[onewhippedpuppy]

Funny that so many share my opinion of that cesspool. I do my best to avoid it, but there's simply some stuff you can't get at any other one place. From the moment I step in the door my blood pressure doubles. I simply cannot wait to get out. If that store is a microcosm of American society, we're all doomed. The only time it's tolerable is when I visit at 6 am, normally to pick up oil for a weekend project.

One observation though, it's amazing the differences between the stores. We have a Wal-Mart within one block of our home. We live in a very nice neighborhood, with even nicer adjacent neighborhoods ($1M+). Unfortunately, it's still the closest WM to what passes for the Wichita ghetto. At times our store is an odd mixture of South Central LA and Tennessee trailer park. However, other stores that are safely located in the midst of middle class neighborhoods are oddly pleasant. No children being beaten, everyone's pants are safely secured above their asses, and no groups blocking entire aisles while speaking spanish. On the upside, with Wal-Mart attracting the "interesting" folks like moths to a flame, our Target is quite nice.