Back when I was young, my grandparents lived in Gallatin and did so for many years. I remember one time my mother giving directions to someone who was coming into town to see them.
“You will get off the interstate and go left. You will approach a 4-way stop. Turn right. You will go about 2 miles and at that red light, take a left. There is a gas station there as well. Go down for one mile and turn right., Now you will cross over a bridge and that is the Cumberland River. You will come to a red light and take a right. Then, you will go down about 2 miles and on the left, there is a national guard armory. Take the next left after that. You will go down three streets and at the 4-way stop, take a right and that is their house. Got it? Perfect. See you there.”
Now, if you gave directions today, it would be far different and a lot less word salad.
“Now when you get off the interstate, you will take a left and run into the Walmart. At the Walmart, go about two blocks and you are there.”
Yes, the new GPS is Walmart. Every single time when you are asking for directions, invariably, they will tell you, “Do you know where the Walmart is?” Chances are you will nod your head and every direction from there, the nerve center is your local Walmart.
Here is the best/worst part—We do it all the time. I do it all the time. I will tell people as well that “you know where the Walmart is on Lebanon Rd? Okay, from there go down Andrew Jackson.”
This especially works if you are in a rural area because it is now become the county seat. Someone said that it should be the Dollar General. I said and they asked why. Here is why—-There is a Dollar General every 3oo yards. Yes, that many so you will be driving and say, “Is it this Dollar General? No wait, it is this Dollar General. Yes, this one. No, hold up, here is another one. Yes, it is this one. Wait. Wait. And another one. We are lost. Hey, find the Walmart.”
Walmart’s new slogan should be: Walmart. When you get lost, find us. We can get lost together.
Walmart. The new GPS.
