405 more reasons not to shop at Wal Mart

For over a year now I have been contributing to a website called Blogging Baby, where I get paid to find, summarize, and add commentary to news stories that are at least tangentially related to parenthood or children. Occasionally my posts rouse some discussion, but most just slip under the radar. Last Friday afternoon, I spent about three or four minutes summarizing a story about an Oklahoma Wal-Mart where a bag of cocaine was found in the toy aisle. I titled the post, "One more reason not to shop at Wal-Mart: cocaine in the toy department," and then added a picture of Juniper crying in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

In the past, I have lamented being such an elitist asshole for judging the good folk whose beautiful downtowns and cities across America have been eviscerated by the big box monstrosities that have sprung up along the highways. I was all romantic and sentimental in a way I am prone to be before somebody does me a favor and knocks me upside the head. In this case, it was AOL's front page linking to that Wal-Mart Cocaine story and suddenly 50,000 people who still haven't figured out how to access the internet without the help of America Online were reading the story, with pissed-off Wal-Mart supporters leaving more than 400 comments. They started getting really nasty, so after about an hour Wood made me take down the picture of our daughter.

The basic outrage behind 98 percent of the comments was that (1) the cocaine could have been left anywhere by anyone, i.e. it wasn't our beloved Wal-Mart's fault!; (2) Wal-Mart is great!; (3) Wal-Mart shoppers are not all trailer trash; and (4) You, Dutch are a terrible father. I felt I had a duty share with you the best comments from the finest minds gathered to defend the honor of Wal-Mart from a simple headline. Here they are, verbatim, mostly in the order they were received, each with the best I can come up with as an appropriate response.

James Adkins: You are conveying the idea that Wal-Mart put that mess(cocain) on the shelves and condones drug use. It might have been put there by a Sears or Target spy. I am not a vivid fan of Wal-Mart, but come-on. This accusation is reduclious. But then everybody wants to bring the Big Boy down, so have your say.

In high school, my friends and I totally brought the Big Boy down once. We took some pictures of him in funny places and then dumped him back on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. That was awesome.

Rena: What gave you the right to sit your daughter down in middle of the parking lot with the WalMart sign behind her and her crying That was very cruel to her just to get a picture.

And I suppose you'd prefer I'd take pictures of her in front of graffiti on abandoned auto factories in the silent streets of northeast Detroit?

kim beasley: It is not walmarts falt that edyits and crack heads are so stupid they put stuff like that were some pressus gift from god can get a hold of it and harm them self so stop blamming it on walmart the only thing they can do is drug test the people that work for them and clear ther employers and there name
. . .
ea if this guy is sooooo smart to he slammes walmart then why tha he--- did he put his baby girl s life in even bigger danger by letting her seat in the parking lot and cry great dad stupid when a baby is cryingf you are supose to hold her and let her know its ok not walk away and take a da--- pic for the puter you are f----ed up parent
. . .
i see dad that put this on the puter you r bad parenting is getting better feed back then your slamming walmarts name so not only is your bad judgement on haveing bringing a gift from god into this world and i do pray hard for little girl and hope you dont get her killed before she gets 18 it is all bad that you indangerd your blessing from god you my man should be casterated

Kim, we're looking for a part-time nanny to take care of our little blessing from god. If you happen to live the the Detroit area and are looking for work, please e-mail me (sweetjuniper @ gmail.com).

justin: Just because one WalMart had some cocaine in the aisle, doesnt mean that all of the wal marts are hiding cocaine for kids to get. More than likely, it was a simple deal gone bad between employees switching shifts. If you want to look at the other side of it maybe. people make too big of a deal out of everything. Plus, there are too many people on the planet as there is! and what would be one less kid running around anyway if they did eat the cocaine? one sad family, but people die everyday for unknown reasons. It is God's way of saying that earth is getting way to overpopulated with people. So he is slimming it down a little. Go God!

You sound just like me during my "the unabomber was right!" days.

Jeff: Your comments and picture are absolutely dispicable. Whether it was an employee or customer losing a gram of cocaine, (no one who uses the stuff is going to "plant" $100 worth of their habit)what difference dose that make? Do you really think a drug user planted it so someone career struggling left tilted journalist like you has Internet fodder?

And as for the moron that calls WM shoppers trailer trash: Aren't you just holier than Art Thou? I'm really impressed with your idiotic comments.

