The Joys Of Wal-Mart

After I had tried to upload another group of pictures to my Wal-Mart photo album this past Wednesday, like I had done for almost two years, and found out they no longer accept them and then allow me to pay for them when I get to the actual store, I closed my account. Or rather, I should say I attempted to close out my account.

I deleted all my online photos and albums that held them and then clicked on the link to cancel my account. The next day, I got a nice little e-mail from somebody named "Monique" saying that she was sorry I had troubles and which order was it that I wanted to cancel? I had clearly stated, with simple English words, my desire to end my account with them, not cancel an order. I couldn't make an order any longer, so how could I have one that needed cancelling? I wrote back to "Monique" and politely told her that maybe this was the reason why more and more people were refusing to shop at Wal-Mart any longer. I mean, it was her department and she didn't even know the difference between "cancel an account" and "cancel an order." As consumers, we don't have to take this.

So, what happens after the whole incident? Today, Saturday, at noon exactly, I get a call from a pleasant-sounding man, who spoke perfect English because he was an American, and who also sounded like more than just a phone-operating schlep. This guy was pretty far up the management chain, let me tell you. He didn't give me his name, but he did ask to make sure it was my account that I wanted to close and he said it would be done. At the end of the telephone conversation, he asked if there was anything else and I said yes. I told him, politely and in a soft voice, (I have laryngitis and can hardly speak very loud), the reason why I had to close my account, being because of their new policy to not accept cash. He apologised for this saying that it was because there had been some orders that people had made and then not picked up. And then he said, "and other reasons, too." He didn't explain exactly what those other reasons could have been. What other reasons can there be? I would like to get some debate going on this issue, so if any of my good readers can think of any other possible reasons, please leave a comment for me.

After he told me about their policy of having to stop accepting cash for online photo orders, I told him that Wal-Mart had just reduced their selection of items to buy that, in the process, they stopped carrying those things I used to purchase. With hardly anything left on their shelves that I would need to buy, I no longer had any reason to shop with them any more. And, it's true. I won't be setting foot inside a Wal-Mart store any more.

Here's what I will be giving up, but I guess I'll just have to adjust to living without these wonderful conveniences:

The joy of waiting in one checkout line behind twenty other customers because they won't open any of the other 19 checkout lines in the middle of a busy day.

I won't have to worry about getting my layaway out on time anymore - they no longer offer layaways.

The thrill of being treated like a criminal as I walk out the door when "the man" asks you to stop so he can see your receipt.

All the great exercise I used to get trying to track down somebody that worked in the store, someone who wasn't stocking the shelf where I was trying to look, or who wasn't on break, or who wasn't the one person at the only checkout line up front.

The pleasures of playing "treasure hunt" every time I went to the same Wal-Mart, because they constantly keep moving everything to a different location.

The pleasant conversations with any employee I could actually find when asking about a certain product which every employee seems to know nothing about.

The surprise and wonderment of always finding that the item I bought last month is no longer carried, but two other brands of the same item are.

The fun of trying to return that item I bought last month because it stopped working and being told I can't exchange it for an identical working model because they stopped carrying it.

The exhiliration of being told that the item I want, (hightop tennis shoes, headphones, cd cases, economy-size bottle of baby shampoo, non-slimline jewel boxes, blank vhs tapes, blank high-quality cassette tapes, Christmas cards with "Christ" -ian themes, blank journals, 100 speed film for my cameras, my favorite brand of breakfast cereal, any article of clothing not made for a 14-year old, a pair of jeans that will last more than one washing and not rip out, etc.) is something that nobody else in the world wants so that's why they have stopped selling them at Wal-Mart.

All the time I will save looking through their music department because it's pointless - they don't sell any group I'd want to hear anyway.

Having to wind my way through the group of Mexicans out front waiting to be picked up for work.

And lastly, all the "beautiful people" that seem to populate Wal-Marts in this day and age.

How will I ever live without Wal-Mart?

