Dear Sir,
After reading Ms. Philpotts’ letter in the October 8 edition of The Reporter, I just had to respond. While I’m sure she’s probably a very nice woman and thought she was doing us all a favor by complaining to the manager at Walmart, I hope the manager didn’t get the impression she was a spokesperson for all the gringos living in the area.
Yes, I will agree it’s hard to understand why such a busy store never has change at the registers, but neither do any of the other stores we frequently shop at. We get a chuckle out of watching the store employees digging in their pockets to help fund our cambio and can’t help but wonder how they reconcile it at the end of the day.
I’ve also noticed recently that signs have been posted at the registers in Walmart, in Spanish, asking us to please help save the environment and use recyclable shopping bags (this is a loose translation since I don’t have an actual sign in front of me). This of course might have something to do with the lack of plastic bags they have at the checkouts these days, another of her complaints.
A few days ago my husband and I bought a few things at Walmart and had to wait for the cashier to round up our change, which involved checking with several other cashiers. That was immediately followed by the same cashier realizing we hadn’t brought our cloth shopping bag we usually use, and now retracing his steps to procure us a plastic bag. All the while we talked among ourselves and smiled at him as he finally sent us on our way. He was appearing nervous and anxious to please, and probably afraid we might be the type of customer that’s perpetually frustrated and getting angry.
This is an issue that is constantly addressed on web boards and editorials. Truth is, it really isn’t about Walmart, it’s about all of us having to try and understand the different culture we’ve chosen to live in. Let’s remind ourselves that things here are simply not like “back home” and we’re guests in this country. Remember all the reasons you fell in love with this area and wanted to move here; don’t lose that perspective while trying to change things.
To steal a quote from a well known Eagles song: “To call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye.”
Kathleen Neal