I often wondered how I would react if someone would try to attack or mug me. I don't think we really know until it happens.
Last week, I was in Wallyworld looking for a Mother's Day card for my Mom. I am one of these people who has to read EVERY card until I choose one. I had my back leaning on my cart as I read.
I had noticed an older skinny scruffy looking gentleman,a little further down looking at the cards for wives. I thought nothing of it because people were walking all over, stopping etc. It's Walmart!
All of a sudden the man walks around to the front of the cart and starts walking away with my cart Luckily I wasn't leaning all the way or I would have lost my balance.
At first I was shocked and trying to figure out what just happened. Then I realized what was happening.
I yelled walking as fast as I could towards him. I am actually amazed I was able to catch up with him.
"Hey! What the hell?, I yelled! I reached him and literally pushed him with my right shoulder, got in between him and reclaiming my cart shouting, "What are you doing? It is my cart! What the hell dammit! Get away!
I caught him off guard as he stumbled to the side. Catching himself to continue to stand upright he said, "I'm so sorry. I thought you were my wife standing there."Yea. Right.
I continued to look at him warily. He apologized twirling his finger by his ear saying, "I am s cuckoo?"
I thought as I backed away from him, 'No crap! ' I couldn't figure out if he was telling the truth or not. I did not know if he was actually trying to steal my cart, or it was just an accident like he said.
He kept saying he was old and crazy. It was sorta creepy for me so I pushed my shopping cart walking backwards (And that is so very hard for me to do) because I didn't know what he would do if I turned my back. I got back to the Greeting Card Section.
A few seconds later he returned. I leerily watched him. He was looking around saying more to himself he thought he had a cart but couldn't remember where it was. I immediately grabbed my car defensively defensively saying, "This is my cart!"
As I thought about it later, I realized how childish that could have sounded.
At the same time an employee was walking by and he heard him. I think he had seen the whole thing play out walking from the other side of the store. He looked down the aisle he was passing and said, "There is a basket down there."
The man trotted and looked. With a relieved look he exclaimed, "OH God, thank goodness! I thought I was going crazy." He got the cart and walked away talking to himself.
Maybe he thought my cart was his cart and made a mistake. It happens. But I was thinking if he is that forgetful and "Cuckoo" maybe he shouldn't be alone in Walmart for his safety. Many people can prey on others like this gentleman. I wonder if his wife was actually in the store with him?
I thought later I now know how I would react and I think I did dang good. I was determined that he was not getting my cart. My adrenalin kicked in big time.
What do you think you would have done? What would you do if someone was trying to mug you or attack you?
Showing posts with label cart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cart. Show all posts
Monday, May 13, 2013
Monday, November 26, 2012
Walmart:No He Couldn't Live Our Lives
There is several reasons why I HATE Walmart as you probably figured out if you follow my blog. It is so big and to get from point A to Point B is like walking a mile. It never fails to have an encounter or witness an encounter with a Moron. It's like Walmart shows the WORST of human decency.
Let me tell you about something I witnessed a few months ago.
I had gone alone that nonth. I usually wait for MyHubby to come with me but I had procrastinated long enough and he had been working hard. So I went down only the aisles taking my time.
As I was comparing Lipton rice dishes to the the other brands a 60-ish year old overweight Caucasian lady was driving one of the carts they have for people who can't walk or have trouble walking. She had stopped right behind me and I could see she was getting up to reach something on the lower shelf.
I asked her if she needed help. She thanked me but said she had it.
As she stood up, and slowly made her way off the cart, a gentleman of same age passed the aisle and saw her.
Visualize this, we are half way down the aisle when this man was passing the aisle evidently not needing anything down this particular aisle.
I saw him at a glance as he passed by. I am always looking to see if I am in the way of someone trying to pass. There was only me, the lady and a 30ish African American lady making her way down the same aisle.
I turned my attention back to my label reading when I heard, "Hey You!" Of course, we all stopped what we were doing and looked in the direction of the call.
The guy that I had just seen pass had walked back. Let me just say he was about 5'10 and overweight himself, maybe 5-10 pounds less than the lady.
He glares at the lady on the cart and shouts, "You do know there is a weight limit on the cart so you better not put too much in the cart. Maybe you should lose some of that weight." Then he took off. He left before anyone could say anything.
Don't you hate those moments when something crazy as this happens and you can't think of one thing to say at the heat of the moment? But after that moment passes, you think of all the things you could have or wanted to say? Arghh!!
Simultaneously I exclaimed, "OMG! That was so rude. Did that really just happen?" and the African American grunted "ooh child" like she couldn't believe it either. She reminded me of the reaction the maid would make on The Jefferson's! (For those who are too young to know who The Jefferson's are, it is a comedy way back when).
The lady on the cart visibly embarrassed and upset bursts, "He has no clue what my life is!"
I sympathized stating " No, he doesn't. Maybe he should walk in your shoes or another disabled person's shoes for a day. He is such a man (NOT) that he ran after he said it not giving you time to respond."
She responded, "No he couldn't handle my life and that just shows how he is really a coward running without giving me a chance to respond. Did you notice he wasn't really a Slim Jim either,"
I laughed and said, "You are so right, he couldn't handle it." After a little chit chat we went different directions. She did tell me that she had just had surgery and wasn't able to walk long distances at that time and although she didn't want to use it, she had to.
I've faced many ignorant people in my life. This man made me angry, especially walking away. Who in the hell he thought he was? Every time I think of it, I stew and boil all over again. And it was not even directed to ME.
What is this world coming to? We are all guilty of some form of judging but blatantly voicing something like that is WRONG. Where has the compassion gone?
