuff like that.
Is anyone else bothered by the complete switch around of store in Walmart and Target? Can’t find a darned thing in either store. I used to be able to walk in blind folded and find everything. Aisles are flipped the opposite direction. Things are across the store from their original location.
I’m not happy.
For the record, I’m a Target and not so much a Walmart shopper. I do go to Walmart on a rare occasion, but Target is my land o’ happiness.
Our Walmart doesn’t have fresh squeezed lemonade but it does have corn dogs…. I often load all three kids in the cart buy them a corn dog so I can shop for discount pj’s and toothpaste!
*giggle, giggle*
There you go again mentioning the Target security cruiser . . . now I won’t be able to stop laughing about it all day! AND I plan a trip to Target today and will walk in those automatic doors (probably the wrong way) and breathlessly anticipate finding a security cruiser of our very own at our Target. Oh, a girl can dream! If it’s there, I might just have to do something naughty to make them chase me down in it. Just to see if they really do wear helmets.
I have to say I’ve always loved Walmart and the excitement of hunting for a deal that’s not just a “good deal”, but the kind of deal you can’t believe you found and NO ONE will think you got it at Walmart. After reading one of your Fashion Fridays about the 5 items to update your wardrobe….I purchased a $7 scarf and can’t tell you how many people have commented on it. Of course, I end up telling them it’s from Wal-mart. Go Wal-mart!
I imagine you must feel a bit like Mary MacGregor back in 1976 when she was “Torn Between Two Lovers”…
(yeah, I totally had to google that one).
Enjoy your newfound appreciation for Walmart. I admit, Target is my first love/choice… but I do cheat on them weekly with Walmart. If Walmart ever started having Starbucks or Carabou Coffee in their stores — whoa. Then I’d be reeeeeaaaly torn.
Although I do share your feelings for wal-mart it is more of a love/hate relationship too. I go there alot but some times it just gets on my nerves because regardless of the low prices I spend more because I see things I didn’t plan on buying and hence spend more.
I also must add our closest Target is over an hour away, too.
I think the exact.same.thing. when I see some George apparel.
Things are opposite here-Target is only a couple of miles, and WalMart is 10 miles, and situated in the most God-awful parking lot on the face of the planet. I haven’t been there in years.
Of course they wear helmets! They have to be safe!! And if Walmart is about one thing, it’s the well-being (and therefore, safety) of their employees!
Oh, wait…
When I realized that one of my co-workers doesn’t shop at Walmart, I was flummoxed. I kept asking, “But where do you buy toothpaste? Toilet paper? A whole set of snowman dishes for $10? Where?”
Holy molasses! The Targets here do NOT have an asset protection vehicle, and for that I am very very sad. All we have are security guards in fancy uniforms.
Re: Point #5 – ME TOO! I thought I was the only one.
When I was a kid we would go visit my Aunt in South Carolina and one of the big outings was to go to the Wal-mart(s). Everything was so cheap it was like a giant flea market but with oreos.
Anyway, since they put one (and by one I mean 4) in my town hear in Michigan, it’s lost it’s appeal. We were excited at first, but then it was just like shopping at the flea market, which is somehow not as cool at home.
Oh Big Mama you hit a nerve. Target is clean, well lit and the merchandising is to die for. It is Mary Tyler Moore tossing the beret, and wearing great clothes on a minimum wage budget.
Walmart is Brittany Spears, Courtney Love and the entire cast of Earl at 3:00 a.m. on a Friday morning. The last time I was there I saw a 3 year old with a mohawk, a five year old sucking on a baby bottle, and a pregnant woman with a tatoo around her belly button in the shape of the sun.
Walmart is nasty, smelly and cheap. A couple of times a year I will forego my snobby love of Target and enter in to the den of inequity for the prices.
We call Walmart “Man’s Inhumanity to Man.” Target, on the other hand, is definitely the New Nordstrom.
My first Walmart experience was in Fremont, Nebraska. No corndogs, but the ride there in my grandpa’s brown Buick was just as cool!
