The Princes can wear a size small in adults. Hopefully once I make a few the adjustment for her won’t seem that difficult and she can have a lovely kimono too.

I’m fully opposed to big-box domination of commercial districts or communities. My parents live in the middle of nowhere in northern Michigan. My mother has to drive 45 minutes+ to the grocery with a cooler in her trunk, I mean it is ISOLATED. The Wal-Mart is 10 minutes from the “down town” area (also 45 minutes away), and my parents went from being *thrilled* about the Wal-Mart to hating it in 7 short years. They watched all the little Mom-and-Pop shops in their teeny tiny downtown close shop, effectively gutting their town and the few businesses left are barely hanging on. She said it’s changed their entire atmosphere of community (again, very remote area to begin with), as no one gets out of their cars and walks around. It’s all drive-thrus and strip malls now, centered around the Wal-Mart. That’s what happens I guess. Sucks on so many levels….. But it seems to also be a necessary evil, at least that’s what people tell themselves. I live in the city and have a Target at the end of my street. While it does do a great deal to contribute to our neighborhood (donations, scholarships), it’s still an eyesore. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em. At least I can’t, though I do try to limit my spending inside, and I never go to Walmart (we don’t have them here).

I know there was a big hubub either last Christmas or the Christmas before regarding the Cricut. Wal-Mart was able to negotiate way lower prices on the machines even though LSS’s were told that the price was firm there would be no sales, price breaks, etc. Then Wal-Mart features this fantastic price. Naturally the LSS can’t compete with that sort of pricing so they lose out. Is it Wal-Mart’s “fault” they can negotiate lower prices? No. Should they raise prices? Well they won’t. But it’s the little things together (including some poor employment practices) that cause me to be super hesitant to spend my money there.

Seriously though, I don’t get the Wal-Mart hatred I see all over the place. I’m thinking people those of you who do have such negative feelings about Wal-Mart must never have lived in an area where Wal-Mart is the only choice for such items unless you want to drive an hour and a half each way. With us, its either shop Wally World or shop online because there aren’t other choices. Our store is awesome though. Its always clean, people are always friendly. They can’t help what they stock so I won’t comment on that.