Dear Reader (s),
I know I had promised you a column on "The Associates," but recent events at my local Wal-Mart necessitated a change in publishing plans! First, last week there was a major confrontation in the parking lot involving a weapon being pointed, with a tire iron being used in a defensive maneuver. Needless to say, much consternation & panic resulted, complete with a police chase. Thankfully, the brandisher of the weapon was arrested (he was attempting to "collect" a debt of $6,000).
Perhaps this confrontation prompted my successive experience, or maybe I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. My daughter & I had wandered into that self-same local Wal-Mart store. I was in desperate need of a new alarm clock. As I examined the clock offerings, a man wandered down the aisle, seemingly also needing a new clock. Something about his "shopping attitude" triggered alarm bells for me - as I moved away from him I noticed my daughter's concern. As he left our aisle, she asked me if I had seen his revolver!
OMG - a shopper needs to be "packing" in Wal-Mart! What is he afraid of - cantankerous cantaloupes, mad melons, onery oranges, or fighting fig newtons? I just don't get it - the only way you can wear a weapon is that it has to be visible & has to remain holstered. So, why wear it? That's like saying you can carry a phone but can't use it - so why have it? Unless, perish the thought, the "packer" does not intend to keep his weapon holstered . . . . And why would someone need "protection" inside the store. . . . Is there something about shopping at Wal-Mart that I've been missing???? This whole scene has really caused me to question my shopping choices. I knew the parking lot was full of danger, but really thought that inside the store the most danger came from errant children in the toy department . . . . Or, maybe the shopper was headed back to the toy department after viewing the clocks - perhaps he just needed to steady his nerves first?
This whole "packing" scene has really left me nonplussed. Rather than reassured that here was someone who was ready for a threatening situation, I felt shaken & thrust into a danger that I was ill-prepared for. I find myself studying fellow shoppers with a critical eye - does the person pushing the cart past me appear "grounded," will that shopper with the screaming child suddenly lose it & pull out a weapon, what about the young man with the droopy pants? Perhaps racial profiling is not acceptable for the airport security specialists, but is it something I should consider? How do I protect myself from the crazies, the stupids, the jerks as they crawl out from under the rocks they hide under?
Dear Reader, this is a problem I will have to mull over. Do other stores attract shoppers who "pack," or is this a phenomenon inherent to Wal-Mart shoppers? I will carefully consider my options, and of course, keep you posted!