What The Heck Is It?

I just happened to notice something moving around in my backyard Tuesday, right before the sun went down. At first, I thought it was a chicken. It was big, white and plump like a chicken, but it wasn't a chicken. You need to know that I live in the city limits, but there are all kinds of animals that happen to pass through my yard on different occasions. I've seen Skunks, O'Possums, Raccoons, Squirrels, Deers, Doves, Quails, Hawks and who knows what other critters. Here is what I saw that Tuesday afternoon:

It wouldn't let me get very close to it, and in this view, it had left the back edge of my yard and flew up on my neighbor's garage roof - about 10 feet past my property line. I chased it to get a better shot, but all it ended up doing was flying back into my yard, to the top of a tree, the tallest one in that whole area. After I studied the pictures, I thought it was a turkey. The above photograph was even broadcast on the local television station about two hours later! My cousin called today to say that she had seen the picture. Then, somebody told me they thought it was what is called a "guinea." Well, maybe. The very next morning, it was back again! After chasing it again for about a half hour, I did manage to sneak up on it once from behind some bushes to get this clearer shot of it's face.

Looking at this view, I revert to my original assumption that it's a turkey. If it decides to move into my backyard, it can stay and more the welcome to. At least until next Thanksgiving, that is!

If you need to go to the store today, please try to buy at least one item at a store other than Wal-Mart. It can be done. There are people that work at the other stores in your community that need to live, too. And think how good you'll feel knowing that you're giving them much-needed business, and that it's actually helping to put food on their table! A little kid might not go hungry tonight because of you. The good thing about helping in this way is that it doesn't take any more time or cost you any more money than you were already going to spend. Maybe if more people did this, we could revitalize our towns.

The Camel's Back Has Been Broken

As a practicing photographer, there are times when I need photographs fast. That is, actual pictures I can hold in my hand and work with. And, I had found a great online tool that really fit in with my needs. At Wal-Mart's website, they have an online photo-uploading tool where you can upload your pictures, choose the 1-hour developing option, and then go pick up your pictures. Seeing as how there is no Wal-Mart store in the small town where I live, I always have to drive either 15 or 30 minutes to the nearest one. At least one night a week, this isn't a problem for me, as I have a regular musical gig that I play my guitar at in Fairfield, Illinois - the site of the store that's 30 minutes away from me. I would simply upload the pictures before I left that afternoon and usually after running all my errands and getting in Fairfield, they would be ready and waiting for me to pick up and pay for. And now for the rest of the story....

This method worked so well for me for over a year until yesterday. I uploaded some pictures and planned on picking them up once I arrived in Fairfield. They uploaded fine, but when it came to the normal checkout part of the transaction, gone was the choice to pay for them when you pick them up. That's right - they no longer offer that as an option. All they accept is one of their own gift cards or a credit card as payment. Knowing that I don't like to have my personal information such as this floating willy-nilly all over the internet, just waiting for some unscrupulous person to intercept it and use it to their advantage, (oh, these types are out there, all right - believe me!), I don't like to pay using those kind of methods. What was wrong with cash when I picked them up? I've never had more than a $20.00 order at one time, and instead had smaller orders, but more of them. So, why did Wal-Mart stop accepting the "bill-me-later" option that is still mentioned on their website as a method of payment? There are several reasons but I'll tell you why.

You may remember an earlier post of mine, here, about the trouble I had trying to by an ordinary pair of headphones from Wal-Mart. In that story, I related the incident of trying to ask one of their sales representatives where they kept their headphones. I was told by this person that, "they say nobody wants headphones anymore." However, she didn't know who "they" were, so that wasn't any help in my trying to convince her that she was wrong and that people did, in fact, still use headphones and not "earbuds." In a similar incident two weeks ago, I searched for a CD Case, something to hold and protect about 100 cd's in their cases because I deejay car shows at times and need something bigger to carry all my oldies cd's in to these events. Well, in Wal-Mart and indeed no other store in Fairfield could I find one. I was told the exact same thing - nobody uses them anymore. Surely I'm not the only person in the world that works as a deejay - whose tools are their music and their headphones!

