Monday, September 14, 2009

the Walmarts post

MM: I insisted that we give some sort of update on life even though Ginny just wanted to release some apparent, pent-up anger. I am glad she is writing. I am currently happy about all things that occupy her while simultaneously involving little to no movement.

Read the post prior to this one if you did not know that Ginny has been placed on bed rest. She is doing well- although the most difficult part by far, for her, has been the mandatory hands-off approach to parenting Hazel. I am tired, but smiling. Yes, we’ve bonded. Hazel always loves the hand that feeds her. Yes, I have had lots of help from great friends & family.

We go to the Dr. in order to check on everything on Wednesday. Until then, tell them what you think about it, Gin…
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GM: So most posts on here are quite… well…they’re sort of serious. We like to talk about all that Eliot’s life taught us & continues to teach us & for both of us there is a lot of healing & processing in the midst of that.
When I was entertaining the idea of starting a little blog, Matt would have none of it. He said, “Why would you do that when we can blog together?!” I explained that I wasn’t exactly a “writer” like him & I wanted to just post about the mundane & silly & everyday mom stuff & not worry about how it’s written. He said that was perfectly fine & even encouraged it. Well, I have yet to do that…til now…

I don’t really like Walmart. That statement may seem like no big deal to most of you, but you see, we live in Walartland. We are very close to Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, AR.
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The point is we live in Walmartland. Which is why, upon moving here, I quickly discovered that my days of shopping at a nice little Kroger or Albertsons or Harris Teeter were over. I remember this stark realization well. I needed asiago cheese for a delicious & easy zucchini casserole. Walmart #1: no asiago. Walmart #2: no asiago.
Not long after this experience & others similar, I decided I had to put an end to the frustration & learn to deal with this current predicament. So, now, out of the goodness of my heart, I share my tips for dealing with the megamart.

1. Always park close to the cart return. It doesn’t matter how far way you park. I my estimation, 9 out of 10 times, you are GOING to park far away at Walmart. Don’t fight it, just go with it. But if you park close to the cart return, you simply load your groceries & essentially you’re done.
2. Park near the entrance where you will end up, rather than where you start, which requires you to…
3. Have some semblance of a plan. Ok, ask anyone who knows me & they will testify that I am one of the furthest people from type A that you’ll ever meet. But, ya’ll this seriously helps me survive walmart. I organize my list into 5 categories:
a. household (all non grocery, like toothpaste, batteries, the things that take forever to find)
b. dry groceries
c. dairy
d. meat/freezer
e. produce/bread
I go in that order & don’t judge, just try it & tell me if you don’t spend WAY less time in Walmart than you used to.
4. When deciding a check-out, don’t just go by the shortest line, look at the actual checker. Sweet grandma Pearline may have the shortest line, but you’ll be in that line all day. Just make your best guess on who is fast & it won’t matter how long the line is. In my doing this, I have made a great friend. I’ve now known her about a year, we’ve actually grabbed lunch together. I could write a whole post on how great she is, but that’s for another time. She told me to...
5. Go to Walmart on Tuesday or Wednesday morning. My friend said this is a great time to go because everything is re-stocked from the weekend & is at it’s freshest. I’ve also discovered that there are very few people there at that time! If you can’t go then, whatever you do, just don’t go on Saturday or Sunday people, it’s just frustration waiting to happen.

So there ya go. And it’s not even Christmas.

21 comments:

christina said...

i almost posted a blog similar to this one, mostly just griping about why i hate walmart. It's more about the people that shop there more than the store itself. When i was at college, it was the only thing to do in that small town...i think they had a parade or something when it opened.

p.s. our first ob appt tomorrow since our pregnancy with cana....thinking lots about you guys!

courtney said...

if you haven't already discovered it, you might enjoy my new favorite website....

http://peopleofwalmart.com/

Jusuf JK said...

In my country,
everyday, we use to shopping at local traditional market.. there we can bargain the item price. The market is only 500m from our home (inside our housing).

But sometimes, we go to Careffour for shopping (2x each month).(there is no wall-mart at my country)

I read your tips, it was very use full tips.
can I add some my tips for u:
1. Make a list for groceries.
2. Set up a budget and promise that you will not pass it.
3. Don't buy item that you are'nt need at this time. ( trust me, It will end in warehouse).
4. If you in hurry, set up in your mind, which item that you must seek first (do first thing first, 7habits Covey).
5. See the promotional enclose with careful, some times it's price cheap only with certain condition.


Regards
JusufJK- Jakarta

Belle said...

Amen to NOT going on Saturday or Sunday! I just made this mistake over the weekend and remembered why I don't like shopping at Walmart! :)

Glad to read you're taking care and not minding bedrest. Been there and wish I had done that better. :) A friend had placenta previa and all worked out well. Sometimes we need a good turnout instead of all the bad things people will tell us.

I've read your blog for a while now and really enjoy it. My daughter loves the newest pics of Hazel! We are Tennessee fans in our house and SEC football is the best!

Unknown said...

Oh my word, I can totally agree to your distaste for wal-mart... and we live in Florida, not even walmartland... ha... I cant go and NOT get irritated by the time I leave!
It was fun to hear a Ginny post today! Hope you are "resting"! :) (I don't comment often, but do follow and read your blog!)

kaw said...

Well, I can't lie, because I actually like Wal Mart. I love that I can go there and get MOST of what I need, and also that it's cheap. BUT, I will say that I do almost all of the things in your plan! Let's still be friends. :)

Kim

Sara said...

