We’re definitely in the age of the “Mart” now.  The old smaller marts have been replaced by newer, larger marts, with grocery sections and pet sections and oil change centers and all.  I think some of these marts would actually make the products in the store.  Well, you know, if they weren’t already getting a player deal on the labor (hey, 19 cents an hour is REALLY hard to beat!)  If you’re like me, you have a love/hate relationship with stores like this.  You love saving money, but hate going there.  And there are many reasons why.  First of all, everything is so freakin far away!  You gotta drive like two miles an hour waiting for grandmas to cross ONE at a time and walk down the middle of the parking lot, just to get a spot a quarter of a row closer, so you don’t have to run a quarter mile in a downpour to get in.  Then you have to walk all the way around this thing, which is humongous because they have to have 400 24 packs of toilet paper on display because they only stock it once a week.  Then, in the frozen foods section, it’s cold and they once again have 400 boxes of hot pockets on display.  All in the same flavor.  Finally, you fight thru 300 people dragging small children behind them and get to one of the three out of 65 checkout lanes that is actually open and realize you forgot to grab that 24 pack of tissue, which has you going ALL the way to the back of the store.  I’m sure you’ve had a trip like that.  The number one thing that I hate about shopping there is the people though.  Not the employees, the customers!  It seems like a bus  just rolled around the city, rounded up a big helping of no class, and dropped it at the front door.  A friend shopped at Walmart today, and sent me this picture.  Yum.