"made sure person who took mine could not request another one as my number was reported stolen."

Maybe it's different in Alabama but here the disabled placards are tracked by each person's name, not by the number on what was issued to them. I don't think reference is ever made to the numbers nor are they ever checked when used. I know because of handling these for my in-laws.

PS - maybe it's different in different places but Wal Mart stores tend to attract sketchy people. Was this in a bad neighborhood?

Good advice, Glenda! Dedtired, I lock my car when I'm pumping gas too.

Speaking of locking cars, I occasionally see people going out of their way to aim the key fob (is that what you call it?) directly at their car to lock or unlock it. The other day, sitting in my car, I watched a woman walk almost to the door of TJ Maxx, then turn around and walk all the way back to her car so she could stand next to it, aim the key and lock it. This is so unnecessary. The key uses radio waves to signal the vehicle. She could easily have locked it from TJ Maxx--either outside the door or inside it.

They also work inside your pocket, which is why it's helpful to know how Lock and Unlock feel to the touch. I thought I had that down pat, but at 4 a.m. last week, in the dark, I pressed the wrong button and set off the car alarm!

That's scary and infuriating! Woke up to the news today, purse snatchers caught on camera shopping with stolen cards at Wal-mart. Their pictures are all over the news now. Stupid thieves, how do they not know there are cameras everywhere nowadays?

"maybe it's different in different places but Wal Mart stores tend to attract sketchy people."

Well, that's a pretty broad and unfounded generalization!! Are you implying that the hundreds of thousands of Walmart shoppers all have "sketchy" (eg. untrustworthy) personalities?? If so, you are offending a lot of forum participants........

It's my observation. If you're disagreeing with me, is your comment anything other than a broad and unfounded generalization (if that's the right characterization, which I think it's not)? More credible than mine because it's yours?

I've tended to see more odd people in and around Wal Marts than in and around Costcos, for instance. What's your experience been?

My car is old (2001 model) and has a big hole in the back plastic bumper that looks like from a bullet. It is not quite as shiny as newer models. I do lock it when shopping, but it probably gets overlooked by the people up to no good. I keep thinking about buying a new one but it still performs so well and thieves pass it by.

I've been in a WalMart store about ten times. It was one of few alternatives for basic household goods on Maui when we bought there nearly 20 years ago. The store there and the one closest to my home (not 'close') have identical 'atmospheres' -- and clientele. It's something like the old Five & Dime, with a zillion cheaply manufactured items crammed together under a harsh lighting system. I don't remember Woolworth's looking this grim, though -- nor the people shopping there.

I see odd people just about anywhere - Costco, Walmart, Petsmart, the grocery store, wandering the mall on the rare occurrence I shop there. I don't see where one retail establishment draws in any more "sketchy" or odd people than any other and generalizing that one does attract more than others is a specious contention at best.

btw, I see plenty here online as well...........but I am not fast to the draw to make a generalization that Houzz/GardenWeb attracts odd or sketchy posters.

I never thought I would have to lock my car in my own driveway :0( Yes, officer, I know better than to leave money in my car. And yes, i thought I had locked it. Nothing is safe even in a smallish town. I've even had people steal planters out of my front yard.

Sad that she wanted to steal the handicapped placard. Handicap parking abuse infuriates me. I know people who park in handicapped parking who aren't actually handicapped. And yes, I know there are "invisible" handicaps but that's not what I'm referring to.

My city is different than most. Except for a few pockets the cheaper homes are in the city limits along with the housing projects. The mass of the shopping is outside of the city. So if a walmart or shopping center is on a bus line the clientele is sketcheir depending on the time of day.

Wow, you are saying that living in a less expensive home is a predictor of 'sketchiness'?

Elmer may have a point. http://www.peopleofwalmart.com

We have two Walmarts. A small one near me and a mega store five miles away. I never go to either but had to last month when my sweeper broke and the megastore was the only store around here that carried it. I picked it up and raced to the door stopping to pick up two cat beds on the aisle in a bin. I was never so happy to leave. This opposed to Target where I could wander around all day. I saw people I never see in my regular visits to other stores.

