Beating The Heat And Booted From Wal-Mart

With crippling heat affecting most of the country, many are hard-pressed to stay cool as the temperature skyrockets.

Sandi McMillin, of Eugene, Oregon, thought she'd found a surefire way to beat the heat. When her sister, Karla Vogt. asked her to take a trip to Wal-Mart, Sandi popped on a bikini top and a pair of shorts, and away they went.

Shortly after the gals began browsing the aisles, they were approached by an employee, who advised Ms. McMillan that she needed to don a shirt or leave the store, stating that Ms. McMillan's attire possibly posed a health code violation.

"I was horrified," McMillin said in an interview, "I am embarressed. I hadn't done anything obnoxious or outlandish."

McMillin claims she was then escorted out of the store.

Ashley Hardie, a Wal-Mart spokesperson, said that McMillin was not forced to leave the store, but that other customers had complained about McMillin's attire.

"We can understand her frustration. It was not our intent to offend the customer, and we have apologized to her. We have also reinforced with our associates our expectations of how to handle these matters."

McMillin, who purchased the foxy bikini top at Wal-Mart last year, has announced she will never shop at Wal-Mart again.

Let's give the poor dear the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps she hadn't caught up on the laundry. Maybe Ms. McMillin is in the throes of menopause and the hot flashes temporarily robbed her of reason. Or maybe, in her mind's eye, she sees herself as she was twenty years ago - flatter stomach, perkier boobs, and tighter thighs.

Whatever her reasoning for her fashion faux pas, Sandi surely deserves a spot in the gallery of pictures at the hilariously painful People of Wal-Mart website (http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/). Yes, she's a mild offender, compared to some of the other Wal-Mart shoppers pictured on the site, but she's still a worthy addition. Visit and view, if you dare.

Note - Some days creativity just doesn't fire up in the old brain. Thankfully, my dear friend, Pam, alerted me to the woes of Sandy McMillin, thereby providing the fodder for today's post.