Target is getting a little too proud of its wares. I don’t mind spending $20-$30 on a cute sweater, but not when that sweater comes from a supposed “discount” store.
When I was a kid, we went to Pic N Save with my grandparents. My granny always bought soft peppermint sticks for us.
My Walmart is 5 minutes away and my Target is an extra 120 minutes away.
Walmart has become the old boyfriend who stuck around and Target is the really cool boyfriend who went off to Harvard.
I heard a funny line once, “If I die at Wal-mart, please move my body to Target!” I too shop at Walmart – much better prices and I have been quite pleased with their clothing – even for me. Plus it is impossible to get out of Target without spending $100 and my sweet hubby doesn’t like that!
Actually, come to think of it, I think I read that line on either your blog or sweet Amanda Jones – now wouldn’t that be embarrassing…telling you your own line!
Noooooo! No no no no! Oh Big Mama, I get it, I do. But the dregs of humanity shop there. The. Dregs. Of. Humanity. Every time I’ve broken down and ventured in (I am a full-time student and it doesn’t pay as much as I’d anticipated), I’ve been confronted with such egregious displays of redneckery that I cannot be persuaded again to enter until the wounds to my psyche have healed over. One time, I was in line behind a family, and the daughter was asking for a soda from one of the coolers. The mother, whose gut fat was overflowing the top of her terry cloth shorts, snorted and told her precious eight-year-old that she was too fat and needed to lay off the soda. THEN SHE TURNED HER HEAD AND SPAT. ON THE FLOOR. INDOORS. AT A STORE. That is Wal-Mart.
I have been reading your blog for awhile, but have never commented. However, when I saw #5 I CRACKED UP! I think of JFK Jr. too and I thought I was the only one. That is too funny. Thanks for always brightening my days with your posts. Merry Christmas.
THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one who made the George/JFK, Jr. connection!
As for Wal-Mart, we rednecks in AR have been in on the secret longer than anyone. Glad you’re catching on.
Thank you for making me remember Weiner’s this morning. That was my favorite store in 4th grade. If I try real hard I can still remember the smell of it.
Walmart is literally just around the corner from my neighborhood. So convenient. But I never buy milk there – it’s always sour-tasting. Sigh.
I have noticed that they seem to have “stepped up their game” in the housewares department. It’s looking a lot more Targetish. Not sure the clothing department has made such big strides, but I love their sweats!
My dad grew up in Woodville, and our family reunions are always in Colmesneil! I love East Texas!
I can’t enjoy a Walmat bargain. I worry too much about the quality of life of the people who make all that stuff.
Big Mama, you know I love you. However, I implore you to rent the documentary:
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices
Please! It is really well-done and very informative. Maybe Target isn’t much better, but since I haven’t seen any movies on them yet, I can still shop there.
However, this post was very timely: I have to venture to the depths of he…Wal-Mart today to get my boyfriend’s grandmother a giftcard. Because where she lives in Texas, there is no Target. Shudder.
Happy Holidays!
Oh my goodness. I just about threw my laptop in the air when I saw the words “Colmesneil” and “Woodville.” I grew up in Woodville and my Grandparents had a farm in Colmesneil. I know you are from Beaumont, which is what we considered to be a METROPOLIS with things like the refined shopping establishment of “parkdale mall.”
Just thought you might like to know that the old WAL-MART has been replaced with a new and shiny SUPER wal-mart, but its really nothing to be too excited about. I do remember when it opened a few years ago, our high school band came and played….that always gets a lot of laughs from my friends in College Station.
When I see the George line of clothes, I’m tempted to take a Sharpie and write “W” on every label.
I’m weird like that.
I have been reading your blog for a while now but I have never commented. Today thought, I just had to tell you that reading your blog just brings me back home. I am a Texan currently living in Arkansas. I grew up and graduated from Warren, my mother works in Woodville, and my grandmother is from Colmesneil! All of my family is spread out from Beaumont to Lufkin (there are even some in San Antonio). I love to hear you mention the places I grew up in/going to with a different perspective than mine. Thanks for the laughs and yes, the Woodville Wal-Mart will forever be the place to get the best corndog and lemonade!