Walmart has a huge customer base. Lots of people go there because it is convenient. You can get everything in one stop. When a business has such a large customer base,it attracts all kinds of people. More people,more weirdos.

I shop at Walmart, and while I know that I am often thought of as weird,personality wise,I certainly would not consider myself or most of my fellow shoppers "sketchy."

Don't let Bill Gates or his neighbors, like Paul Allen, know you think they're sketchy. Paul passed away last year, but he lived in the vicinity of Bill. There's two Walmarts in the city where they live. I don't know this for sure, but I've heard Jeff Bezos lives in the same area as well. I've seen Bill's house, or "compound', from the water - Lake Washington,, or what can be seen of it. He bought out all of the neighborhood when he built.

Damn sketchy rich people!

Lucille, the people who think "work" is a dirty word and live off of the taxpayers and supplement their free income with crime generate to the cheaper homes of the city. There is some nice pockets that will have a major grocery store and smaller business, but not any department stores, walmarts, targets, etc for shopping.

Lucille, the people who think "work" is a dirty word and live off of the taxpayers and supplement their free income with crime generate to the cheaper homes of the city.

Programs to temporarily financially assist those out of work are a blessing to many people who may have become unemployed due to medical or other issues including mental illness, hurricanes, factory shutdowns, and on and on . There but for the grace of God go many of us.

Do some people abuse those programs? Undoubtedly. Do some wealthy people abuse the tax laws? They do. But not because they are poor or wealthy.

The less expensive homes in a city are often bought by those who work hard but have a lower income, and could include assistant professors, waitresses, agricultural workers, all kinds of school employees, social service workers, nurse's aides, younger people buying first homes, etc.

I am really shocked at the concept I see being presented here of lower income being equated with being sketchy. God give all of us different talents and different opportunities. A hard working restaurant dishwasher is no less moral by virtue of his low paying job that the most finely clothed highly paid Wall Street broker.

I'm happy to say I have never encountered those types of people ,as in that link, at our local Wal Mart . Maybe I'm going at the wrong time of day?? And that bird would be thrown out if I had control!

"I am really shocked at the concept I see being presented here of lower income being equated with being sketchy."

I don't think anyone is saying that all low income people are sketchy. However, there is a correlation between crime and poverty. That doesn't mean all criminals are low income, or that all low income people are sketchy, but there is a correlation between crime and income.

Wealthier areas tend to have lower crime, and vice versa. Doesn't mean only bad people live in lower income areas.

The lady that took my placard, walked to her car, in the next isle over, from my car, and got in her very nice looking suv. This Wal Mart is located in one of the higher income area's in town.

BUT that doesn't mean anything as I remember one year, two guys walked out with a tv they had stolen, but were apprehended in the parking lot by police.

In my comment, I was not referring to any low-income people at all. Nothing at all wrong with them. I was talking about sketchy people with inappropriate clothing, tattoos on their faces, loud screaming kids. Not what I am used to seeing, thankfully

"There's two Walmarts in the city where they live. "

LOL!! They live in Medina, WA and there are NO Walmarts located in that city! In fact, other than a gas station (which is on the periphery) and the old general store, there are no retail establishments within the city limits at all - it is exclusively residential. And residentially exclusive :-) The closest Walmart is 10 miles and two cities away.

And Gates might have purchased several neighboring properties for his compound but he by no means bought out the neighborhood. A long time friend lives just down the street. While Medina is tiny (less than 5 square miles), it has a pretty wealthy population with more billionaires/millionaires per square mile than just about anywhere else.

Lucille, I never mentioned lower income only lower cost real estate. I am talking about the people who haven't worked for generations and generations and expect everything for free and if they can't get it for free they take it or just don't want to work period because it interferes with their crime business. Not the temporarily down on their luck, the ill, or the working poor. Unfortunately that at happens all over, not just in the city. In the city if it isn't nailed down it is gone. If it is nailed down it is destroyed. At one time each neighborhood had a thriving business district, no more. Business can't make a profit with people who shop with five finger discount or gun point.

