Walmart Is Good At Being Walmart

I shopped at a Walmart Neighborhood Market store for the first time earlier today. I shopped at Wal-Mart Supercenters at least five times given my memory. The first time was Dec 2000. The only purchased I remember was an air toy rifle for which you cock the rifle and pull the trigger the rifle gives off a shot fired sound with vibration. The second time was an unknown month and year I purchased supplies for wet shaving. Jun 2006 was the third time I drove a friend who needed supplies when we attended an anime convention in Orange County. I purchased metal color duct tape on Jun 2009 for which I returned the tape in Jul 2009. The fifth time was in late 2011 I purchased nothing.

It has been at least a decade since I entered a Walmart. Walmart is still Walmart regardless of Supercenter or Neighborhood Market. I felt the past Walmart feelings today. There is no other retail store with the Walmart feeling. There were big crowds for a Thursday noon hour. The inventory was a mix of brand names and off brand names. Some inventory items I didn't see at a Costco or a Safeway. The center aisle included inventory for which some were on pallets. All cosmetic makeups, high-end over the counter nasal drugs, razor blades for shaving, and Tide detergent were glass secured locked. Most of the in-store music were 1980s. The employees were diverse ages young and old; all races including whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians; all body sizes tall, short, thin, and fat; likewise, all the customers. All the employees did an honest job. It's retail. On the one hand, there's no purpose slacking off. On the other hand, there's no purpose going above and beyond their responsibilities.

The Walmart prices are Walmart prices. Items can be cheaper elsewhere if they are on sale. I figure some customers primarily shop at Walmart Neighborhood Market because they don't want to pay for the Costco annual membership, don't want to shop at Costco or Trader Joe's due to selected inventory brands, and/or don't want to spend time looking at retail ads to buy groceries on sale. I purchased no name brand one gallon of white vinegar and one bottle of Kinder's mild barbeque sauce. I shop at any Walmart if I'm desperate.