There was a time when I could find cases to hold my music, be it in albums, 45 rpm's, 8-tracks, cassettes or cd's. You needed something to hold your music in, you bought a case for it, it was that simple. And these cases could be purchased in many places in Fairfield and towns everywhere else. But, this was before Wal-Mart moved into town. Now, the places in Fairfield that used to sell music and musical supplies such as cases, have all went out of business because they couldn't compete with - guess who? Give yourself a pat on the back if you said "Wal-Mart." Everyone has heard of the stories of how when a Wal-Mart moves into a community, the small "mom and pop" stores go under. This is nothing new and I need not detail it again. Just understand that it is a fact and it happens everywhere. And as a matter of fact, Fairfield had a Wal-Mart already before this latest one was put in. This new one is a "Supercenter," one that stays open twenty-four hours a day! The old one wasn't a supercenter, just a regular store that closed every night and then opened back up the next morning. Wal-Mart convinced the city of Fairfield that it needed a supercenter instead and got the financial tax breaks that allowed them to build another store.

The word "Supercenter." What do you think that means? Wouldn't any normal person think that it meant something better than the average store? That's what I would take it to mean. However, once these "Supercenters" get in a community and drive all the small stores out of business, they start offering less and less items in their inventory. Having been a regular shopper at their old Wal-Mart, I was quite familiar with all the products they sold and all the ones I bought there myself. When the new "Supercenter" opened, I noticed several of the items that I used to purchase were no longer sold at this newer, more "super" Wal-Mart. Have you been to a Wal-Mart lately? Chances are, you have. Look around - are there things you used to buy that aren't on their shelves any more? In just this year alone they have closed their section where material and patterns to make dresses and the like were housed and even shut down their layaway section! The layaway section at Wal-Mart was always one of their selling points when their founder, Mr. Sam Walton was alive and in charge. He always believed the customer came first and that he would sell American-made items to keep Americans working. He believed in that and that's why Wal-Mart became so big. Since his death, things have really changed. Practically everything is "Made in China," yes, the very same country that makes all that stuff you hear about on the news that is always being recalled because it's hazardous or poisionous! And since his passing, there is much less selection on the shelves and have you noticed their "low prices always" have started creeping up higher than any store ever had them at before? And to top that off, now this "Wal-Mart Supercenter," which is supposed to stay open 24 hours a day, closes at the regular time the old one did and opens back up each morning. Let's see, same hours, less merchandise, less conveniences such as layaway - tell me again how this "Supercenter" concept is better?

The practice of not accepting a payment of cash to pick up my pictures like I used there last month, (when, apparently, it was agreeable for them to do so), has suddenly changed. Have you noticed a general decline in a variety of places that are getting away from the practice of wanting to accept cash? Why do you think this is? It's not because they can make more money if they accept credit cards. It's a fact that they have to pay a small transaction fee for every credit card purchase that is made. So, why would any store want to make less money? I have one word to say and you've heard it from me before. "Amero."

In Europe, they have created something called "the European Union," a group of countries all banded together for trade purposes. Their new method of currency, which supplanted the monetary system in the countries of all it's participants, is called the Euro. Doesn't that sound familiar? Euro. Amero. They are similar. In every way. There are those in our government right now, from President George Bush on down, who are trying to bring about an "American Union," and create a new monetary system for Canada, the United States and Mexico. This new monetary unit is to be called the "Amero." They are actively working on bringing this about. How better to impliment something such as this than to make our American dollar harder to use and spend or worth less than it's ever been? For further insight on this scheme to do away with our dollar, which by the way, contradicts our Constitution, search for "The NAFTA Superhighway," "Kansas City SmartPort," or even "GATT."