While you're right I am certainly holier than Art Thou (that unholy bastard Art Thou!), I do actually really believe that a drug user planted the cocaine so a career-struggling left-tilted writer like myself would have internet fodder. But get it right, Jeff: I'm a blogger, not a journalist. No legitimate print publication would ever hire me, and besides, I have no ethics to speak of, journalistic or otherwise.

Donna B: I'm with the reader who pointed out how you endangered your child by sitting her in the middle of the parking lot. Have you ever paid attention to how people drive in parking lots? Some one could have easily been speeding through and what you thought would be a "cute" picture could have so quickly turned into the most tragic event of your life. Maybe you need to be a bit more careful in pointing fingers.

Todd Phifer: By the way, the photo of your child is completely tasteless and it has nothing to do with the story. You should be investigated for child abuse for leaving that poor child on the pavement in the parking lot crying while you took the opportunity to take a photograph. Have you seen how some people drive in those lots!!!

ash: im start off by saying that i hate walmart im not a fan! but maybe if they actually did their job at walmart someone would have found it i been in there a few times and you can never find and employee! thank God someone found it before a child did! also that was horrible to leave your child sitting in the parkinglot like that ppl cant fu**ing drive for s**t!!!!!!!!!

I actually agree with you Donna, Todd, and ash, there's absolutely no place more dangerous for children than our nation's parking lots. That's why we live in Detroit instead of the suburbs.

Jose: I have walked around wal mart to kill time before. Many times I've seen people who are high on drugs walking around because it is something to do where they can see a lot of different people while high. Who knows, maybe a cop was getting some deoderant before his shift and the person with the cocaine was going to get caught. Who knows, but drugs could be found anywhere in any store. Wal mart has cheap things that are good.

Dude, Jose, we have to hang out some time.

J.J.: why would u put your baby in the parking lot while she is crying, for a photo? i think it was your coke they found! your not very smart lady!

J.J. you can say what you want about me and my cocaine habit, but watch what you say about my lady friend. She very smart lady!

Yo Yo [Wood could not even read Yo Yo's comments, because she thought they looked like spoken word, and nothing scares Wood more than spoken word]:

How does the media know that maybe the cops were on
to him,and he went into wallmart and put in on the
shelf and acted like a good citizen and turned it in?
How old was this dude? What kinda cigarettes?Cause
I guess whatever brand it is you people are going to
crucify the to maker of the cigarettes anyway
stop with messing with Wall-mart?????Get em both!
You bleeding heart Idiots!!!Dont foreget to sue the columbians!!! Cause they make good coke!!! Just like
you green piece people! I dont get it!You send your
kids too school with a pencil and paper right??You have
wooden furniture a fire place and burn wood!
. . .
Mom,Must be a coke hound or doesnt care about the
little one,Must have spent too much time in the toy
aisle with the dude that found the dope..You probably
spoil the crap outta her and didnt buy her a toy!
The looks of that pic,I would put a foot in her ass!
The little girl rules her mommy,Instead of mom ruleing
her..I bet your ole man tells her no,and you tell her
yes..She is a BRATT.

Yo Yo Yo, if Kim Beasley doesn't want to be our nanny, can I give you a call, girl?

sharon nieft: I am not happy the Wal=Mart is anymore either. It not Sam Waltons vision any longer. The CEO and the walton family is slowly ruining it. BUT i shop there because it is the cheapest place for groceries and etc. Maybe you people who dont shop there with the rest of us so called Trash dont have to budget your money. If so good for you but dont run down those of us who do.

I appreciate your commitment to Sam Walton's vision, sharon, but I think you might be being a little sensitive. The only folks being run down are babies in the parking lot.

Lee: As far as the baby on the floor of the parking lot, I'd be more concerned that her mother named her Juniper!!

Fuckin' hippies!

Chris: ......if my kid was that damn ugly I wouldn't post her picture on the internet. Such a lovely photo, a crying, screaming, spoiled brat acting up because she didn't get what she wanted. Ah such are the scenes all over the malls and stores. Ruins shopping for everyone.

You're right, Chris, from now on we're going to chain her up in the basement like Sloth from the Goonies: "You've ruined someone else's shopping trip for the last time, you little shit! Now eat your Baby Ruth and shut the fuck up!"

Nick: Juniper is your daughter's name. You must have done some "crack" you found down food aisle.

