Hasta la Wal-Mart, Baby!
It is official. Spanish is now the official language of the United States. Why? Because Wal-Mart says so. Not in so many words maybe, but definitely by their actions. It started innocently enough. First one, then two clerks with little attachments on their name tags that say “Habla Espanol.” Then the headlines of the celebrity magazines in the checkout aisle, one by one, started switching from english to spanish. Over time it grew. More clerks. More magazines in espanol. Packaging all over the store slowly became predominately spanish, with the english relegated to the back or bottom of the boxes.
Then, today, the straw that broke the camel’s back. The music. Not just the typical, quiet, background music. Loud, in your face, dominate your shopping experience kind of music. Elevator music? No way! Blues? Jazz? Not a chance! This was South of the border, hat dancin’, big old fat guitar twangin’ mariachi bangin’ music. Come on WalMart. I understand your desire to market to a growing ethnic population, but the music?! You’re making us listen to the music?!
Now don’t get me wrong. I have no problem at all with the Mexican immigrants that have come to our community, after all, as the sign says, “A great place to work and play.” I am a retailer in my community, and I truly appreciate my customers from the South part of North America. They are courteous, happy, and happy to spend money. They never cause grief, they never cut in line, and they alway say hello, thank you, and goodbye. That’s a lot more than I can say about most of my American born customers. But they don’t expect me to speak spanish. They don’t expect me to have spanish labels on my products, and they definitely don’t expect me to have a band of mariachis playing ranchero while they shop.