You may have heard the phrase "cashless society." All that means is that any money you have will be held by everybody but actually you yourself. If there's no cash, you won't need any to pay for that hamburger you want for lunch. You'll just use the money in your account somewhere and pay for it with a credit card. You ask, "what's wrong with that?" Aside from the fact that it's actually costing you more money for everything you purchase with a credit card, have you ever heard of computer glitches? If you're reading this, chances are, you have. On a good day, a computer can have a problem and lose all it's information - forever. We all know this to be the truth. And computers that have your accounts on them can have glitches just the same. Just think if the worst possible scenario arose and someone had a score to settle with you and could access your account information. Do you think the Golden Rule would stop them from taking everything you have in that account? Not on your life. Forget about all those "conspiracy theories" you hear, about a "New World Order" taking over everything. All that needs to happen is one unscrupulous person to come along and your account, along with every penny you've earned, could be wiped out. That is why a cashless society is something you or I do not want to see come about. Well, I certainly know I don't want my money under somebody else's constant control. I can only assume that you would feel the same way about your finances.

So, please think about it the next time you have a twenty-dollar bill in your hand. Feel it. It feels good having money in your hands, doesn't it? If it's a feeling you'd like to continue having, please understand that you can't continue having it if you don't speak up about it. I'm speaking up about it right now, because I like money and I want to keep on liking the feel of real money in my hand. (However infrequent that might actually be!) And one of the ways I'm speaking up is by telling you here. Another way is to stop giving my business to the stores that are actively getting away from wanting to accept my perfectly legal and tender cash. Such as Wal-Mart. That is why I will never set foot in a Wal-Mart again. I can still buy shampoo, and anything else I need, at plenty of other places!

Things Are Tough All Over

Read this little item and you'll realize how things like this could happen right here in America and how they are probably already happening anyway.

In England, the pork industry is currently facing a crisis. This is due to massive increases in feed prices caused by rocketing world wheat prices. The majority of farmers are now selling every pig they rear at a loss of up to £26. Anyone knows that you can't take such a loss as that and stay in business for very long. The industry as a whole faces potential losses of £200 million in the next year. A recent National Pig Association survey showed that 95% of pig farmers in England are considering stopping production if the price they receive does not improve. This will lead, ultimately, to a shortage of pig meat in the long term and potentially steep rises in the retail price of pork, sausages, bacon and ham.

Consumers there also benefit from the most stringent food safety requirements of any in the world. If their homegrown pork supply was to disappear, it would have to be supplanted by imports from the European Union, where a whopping 70% of their goods would fail the British standards. Does this sound familiar? We here in America are seeing more and more food import items supplanting the familiar brands we've grown to know and trust on our own supermarket shelves. And how many news stories have there been in the last year about recalled food items, which are shipped predominantly from China? Ask yourself this: Why are the standards for food quality and safety going down the drain in places all over the world? That is the $64,000 question.

To read more about the plight of the English pig farmer and hear a song that 30 members of their farming community got together and recorded to bring attention to this problem by clicking here. The group that did the recording of this song are pictured above. It is a delightful takeoff on the old Tammy Wynette song, Stand By Your Man. They have rewritten it with pig-influenced lyrics and titled it, Stand By Your Ham. You can also sign a petition there to register your support of their cause. Or you can download the song from this handy link right here. Either way, this is an important issue for any citizen of Planet Earth. Make a difference by becoming informed.

Farewell To Beulah Kershaw

A little over a year ago, I lost a good friend and fellow musician. Beulah Kershaw - poet, musician, songwriter, author and performer - well-known in the music field as Disco Beulah, was born on January 14th, 1914, in Florida, Missouri - also the birthplace of another famous American writer, Mark Twain. On February 22nd, 2007, she passed away at age 93. In that span of time, she accomplished many things. While it seems like her whole life was devoted to musical endeavors, that wasn't always the case in her younger years. She was a staunch Republican and helped in several campaigns. In fact, due to her local efforts in Southern Illinois, she was even invited to President Eisenhower's inauguration ball in Washington D.C., in the 1950's. In later years, however, her music began to take precedence.

