The Littlest Consumers

My dad gets the opportunity to babysit my niece every friday. They have a pretty standard routine which includes lunch with my mom and the other teachers at her work. Every friday also includes a trip to Walmart.

Now, for the average 2 year old, I'm sure Walmart isn't very notable or all that exciting. For my niece, it's the best thing in the world. She LOVES Walmart. If you ask her if she wants to go, she'll run through the house grabbing her shoes and coat and yelling "I go Malmart".

Lucky for us, she's not quite to the stage where she throws fits if you don't buy her something. Instead, when she sees something she likes, she'll comment, "I get it." You then let her hold it for a couple of minutes until it's time to put it back and move on. But if it's something she really really wants, or knows she's getting, she'll brand it "mine" and you don't dare pry it from her hands.

The other day, mom, my sister, and my niece were driving to the big city to do some shopping. On the way, we passed the Walmart shopping plaza. It sets way back from the road and is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. While driving, from the backseat we heard my niece perk up. Then she excitedly started saying, "Look, look, Malmart... Malmart." The little bugger even recognizes the building. She's going to be quite the shopper when she grows up. And I'm sure Walmart just loves to hear that.