Another Wal-Mart Pet Peeve

So, I'm pretty sure that I can't make a pet peeve list for Wal-Mart because I find a new one every trip. However, I have noticed a recurring Wal-Mart problem (and I was never good at science). Am I the only one that gets shocked by Wal-Mart shopping carts? If I don't hold on to the plastic handle, I get continuously shocked. I understand that the plastic handles are shock absorbers, but still, if I hold on to any part of the metal cart, I feel as if I have constant pricking in my hands and arms. Ouch! What is with all the static electricity there?

Oh, and I know that I'm not always dressed to the "nines" (more like the "negative eleventeens") when I go shopping there, but I really hope that on one of my "I just don't care days" that I don't end up on this website:

People of Wal-Mart

Oh, and I really wish we'd gotten a picture of "Santa" on Saturday. Ugh. . . He didn't even know how to wear the beard -- the mouth hole was above his mouth, and his brown hair was hanging out of his cap. Jackson didn't even acknowledge "Santa" even after we were asked if we wanted a "free" picture. Both Matt and I decided that the only way we would consider putting Jackson on that man's lap was if they were to pay us. Even then, it would have been iffy.

"Welcome to Wal-Mart!"

Yesterday we did some Wal-Mart shopping. As I went to try on some Christmas jammies to make sure they were going to fit, the sales associate was so un-welcoming, I felt depressed. Yes, it was almost 8 p.m., but you'd think I'd just insulted her when I thanked her.

Contrast: By the time we had filled our cart with more than we had planned, I was excited because we found a check-out counter with only two people in front of us. Little did I know that I had pick the "friendliest employee of the century" to serve me. I could tell by the time she was helping the lady in front of me, that she had a comment for EVERYTHING! She seemed very nice, but almost too helpful. She would explain why she was putting things in bags together. This was cute and that was fun. And she has every holiday teddy bear except 2005 and 2007, and she's saving up to get the 2007 bear (it's only $10!). And aren't poinsettias just beautiful this year? She has two boys, and she wouldn't ever trade for a girl, but to have another one now would be too big of a gap between children, and maybe she would want a girl one day . . .

Do you get the picture?! When she asked me if I wanted to keep the hangers my husband said, "just keep them!" At first I had said that I didn't want them, but when I noticed that it was taking her 5 minutes to decide how to handle my answer, I quickly changed my mind. She tried to explain at the end how she'd bagged my groceries, and I quickly replied, "Oh, it's fine. Thanks." I admit I would rather have the friendly sales associate, but I would also like to only take 5 minutes to check out rather than 15 min.

Something I hate

Hate is a very strong word, I know. Maybe I should use the word "despise," or "never look forward to," or "wish I could avoid." "What is it?" You ask. Forwarded emails. Yes, I can't stand them. I especially don't care for emails that have been mass-forwarded. Likely, I have gotten the email before, it is an urban legend, or it is very outdated. I like to look up these "PLEASE READ THIS NOW AND SEND IT TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW" forwards on websites like snopes.com: a website that researches urban myths and other mass emails. Snopes.com has reliable and relevant links to the sources. The emails I research usually turn out to be urban legends, or like the one I got today, it is almost a year old and has been spread way too much.

Exception: I don't mind getting a silly email from a friend or family member that they think I would really like. AND it was sent to me and other people I know, OR the sender has used the "blind carbon copy"(BCC) feature in the email. (This is the way you send out a mass email, but the receiver won't be able to see the other email addresses to which the email was sent.)

So, in the end, my advice is, do your research before you mass email everyone in your address book, and if you do feel the need (or you just can't hold back because of the hilarity of something -- I know it does happen), then use the blind carbon copy feature so that you don't inadvertently pass along email addresses that don't want to be passed.

Thanks for listening.