Dipwad Of The Day: Wal-Mart

I arrived at my local Wal-Mart at 7:30 this morning to get in some quick shopping before I was due at work. I often do my shopping at this time of the morning because I get to totally miss the meandering old people and screaming toddlers that take over the store during my lunch hour.

This Wal-Mart was recently converted to a SuperCenter, and stock has been reshuffled throughout the store over the last few months. A new sign on the building boasts they are open 24/7.

So without much thought I approached the doorway closest to where I parked my car (I was fiddling with my MP3 player, not an easy thing to do). As I neared the entrance I noticed a confused, older couple who were standing in front of the doors. They saw me coming and told me that the doors were locked, then they started the slow trek back to their car.

I stood there for a moment and checked that the doors were indeed locked. While the entryway was dark, I could see the interior of the store was fully lit. I noticed that the other entrance had some activity (which I assumed was people entering and leaving) so I walked over there. But as I got closer I noticed that the people were just standing around, like they were waiting for something.

I joined the semicircle of men who stood and watched people inside the store mill around. One of my fellow evictees said these doors were also locked, and that the employees were having a party to celebrate the grand opening of the SuperCenter.

We stood there for a few minutes, including this poor guy who was supposed to meet his wife (she was inside), and watched the people walk to and fro. Several of them saw us standing out there, but none were in a rush to let in a few paying customers.

Finally I gave a hearty, "Frak it!" and walked back to my car. As I crossed the damp pavement feeling unfulfilled and bitter I realized just how stupid this whole event was. In fact this kind of stupidity needed to be memorialized.

So I take great pleasure in naming my local Wal-Mart the recipient of my Dipwad Of The Day Award for closing their doors and turning away paying customers to celebrate their grand opening.