It is weird to think that my kids will never know a world without Target, WalMart, K-Mart…. Sad really but I went to our brand new Target the other day and it did have a bit of the Nordstroms feel about it and was decorated with this huge cement red balls… Very Christmasy!
Yea, but did ya ever ride the bull? Uh? Did ya?
That’s the story I want to hear!!
Not to be a total downer, but there’s a reason Wal-Mart’s prices are so low. They treat their employees very poorly (even down to refusing them bathroom breaks at reasonable intervals), and they are well-documented as having suppliers who use sweatshops and child labor. To me, it’s worth an extra $10 to know that my t-shirts weren’t made by an eight-year-old who’s paid $1 a day to work in very dangerous conditions.
Seriously….did you?
Jeez, it’s like a season finale cliff hanger only we don’t know when, or if, the new season is gonna start! Now I’m gonna be picturing you riding that bull every time I read your blog!
Feel free to email me – it’ll just be our secret!
Ghetto rides at the door! What a hoot. And oh, so true.
Just be glad you have a choice. We have a WalMart just down the road, but we have to travel over the river and through the woods for an hour to get to a Target.
You may just like Walmart because then you can say “I got friends in low places.” Gotta love a good shot of Garth every now and again
Jill
how funny! i used to subscribe to George…even though i worked for a right-wing US Rep. at the time! it was just a fun read even though it slanted the opposite direction from me. :0)
my husband has banned us from shopping at wal-mart. apparently, though they sell guns and we’re all for that, they have put extra restrictions on them above the ones already in place and it takes longer for someone to actually get approved to buy one there. i don’t know all the details, but whatev…
(don’t tell him…i do go there every now and again if i can get something there cheaper!)
I am so glad I am not the only one who thinks of JFK Jr when I go shopping at Walmart.
Great Blog! i was just realizing this very thing this week, i went to the newly remodeled target (which is farther than walmart also) and thought who do they think they are? LOL thanks for the laugh today!
I, too, have rekindled my relationship with WalMart. For several years, I tried to boycott WalMart for their “take over the little guy” moves. But now, I benefit from that – plus there is a WalMart really close to me. My 17-year-old daughter is not so happy – she’s a true Target snob. But last night came the new mantra – “Mom, I’m going to WalMart to buy a book.” Ahhh, another generation brought back down to earth.
Thanks for your blog – love it.
I’m sorry but I’m with zoom. I feel like I am going to get mugged when I am in Wal-Mart.
If they could just clean themselves up a bit then I would go there for the prices. Our Wal-Mart is right next to our Target and I go to Target all the time. I’m impressed with your bravery!
Jenny from VA
I think the very same thing when I see the “George” brand at Wal-Mart! I’m glad I’m not the only one – I was beginning to think I was crazy…..
well, maybe we both are! HAHA! Great post though I’m not sure I’ll be giving up on Target yet
My grandparents lived in Woodville. I used to enjoy the same corndogs and lemonade. They now have a Walmart Super center, but no more corndogs.
What would REALLY be fun would be to see someone highjack the security vehicle itself, because clearly from your photo it is left unmanned at times. They could ride it down to your Wal-mart and leave it in the parking lot to be found by the tired overweight security guard. Not that I am encouraging any law breakking or anything…
Our Target stores don’t have the cool Assett Protection Vehicle! I’m sure it’s not because the assetts don’t need protecting…more likely they would rather spend the money on those fancy Icee drink machines.
Absolutely YES! on the Walmart/ JFK Jr thing. Also WEINER’S! My first job (back in 1975) was at Weiner’s where polyester reigned supreme. The store is now the site of the uber haute Tootie’s in Houston’s Highland Village. I never pass it without thinking about Weiner’s….
Are you absolutely certain that JFK, Jr. didn’t design (or at least, inspire) the George clothing line at Wal-Mart, because I was just so sure he did. Though when you really think about it, that doesn’t make a bit of sense. I’m pretty sure he never walked into a Wal-Mart, so why would he design clothing for people who do? Oh, I am so confused…
As a general rule I don’t shop at Walmart. The Walmart near my house is dirty and nasty. I love Target and shop there a few times a month. I feel like Walmart and Target shouldn’t even be compared because Target is so superior. Walmart should really get with the program and make their stores nicer.
