The Year Without Wal-Mart: Day 8

I'm obsessed with documentaries. It started with those accessible Michael Moore films, "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Bowling for Columbine." And then I spent a weekend watching movies about the evils of McDonald's, the evils of credit cards, and the evils of a handful of Catholic priests. And even though all that evil has me terrified, I keep going back to the Netflix documentary trough.

And that brought me to "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices." And that brought me to WakeUpWalmart.com:



All right then. I suppose I have a brand new resolution for 2009: I will not be evil.

Fact is, evil... is easy. We live within walking distance of a Wal-Mart--and it's one of the nicer ones, too. It actually closes at night. Further, I chose to try writing and teaching, which means I chose to not afford many things. And in the summer, I often wander the aisles of the Mt. Vernon Wal-Mart, plucking trashy magazines and toiletries off the shelves for fun, for relief from the boredom and the heat.

To keep my resolution, I asked myself what exactly I need from Wal-Mart. The list is shorter than I thought:

• nail polish (and other cosmetics)
• ahem, "lady... things"
• batteries and electronics
• tools
• cleaning supplies
  
• dessert cereal
• fine-tipped pens (and other writing supplies)

Those items exist elsewhere. I'm sure of it.

I tested that theory two days ago when I decided I needed a new shade of nail polish. Wal-Mart sells really, really cheap polish--but, no. I took my act to Sally Beauty Supply, which is only a few paces away from the store I mean to avoid.

My Tea Rose polish and base cost nearly $10.00. However, this polish does not chip, and it hasn't already begun to clump in the bottle. It's good polish.

I can do this. I can not be evil for 365 days.