Walmart... only slightly better then torture!

On Saturday, I took a trip to Walmart to take advantage of the "Tax Free School Supplies Weekend" in Virginia. Josh had a birthday party, so Caleb and Brooks were my little side kicks on this "adventure!" We wandered through the cram-packed isles looking for the 24 count box of Crayola crayons, the large glue sticks, fine tip markers - 10 count, large tip markers - 10 count, the Ziploc bags with the slider seal, the wipes in the round container, etc... Don't EVEN get me started on requirements for the school supplies.

Caleb was being very helpful picking out the colors that Josh would like, and Brooks was happy eating his Cheerios and flirting with strangers.

I spent 12 minutes burrowing through 2-pocket folders looking for anything that wasn't covered in fairies and kitties. There is always a plethora of girly things, and a shortage of boy things. This happens every year, so I don't know why I'm still shocked... but when I saw a little girl sporting a princess t-shirt and sparkly flip flops snatch up the 2nd to last "masculine" folder in the isle, I almost leaped over 3 carts ape-style, hollering like Sponge Bob when he goes jelly-fishing to pry that folder out of her little kung-fu grip! Seriously, there were mountains of folders... WHY DID SHE HAVE TO CHOOSE THE LAST PLAIN BLUE ONE! But I contained myself, and was left with only one puke green folder, when I was supposed to have five.

When I got to the check-out, and had put 3/4 of my items on the conveyor belt, I realized that I had left my checkbook in the car. Now for those of you who think I'm completely Old-School for using checks for anything other then paying fines at the library, let's rewind this story about 4 hours when I received a call from Bank of America stating that there had been fraudulent charges on my ATM card. Therefore, they needed to cancel my card and issue a new one, which I would have to pick up in person within the next 7 minutes before the bank closes on a Saturday. Yeah, that's not gonna happen. So you see, I was left with no other option but to write a check.

So back at the check-out stand, I made my confession to the cashier and she said I could run get it without a problem. So I grabbed Brooks out of the cart and clutched Caleb's hand, and booked it outside in 95 degree heat to retrieve the checkbook and book it back in. My timing was perfect, and I got there just in time to see the grand total. I scribbled out the check, she ran it through the machine and she asked to see my driver's license. I knew before I even opened my wallet that I would see an empty space where my license SHOULD have been, but I pretended to look anyway. Several days prior to this, I needed a photocopy of my license but had forgotten to put it back in my wallet. Right there in Walmart, I was envisioning my abandoned license nestled inside the copier at home.

Without going into the details of why I had continued to drive around Richmond without it, I begged the cashier to input other important numbers... social security number?... library card number?... temple recommend number?... ANYTHING?

After my options were explained to me, I watched as my cart full of Tax Free items was pushed to a lonely corner at Customer Service. There it would sit until I had the energy to go home to get my license, pick up Josh from the party, drive back to Walmart in the weekend traffic, unload all three kids, truck back into Walmart and stand in line again, load the kids and bags up, drive home, unload kids and bags, just in time for the dinner-time rush where there would surely be three hungry little mouths all screaming for food! I don't know if I had it in me. On the way home, I had decided that I would not go back into Walmart that day. I was willing to sacrifice 1 1/2 hours of my precious time to avoid all that extra work!

When I rounded the corner, I saw Mike's car in the driveway. A little shaft of light shone down through the clouds, and I swore I could hear a choir of heavenly angels singing praises! I made one more trip back to Walmart that day, but it was by myself. I picked up the school supplies and looked at my receipt. I had saved $5.00. You tell me, was it worth it?
Josh on the last day of school.