This could be a precarious thread- keep the politics out, please because I think that it could provide quite an interesting discussion about something that we all have done......
SHOPPING AT WALMART
On Halloween day I was putting the final touches on Henri's ladybug costume. She is 14 and all of the components for the outfit came from our own closets or Goodwill including the black spots from a torn up old fleece sweatshirt I had been hanging onto for far too long. It occurred to me that rather than make a hood or hat that if I could get a black ski cap that I could attach the little hand sewn antenae. She ice skates and needs a new hat, I don't knit that kind of stuff, Paul said lets go downtown to Walmart and I said okay.
We live in urban, highly congested downtown Long Beach and smack in the center of downtown is Town Center that is capped off at one end by a Walmart. This is the street where our farmer's market takes place every Friday. It is a few blocks from my house. I never go to the Walmart. Ever. Just not my bag- we try to be as low carbon and local as possible.
That night Henri's friend's mom and I are talking. She is a liberal lawyer who is an activist for kids with autism and the relationship to mercury.....you get the idea. She asks me about the costume and I get to the part about buying the hat in the little boy's dept. for $3.99 and she starts in on me. "You WENT to Walmart and BOUGHT something??"
I left that night feeling chastised for slipping up. Did I betray my core beliefs? Am I forever marked as an irresponsible citizen of the earth?
As Darius mentioned in another thread- her meds are far cheaper there and who is going to blame her for that? Sometimes you need school supplies for your kids and your office frowns on you sneaking out binders (that isn't even sustainable anyways!). I can walk to Wally World for embroidery thread or I can drive 16 miles round trip to just another chain store that only sells sewing supplies.
When do you go to Wally World and do you ever find yourself apologizing for it? When is it okay?
Wally isn't cool but...when is it cool?
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