Walmart Messes With My Mind

One simple retail-related word can send a chill up the spine of many Americans...Walmart! I know from talking to a good many folks that shopping at Walmart ranks at the very bottom of their list of things they enjoy doing. Well, perhaps it ranks right above passing a kidney stone, but I haven't seen the 2009 end-of-year rankings yet.

Personally, I don't mind Walmart. I live in a small town now, so if there's shopping to be done, we frequently head to Wally World. When we travel, Walmart can be a great place to pull into for a restroom stop. Ever notice that other retail stores have their restrooms in the back or in some obscure location. When I stop for a bathroom break, I don't want to spend valuable moments tracking down the facilities. At Wal-mart, you can always locate the restrooms at the front of the store.

But this is where Walmart messes with my mind. I appreciate being able to consistently locate Walmart restrooms. However, why can't they be consistent with everything else? The biggest problem occurs as you enter the store. Which door is the entrance? Common sense tells you to go the right. Instinct leads you to go to the right. Yet, if you follow common sense or instinct, you're likely staring at the exit and the traffic flow of people coming right at you.

If you've navigated this obstacle successfully, congratulations. Many fail and never make it to this point. It doesn't necessarily become easier, my dear blog readers. Once you get to the point of entering the store, you have to figure out where everything is. Now, wouldn't Walmart benefit from being consistent in the layouts of individual stores? One would think. However, at Walmart, food could be at your right or at your left. Electronics at the back of the store or in the middle. Books near the greeting cards or at the front of the store.

I'm dizzy just thinking about this madness! For this reason, I need to end this post and lay down for a while...