The Superstore

Americans have always prided themselves on doing things big, but I think "The Real Canadian Superstore" (which, technically, should read: "The Real Chinese Superstore") has got Wally World beat in terms of sheer size. The first store to bring the wide expanses of the Canadian prairies inside, Superstores are beyond huge. Isles seemingly sprawl half the length of a football field, and walking from one end of the store to the other feels like running a marathon. We've often commented that they should seriously consider offering a shuttle service from the bakery to the pharmacy.

While sitting outside in the parking lot one day (waiting for The Beloved to come back out), it struck me: Why does Superstore have handicapped parking places out front?

Don't get me wrong -- I'm all for making things easier for handicapped people. But if you have difficulty getting around, then a store the size of a cattle ranch is probably not the best shopping venue for you. And if you brought along your trusty Rascal (or, perhaps, a horse) to help you navigate those wide open spaces, then the proximity of your parking space to the door should cease to be an issue.

I guess the rest of us non-handicapped folks are just out of luck. When we sally forth in search of no-name comestibles or the latest in cheap Chinese goods, we have to hoof it a half a mile or so across the parking lot just to get inside the building, to say nothing of the couple or three more klicks we'll travel in search of our Cheesies and diet Pepsis.

On the other hand, all that walking around on concrete floors is apt to wear out our knees, hips, and ankles that much faster, which means we'll all be vying for those handicapped parking spaces before too long. Maybe then I'll appreciate them more.