I went to a different WalMart a few weeks ago and checked out the Garden Shop to see if there was any inventory that was on sale. There was...including a good-sized shrub to replace the one that died over last winter. And at a quarter of the price it was in early Spring! What a bargain...
As I was going through the self check-out however, the replacement sale tag had faded from water exposure and the bar code couldn't be read by the electronic eye. After I had scanned all the other items in my cart, bagged them, and put them into the cart, I motioned for the clerk that I needed help. Wow! Not only did she assist me in making sure the shrub was entered on the tally for the things I had purchased, she also gave me an earful!
The clerk told me that she was SO sick of the garden department and that she was SO happy they were clearing everything out within the next few days. Then she added that there was going to be NO Garden Shop next year. This was the beginning of August, and I thought that seemed early to get rid of all the remaining plants. And there were A LOT of them still in the Garden Shop. This was one Wal Mart store which over the years has had the best plants including flowers and shrubs. I have often purchased my own garden treasures there. I wasn't too keen on the news that there wouldn't be ANYTHING next year.
I asked her if that was just her store or if that was the plan for all the other WalMart locations around the country. She said she didn't know. It only mattered that SHE wasn't going to have to deal with them anymore, trying to get the price tags to scan and putting up with the inconvenience of plants not ready for check out.
That particular WalMart store is set up a little differently than the one I usually go to which is closer to my house. So, after she finished her diatribe--which also included there were going to be no more plastic shopping bags anymore after the first of the year--I thanked her for her help and left the store through an entrance immediately next to the self-checkout.
As I was putting the shopping bags into my car, though, it suddenly hit me that I hadn't PAID for the stuff I bought. That woman was so completely in my face with her sad tale of woe, that I forgot to click on the PAY NOW button. I had walked out of the store with a cart full of unpaid merchandise!
I turned around to see if the store cops were on their way to apprehend me. They weren't. But you can believe I did double time getting back into the store with my credit card in hand to take care of my error! I was sure at any point the long arm of the law was going to reach out and nab me.
It was a different clerk at the self-check registers when I got back. Very embarrassed and red-faced, I told her what had happened. After checking around a bit, she found a message that the transaction had been a "walk-off" or some such thing. (There was a special name for it.) I hurriedly paid, all the while apologizing profusely for not paying attention and walking out of the store without having paid before. The new clerk was really nice and said not to worry about it. I had taken care of it, and that was that.
I felt like such an idiot, as it was a pretty big OOPS!
But all's well that ends well. And my new shrub looks great on the front porch!
PS Over the following weeks I have been in several other WalMart stores, specifically to check out the garden department. Some of them WERE completely empty. A clerk at one of those locations told me that she actually wept when they came in and cleared out all the living plants and put them into the trash. It was such a waste, she said. However, many of the other stores still have many plants--brand new selections for the upcoming fall months with autumn colors to enhance any fading blossoms that are nearing the end of their season in home gardens. I bought a couple of them myself the other day to fill in a space in my own yard.
I thought again how blessed we are to have such beautiful surroundings to enhance our turn on earth. What a loving Creator we have!
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