An Ode to Walmart
By Logan - June 5, 2018
I’ve been a little under the weather for the past few days. Nothing serious, just a slight head cold, but it’s been enough to make me reminisce on the comforts of home.
Particularly, the one thing I’ve come to miss most about home during my time here has been knowing where to find everything I need. Unlike in America, there are no big-box stores or warehouses carrying everything from outdoor gear to groceries. When you need produce you go to the produce vendor; if you need ibuprofen, don’t expect to find it at the grocery store, you’ll have to find the nearest pharmacy to find even the most common over-the-counter medicines.
At first, I enjoyed this kind of shopping—it forced me to explore more of Beer-Sheva than I would have if everything were immediately available in one convenient location. I got to know the fruit vendor and the grocery clerk by name, supporting local businesses rather than being rung up by an employee eager to get off his or her shift.
But now, after several months of buying my every need at specialized stores, I’m starting to miss the absurdity of finding a bike repair kit in the same store as a new phone charger and some potted plants. What I had always considered grossly representative of the worst of Western Society has now become what I am most excited for when I return home.
So here’s to you, Walmart, you giant embodiment of the excesses of American capitalism. Thanks for carrying cough medicine alongside an assortment of box fans, both of which I needed this week; I’ll see you soon.