I’ve read several posts about Wal-Mart lately, and while I don’t have any personal horror stories, it has reminded me of something that happened to a friend of mine. I know that this woman won’t mind my sharing her crazy experience with all of you, so here goes:
My friend had gone to Wal-Mart to purchase a flatscreen TV that was on sale. It was the only thing that she was buying, so she loaded it in her cart and headed to the checkout. She got into the “20 Items or Less” lane, and then realized that the woman in front of her had an absolutely full cart. Like, overflowing. She wasn’t real happy since it was obvious that this woman and her son were over the limit, but she didn’t say a word. This woman turns around, looks at my friend, glares at her, and then tells her teenage son how “some people are so rude – did you see that woman behind us give us “the look” for being over the limit?” The woman and her son start loudly talking about how people should mind their own business, and my friend was just in shock. She finally said, “Ma’am, I don’t care how much stuff you have in your cart. If it really bugged me, I would’ve moved to a different aisle”. Thinking this would appease the angry mother and son, she turned back to looking at the magazines and candy.
Well, mom and son continue to make snide comments and give rude looks. Finally, after all of their things were loaded and paid for, the mom turned to my friend and said, “Well, I hope you learned your lesson about shoving your nose where it doesn’t belong!” and walked away. My friend just stared after her, then turned to look at the cashier, who immediately started to apologize. My friend shrugged it off, but as she was paying for her purchases she noticed that the mom and son were loitering around the Wal-Mart exit. She said to the cashier, “Look! That woman and her son look like they’re waiting for me at the exit! Can you believe that?” The cashier offered to call security, but my friend declined. After all, it was the middle of a Saturday and it was broad daylight – what damage could they do?
She walked to the exit, pushing her cart with one hand and holding the TV steady with the other. She starts to walk past this woman and her son, and the woman walks up beside her, hits her on the back of the head, and runs off with her teenage son, both of them yelling obscenities at my friend. Are you kidding me?! My friend’s hands were occupied, otherwise she would’ve pushed the woman away, but she didn’t want to risk damaging the TV. Security rushed up to help her, but the woman and her son were long gone.
What kind of a person thinks that this behavior is appropriate? To lie in wait for someone and hit them on the head, all because of a non-existent dirty look? What kind of lesson was this mom teaching to her son? And what are the odds of this sort of thing happening anywhere other than Wal-Mart?
And that is why I refuse to go to a WalMart.
OMG wow……oh Wal-Mart, I knew there was a reason I refuse to shop at your store unless it is a dire necessity…
Oh my gosh!!
I really hope you have seen peopleofwalmart.com.
I think that lady and her son belong on it.
And I really do agree with ally above…those people were trash.
The women shouldn’t be in any surprise when she gets a call from her son’s school claiming bad behavior or a fight. That is completely uncalled for and worst to let it happen in a way that makes it look okay for the son to one day do that.
I just never understand some people sometimes! It’s crazy!
uhm, two words: white trash.
hope that doesn’t offend anybody, but i deal with that kind of person every frickin’ day in the neighborhood i live in. PURE TRASH.
I got the book! Thanks so much again:)
Why have people forgotten the golden rule? Seriously?
Oh my goodness!! I cannot believe that woman & son treated your friend like that! Uggh!
Me, my mum & my yongest brother had a bad experience years ago when we were at this supermarket. We’d just done the grocery shopping and I’d taken my little brother (who was maybe 1 or 2 at the time) over to one of the kid’s rides to play in. Anyways I found a little plastic bank bag which had at least $200 cash in it which was obviously someone’s shopping money. I took it to mum and then we handed it in straight away at the customer service counter. We go out to load the groceries into the car and then I notice this lady standing near where the ride was looking for something and pointed her out to mum as the lady who had probably left the cash. But because we’d already handed it in we didn’t go and see her. Anyways so then we went to the nearby post shop and this lady who’d seen us looking at her, followed us in there and started accusing us loudly, in front of every one in line, of stealing her money. We told her what we’d done and took her back to the customer service desk who gave it back to her and she barely uttered a word of thanks!
This story disgusted me!! Someone actually did that?!?! I’m horrified!! I seriously wish people that think this is ok were not even alive. I know that’s a terrible thing to say, but it’s true. The world would be a better place without them…
I don’t know if you know this, but I posted a “Target” story at my blog last night.
Apparently, it isn’t just me! Still, this is little consolation. What is happening to human decency?
oh my.
just another reason for me to avoid walmart. target is the way to go! 🙂