OKAY loved the post but I was planning on just reading, but I gota tell you like 5 years ago I actully saw peaches and herb in concert, it was too funny cause Herb keeps aging but trades peaches in for a younger version. And the group that sing “a hip hop hippy to hip hop” they were there too.
Shut up! Our Target doesn’t have one of those! I’m so jealous (okay, not really but it would make me drive the extra 15 minutes to the Target-ON OCCASION-to check it out).
I’m in the mood for Target sometimes, but WalMart is my first love. As long as it’s a “good” one.
If Target had a craft/fabric section it would be complete. But Wal-Mart is getting rid of theirs and my aunt says that is “horrible.” When you can’t find embroidery thread in Mexia, Texas–that’s an issue. As she said, “We’re all old ladies around here!”
This is such an exciting moment! Welcome back, girl! Wal-mart enthusiasts everywhere are so glad to have you.
I thought I was the only person in the world who thought of JFK Jr. when I see the George brand.
3 minutes from my door to WM door in S. We say Hi often…Target is a slpurge in my book. It’s about 25 minutes away in NB, but it is brand new and beeuteeful…however, I hardly ever buy anything there anymore because they have gotten pricey…
I’m so glad you are seeing the beauty in Wal-Mart, again. Good stuff, Big Mama…I like a good reunion.
Ok, see, I knew Colmesneil sounded familiar but couldn’t figure out why till you said Woodville, where my Aunt Martha and Uncle Howard live.
Just got a Christmas card from them, signed – printed, mind you – From Big Daddy and Ma’am.
The last time I spent Christmas with them, years ago, Uncle Howard got in biiiiig trouble for missing Christmas dinner because he was off drinking and shooting craps.
Have you noticed that some Wal-marts are remodeling to look more like Target? I even went to one today and there was a checkout girl waiting.to.check.me.out. There was NO ONE ELSE IN THE LINE. I almost died of a heart attack. Seriously, I heart Target but Wal-Mart has better prices any day of the week.
Support Group Time for My First Walmart Trip stories: I was visiting friends at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas in fall 1977. “We are going to show you the greatest store. It has EVERYTHING. It is called…Walmart.” (In those days, Walmarts were only in small towns.) I was so enamored of the place I considered transferring to SFA.
I cannot stop laughing this was such a funny post and so true!
I was not much of a fan of Walmart either until they showed up am my school yesterday with a semi truck!
I always think of John F Kennedy Jr., when I see the George label. Jackie would roll over in her grave.
From a quick glance through the other comments, I see there are a number of us who are reminded of John Jr. when we see the George cloths at WM.
A Walmart recently opened near us and it is beautiful. The older Walmart is just gross though. And the service is awful. The new one is awesome though. I was pleasantly surprised.
You SERIOUSLY made me laugh so hard…I wet my pjs a little…
Seriously!
Love you girl!
Megan
Okay, seriously, I think this is the funniest post you’ve ever written. Of course, it’s also possible that I’m a little punchy from being iced in for 48 hours. Either way, great post.
Just to echo the comment that you should see the movie Wal-Mart: the High Cost of Low Prices – it’s really something that Christians should be aware of. There’s a direct connection between the kinds of poverty you saw in the Dominican Republic and the low prices Wal-Mart and other stores are able to offer. Wal-Mart’s particularly bad. Most of their clothes are made in sweatshops by children not much older than Caroline. I just don’t think that’s something God wants us to support.
A few things:
*There is no WalMart close enough to our house to justify deals vs. gas to get there. That makes me sad.
*They recently took out the ghetto 1 penny horses at our Meijer (do you have Meijer stores?). I mean, how could those things not be profitable at one cent a ride??
*Lastly, I hope and pray you don’t get so tempted to see the asset protector scooter in action that you swipe some Mossimo
…lol! Love your blog!
