Wednesday, September 9, 2009

WEB: People of Walmart

I remember a time back in the fatalistic days of college life - stuck somewhere between mid-terms and vacation with a ceiling in the shape of giant "F" and a floor that was falling out beneath me - when one study trick seemed to do the trick better than any other. Whenever it was that I wanted more than anything to just throw in the towel and do something easy, like culinary school* or professional indoor pool lifeguard, I would pack up my molecular cell biology textbook, leave the library and drive to the local 24-hour Walmart store.

It was here, amid all the price-cutting smiley face signs and mullets that I would get my carton of milk or loaf of bread, look around at mom with five screaming toe-headed kids and a baby tucked nicely under her fourth fat-roll that I would reaffirm my need to keep studying. As the toothless woman with bags under her eyes and an aqua-netted hairdo she had worn since her 1982 Prom (because she looked so "rad") rang up my $3-4 purchase and ask if I wanted paper or plastic, I would smile and start mentally planning the fastest route back to the library.

These mid-night trips became a ritual for me in college, and I've tried to avoid this corporation ever since, if at all possible. The website People of Walmart is a humorous way for me to remember why. Seriously, what did we ever do in the days before camera-phones and pointless websites? Oh, yeah...we had to actually visit these places.

Sergio del Limónar

*I would have failed culinary school. It is definitely not an "easy" skill and chef's should get paid more!

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