ode to walmart

oh parker walmart how i love thee!  let me count the ways!

i love that when i went shopping today i had a huge long list of items and that i was in and out in less than an hour, even taking my time and enjoying the experience with baby girl.

i love that when i pulled up, there were tons of parking spaces available and i got the very closest one after the handicap spots.

i love that they have tons of brand new shopping carts and always have those antibacterial wipes ready for me.

i love that there is a helpful walmart worker around every corner so when i'm deciding which half and half to buy, i can look up and ask the walmart worker standing less than two feet from me, "the price label fell off of the rack, can you tell me how much this is?" as she automatically bends down with her scanner towards where i'm pointing.

i love that even when i pass walmart workers and don't have a question for them, they stop and make friendly banter with my child about if she's enjoying the sliced cheese she's munching on and then go on to tell me how beautiful and well behaved she is.

i love that the store is so well lit, the aisles so wide, and the products so easy to find.

i love that when i walk past the meat section i get yet another walmart worker to ask me if there's anything i need help with and then immediately help me locate the italian turkey sausage i would have never been able to find on my own.

i love that when i take my cart up to the front of the store, i seem to always immediately find a checkout with no line and a cashier that leaves their booth to come help me pull my cart to the counter as they ask me how my day is going.  the lady today eagerly spotted the reusable shopping bags in my cart and got them out and started setting them up while i unloaded my food onto the conveyor belt.  she asked me about my day, we chatted about the weather, and she praised my abundance of fruits and vegetables and healthy food choices, all while she ever so carefully put all of my groceries in the sacks.  when baby girl bumped her chin on the shopping cart handle, the cashier talked to her and comforted her while i signed my name and got my receipt.

and i love that when i walk away with my heavy cart of groceries, i can check my receipt and be surprised that it's more than $20 less than i was expecting it to be.  i prefer not to spend my time couponing or going store to store for the best deals on each item, so i love that i can hit up one single store and get such great deals on everything i need.  my time with baby girl is too important to me to experience a morning without fun.  when we go to walmart, she doesn't know we're running errands because she thinks it's just a fun outing.

and if a store can do all of that for me... i'm sold.  amen.