Be Humble

This Thanksgiving, if there's any relative or yourself said "Yeah, I got it at W*lmart," own that sh*t.

You got things from the dollar store and you're "crafty". You got things from WM and suddenly you are the lowest of the low. Heck, even a random Indonesian texted a friend saying she'll be embarrassed to work at WM because all of her family back home has the cushy office job.

We've heard all about people of WM. I met them on the first day I landed in the US. They were… interesting. I hate shopping at WM because of the desolation I feel, the persistent indifference and the general air of "We're all f*cked up here anyway." 

Their online store is better, but they're still pretty depressing. It was a clutter of god-knows-what, not as neatly designed as Tarjay or Immazon. It won't be my first choice unless I can get a good price albeit with almost-expectedly low quality.

And that's the gist of WM. Low price, low quality. I mean, who in the world will go so low for that? The answer is people who actually don't have another option. Accessibility is and will always be the reason.

It only occurs to me when I tried to arrange some flowers to be sent to a friend in Kentucky. Easy, right? Immazon Now? Doesn't Deliver. Instacrat? Doesn't deliver. There's literally no option for a day delivery except to pay an arm and a leg through 1800flowzah. Here in DTLA I have a selection of grocery stores to do it.

Checking the map, there's only one WM in her area and some smaller grocery store chains. All within driving range. In DTLA there's at least 4 major grocery stores in walking distance, plus a Tarjay. And a Burlee. And a Rass. I can get decked out and have my daily things at a fraction of effort (and probably price point) my friend has to go through.  

We don't see it that way, though. We see the 'funny' memes. We see the end of our nose when we snicker about "that person who shop at WM". We see us non-WM-shopper as superior. We're not. We just have options. Options, either in terms of accessibility and financial means, are hard to come by.

This Thanksgiving, be thankful if you can shop at places that suits your taste and preference. Be thankful for people who can still obtain things they need with the limited option they may have. As the famous philosopher once said: "Be Humble. Sit down and enjoy your turkey."