Before Wood started smoking crack during the pregnancy, we had chosen either "Makayla Trinity" or "Katelyn Mackenzie" to be our daughter's name, but every time we got high those names just sounded a little too fancy. So one night Wood smoked like three rocks and as she puffed out that last smoke she was like, "Juniper" and that's how we came up with it. But Wood had to give some guy named Tyrone a blow job to get the crack, we didn't just find it in any food aisle.

F. Sober: Stupid Story...anyone who has been around drug addicts or alcoholics knows they would NEVER lay down the one thing they value above all other, and then walk off and forget it! This was obviously planted. Conveniently, probably moments before it was "discovered" by the story writer, who in all liklihood was the one who "planted" the drugs. If not the story writer then someone (not a Walmart shopper) who had a bone to pick with Walmart. Bottom line is that why would we shop at a store (Target, etc.) that has employees or customers who would plant drugs in a competitor's store to get a fake story, while thereby endangering children. The story writer is again the most suspicious suspect since they already demonstrated their disregard for the safety of children by putting their own child down in a parking lot with cars driving though it.

I have never been the most suspicious suspect before.

ELISSA BRUNETTE: AS FOR THE WRITER LEAVING YOUR KID CRYING IN THE PARKING LOT TO GET A PIC WAS TOTALLY SENSLESS AND STUPID WITH A CAPITOL S. ANYONE COULD HAVE RUN HER OVER, ESPECIALLY THE GUY WHO IS GOING THROUGH WITHDRAWL CUZ HIS DRUGS WERE NOT LEFT WHERE THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE OR THE MAD DEALER CUZ HE IS OUT HIS MONEY CUZ THE HONEST MAN TURNED IT IN TO THE COPS. KUDOS TO THE HONEST GUY, AND I PRAY THE REST OF YOU GET PROFESSIONAL HELP. OH ONE MORE THING USING THE WORD TRAILER TRASH IS PUTTING DOWN A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE. I AM PROUD TO LIVE IN A TRAILER. I WORK FOR A LIVING, AND AM A DECENT TRAILER TRASH WHO DOES NOT DO DRUGS, I HAVE GOOD VALUES AND RAISE MY CHILD TO BE THE SAME WAY. AND I DID NOT MAKE HIM SIT CRYING IN A WALMART PARKING LOT JUST TO GET A PICTURE.

A zen koan: how does one "capitolize" a letter that is already in ALL CAPS?

DDiggler: Yes it's pretty sad that some loser had to stash his coke in Public on a store shelf but it could have happened anywhere. The bigger issue is the moron that started this, setting his child on the parking lot while crying to get this picture!! Very crappy parent!!

That could be our new tagline. Sweet Juniper: A very crappy parent blog!!

FISHMATIZED: IF WALMARTS DROPPING PRICES EVERY DAY CALL ME WHEN COCAINE IS FREE!!!!

Word.

Robert Love: I see the message quite well, ANCIENT ROME'S LAW, in full affect! Such element that is being used here is beyound what the average individual can understand here. What has been said is just a smoke screen for what's not being said! The system is simply applying a subliminal message in which it is once again demostrating its evil! What evil? The same evil in which is responsible for the globals racism that both unconscious and conscious Black people, African Americans and now the newly found racism in which the government cooked up for our Islamic brothers. Im quite sure that if my statement got far enough, one would use the same tatics to do the same to me, which I welcome whole heartedly! If that same dose of crack which we must all be able to assert that is possible, was in some goverment official office, or white house, we wouldnt of heard a peep of it! Then suddenly, some of the witnesses would be resigning! I'm not upset with Walmart! Actually I like the place and have been to the store at locations from Flint, Michigan to Georgia, in which just the other day was my first time actually doing some grocery shopping for myself! The comment, issue, and article is all bogus and Walmart must of pissed someone off. It's all politics. For those who dont know how much politics affects us personally, You better start paying attention because its gonna be getting worse! One Love Walmart!
P.S. All this media play just reminded me that: You still owe me from some stock that I purchased in 1993, which I will be coming to get my share. I'll accept countless shopping sprees at any location around the world!

Holy fucking shit.

Nicole: The author of this article not only wrongly accuses the store, but has apparently posted photo evidence of her own child endangerment/neglect. I mean Parking lots do have vehicles than drive in them don't they? But instead of concerning herself with her own childs safety she would rather take the time to provide a potential jury with evidence to convict. especially since, in her apparent opionon, Walmart parking lots must be filled with drug crazed lunatics!

