Walmart Disappoints.

Part of post-op hip replacement surgery is to ride a stationery bike.  The surgeon's office thoughtfully provided a list of where they can be found.  The first stab at this was a rental place that brings it to your house and then takes it away when you're finished with it for $1 a day.  The one they brought was just the right height for someone 6' 6" and I am 5'5".  Back it went the next day.

Among the listed "buy" sites was Walmart.  Neither one of us has ever been in one, but I think we're all familiar with the "Walmart Shoppers" photos that frequently cross our computer screens.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, Google "Walmart Shoppers" and peruse them for as long as you can stand it.  Obese women AND men wearing totally unacceptable clothing - too tight, too revealing, too ...whatever you can think of that is appalling and/or an insult to fashionistas worldwide. 

The Website showed a variety of exercise bikes that are reasonably priced (as opposed to Dick's Sporting Goods which are priced from $500 to $3,300.  I would expect the latter to make beds and load the dishwasher as well.)

Thus Walmart looked pretty good to us.  We set off with anticipatory glee.  "Now don't laugh in their faces," I cautioned Richie, "and for God's sake, don't ask them where they got it ("it" being rude slogans, genital-viewing shorts or breast-baring scanty tops.) 

Since Walmart stores cover sweeping departments, we had to tour around for some time before finding stationery bikes.  We never saw any, uh, "remarkable" clothing.

They had a bike we would have bought if not for the dangling flywheel control band.  But!  Hark!  They had three of this model at the 190th Street store.

Richie went in by himself because carrying an enormous box in a shopping cart and steering me in the transporter chair would have been non-productive, however amusing to passers-by.  Still, I had the customers entering and leaving the store to observe.  And to no avail at all.  Clearly SoCal shoppers are all decent God-fearing people and not the crazed exhibitionalists found in other locales.

Pity.