Awkward Utopia

Adding a post to the fluff category without a Star Trek reference isn’t always easy, but here it goes. This Wednesday (Nov. 21, 2007) I decided to drive 130 miles down to Lakeland, FL to spend Thanksgiving with my mother who lives down there. About halfway through at approximately 9:00 p.m while doing 80 MPH on I-75 my front-right tire gave out and I nearly went off-road. Luckily I was able to maintain control and bring the Jeep to a halt, but not before the tire shards tore off my front bumper and the tire was torn into oblivion.

So there I was, a night before thanksgiving stranded halfway between Lakeland and Gainesville with no road-side assistance coverage on my insurance and no hope in sight. No more than 2 minutes after my blow out, a Florida Highway Patrolman pulls over and calls in a tow truck for me. He mentioned how lucky I was not to have wrecked the vehicle and also because less than 8 miles away there was a Wal-Mart Supercenter with an auto care center.

I thanked the officer and no more than 30 minutes later I was on my way to Wal-Mart in Bushnell with my Jeep being hauled. I arrived around 10:00 p.m at Walmart but the auto care center was closed until 7:00 a.m. However, once again I was in luck because this was a (holy) 24-hour Wal-Mart and the Auto Center opened at 7:00 a.m even on Thanksgiving! I purchased a drink and some snacks, headed back to my Jeep and went to sleep until the early morning. By 10:00 a.m I had already purchased and had installed 4 brand-new Goodyear tires for $363.00 and was on my way as planned.

I spent Thanksgiving with my family and when all was said and done I spent $125 on a tow truck, $363 on my tires and had the whole problem taken care of and behind me. That is why I love Wal-Mart. Had there been no Wal-Mart around, I would have probably had to wait for the holiday weekend to end before being able to find a mom & pop shop that would service my Jeep, and I probably would have had to spend twice as much plus lodging.

For this, I would like to thank Wal-Mart this holiday season! And for all those Walmart bashers out there I’d like to ask, “Where were you at 9:00 p.m. the night before Thanksgiving when I was stranded on I-75 with a busted tire?”

Happy Thanksgiving!