I finally decided to buy a small fridge for my office after the food I stashed in the shared kitchen fridge at work got dumped along with the mutating new life forms left by someone already off at another job. After a few phone calls to find out who had one for sale this early in the summer, I headed off to WalMart, hoping to get there before the Saturday crowds.
As I got out of my Jeep, I noticed the following parked around me:
- a Toyota Prius (hybrid gas/electric)
- several Honda Accords, Ford Escorts, Toyota Corollas & Camrys
- half a dozen or more minivans, mostly newish
- several full-sized vans, most pretty beat up
- two Lexus SUVs
- one Land Rover
- two VW bugs
- a lovingly restored 1960-ish Cadillac El Dorado with whitewall tires and a gleaming landau roof
and (to my surprise)...
- a Hummer (!)
Shopping at WalMart is an interesting experience. Our local store serves a wide range of shoppers and the employees are a diverse group too, many of them immigrants - my Spanish, such as it is, always comes in handy there. As I was maneuvering the shopping cart down the aisles, peering around the big box in front of me, it was alternately "Beg pardon, please" and "Despensame, por favor ..." Somehow I managed to avoid bringing down anything off the shelves or running over any kids on my way to the checkout line.
Lots of families shopping together. A fair number of young teens in groups, too. Four or five different languages drifted up the aisles ... English, Spanish, Cantonese (I can recognize the melody but not the words themselves), the lilt of two women in saris talking (Hindi?).
But yesterday was the first time I've seen a Hummer in the lot.
Lots of families shopping together. A fair number of young teens in groups, too. Four or five different languages drifted up the aisles ... English, Spanish, Cantonese (I can recognize the melody but not the words themselves), the lilt of two women in saris talking (Hindi?).
Twenty years ago (shortly before we were married) I visited my now wife's classroom in Los Angeles. She had fifteen students in her class. Seven first (or sole) languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, Thai, Urdu.
Yeah. When we lived in Culver City (1986-90), one of our good friends taught in the LA schools and at that time, IIRC there were 27 languages officially recognized as students' native tongues. Made for quite a challenge!
Try reading Masamune Shiro's manga for a real linguistic challenge. Advanced Buddhist philosophy in Japanese, English, Russian, Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit, just in Appleseed alone.
Interesting coincidence. I saw a bi ol' gray Hummer at the local Walmart (Westminster, MD) yesterday, too. There are a couple H2's and at least two of the original models around town, but I've never seen any of them parked there before.
Hmmm ... Bryan, that tends to reinforce my take on this, namely that WalMart has become a "brand" / venue that is seen as mainstream by the middle / upper middle class. I wonder how much online shopping, like the discounts at Amazon etc., have affected attitudes in that income bracket?
Of course a hummer is now at wal-mart, as all the owner's money goes to fill the massive piece of metal with gas ;-)
There are probably a lot more well-to-do people shopping at Wal-mart than you realize, but they're smart enough and practical enough not to drive Hummers. Just like in the book "The Millionaire Next Door", they drive inconspicuous cars and shop at Wal-mart to save $$$.