Saturday, December 19, 2009

it finally happened

We are here in Palm Desert for a few days, enjoying the sun and spectacle. It's actually totally pleasant.

We don't pick up our rental car for a couple of days, and it's clear that this area makes NO concessions to pedestrians, aside from sidewalks. There is a 'Marketplace' here at the resort, but one look at the $6 boxes of cereal made me decide to walk to the nearest grocery store, to buy provisions.

Alas, the nearest grocery story is a Wal*Mart, and I have NEVER been inside one of these, on some kind of principal. I walked there and did my grocery shopping, and I am happy to say that, yes, the prices are surprisingly low, and at least I didn't buy anything made in China.

3 comments:

Cheryle said...

I too had never been in a Walmart until about two years ago, where circumstances beyond my control forced me into one to buy something during a road trip. (it was the only store around)

I remember feeling dirty as I left the store, and haven't been back since. ;-P

Enjoy Palm Desert! Have you taken the tram up the side of the mountain yet?

Barry in Portland said...

Yes, I felt a little unclean as I left the store, but it was mostly due to the sour checker I had, who was genuinely put out that I had brought my own reusable cloth grocery bags, that were slightly smaller than the ones at the designed-for-efficiency Wal*Mart check-out station.

I wanted to be sympathetic, to wish that she would someday get medical benefits and a union, but I thought it best to leave immediately.

Cheryle said...

LOL! Yes, better to just keep your mouth shut and get out of there. :)