I hope Nicole never finds my flickr account.

Thelma Davidson: Uh I am the woman in the picture walking behind your screaming brat and would appreciate you taking this picture down immediately, as it offers no value to the article and you are featuring my image without my permission.

Bitch, you old. And ugly, too.

Duch2: Tell you what [Dutch]: If you want "one more reason to not shop at Wal Mart", then go ahead, you stupid ass! I'll continue to shop there, so I don't have to pay the high prices for crap at KMART, and I don't have to make the French rich by shopping at TARGET, and so I can continue to keep another "poor" union worker from strongarming a company in order to get a huge salary for little to no work, which in turn makes everything cost more! Go buy yourself a hamster from PETSMART, and shove it you know where!

Sorry, I only buy my ass hamsters at mom-and-pop pet stores.

louis calderon: An oppinion from a recovering - saved - old school vato! When your doing dope, regardless of what kind. Your mind is not right. your litterally a day late and a dollor short..... Wether it was the stocker over night or a valued customer, the fact remains true. (The drug it self is the problem) Someone forgot there stash was in the carton and tossed it or set it down and the fool will never understand the pain he or she could of caused, because when your HIGH logic does not exist......As far as the comment of "Another reason not to shop Wal Mart" Grow up! I'm a low in come father of Seven beatiful children, been there & done it....Wether its wally world, target or k-mart, saving a buck to create a smile or just live in comfort helps a whole lot...

Aren't those the lyrics to a lost Curtis Mayfield song?

Tammy: Ok Ill speak for the children in this situation. Im so thrilled that our Father in Heaven protected many children that are in Walmart everyday and he used this Father to find it, instead of a child that couldve and died. So i say Thank you God for his merciful hand. Although I did not see the picture,everyone can make foolish mistakes. So to the Wal mart critic just thank God he used you to save innocent lives, and maybe thats why your child didnt get ran over in the parking lot. God bless

Thank you, Tammy, for giving those innocent little mutes a voice. But my child not getting run over in the parking lot had nothing to do with god. It had more to do with the fact that it was 7:30 in the morning and there were hardly any fucking cars in the parking lot.

The Insight: What a self-righteous loser you are. You proably hide in the closet and turn the light out so the Lord can't see you take a drink. I feel very, very, sorry for your little girl.

I only hide in the closet and turn the light out to masturbate to thoughts about my lesbian fifth-grade gym teacher, Ms. McPhee. She looked kind of like Alice from the Brady Bunch. I am quite open about all the drinking.

TRISH: Hi, I am glad that it was found. But this is no reason to discredit Wal-mart. I Love That Store. P.S. Bring Back The LAYAWAY!!!!! PLEASEEEEEE!!!!!

Fuck yeah! Bring back the LAYAWAY, bitches! PLEASEEEEEE!!!!!

Billy Den: Hey [Dutch] You sound like a right wing paranoid moron. And since you removed your daughters picture...don't you have any common sense not to post a picture of your daughter in the first place? Sounds like some parenting skills are needed. You are a right wing hypocrite.

Okay, now I've been called absolutely everything. But a right winger? That is too much. You, sir, have just thrown down the gauntlet.

carl.pfeifer:

i.believe.that.drugs.should.not.have.enterd.the.store

it.is.againest.public.safety.law.to.have.drugs.

in.this.country.any.one.are.any.person.who.

carries.drugs.in.prseshin.is.going.to.be.arrested.
by.the.policeand.fbi.and.dea.officers.of.the.public.safety.thank.you.carl.pfeifer.

carl.pfeifer.are.you.a.robot.or.are.you.just.some.kind.of.awesome.autistic
dude.who.puts.periods.between.every.word.thank.you.dutch.

Tim: That's SCARY!!! If Wal-Mart decide to go big with this product line they will crush the "Mom and Pop" cocaine dealers.

Wait, that's actually kind of funny. And not in a "I'm so depressed at the state of humanity I wish a totally hilarious plague would wipe all of us out" kind of way. Thank you, Tim.

Melvin:
I really love wal*mart but will not have my oil change
there anymore. For some reason they have a hard time with the chassis lubrication components. I have three cars and
when i tell them, it's makes them mad. I do all my oil changing myself. No grease=worn parts. I haven't been back in a year. But you must get under your car and inspect. The store in in Lewisville, but may be others.
Oh, make sure they put the oil cap back on too.