I’ve long been a walmart fan-Welcome back to Walmart.
You know I live in the home of WM in AR and I’m so glad you are seeing the light! It brings happiness to my soul in this season! ha ha ha!
P.S. We are getting a Target in our area for the first time ever and I could NOT be more excited!
Just wait until all your Wal*Mart purchases wear out or break after you use them five times and you’ll head back to Target.
Whenever I read posts of your childhood days, it is exactly what I picture a childhood of the 70s/80s to be like (I was more a child of the 80s/90s). And it always has that yellowed sepia look of photographs from that time. I love it!
Also, I am totally with you on the George thing. I used to think he started the magazine AND the WalMart clothing line. Rich people like to do that…make stuff for WalMart. It’s sure to make them much, much richer.
OMG .. I forgot about the corny dogs and lemonade and the BROWN colored WalMart before there was one on every block. Maaannnn
Did someone say Gibson’s? Maaaannnn
I shop at Target when I don’t want noise and WalMart when I need to match prices and use my coupons!
Don’t know if it is good or bad, but I have 2 Targets and 5 WalMarts within a 15 mile radius of my house. Is that progress?
I do not like WalMart and I try to never shop there and I LOVE Target…probably too much.
But I think of JFK Jr. everytime I see the George label too! Funny that something like that can make us think of somebody that we never even knew!
I love that you brought up Peaches & Herb.
My brother-in-law wrote in their names for president one time.
Jill
Nashville, TN.
This is one of my fav posts of yours ever. And I became the 107th commenter just to say that because I was afraid no one else would make you feel good about it.
JFK Jr: What Adam must have looked like in the Garden, only without helmet hair.
Everytime I see the George clothing line I also think of John, John.
Ditto girlfriend. I live within equal distance of 3 Walmarts and I wanted you to know that they have better JFK, Jr (formerly known as George)apparel at some than others. It’s like Big Lots and the Dollar Tree–you have to find the one where fewer people with good taste have access so you can get all the good stuff. Do y’all have Big Lots in Texas? I just read my post and I sound like a hillbilly from younevahheardofit, GA. Maybe I am.
Sorry, friend, but I’m still a Target fan. I only go to Wal Mart if I have to. My husband always makes me laugh when we see an ambulance with its lights and sirens blaring because he will say that they are heading to Wal Mart because all that stuff stacked to the ceiling just fell over and killed someone! His grandpa used to say it.
Oh my! I had forgotten about the corn dogs. That was the highlight of our 30 minute drive to nearby Jasper to go to Wal-Mart. That was of course before they built the super center and alas, did not move the corn dog trailer to the new spot. I loved me some Weiners!! They were also in Jasper. I think we have more and more in common everyday. (Aggies, love of football, Beaumont/Lake area.) I grew up in Newton. Thanks for this!
I just have to say that I have such fond memories of the Walmart corndogs that I ate at the Cleveland, Texas Walmart. And I loved to go swimming as a child at Lake Tejas in Colmesneil! That big slide, too fun!
“At some point Target began to feel that it was the new Nordstrom. They got a little arrogant and started charging upwards of $19.99 for their Mossimo goods.”
true dat, sister.
and it just occurred to me that they probably have to charge upwards of $19.99 for their Mossimo goods in order to pay for that silly Asset Protection Device.
Coincidentally, I’ve been frequenting Walmart myself lately, which was basically unheard of pre-Black Friday 2008. I’m afraid Target is going to have to do soemthing quite special to win me back. Though they do do a good job with the $1 bins.
Our Target and Walmart are across the street from each other. I have always been a Target gal, but I am slowly but surely crossing over to the dark side. I agree with the prices, Target is getting a bit carried away and the quality hasn’t improved with the prices. Just the opposite in fact. Also, the customer service at T is non-existent. At W I can’t get 2 feet without being accosted err, someone offering to help me.
I hate that T is basically shoving me out the door and across the street. But they are.
Cheers, Kiy
P.S. We don’t have one of those fancy Asset Protection Devices at our Target. Probably a good thing. I need to add that sweet ride to my Christmas list!
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