Most parking enforcement patrol officers are just looking at the expiration dates on handicapped plates or placards. I doubt they check very often to match up with the owner of the placard since it is portable.

Sorry that happened to you, Glenda. ‘‘Tis the season for thievery, unfortunately. It happens everywhere.

I do almost all my shopping at Walmart. It's a clean, pleasant enough place, with a friendly staff, and the prices are significantly lower than anywhere else in my area. I stop at two supermarkets regularly to buy a couple of items not carried by Walmart, and I cringe at some of the prices I see there. One of these stores has an elderly clientele; I'm sure they've been shopping there for decades. The other attracts a lot of weekenders and vacationers.

I looked up "sketchy," and the definition was "dishonest or disreputable." That doesn't equate to "lower income," but I can certainly understand why someone on a severely limited budget would shop at a store with the lowest prices in town.

Following up on Elmer's post, we don't have a Costco here, but don't they charge a membership fee? That would explain why Costco shoppers look more prosperous. This is true at Sam's Club, where I shop occasionally. But Sam's shoppers are still as likely as Walmart shoppers to fill their carts with soda, chips, and processed foods.

I have both, handicap placard and license plate.

Hey gardengal, I see you frequently like to call out and correct me.

I know Bill Gates lives in Medina. I'd said I'd seen his area from the water - Lake Washington, so I kinda think I know where he lives. I was avoiding announcing where he lives. I don't think announcing on the internet where one of the richest people in the world lives is appropriate. Maybe no big deal, but I didn't want to. And yes, the nearest Walmart is ten miles away. Ten miles from Medina doesn't suddenly turn into a ghetto. And so what if my definition of "neighborhood" and your "several neighboring properties" are different semantically. The point was that he bought up property by where he was building.

Not sure why you feel it necessary to correct me, but have at it. I don't always agree with you, but I'm polite enough to not point it out. People who like to do that just look petty.

I think it varies a lot by region. I used to live in Florida, and had to go to Walmart as there weren't many other options, and it was always clean and nice enough.

Here in Orange County, CA, the one near my house is one I avoid. It's not well maintained and the shelves are never properly stocked. I much prefer Target, though they are a little more expensive.

I don't think announcing on the internet where one of the richest people in the world lives is appropriate.

I think where he lives is probably public information. Here, from Wikipedia:

Bill Gates owns a mansion that overlooks Lake Washington in Medina, Washington. The 66,000-square-foot (6,100 m2) mansion is noted for its design and the technology it incorporates. It is nicknamed Xanadu 2.0 in some news media articles.

Location: 1835 73rd Ave NE (service entrance) ...

Also, the President of the U.S. lives in the White House.

I try to avoid WalMart at all cost!...and gladly support the local hometown mom and pop merchants! I enjoy my local grocery store where they open another lane if even one shopper is waiting in line, bag my groceries and gladly carry them out and put them in my car....and they have the best meat and produce departments of any grocery store I have ever shopped in...and you can’t beat their sale prices! Oh yes...convenient parking with wider stalls.

Okay Lucille, I think you and gardengal must be related. You both like to point out what others write and correct it. I personally didn't want to write where he lives. My prerogative to choose that. I see you went the extra step to do some research to make a point. Like I said, people just look petty when doing that.

Like I said, people just look petty when doing that.

You are certainly pointing out what we have written and are doing your best to criticize and thus appear petty.

That means you are related to us too, we can be The Petty Sisters lol. Or maybe since you chose to make the big deal, we'll honor you and call ourselves The Sephelettes. Do tours. Fan Clubs. By the time we're through maybe we'll live on 73rd Avenue too and be Bill's neighbors.

Our Walmart in town is clean enough. They just have horrible customer service. The one in the state capital is filthy and I avoid it. Same with some in Lexington, where police cars are parked in front of the store at all times.

