Because Walmart is a gaping maw of soul-eating despair, this story shouldn't be too surprising.
But somehow it is.
As part of a school-related "I Will" campaign, which encourages kids to help their fellow citizens and do a public service on 9/11, students from Coconut Palm Elementary in Miramar showed up at a local Walmart to sing "God Bless America" for a prearranged tribute with the store, located at 12800 Pines Blvd.
But the Walmart people there would have none of it and told the teachers and the 75 kids, ranging from age 7 and 10, to scram. When the group tried to sing outside by a flag flying at half-staff, the cops were called in on a report of a "flash mob situation" that had formed in the parking lot.
Save Money. Live Better. We're Assholes.
Coconut Palm Elementary Principal Terri Thelmas told the Sun-Sentinel that she had arranged the gathering a week in advance with a store manager named Frank. But when she and her students showed up Tuesday night, Frank wasn't there.
The Walmart manager in place of Frank called the chorus idea "a liability" and told the group to leave. This person also told Thelmas that Frank had been fired.
Upon hearing the news, parents took to Facebook to complain that many of the children, who had practiced hard for the performance, were brought to tears at the incident.
On Wednesday night, some dipshit Walmart spokesperson finally came out and apologized on behalf of the sweat shop company:
"We regret this happened and apologize to the students, parents and the school for this experience. Unfortunately, this was a situation of miscommunication, and it should have been handled differently."
Yeah. Totally. Miscommunication.
Because an entire elementary school arranged to come sing at a store to honor a somber anniversary and bring some cheer to the dead-eyed customers lingering through the giant windowless building filling their shopping carts with giant boxes of $1 dollar Frankenberrys and 50 cent goldfish and the person in charge at the time made a judgment call based on "liability."
These little kids singing "God Bless America" are going to get in the way of our customers purchasing road flares, cat food, and a blond wig! DON'T LET THEM ANYWHERE NEAR THE STORE!
Well-done, Walmart.
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