That oil-change department at the Lewisville Wal-Mart is just chuck full of bad seeds.

amber: hi I just thought you should know that I work at a walmart not this one but a supper center walmart in another state and i work in toys. it gets realy bussy in there Some times you dont get to clean the department. alot of times we are dealing with up to five customers at a time and im the only one in that department freqently and its part my job to clean the department but its hard to do that when you have about 30 people in your department that have all diffrent needs. we go out of our way to help customers from spending two hours just looking for one thing for one person in pallets in the back rooms that just came in on order that are stacked to our sealing. we realy try to watch every customer but we cant always do that when I wish we had six of me this time of the year but we dont have enoufe money to hire more people. But we do have cammeras so that person will be cought we never ever let a situtation like this go they will pay the price. and hoildays are hard shoping days for customers please understand we try realy hard to prevet this and happy hoidays. Thanks Angel for finding the drug that could of made a childs familys christmas sad!

Patsy Miller: SOUNDS LIKE HE MIGHT HAVE PUT IT THERE. HE IS TRYING FOR A MOVIE DEAL HA, HOLLYWOOD WOULD BE CRAZY.WAL- MART TRYS VERY HARD TO MAKE THINGS SAFE FOR THEIR COUSTOMERS. I HAPPEN TO WORK FOR WALMART AND WE DO EVERY THING TO KEEP OUR CUSTOMERS SAFE. THIS MAN SHOULD BE TICKED FOR PUTTING HIS CHILD IN HARMS WAY TO TAKE A PIC.TO YOU SIR HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Sandy: I'm sorry that most of you all feel that way about a company that provides jobs for alot of decent people. I for one,need my JOB and I do get bennifts and my pay is real good,I am not aloud to work off the clockeverything we do we have to be on the clock,so I don't understand how people come up with this bull.I have been with the company 23 years and never been miss treated or anything.And as for the joker that thinks that only WHITE TRASH shops there will you must that yourself or how would you know if you have never shopped there!I was rasied in good familey with good vaules.Anyone could have but that mess there even the person that found it just to get notice so to try to sue WAL_MART I hope you can live with yourself and hope you can tell your child when she gets older that you were a jerk for sitting her down in parkinglot just so you could have T. V. TIME and NEWS PAPER SPACE thanks for letting me tell the WAL MART the way it really is.

Holy shit, do Wal-Mart associates just have to sign their job applications with an X, or what?

Walmart Lover: Especially with the comments about the picture of the little girl. She is adorable and if anyone is a parent they know that pictures of a temper tantrum are the BEST. And who knows what was going on behind the camera. Who is to say that the child's parents or grandparents are not right there blocking any form of traffic that may harm the girl. PEOPLE OF THE WORLD get a grip and stop jumping to conclusions and feeling that you are the best person to give advice. JD, I love your writing style and please comtinue posting pics of your adorable little girl....Next please feature the one where she is playing on the train tracks and the train is coming...you know that one right?

Wait, do you mean this one? Because that's one of my favorites.

Ja-Neen Elkins: In January 2006 I was injured when I fell at Wal-Mart in Indiana. They Said it is not their fault. I can't get an Attorney to take My Case. They should be responsible, I have been in Pain , have Permanent injuries, The Attorney's I have talked to Says Wal-Mart always wins. This is not right, That I have to go thru all I have gone thru. People don't realize when they go into Wal-Mart, they are on their own. Not even an Appoligy to say they are sorry. All they say it is not their fault and Attorney's so far will not take case, as they Say Wal-Mart always wins. Something needs to be done about this. Just in July 2006, a little boy lost his life in their store because they were Negligent, I hope that Attorney will win the case, and wake up the World, at how we the Public are being treated.

Ja-Neen, I think I might know just the attorney for you. He's really lazy and has the shittiest beard you've ever seen and he really needs a haircut, but he also really hates Wal-Mart, and he'll take any client that can spell the word 'negligent.' E-mail him: sweetjuniper @ gmail.com.

A: it is not walmart fault,,
a person did that and blame to walmart,,
walmart is innocent store,,
don' t blame walmart,,

Is this some kind of weird Japanese poetry style I've never heard of?

Barbara Loden: why would you put a picture of your daughter on the post? Why would you want her picture on the web? That certainly is not good parenting.

Barb, I think you're on to something.