Wronged At Walmart

At the risk of sounding like a child tattling on someone who cut in the lunch line, I just HAVE to share what happened to Ty and I in Walmart Saturday night. But before I do I'd like to share a few tips to avoid this EVER happening to you. 1. Avoid Utah all together. Honestly, I realized this could happen anywhere, but many Utahans act in person the same way they drive: Completely inconsiderate with a serious ME attitude. (I hear this is only the case between Salt Lake and Provo - and believe that could easily be true, so I guess avoid the salt lake-provo area ;-)) 2. If that isn't possible, as in our case, DON'T EVER go to Walmart on a Saturday night. 3. And finally if you really MUST go to Walmart for that last minuted Sunday dinner item or Saturday night ice cream, NEVER EVER EVER EVER go to the Walmart in Orem. In fact it would probably be a good idea to drive a few extra miles to the Lindon or Springville Walmart WHENEVER you need to go to Walmart because the Orem Walmart is possibly the worst Walmart I've ever encountered (that's a whole other story though).

By the time we got what we needed and headed to the register at Walmart Saturday night, it was already eight thirty. Less than half the lanes were open. The lines were HORRENDOUS. Lily was SOOO tired. And Crystal was grumpy. So we made our way to a center lane that seemed to have the shortest line. Our spot in line landed us right next to the $5 DVD bin. The people in front of us, the people in front of them, and Ty and I were perusing through the movies as we waited in line.

Ty stayed standing behind the cart and would push it forward as the line moved. When it got to a point where the line had moved everyone but us away from the bin, Ty pushed the cart forward leaving about a 2-3 foot gap between the cart and the lady standing in line in front of us. We were still looking through them hoping it would help the time pass (it had already been 5-10 minutes) when a college student in a handicap electric cart (with 4 of his friends in tow) squeezed the nose of his cart in front of us. Ty and I just stood there jaws dropped staring at them but they refused to even look our way- even after Ty pushed the cart right up behind the electric cart they were using. The kids cart didn't even fit in the gap Ty had left, but as soon as the lady (who used to be right in front of us) moved forward he drove his cart completely in front of us! All 5 people didn't even look back.

I tried very hard not to be upset and tried desperately to believe they really had no idea what they had done. I thought well maybe the kid on the electric cart really didn't feel well and needed to get home, or that maybe somehow it really didn't look like we were in line. So I looked at the people behind us in line. They were - of course - digging through the DVD bin... in about the exact same spot we had been when this happened to us ... with - shockingly enough - the same gap between them and us. I stepped out of line to get a different view of the situation. Unfortunately it didn't make me feel any better. They definitely looked like they were in line. And if I thought it were questionable, they were close enough to the line that I wouldn't DARE get in front of them without asking if they were in line first. So it was true. These five students had really just pulled in front of a young family with 2 small GRUMPY children (who does that?!?! REALLY!?!?!).

We'd already been in line for a good 10 minutes and it didn't look like they had a lot of stuff anyway, so I calmed myself down thinking that it was only going to take 2-3 more minutes TOPS and it wasn't going to kill us to just wait it out (Which was really hard by the way. Its one thing when you get cut off when driving, then the car is gone in seconds and you move on. But standing in a long line at the store, we just had to sit there and stare at them for another 10 minutes... or more. Yes that's right ... more than 10 minutes.

As it turns out (once it was their turn) most of the stuff being bought belonged to 3 girls in the group. They rang it up as one transaction, but then wanted to use 3 different debit cards. So the cashier had to figure out what the 1/3 of the total was and the girls began sliding their cards. REALLY? (At this point Lily had decided she'd had enough and was SCREAMING in her carseat. Ty had taken Crystal elsewhere because she was NOT going to stand in line any longer!) The first girl paid and the second girl's card wouldn't work on the machine, so the cashier took it to run it on his end. As he was sliding the card he dropped it behind the keyboard and down into the neck of the stand. SERIOUSLY? THIS CAN'T REALLY BE HAPPENING? The cashier couldn't reach his hand down far enough to get it. Neither could anyone else in the group and yes they ALL tried. Even the "sickly" one in the handicap electric cart who didn't seem handicap or sickly at all as it turns out - NOT EVEN A LIMP! He went and sat back in his cart while the others figured out what to do. (This made me feel more upset because I couldn't blame it on him not feeling well and needing to go home anymore).

This is when I heard his friend ask him (remember Lily was screaming still) if it was worth it leaning his head over to point in our direction. I heard him respond something about the line ... I don't know what he said exactly. I was too shocked at the fact that they had indeed known what they had done, but had been above standing in line like the rest of us and waiting their turn! Wow! Again I will say it: REALLY?!?!?

Well after about five more minutes and some squeezing hands through different opening in the register, one of the girl's finally managed to get the card out. The second and then third girl paid. Then the other two bought what they had in two different transactions and it was finally our turn - 5 transactions later than it really should have been (Lily still NOT happy!)! It was like having FIVE people cut in front of us in an already LONG line!

From the moment it happened I realized it wasn't going to do any good to feel anger towards them when it was just making me feel horrible. I'm sure they left the store without giving the situation another thought. My hurt feelings weren't going to affect their lives in any way, just mine and mine alone. So yes I have told you my story of how I was once greatly wronged at Walmart. And yes it has made me feel much much better (I don't know why ... but ... well ... it has ... lol). Now I just hope next time it happens I will handle it with a better Christ-like attitude and avoid the bad feelings all together.