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These Things
Recently returned from serving the people of Honduras for 3 years

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

The Infamous Walmart Game

There are a lot of things I would like to be famous for in my lifetime; taking beautiful photos, composing beautiful music (like Victoria), raising Guide dogs and saving people lives (like Captain Sulli), but being famous for the Walmart game, I really didn't foresee.


Now days, every time I get introduced to someone around here, they inevitably remark "Oh! you are the Kleins! We play your Walmart game all the time now, it was the hit of my daughters birthday party". Or, "our Young Men group played your Walmart game last week, it was great".

Who would have guessed?




The Walmart game was just something my husband made up once upon a time to keep the kids and their cousins occupied during family vacations and give them something fun to do while the grownups were shopping. (The moms were all delighted because it kept them busy and from dragging behind the shopping carts whining about wanting toys and candy . . .) Since then, they have played it with their friends at sleepovers, friends at dance day activities, saturday mornings when they didn't have anything to do . . .

This only comes up right now because we recently visited my college student daughter and upon our arrival, all her roommates and neighbors were so excited and wanted us to take them to play the Walmart Game.


It goes something like this:

  • Any number can play
  • Divide players into teams of 2 or 3
  • Each team gets a pre-made up shopping list (different items each time)
  • Each team gets a shopping cart
  • Running is not allowed (or any other activity that would attract the attention of the Walmart staff)
  • Asking help from Walmart Employees is not allowed
  • Each team has the same list only in a different order
  • They must get every item on the list and in order
  • They can skip two items but have to go back to retrieve them once the entire list is finished and in order as skipped
  • The finish line is the item at the end of the list which is the same for all teams (usually in some obscure location like the the camping aisle)
  • If you get reprimanded by Walmart - YOU'RE out!
  • The prize is a certain amount of money that must be spent at Walmart to purchase a prize that the whole group can enjoy - treats, games, food etc. Winners get to choose the prize.
  • All items have to be returned carefully at the end of the game.
  • Items are subject to interpretation as in this photo.



(The item on the list was "mouse" - most people brought back a computer mouse. But this team creatively brought back a stuffed toy mouse from the pet department - hee hee! (one day the item was umbrella - we had these tiny little kids cart back a huge patio umbrella from the garden department!)

We started this when the kids were pretty little and barely able to read and push a shopping cart and as you can see - it's still a big hit!








Soooo - when you're in Utah (or Idaho) and at Walmart - watch out for crazy college kids walking briskly around the store with shopping carts and lots of embarrassing items in their carts - like adult diapers (it seems to be my husband favorite), laxatives and tampons - ha!





15 comments:

Liz Mays said...

That's the best game idea ever!!! You are fun!!

Unknown said...

I just love your family. This makes me miss you guys a whole lot, and I've never even played!

susette said...

Awesome game, I wanna play too!!

Anonymous said...

I would have loved that as a kid/teenager! I spent way too much time in the grocery store with my friends. (Mormon teen hangout.)
It would have been fun to have something like that to do.

I'm going to have to do that with my kids.

Deb said...

-->Love the creativity of the game!

www.WebSavyMom.com

The Single Mothers Chronicles said...

OMG! How funny! I think I could see myself going into a Super Walmart, give the list to my boyfriend and daughter to play the game, walk into the nail salon at the front of the store to get a manicure, "let" them win, buy everything in the cart....:-)!
I'm evil.
Swati

Stephanie M. Page said...

I love it!! WHat a super fun idea. oh I will play this one. =) You have such a beautiful family!!

Conference venues said...
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tammy said...

How fun! Am I too old to play? Do you make them put everything back when they're done?

Joy For Your Journey said...

The people in my stake (in Arizona) have also played that for about five years. I wonder if they heard about it from someone in your family at one time. How funny.

The Walmart game I have been playing this week is trying to find gold stars that are tree ornaments. I am giving them away as a party favor on Tuesday and don't have quite enough, but have been to six different Walmarts and everyone is out!! This particular game is no fun!

Jacquie @ Joy Made Full said...

Oh I want to do this!!! It's sounds like SO much fun!

Loralee and the gang... said...

OK - I am in Idaho, and we have several Walmarts around. My kids will LOVE this game! You're awesome!
:~D

Joy For Your Journey said...

That is so nice of you to offer to track down ornaments for me--thank you so much!! But I was in Utah this past weekend and I think I already checked all the stores by you--Lindon, AF and across from Lone Peak. None of them had anything. I still have two more stores here in AZ to check out though so I am still hoping. :-)

And we live on the opposite side of the valley from Gilbert. I know who the first people here were to play the game so I am going to ask them this week where they got the idea. I know they had to have heard about it from someone. :-)

Native American Momma said...

well at lest your famous for something!
Walmart just has to pump something in the ventilation to make people wacky. My husband and I always got so tired of being there and would act silly. We lived a hour away and there was no other place to shop so it was always a long day.

Theta Mom said...

OMG! How fun are you? I can totally see how this could easily turn into a competition, and making shopping so f-u-n!!!

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