Fortune magazine recently reported that, once again, Wal-Mart has defeated America’s economic woes and has taken the top spot in the Fortune 500 ranking. Apparently, Americans have to love a place where you can buy both orange juice and a steering wheel cover in a one-stop shop.

We’ve all been there. You’re looking for a pair of black flip-flops and suddenly you remember that you need cereal, deodorant, a plain white shirt, a toy for your pet, a birthday card for your cousin, a new pillowcase, oh, and a car charger for your iPod. An hour later, a five-minute trip that you estimated would cost you $5 has turned into a two-hour trip that costs you $100. You’ve totally missed class, annoyed your friends who are waiting for you and blew out your monthly budget all in one swoop.

Of course, then there are those people. They roam the store and fill up the cart only to get to the register and put all but two or three things on the belt because they can’t afford all of that stuff. I’ve been there. Friends have tried to break me of this time-wasting habit, but it is way too hard to pass up that pink trash can when I’m in the Home section until I’m at the register. It is then that I realize the residence hall I live in has already provided me with five trash cans. So, reluctantly, I say no to the pink trash can … and the cooking set … and the pretty curtains … and the magnifying mirror … and the school supplies that I thought were cute enough to buy now and just save for next year. Wal-Mart has it all.

I’m not saying the multi-million dollar company is without its egregious scandals and shameful practices. But the person looking for a place that lines up with his or her morals can maybe go to church on Sunday. The student looking for the cheapest anything on the planet can go to Wal-Mart. I may seem like a total sell-out, but we’re struggling college students! Wal-Mart neatly fits into the average student’s need to get the cheapest thing he or she can find.

Granted, cheapest isn’t always best. Last year, I bought the cutest laptop bag only to have the strap break while I was walking up Morton Hill. Too busy to return to my room, the entire day I had to walk around holding the bag up evenly with one strap on my shoulder and the other one folded in my hand. Just this past week, I bought a luggage set from Wal-Mart. Once I got to my destination, the stick that pulls up so you can drag it totally broke, so I had to stoop down and use the teeny loop on the bag to drag the 46-pound suitcase around. And how many people bought that $100 dollar futon from Wal-Mart at the beginning of the year only for it to cave underneath the pressure of visiting friends? As my parents would say, “Some things are worth the investment.”

However, even with its sometimes shoddy merchandise, Wal-Mart is the answer for the broke college student. I’m all about supporting local businesses, and I understand that Wal-Mart has been at fault for the demise of local businesses around the country. Some businesses just cannot compete with Wal-Mart’s dangerously low prices. However, sometimes I wish Wal-Mart sold textbooks so I could skip the total rip-off I’m guaranteed to get from the bookstores on Court Street. Some “local businesses” set out to screw students over anyway. Think about the housing in Athens. There is no reason four people in an apartment should be paying $400 a month a piece. That landlord is raking in $1,600 a month per apartment! This isn’t a high-rise in New York City; this is a college town. Maybe Wal-Mart will start selling rooms. It’s open 24 hours a day, so why not?

Wal-Mart here in Athens is a great pastime for many alumni. Wal-Mart is the perfect place to run into your old roommate from freshman year, pick up what you really don’t need and kill time at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday. The best thing? Their return policy is amazing. So while some may say Sam Walton is the Anti-Christ and Wal-Mart is hell, I think the store is a great addition to this country. Just like cell phones, hi-speed laptops and Cliff’s Notes … I don’t know how people got along without it. But, maybe it’s just me.

Alissa Griffith is a junior journalism major and dedicated Wal-Mart shopper who always welcomes Wal-Mart gift cards, whatever the occasion. Send her an e-mail at ag180505@ohiou.edu.