It's petty to correct obvious misstatements? Why would that be? I grew up just 2 miles away from the Gates compound and I am intimately familiar with that area. There is a night and day shift between Medina and Factoria afa income and property values go! Not a ghetto but not an area where wealthy or high income shoppers would frequent......if Bill Gates even does his own shopping.

I don't think he does his own shopping. :)

Chi thank you that is so funny!

Oh bless his heart! Ha!

Wow, he's sure out of touch with prices!

I can't blame him. If I had billions I would outsource every errand. :) I imagine he has staff that keeps the kitchen stocked and maybe a personal chef.

Probably! I know I'd never go to a grocery store if I didn't need to!

I was didn't know the prices at the grocery store at one time. My husband retired about 10 years before me and he did all the grocery shopping. When I retired and took over the grocery shopping it was a learning experience. I didn't know if a sale item was a good price, the brand of toilet paper we used, or where anything was in the store anymore.

"I was didn't know the prices at the grocery store"

I go grocery shopping at least once a week, to any of a few different stores, and other than the prices for pricey items like fresh wild salmon, some other seafood items (sea scallops) and certain cheeses, I don't know any prices at all. I don't think that's uncommon.

Honestly, I do believe it is uncommon to know only the prices on a select few items. Very few know the prices on every item they buy, but they do know a good price on items they buy often. If people didn't know prices, then why do grocery stores put out sale circulars every week?

"why do grocery stores put out sale circulars every week?"

Weekly specials are what grocery stores use to attract customers. A lot of food products are commodities - whether you buy your Rice Krispies at this store or that store doesn't affect what you get. Sugar is sugar, oranges are oranges. Some people need or like to watch their spending, others like to think they've found bargains, the weekly specials are useful for both types of shoppers.

We don't fall into either category. We buy different things at different stores based on our preferences for unique or specific types of things that different stores offer. Where we go and what we do aren't influenced by prices. Maybe my wife is more familiar with prices for particular items than I am but I know neither of us pays attention to weekly specials or sale items, nor makes an effort to "buy A here, buy B there" if the only difference is price. We would buy A and B wherever we happen to be.

I shop at the local Walmart for all the staples because the same items in the higher-end grocery are ridiculously high. But there are some items in the higher-end store that I buy because the quality is superior and I am blessed in that I can afford to do it if I desire. While I do see customers at Walmart that appear in financial situations that would be considered poverty level, I don't assume that they are "sketchy". I see an awful lot of high-end vehicles like Mercedes and Lexus in the parking lots of Walmarts. And I'm adding this edit because it occurred to me that I might come off to some people as "sketchy" because I don't wear high-end clothes and shoes when I go shopping. I also don't wear a lot of expensive jewelry or carry a high-end purse or drive an expensive vehicle. But it's not because I don't have the money to buy better, there's nothing at a Walmart that if I wanted I couldn't afford to pay for it cash. It's just not my style. Just because my appearance is doubtful to some doesn't mean that I would ever dream of doing anything "sketchy". I used to know of a truck stop where they served country-cooked southern breakfast - mostly truck drivers but also a lot of locals. My sister worked there at the time and she pointed to a man wearing bibbed overalls and said "you'd never know by looking at him, but he's a millionaire". There are very poor people in poor clothes that wouldn't do anything "sketchy" if you paid them. There are also people who live high on the hog who are moral pigs.

Our Walmarts are very nice. So is our Costco. I see people I know in both places.

If I'm going to buy canned tuna, pasta or ketchup as an example, or any other grocery item, it's silly not to buy it cheaper than the neighbouring grocery store charges. Walmart is in the same mall as Zehrs, which is the largest grocery chain (Loblaws) owned by the Weston family in Canada.

Same goes for a coffee maker. Black and Decker, Proctor-Silex, etc are all made in the same country, so I'll buy it at the store that sells it cheapest.

Although I certainly would never leave my vehicle unlocked at any store I was leaving it and especially not at a WM, but if someone stole something and I witnessed it, I probably would have said something, or at least taken a picture of the person and the vehicle plate.

Fancy clothes and an expensive car don't mean that a person has money, it means that they HAD money.

Yeah. Or spent money they didn't have.