A world without Wal-Mart

One of the biggest changes I've had to face since moving to Washington is grocery shopping.

Anyone who lives or has recently lived in Columbia, Missouri knows that when it comes to shopping, Wal-Mart is pretty much the go-to spot. Now, this is of course partly because we are all on college budgets and Wal-Mart has the cheapest stuff in town. But for the most part, we shop at Wal-Mart because there is not one, not two... but THREE Wal-Mart supercenters within about 10 minutes of the Mizzou campus, all open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And you can get EVERYTHING there.

So when I moved to Washington, naturally the first thing I wanted to do was hit up Wal-Mart and do a little grocery shopping. But Wal-Mart was nowhere to be found! There are a couple of Targets that can be reached by metro or car, if you have one (I do not), but they are never quite as stocked as my beloved Wal-Marts. The nearest Wal-Mart is in Maryland, and from what I'm told, in a sketchy part of town.

So now I'm developing a new routine. Unfortunately, I can no longer enjoy the wonder that is one-stop shopping...

For fresh fruits, veggies, meats, cheese and bakery items, there's DC's famous Eastern Market. It's essentially a farmer's market, and in the summer it operates outdoors. As a person of Wal-Mart, I was slightly thrown by the freshness and apparent quality of the items available hear. But even more so by the friendliness of the vendors and patrons. Many shoppers knew the vendors by name and spoke to them as friends rather than clerks. When I approached a fruits and veggies stand, the nicest little old lady was soon there by my side to retrieve all produce I asked for. She even snuck a free apple in my bag. I paid at an ancient, gold colored cash register. Pretty sure they don't take cards here. When I told the nice old lady to keep the change (it was only about 30 cents), she delightedly tossed an extra orange into my bag.

The experience left me with a smile on my face and full bag of yumminess.

The next stop was CVS. I hate CVS. Everyone is slow and grouchy, the lighting is dim and they rarely have milk. But it's about a 10 minute walk from my apartment and has a lot of things I need that I can't get anywhere remotely closer.

One thing there is never a scarcity of here in DC is a liquor store. Never a bad thing.

But if what you're looking for can't be found at any of these places, and often it can't (like right now, for example, I am on a desperate hunt for cookie dough and a gym bag...), you must make the tedious metro trek to Target. And if it's not there, you're SOL.

So in conclusion, I miss Wal-Mart. For all those who despise Wal-Mart for it's low wages and questionable business practices, I understand where you're coming from, but try living with the luxury that is one-stop shopping and then move to a big city where that wonder is cruelly ripped away. Then you'll be on my side.