Bob, you nailed it. Anyone who shops at WalMart deserves exactly what they get, which is shoddy merchandise and generally unqualified staff who vent their lousy day on you.

Unfortunately, Wal-Mart is one of the few places not inside a mall that I can still shop at around here. So I do most of my shopping online. But before I came to that decision, I went to Wal-Mart one last time...

True story: One day I was standing in line behind an older gentleman who was picking up a couple of small items. The total was $2.80. The gentleman handed the cashier a $5 bill, and she hit the "charge" button. Stumped, she asked the man to charge the purchase instead. He declined. She rings the manager. Decisively, the manager tells her to open the register and give him his change and they'll work it out later. So far so good, right?

The cashier can't figure out the change, whining about how hard it is. Irritated, the manager yells, "Don't you know how to add?! It's about $3!" The gentleman and I looked at each other, dumbfounded. He quietly suggested that the change should be $2.20.

The manager turns on him and stares blankly for a moment, then yells, "No, it's $3.20! Give him $3.20!"

The cashier handed the man $3.20, he shrugged, and left the store.