Comments on: Just when you thought that America couldn't get any more odd.

By: erik

erik — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 02:01:05 +0000

Yes, well, I assume it would suck. Suck on levels that few people have ever actually experienced. Oddly enough though, that does not decrease the enjoyment or nostalgia related to going there for no apparent reason around 4 in the am.

By: Liz

Liz — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 22:35:12 +0000

I used to work at a Meijer. We could be fired for talking to union organizers and weren't allowed to refer to customers as anything other than "guests."

Also, one time the Musak got stuck on a loop of "I'm Your Lady" by Celine Dion for four hours.

Definitely the worst job I've ever had. And I've worked as a housekeeper in a privately-run hotel next to a hospital.

By: mike

mike — Tue, 24 Aug 2004 20:45:28 +0000

hey uofi undergrads (tim and stacey, among others) – we are looking in your directions. Do the kids these days still wander Meijer aimlessly? Or are there other worthwhile ways to spend the hours of 2am-4am on a weekday?

By: eep

eep — Tue, 24 Aug 2004 20:41:23 +0000

From what I hear from my coworker's son (who goes to school in Iowa), yes, Meijer is still the happening place for college kids that it once was. At least there's something you can rely on in the world.

By: erik

erik — Tue, 24 Aug 2004 19:09:45 +0000

Yes, Meijer was a good time. It is kind of surreal to think about. A retail store basically turned into an amusement park for bored college students late at night. It would be interesting to find out if students are still doing this.

By: mike

mike — Tue, 24 Aug 2004 16:57:24 +0000

My personal favorite Wal-Mart stat (everyone has one): Because of the immensity of the operation and the high rate of turnover for the shitty jobs, the company has to hire 1,600 people _a day_ to stay at it's current size.

1,600 people/day. 600,000 people/year. Hooray for turnover!

By: Ed

Ed — Tue, 24 Aug 2004 16:50:47 +0000

Costco: the Alpha and Omega.

By: eep

eep — Tue, 24 Aug 2004 16:21:13 +0000

I agree with Mike. The fun of Meijer was going at 2 a.m. and seeing half of your dorm or apartment complex there as well. I've spent many an hour wandering the aisles of the toy department, squeezing Teletubby toys when I should have been studying. Or sleeping. Ah, good times.

And that Costco selling caskets (Caskcos?) is right by my parents' house. They're actually members there, and I'm almost curious enough to ask them to take me, just so I can stare at the casket display and gape. It's so morbid and wrong, it's almost funny.

By: mike

mike — Mon, 23 Aug 2004 21:40:45 +0000

Remember that half the fun of wasting time at Meijer was the fact that it was open 24hrs. So when it was 4am, and you didn't want to study anymore….Meijer!