Wednesday, May 25, 2005

My Mama Told Me You Better Shop Around

The Curious Journal had an interesting article yesterday.  To heck with using online dating services or going to bars or other places where singles go to meet somebody - now singles can meet the man or woman of their dreams at a singles night at Wal-Mart.  This isn't like other singles meet-a-thons, where singles get a card and they look for whoever has the matching card.  (For example, a woman with a Cleopatra card would look for the man who has a Marc Antony card.) At Wal-Mart's singles night, single shoppers looking for love tie a red ribbon on their shopping carts and go about their business shopping and looking for the infamous falling prices.

Singles night at Wal-Mart made it's debut at stores in Germany four months ago.  Wal-Mart representatives say it's been highly successful.  The article said that the singles nights are being held at one store in the U.S.  I did some research but couldn't find the location.  My guess is that it isn't anywhere in Kentucky.  Besides using the red ribbons, bachelors and bachelorettes can also stop by designated "flirt points" set up around the store.  The flirt points are stations that feature singles-oriented products, like pre-packaged meals.  If you ask me, they should have their flirt stations set up by the products that singles really buy - M&M's, Bud Light, and Crest Whitening Strips.  Hmmmm I wonder if the crane game is a designated flirt point?

I'm far from a matchmaker, but I have a suggestion for singles if they want to meet someone in a store - the fragrance counter on "Men's Night Out."  You know what I'm talking about - a week or two before Christmas, some of the super grocery stores will have a special night for men to come and shop for perfume for their significant others.  They usually give a big discount that night, too.  I unknowingly walked into a Men's Night Out at a Super Krogers this past December when I went there in search of perfume for Mom from Dad.  Other than the woman at the cash register, I was the only other woman in a 50 feet radius of the fragrance counter.  During my 10 minutes of shopping, two [nice looking] guys asked my opinion on perfumes.  Sure, they were most likely attached, but I was flattered nonetheless.  I know what you're probably thinking, "Puddin is getting ready to condone and encourage single women to steal a man away from his wife or girlfriend while he's shopping for their Christmas present."  Au contraire.  Based on the law of averages, there has to be some single men there shopping for their Moms or Grandmas.   

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello recently I read your journal and I wanted to comment on a few things. First I am a single 29 year old female. Second I have to say that tying a red ribbon onto a shopping cart seems a little desperate for any woman looking for love. Flirt stations would only make someone like me feel like some kind of freak in a shopping store such as Wal-Mart. I don't think that stores need to make women such as myself feel as singled out as we feel. I already feel that I am the last dinosaur on earth so having a store turn into some "Instant Matchmaker"for those of us are young and single. I don't want to point out the fact that I am single I do that for myself. You are adding to the problem not making it better for those of us who are single thank you anyway for your help but its not needed.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you Southernmush.  From a business school graduates viewpoint, this seems like another feeble attempt by Wal-Mart to get more people into the stores.  Their decline in market share caused by competition from Meijers and the revamped KMart has them scrambling.  They should rely on their low prices and should focus more on customer service instead of matchmaking gimmicks.  Thanks again for reading, Southernmush - hope you become a faithful reader.