Midnight in Walmart

I was coming home from admitting a patient downstate on the 31st of August. The next day was Grandson #3's first birthday party. I was going to make a casserole for the party, but had not been to the store to get anything. Plus, I had not gotten a gift for Grandson #3 yet. The only store open at 11:30 pm is the Walmart in Elkton, Maryland. For those of you unfamiliar with Elkton, Maryland, let me just say that in the Northeast's coastline sprawl down the Atlantic, it is where the South begins. It is the oddest phenomenon.............20 minutes from my house, people begin to drawl and say ya'll. I am not opposed to that; my roots are buried deep in the South and in the mountains of the Ozarks; it's just weird, that's all. (It IS below the Mason-Dixon Line). I won't try and be funny here with all of the stereotypical fodder that comes from being Southern, but the picture you get in your mind is not far from what is there. (Stereotypes come from SOMEWHERE, you know!) Anyway, I go about my business getting what I need and then procede to the checkout line...............At first, I calmly wait behind about 6 other people, and as I wait, I see the line behind me getting longer and longer and the line in front of me not moving. There really are a considerable amount of people in the Walmart at midnight. Having worked a lot of shift work, it doesn't seem too unusual to me; however, what is unusual is that the line is not moving. I finally rouse myself from the "standing in a line stupor" and look at the registers. No clerks are checking anyone out. They are standing around with their arms crossed, walking around, talking to each other, generally not doing what cashiers do.........................which is to take our money and move the line out the door. People in the line are beginning to become a little more noisy wondering what in the heck is going on. Just before I thought a riot was going to break out among the line standees, a woman that seemingly was in charge (if you can call anyone in Walmart at midnight in charge) got on a microphone and stated the following: "The cash registers are down. They go down every night at midnight. If you would like to avoid the problems of waiting, you should consider shopping at some other time!" Did she just say that? Whatever happened to "Ladies and gentlemen, we are sorry for the inconvenience, but the cash registers go down for accounting purposes at midnight, we should be up and running shortly. Thank you for your patience!"

Great customer service Lady!! I'll be sure to rush right back to your store in the future. I just love how important we are to retailers and how polite their employees can be. Or are you so grouchy from working the overnight shift that this is as nice as you can get? That's OK, Igot a present for Grandson #3....Unfortunately, his mom had already gotten the same thing.


PS I started this post back in August. I finished the last couple of lines today (only 5 months later)