I was at WalMart today. I don’t like them either, but the local supermarket is small, and doesn’t have things I want. WalMart had toilet paper. That was the good news. They have the kind that won’t clog my drain. That’s better news. They still don’t have bleach. That’s the bad news. They’ve raised their prices. That’s the worse news.
They also closed off three of their four entrances. I was buying plants, for my yard, and I would have gone in through the garden section. But it was locked. The next entrance was locked, blocked with yellow tape and carts. Finally, I was directed to a door, by one of several employees waiting outside, wearing yellow vests and masks.
My local WalMart checks your cart on the way out. Not always, at least if you’re white. Black people are nearly always subject to cart checks. Today, I stood in line, while carts were carefully inspected. Is WalMart having a problem with theft? I wouldn’t be surprised, with so many people out of work. $1200 will only buy so much, especially after bills and rent, and car insurance, and all the other things we still have to pay, while we’re sheltering in place.
I suspect I’ll see Jarrett Kushner on TV, some night, asking Americans not to take stuff from WalMart. Here in Pittsburgh, incidentally, the local network affiliates aren’t carrying the president’s press conferences anymore. They air on Cozi. “The Munsters” were pre empted tonight, so Kushner, Pence, Trump et al, could address the nation. They weren’t as funny as Herman and grandpa. But they were in color.