-^-for posterity-^-

wal-mart.

i almost passed out walking through the aisles. there was so much junk i'll never want to buy. there were so many people sitting in the mcdonalds i stopped to stare.

it was like walking through a market in vietnam in the sense that there is just so much that one could purchase. one of the most striking differences, in my view, was that there were so few people selling. that makes for cheaper goods, but it also allows for a few rich people to pad their wallets.

i'm used to a place where hundreds of people have small stands making a living, altering what they sell to suit the needs of those who buy. i'm not used to a handful of people milling through aisles selling things that are not theirs.