When did Walmart turn into America's loony bin?

I don't mean to minimize El Paso. But jeez, is every crazy person heading to a Walmart?

Florida man drives golf cart into Walmart as deputies chase him with a Taser

PS: Nothing good ever comes after a sentence that begins with "Florida man ..."

 

You've seen The People of Walmart, right?

 

Think I heard on the radio this morning there was a near-miss at a Walmart in Springfield, Missouri.

 

The late B. Goff would argue that, by definition, a near miss is a hit.

 

Not a big fan of Walmart at all. But in some smaller towns/cities it is the only option. I have been in some very nice ones (Laramie, for example) and some very crappy ones (north Rapid City). And obviously you are going to get a much-more economically diverse clientele at a Walmart compared to a Macy's, Wegman's, or even the Targets I've been to.

 

Such a bizarre story. Kid straps up with bullet-proof vest, automatic rifle strapped to his back, 100 rounds of ammo and a handgun. Walks into the Wal-Mart and just saunters about, with the handgun in one hand and an iPhone in the other, taking video. People lose their shit, and an off-duty fire fighter who has a CCW permit pulls his handgun and holds it on the kid until police arrive. The only thing the kid technically did illegal was "disturbing the peace."

I've tried to figure out what I would do if I was driving in the parking lot and saw the kid armed up and walking toward the store. I can't say I wouldn't try to run him down with my car.

 

In many small towns, WM is the de facto town square.

 

This is true. I’ve lived in a few small towns and Walmart is like the Friday night hangout. Brings out all sorts of riff-raff.

 

I have never been in one either, except when I represented them in a class action case about 15 years ago and had to visit stores to conduct interviews and get a feel for some of the allegations. Happy not to visit going forward.

 

I fukin banked at Wal*Mart at one of my earliest jobs.
The townspeople called it "the Mexican Wal*Mart" because of its location (and mine, at the time).