Bag-Crazed

I don't know what possessed me to think that going to the Super Walmart on my lunch hour the day before Thanksgiving was a good idea.

Now before you berate me with shouts of "It's NEVER a good idea to go to Walmart!", hear me out.

One, despite all the anti-Walmart horror stories and despite my disgust with Big Box stores and chains of any kind, groceries are just plain cheaper there. And with our economy, brought to you by President Shit For Brains & Co., the way it is, money is tight and getting tighter. And where we live, mass-transit isn't an option, everything is at least a 30 mile drive at $3.19 (and that's the low end) a gallon.

Two, my cousin's wife is a Senior V.P. in Bentonville. I like her. She's a great person and isn't evil in the least, that I've seen. So it's a little hard for me to truly buy into the Walmart Is Evil line of thinking. And really, they are a prime example of free enterprise -- if they didn't, someone else will. We really can't buy into blaming Walmart. The problem isn't Walmart. The problem really is us, buying cheap ass shit from China at the lowest prices possible, because of...well...see Point Number One. It's a vicious circle.


Be that as it may, I still have an axe to grind with the Descendents Of Sam. What in the name of all that's holy is with these new miniature bags at Walmart? It's bad enough that I do not have the choice of Paper over Plastic, as at least Paper is a natural, renewable resource that biodegrades. That alone sets me a bit off. But the real clincher is that there is no freaking point whatsoever in bagging things with these tiny miniature bags. They put one, maybe two, on a rare occasion three items in these diminuitive bagettes and then spin the carousel to the next bag. What would have been, in my parents day, 2 grocery bags worth of items turns into 37 friggin bags that I have to try to haul into the house past barking dogs, thru two entry doors, with my hands full. What the hell is the point of bagging ONE item? It's not like the flimsy bags are protecting anything. If they made prophylactics out of that plastic, we'd have another baby boom on our hands, that much is certain!

For my meager purchase of ingredients to make a turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and green bean casserole, I walked out with about 14 bags of groceries and a 12 pack of soda. They put a box of stuffing in one bag. They put brown sugar and 2 boxes of jello in another.

You would think that with oil topping 100 dollars a barrel, it would be too costly to send people out the door with 37 friggin damned bags made from petroleum!