The website People of Walmart may be old hat to some. I’m sure many Americans witness scenes like these every week (heck, I assure you some of these fine people would look right at home in the UK’s very own Walmart-owned Asda stores) and I’m fully expecting a call from 2009 to ask for it’s website back, but as an immature Englishman who has only just discovered the site, I’m currently finding People of Walmart far too amusing not to share.
The premise is simple. Regular shoppers submit photos of other people looking like complete morons whilst doing their thang across the United States’ many Walmart stores. The result is hundreds of pages worth of pure comedy. Frankly I’m shocked that some of these specimens are free to roam the streets, but hey, who am I to judge? If you fancy killing a few minutes, half an hour, an hour or even half your day (as I’ve pretty much just done), feel free to be as judgmental as you like and indulge in a few giggles yourself.
http://www.peopleofwalmart.com
Email the author of this post at matc@tap-repeatedly.com
Ain’t America grand? I love thinking this is how people from afar learn about us. On Galveston Island during winter when the tourists are gone, locals emerge from the woodwork. Nothing that comes close to what’s on P.o.W. in terms of outrageous attire but enough humans for me to notice a trend. I swear, they looked like the result of inbreeding.
Only other place I’ve seen the same phenomenon was living in Ireland (Republic of, for you Brits), taking the bus regularly from a small town in the SE up to Dublin and seeing these mid-to-elderly men like I’ve never seen before or since, getting on at stops in the middle of nowhere. Had to be inbreeding was all I could think at the time. That plus isolation & poverty.
Where was I? Oh yes…
Two other sites I visit weekly:
http://www.postsecret.com/
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/
You know, it’s photos like that that prove – unequivocally – that there are TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THE WORLD and it’s time for a cleansing flood. Said flood should start at Wal-Mart.
Mat. Just fly to any midwestern US city…say St. Louis, Missouri, rent a car and drive 10 miles in any direction and go into the first big box store you find. Walmart seems to be the most potent strange attractor though.
Is this what Tap Repeatedly is becoming? It saddens me. But as others would say — whatever.
Kay
I don’t think one or two odd bits of website ephemera will drag us irrevocably down into the pit, Kay. Not everything we write must be deathless art.
I agree, “Steerpike”. But why become snipers preaching to the choir. That won’t change anything. But then preaching to the choir is the most fun.
And which of us is going to go out and really try to change things? Not me at my age. At 66, all I have left is my vote and the money I donate to candidates.
Kay
I think it’s important to stress at this point that the post was merely referring to a website for abit of fun. At it’s absolute worst, I suppose you could argue it’s a light hearted stab at modern day society (and let’s face it, worse things than this are said of that both here and elsewhere).
Even then, I’d suggest reading anything even as much as that into this is grossly misinterpreting the point..
Here is my current favorite site in this vein…
http://www.foundmagazine.com/
I like the less themed, more random stuff.
Have you guys heard about Peter Yarrow? He’s my new personal hero:
http://www.fidgetwith.com/2010/05/31/who-is-this-guy-mystery-man-keeps-appearing-on-live-news-reports/
He wears the same beige shirt, is mid-30’s and over-weight. He positions himself very sneakily in the background of many news stories – not as a lark, but just in rebellion to the media’s focus on attractive talent. He says proudly, “this is who I am”, and believes that the media shouldn’t portray everyone as being georgeous – people should just be who they are, and embrace it.
This sort of thing exists everywhere, not just middle America. I used to have a job as a distributor for crappy super market romance novels. I’d go from store to store stocking shelves with this stuff (easy job, work at your own hours!)
I’d spend a lot of time in a k-mart in the San Fransisco Bay area, and man, the degree of abusive, crazy, hate-filled types was almost awe inspiring. People beating their kids right in public sort of thing… and the Bay is supposed to be some sort of bastion of “progressiveness.”
The scariest part is some of these people vote!
Just to echo the above comments regarding how this isn’t just restricted to the US; it’s morning here and I’ve just finished my journey into work, and I swear I’ve seen at least 3 other people who could happily adorne this list!
Gotta love the western world! 😉
The last two mornings I’ve been checking Tap and catching up on other articles over breakfast and all I can say is that cornflakes and People of Wallmart don’t mix.
There’s naught so queer as folk.
My sister just emailed this link to me and it seemed to go well with the Walmart pics: Redneck Repairs!
http://thechive.com/2010/08/11/its-amazing-how-much-people-will-think-outside-the-box-to-save-a-buck-30-photos/
Yap that Post Secret link is brilliant (!!!), I’m hooked.
EDIT: my favourites on there (so far) is “I prefer having sex with my socks on”, and the “I’m extra nice to old people because I want them to have some hope for my generation”.
There was one scrap of paper on Found Magazine which listed the days of the week surrounded by lots of (presumably) money calculations. Next to Tuesday and Thursday it said ‘I eat’. I thought that was pretty scary and sad if it was ‘real’.
And my god, that Paul Yarrow guy gets everywhere! I haven’t watched the BBC News in a while but I can’t say I ever spotted him. I love the fact that he dresses the same in every shot though, it makes him instantly recognisable, even in crowds.
Armand those ingenious contraptions are all a bit Heath Robinson. They’re resourceful fudged jobs to be sure 😉