Despite how much you might think Walmart is everywhere, there are a few places it is not, and one of those is the middle of Dallas. We have been told in the past that this is because Walmart will not build in what it considers urban areas, and the center of Dallas where we live is very urban. There is not really any space for the huge concrete mecca a Walmart needs, and the demographic of people in Central Dallas is such that there is no call for a Walmart. We all know white people love Target and hate Walmart. There are 3 Targets within 10 miles of our house. What we do have is Walmart Neighborhood Markets.Why was I trying to find a Walmart? I thought maybe they would have stepping stones for our backyard at affordable prices. I have tried all the Home Depot and Lowes around here and I can't find anything affordable (i.e. adding up to less than $300). Also, did you know that Walmart-brand cake mixes are the only cake mixes manufactured that do not contain partially hydrogenated oils? I learned this from my friend Millie. I think everyone knows how I feel about PHO's. It is a lesser-known fact that I love cake, and that I can't eat it without be angry about the PHO's in it. I know I could probably get the cake mix at the Walmart Neighborhood Market but I wanted to find the stepping stones and maybe a nice galvanized tub for the backyard.
If you search Google Maps for Walmart Supercenter near Dallas, TX you will notice that while the mailing address of these results are technically "Dallas", those are actually the outlying areas of Dallas and if you knew the area, that they are actually suburbs. Using Walmart.com and searching on our zip code yields a Walmart on Hwy 30 which says it is 4 miles away but that must be "as the crow flies". So I ended up driving around 10 miles to a Super Walmart in Plano. I drove all the way there and they did not have stepping stones or galvanized tubs. They did have the cake mixes, so I bought 2, and also a tub of icing because Walmart-brand icing is also the only one manufactured that does not contain PHO's.
When I was in the Walmart, I was amazed by how freaking huge it was. Seriously, the aisles are wide enough for around 4-5 carts abreast. Am I just that small of a person? I felt like I was walking in a gigantic wasteland of prepackaged goods. Is it because I am accustomed to shopping in grocery stores and Targets where things are much more compact? I don't know. I was also freaked out by the fact that children's underpants were about 5 feet from an aisle of Doritos and other snack foods...does that seem weird to anyone else? Is this normal? At Target there is the "clothing" area and then the "food" area...underpants and chips do not coexist!! I am trying to think of other things that were specifically scary but it was overall just very disorienting. After everything inside being so huge, the gardening area was tiny and understocked, I was disappointed.
And that is my adventure in Super Walmart.
Also on the way there in 100 degree heat, it became apparent that the AC in the Mercedes no longer works. But that is another post :-)