I first became aware of her about 1980, which by this time, she was already almost 70 years old. She had recorded a song called A Woman In Love and it began to get lots of airplay on Chicago radio station WLS. The deejay who premiered it was Larry Lujac and thanks to him, Beulah's audience widened considerably. Now, she was no longer just a hit in her immediate area around Crossville, Illinois, her voice was beaming out all over the nation. From there, it was only natural that television executives would hear of her and she was offered a chance to be on the NBC television program Real People, in 1981. This appearance brought her even more attention and worldwide fame. I have personally seen a sheet that detailed countries located all over the world from which she received royalties, and it numbered in the dozens! Such was her widespread appeal.

I first met her in person in 1988. I had heard several of her records, from my personal collection no less, and had written a song that I thought would be perfect for her to record. I got up the nerve and drove to her house, (it wasn't far from where I lived) and knocked on her door. Gracious person that she was and always had been, she asked me to come in and sit down. On that first meeting, she played several of her songs for me, my own personal concert you might say, and I was enthralled. I think I had to come back a few other times before I got up enough nerve to ask her about my song. But, when I did, she agreed to work on it. I went back a little while later and she debuted it on her piano for me. I am proud to say that I have a recording of her doing my song! During this time, a friendship developed and we got together several times to jam - her on piano and myself on guitar. She even made a few recordings on a cassette that was just for me. Another way in which her kindness was readily apparent.

We wrote back and forth throughout the remainder of her life and I stopped in to see her whenever I was in her neck of the woods. I recall an article in our local paper that told about a show she did at a local nursing home toward the end of 2006. She was performing until almost the very end of her life. That's why it came as such a shock when I heard she had passed away. I thought she would be singing and playing a piano somewhere forever. Sadly, that wasn't the case.

Beulah in her political period of the 1950's.

I had collected all my recordings of hers, the ones she had made for me and ones I had recorded myself and burned them on a cd to give to her. Unfortunately, I never got the chance. The funeral was to be held in the town next to mine, so I placed the cd in my jacket and went to pay my respects. Once I got there, it was a little early still, I sat down in the back of the chapel and bided my time. After getting several stares from the family members seated up front, her niece came back and spoke to me. I mentioned that I had been a fellow musician friend of hers and she invited me to sit up front with the family. Apparently, Beulah passed on her cordial qualities to other generations as well. As people came through to pay their respects for her, somebody mentioned something about her music. Knowing I had a bunch of it in my pocket, I spoke up and said as much. The family was intrigued, especially when I told them about the song she had recorded of mine and in tribute to her, they requested the funeral home personnel to play the cd over their sound system. There was hardly a dry eye in the house, mine included, as song after song from her wonderful career played throughout the building. I was glad that I had thought to bring it because it turned out to be one last great tribute to an artist that many had loved and adored, and it gave her family members a chance to hear some things they hadn't heard before. Before it was all over, one of them asked me if they could get a copy of the disc. I ended up giving it to her, as I had another copy, and she made duplicates for the other family members later that evening. From the funeral home, we drove to the town she had lived in and there the funeral was held out in the open countryside. The rain was coming down in buckets and the wind was blowing quite briskly, so it was a bittersweet sendoff for her. Below, you can see what the countryside looks like where Beulah Kershaw was laid to rest.

So, in my own way, I would like to say farewell to a dear friend and a fellow musician. She was a wiz on the piano, of that there was no doubt. To prove it, please download this short collection of hers that I have compiled to share here. It is these following tracks:

1. All I Do Is Cry - the song I wrote especially for her

2. A Woman In Love - her big hit, recorded on a tape just for me

3. It Hurts To Be Hurt - another of her popular songs she recorded for me

4. Real People - her appearance on the NBC television show

5. A commercial for her songs and books, from a local radio station.

Be sure to download and listen to this collection of Beulah Kershaw songs. Click on this link here to get them.
One final thing I want share is that to prove she had a broad influence, here is a track from a rock and roll band I was in where we covered one of her songs. I regret that she never got to hear it herself, but I'm sure she would have been pleased to know that her music transcended genres. Click here to get A Woman In Love, by Terror In Tucson.