Hubby works at a Home Improvement store and he sometimes comment how these carts are used. The carts are for those who can't walk long distances and are truly disabled but they are being abused by obese patrons as well as children. I remind him to be nice and nonjudgmental. But it frustrates him that he sees people on the carts that shouldn't be on them. There are only a few of them.
He claims just because you are overweight, doesn't make you disabled and eligible to ride on the car. He has also seen children and lazy people get on them and break them. Or they are left in the parking lot and the battery wears down. So I can understand his reasoning and his view
When BabyGirl was young, she used to ask me why I don't use the carts. I told her I did not need it. She knows how much it takes out of me to walk Wallyworld. When I was having major breathing problems, she saw how I had to stop at the end of few aisles and rest. In her childish mind she couldn't understand why I wouldn't ride one of the carts. It was simple in her mind, I was not like every one else. It was there. Why not use it?
I think she was concerned about me but at the same time SHE was the one who wanted to ride the cart! But I would tell her that there were so few of them and I didn't want to use it because what if someone who really could not walk or really needed it more than me and didn't have one?
However the coward had no excuse of his outburst. It shows how cruel and arrogant the coward was. He could have stood like a man and allowed her to at least defend herself, although he deserves nothing but it could have given her a choice.
I thought afterwards how this could have ruined this woman's day or self esteem. I know how it feels when people judge me without having any clue of who I am. It was just damn WRONG!
I am going to close with this quote of many I have found regarding ignorance.
You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informedopinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.”
― Harlan Ellison
Let me tell you about something I witnessed a few months ago.
I had gone alone that nonth. I usually wait for MyHubby to come with me but I had procrastinated long enough and he had been working hard. So I went down only the aisles taking my time.
As I was comparing Lipton rice dishes to the the other brands a 60-ish year old overweight Caucasian lady was driving one of the carts they have for people who can't walk or have trouble walking. She had stopped right behind me and I could see she was getting up to reach something on the lower shelf.
I asked her if she needed help. She thanked me but said she had it.
As she stood up, and slowly made her way off the cart, a gentleman of same age passed the aisle and saw her.
Visualize this, we are half way down the aisle when this man was passing the aisle evidently not needing anything down this particular aisle.
I saw him at a glance as he passed by. I am always looking to see if I am in the way of someone trying to pass. There was only me, the lady and a 30ish African American lady making her way down the same aisle.
I turned my attention back to my label reading when I heard, "Hey You!" Of course, we all stopped what we were doing and looked in the direction of the call.
The guy that I had just seen pass had walked back. Let me just say he was about 5'10 and overweight himself, maybe 5-10 pounds less than the lady.
He glares at the lady on the cart and shouts, "You do know there is a weight limit on the cart so you better not put too much in the cart. Maybe you should lose some of that weight." Then he took off. He left before anyone could say anything.
Don't you hate those moments when something crazy as this happens and you can't think of one thing to say at the heat of the moment? But after that moment passes, you think of all the things you could have or wanted to say? Arghh!!
Simultaneously I exclaimed, "OMG! That was so rude. Did that really just happen?" and the African American grunted "ooh child" like she couldn't believe it either. She reminded me of the reaction the maid would make on The Jefferson's! (For those who are too young to know who The Jefferson's are, it is a comedy way back when).
The lady on the cart visibly embarrassed and upset bursts, "He has no clue what my life is!"
I sympathized stating " No, he doesn't. Maybe he should walk in your shoes or another disabled person's shoes for a day. He is such a man (NOT) that he ran after he said it not giving you time to respond."
She responded, "No he couldn't handle my life and that just shows how he is really a coward running without giving me a chance to respond. Did you notice he wasn't really a Slim Jim either,"
I laughed and said, "You are so right, he couldn't handle it." After a little chit chat we went different directions. She did tell me that she had just had surgery and wasn't able to walk long distances at that time and although she didn't want to use it, she had to.
I've faced many ignorant people in my life. This man made me angry, especially walking away. Who in the hell he thought he was? Every time I think of it, I stew and boil all over again. And it was not even directed to ME.
What is this world coming to? We are all guilty of some form of judging but blatantly voicing something like that is WRONG. Where has the compassion gone?
Hubby works at a Home Improvement store and he sometimes comment how these carts are used. The carts are for those who can't walk long distances and are truly disabled but they are being abused by obese patrons as well as children. I remind him to be nice and nonjudgmental. But it frustrates him that he sees people on the carts that shouldn't be on them. There are only a few of them.
He claims just because you are overweight, doesn't make you disabled and eligible to ride on the car. He has also seen children and lazy people get on them and break them. Or they are left in the parking lot and the battery wears down. So I can understand his reasoning and his view
When BabyGirl was young, she used to ask me why I don't use the carts. I told her I did not need it. She knows how much it takes out of me to walk Wallyworld. When I was having major breathing problems, she saw how I had to stop at the end of few aisles and rest. In her childish mind she couldn't understand why I wouldn't ride one of the carts. It was simple in her mind, I was not like every one else. It was there. Why not use it?
I think she was concerned about me but at the same time SHE was the one who wanted to ride the cart! But I would tell her that there were so few of them and I didn't want to use it because what if someone who really could not walk or really needed it more than me and didn't have one?
However the coward had no excuse of his outburst. It shows how cruel and arrogant the coward was. He could have stood like a man and allowed her to at least defend herself, although he deserves nothing but it could have given her a choice.
I thought afterwards how this could have ruined this woman's day or self esteem. I know how it feels when people judge me without having any clue of who I am. It was just damn WRONG!
I am going to close with this quote of many I have found regarding ignorance.
You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informedopinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.”
― Harlan Ellison
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