Bonus Saturday at WalMart

Way before we moved from North Texas, Randy and I made a deal never to step foot in a WalMart to get groceries - or anything - if we didn't have to.  Lucky us, a fancy new Kroger was built right down the street from us.  Even though WalMart was closer and WalMart was cheaper, Randy and I took a blood oath not to shop there.  

Even one evening when we suddenly got the urge for ice cream.  We hopped in the car and decided to hit the WalMart since it was right around the corner from us.  We didn't even park, let alone get out of the car before we looked at each other and said, lets go to Kroger.

There are three grocery stores in Mountain Home.  Harps, Town and Country and the WalMart Super Center.  Since we had the blood oath not to shop at WalMart hanging over our heads, we did our grocery shopping at Harps.  Harp's doesn't have much for a selection (which really means they didn't have Pretzel or Peanut Butter   M & M's), and I thought they were pretty high in price.

Town & Country was out.  On a previous trip to Mountain Home, I dashed in that store for something and wasn't impressed with it at all.

Shortly after we got settled here, I had an occasion to venture out on my own and snuck into the WalMart for a few groceries.  Wow.  Courteous and friendly clerks.  A neat and tidy store.  Lots of lanes open, even all the quick-check lanes. 

Damn the blood oath.  We are now doing our grocery shopping at WalMart.

The only trouble is ... WalMart tends to get pretty busy.  Mountain Home is a retirement community and a fair percentage of it's population is of the older generation.  Heaven help anyone who gets in the way of an elderly person pushing their cart to their destination.  

Case in point.  Randy and I were in the candy isle a few weeks back.  I was gazing adoringly at the brightly colored sugar goodnesses that were all calling my name in a melodic sound.  Every time I made a step forward, an older gentlemen would push his cart at me.  This happened a few times, before I looked up and realized that it was our neighbor, John.

Very funny, John.  At your age, you should know better than to stand in between a female and chocolate. You were very close to getting hurt.

Anyway ~

And since the population here knows one another, it isn't unusual to come across quite a few people chatting and socializing in amongst the peas and carrots.  Randy and I have a system.  He drives the grocery cart and I lead the way through the store.  If there is any congestion, he is on his own to maneuver through it.

This brings me to needing to find a good time in which make my final grocery shopping trip before Christmas.  I decided that I was going to go Saturday morning early.  I was going to get up, take Roxy for her walk, feed her and the jump in the shower and head out.  If I stuck to my plan, I would get there before 8am, and the shelves would be fully stocked for the Saturday before Christmas crowd.

My only concern was whether I would be able to buy beer and wine that early.  The South has some wonky laws concerning liquor sales and these laws vary from county to county.  All I knew for sure is that in our county, Sunday sales of any type of adult beverage is not allowed.  The worst that could happen was that the WalMart Beer & Wine Police (WMB&WP) would take Randy's MGD Light and my Muskadine wine away from me.

My grocery cart driver also got up and got ready in time for the festivities.  I think that Randy was thinking that if it came down to a fight for the MGD Light, he could take the WMB&WP.  Me, not so much.

We pulled into the parking lot at 8:03 am, with a parking lot full of parking spaces to choose from.  There wasn't anything that was going to wipe the grin off of my face.

And then, and then, at the end of our shopping trip, we end up at the deli counter which is adjacent to the  bakery counter.  Our WalMart has the most delicious Ciabatta rolls.  I must learn how to make Ciabatta bread.

Anyway ~

As I waited to be told "No, we don't have any smoked cheddar today", a few of the bakery sales associates were pouring over a basket of something and mentioning that 'these' were going to go like hot-cakes once the lowered price was put up.

Something going on sale at the bakery counter.  I was all aflutter.

Sure 'nough.  They had lowered the price from $1.50 /ea to .50 ea on SUGAR COOKIES.   Iced delicious sugar cookies.

I only bought five of each, that sounds a lot better than saying that I bought ten sugar cookies.  I thought it would be nice to leave some for John if he happened to be shopping today.

Being neighborly and all.

Have the BEST day ever!

~ Dorothy