I hope this little remembrance of her will give her a smile if she's looking down in this direction. Farewell, Beulah.

April 13th, 2010 Update:

Beulah Kershaw's niece Dorothy has kindly telephoned me to let me know that, as she was going through some of Beulah's belongings, she came across some unopened boxes of her records, tapes and books. They were all in new condition and still in the shrink wrap, (tapes), and that if any of her fans would be interested in acquiring what will probably turn out to be the final copies of Beulah's music or writing, to just give her a call. I told her there might be a 45 or two that I might not have in my collection that I'd like to have, so I'm going to call her up once she gets it all just a little more organized. But, don't wait! If you're interested, call her as soon as possible, for these won't last forever. For those of us who remember Beulah fondly, these recordings and writings will be something with which to remember her by and a interesting piece of history as well. Dorothy resides in Crossville, Illinois, the town where Beulah lived for many years, and can be reached by calling this number: 1-618-966-3638.

 

Update on April 19th, 2025:

Her music transcended genres - here's her song "A Woman In Love," played by a punk rock band.

https://ia800501.us.archive.org/30/items/TerrorInTucsonUnreleasedVol1/09%20-%20A%20Woman%20In%20Love.mp3

Big Guns

Did I ever mention I used to play trumpet in a jazz band? If not, I did so for a period in 2001. I wish that band had never broken up, but it was only comprised of parents that had gotten together to perform at their children's school. I really loved that group. In memory of my belated jazz career, I'm rolling out the big guns on this track. (Notice the witty tie-in with the picture above.) Here is yours truly performing the classic jazz road song Route 66. It features me playing the piano and guitar, and I'm even the entire horn section! Plus, I get to play all the solos, which is always fun. Please enjoy this interpretation of Route 66, by Kenneth Dwain Harrelson.

So Let It Be Watched

I just had to post this quick update. As you are probably aware, Easter was yesterday and it was the time of the annual viewing of my all-time favorite movie - The Ten Commandments.

I have to relate two of my favorite lines from it. One is when the Pharaoh Sethi, played by Sir Cedric Hardwicke is playing hounds and jackals with Nefretiri, portrayed by Anne Baxter, and his Priest Jannes, the great character actor Douglass Dummbrille, is petitioning him about Moses. Jannes comments that Moses is stealing the grain from the temple granaries and Sethi pats him on the stomach and says "You don't look any leaner." This is too funny!

The next great line happens right after this in the motion picture. Rameses, played by Yul Brynner, comes in and tells Sethi that Moses is trying to raise an army against him, using the Hebrew slaves and the Ethiopians. Sethi goes to see why Moses didn't obey his command to come to court and finds Moses, who is perfectly characterized by Charlton Heston, hard at work raising an obelisk. After it's safely in place, Rameses does the whole weight thing on the scales as an analogy for all the things Moses has done wrong. Moses picks up one brick and says "The strong make many.... the starving make few.... the dead make none. So much for accusations." And then he places the brick on the scales and it outweighs the other side completely. This particular line is one that has stayed with me ever since I saw it in the theaters on it's intial rerelease in 1966.

This is just a perfect example of the brilliance of everyone involved with the movie - the director, Cecil B. DeMille, the writers and Charlton Heston's acting abilities, along with the rest of the cast. Is there any wonder why this wouldn't be my favorite movie? Now, if only they would release an authentic soundtrack album for it.

And one final picture before I go. Here's me dressed as Moses one year for Hallowe'en which I photoshopped and added in the desert background. I really like this movie!