Ginny,

After you last post, I wanted to comment and let you know I am praying for you and Matt and Hazel. I am 32 weeks pregnant and have been on modified bedrest(able to be up and around a little more than strict bedrest) for several months. I also have a 21 month old daughter, so I know how challenging doing this all with a little one can be.

I have to admit that I have struggled with my attitude about it all at times. I am always overwhelmingly thankful that the little one inside of me is ok, but it's frustrating to watch other people care for my daughter and do the things I want to be doing for her!

You do learn some interesting things while on bedrest though...as one of my friends who was there herself said, "who knew the 'Price is Right' had reruns?"

Julie said...

There should be a support group for Wal-Mart customers.

Around here we refer to this retail giant as..... stupidwalmart ....all one word.

You are right about going on weekdays and I prefer mornings.

Sincerely Yours Paper inc. said...

Adding to tip #4: if it's a dude, he will surely put the loaf of bread and the one gallon glass jar of pickles in the same bag.

Emmy A said...

If you have to go on Saturday you need to be out by 9:00am. For some reason, 9:00am is the magical time when EVERYONE shows up to walmart on Saturday. If you have to go on Sunday, get up early, go to the earliest service you church offers, and then go immediately to walmart. You'll be done in time to beat the church crowd and McAlister's. :)

Jess Parker said...

I am still reeling from the no Kroger, Albertsons, etc. It's very difficult to talk about. Also, just got home from Walmart (on a Tues morn) and it was stocked and not crowded.:)
Brooks

JPTG said...

WOW. few things come to mind:
So sorry to hear you're on bedrest but agree the end result of healthy full term baby #3 is worth every minute. I have heard of other placenta previa moms graduate from bedrest if they do really well on it and the placenta has shifted/left the critical area. So, since you're behaving, it may not be as long as you might fear.
And with your bedrest, we hear more from you on the blog, well all the better for us readers. Sorry for the reason that might the case, but selfishly happy about this by-product.
Thirdly, and last- can you post the zucchini and asiago cheese recipe? Sounds DELISH.
all the best- reader in VA
[I've been lurking on your site for months since reading about Eliot on another Trisomy 18 family blog, and then of course the Oprah and Today shows cemented my status as a "fan."]

Heather said...

Awesome post. I'm all the way out in CA and your points are true here as well. I'd like to add one though, might be a local phenomenon at our Wal-Mart but it's true nonetheless. If you shop anytime between the hours of 9-11pm be prepared for it to be crowded. Seven days a week. Totally annoying, since I like to try and hit the stores when the kiddos are asleep.
P.S. I've been following you all for awhile now, since you first appeared on Oprah. Just now got around to creating an account so that my posts aren't always signed "anonymous".

Kim said...

I hate Walmart TOO. People don't understand this. But it's ridiculous. (Luckily, in my world, Kroger is next to Walmart, therefore saving me 9/10 times.)

Jody McComas said...

I love this post. I hate Walmart and try not to go very often but when I went yesterday all I could think about was you. Hope you're doing well.

Unknown said...

I'm with ya Ginny! We call it "Walfarts." Don't ever try to get specialty cheese at Wallyworld. Go to Harp's on College or Mission and Crossover ...great cheese selection. Sorry about the bedrest, praying for a healthy baby! Matt, I'm glad you're letting her post ;)

DONNA said...

I hate WalMart as well. It really makes no sense to me how you can go to this store and buy the same product twice, maybe three times, but then one day you go in for the product and "OH, WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE CARRYING THAT ANYMORE, IT'S BEEN DISCONTINUED." The product this time was my favorite Pillsbury cake mix. Last week it was hook and eyes for sewing. Wonder what it will be next week. I personally have tried to go to Dollar General for most things, and I will even drive further or spend a little more just to not have to go into Walmart. They have ruined small town businesses and they don't treat their employees any better than they treat their customers.

Julie said...

Good to hear from both of you!

Ginny - I was saying "exactly" the whole time I was reading about your Walmart experience/recommendations!! I, too, hate going to Walmart and luckily I have choices. But so much of what you said makes perfect sense...to TRY to avoid the frustration!

Thanks for the laugh! :)

Stacey said...

Hi Ginny,

Just letting you know I am following your progress with baby #3, and so happy he/she is well after the Thursday scare (understatement). Being still and listening to God would be such a blessing.
Hey, we shop alike...I categorize my list almost identically! weird. Although, I pretty much avoid going to Wal-Mart by myself (I know...big weenie), but I go to Target which is probably not much better.

Do you guys ever get back to the Fort Worth area? I would love to see you. You have a beautiful family!

Love,
Stacey

Jennifer said...

I am late reading this post but man oh man, I could have written that myself! I too have felt the need to blog about walmart. Ugh. Anyway, funny post!

VikingLady said...

Love your Wal-Mart comments! But could I add something? Never ever go to Wal-Mart on black Friday! Yikes! I did that mistake once..Never ever again.
Some people might love it, but Im serious; if you love your life, stay home and re-fry the turkey, eat snacks with the kids and play some board games. I still have nightmares from that day, and its been years.
The line went all the way from the cashiers, and all the way to the wall by the shoes! Not kidding. And people shopped everything they could get their hands on, as long as it said "CHEAP" on it. Crazy...
I rather stay home =o)