.

.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Capsaicin

Nathalie and I decided that we needed pepper spray. No, nothing to do with cooking. More along the lines for self defense. Or possibly offense. Why Nathalie and I were out trying to buy pepper spray isn't all that important...

I figured Wal-Mart would be the place to buy it. They have nearly everything else, including BB guns, real bullets, and scary Rambo looking knives, so I figured that is where I can get pepper spray. For cheap, too.

But no, after a fruitless search and resigning myself to asking an employee for help, I learned that Wal-Mart doesn't stock pepper spray because it's too dangerous. Never mind that shotgun shells are just sitting on the shelves and bullets are behind an unlocked glass display case.

So we went to a local sporting goods store that sells guns. I figured if a store sells guns, they'll sell pepper spray.

Since Wal-Mart won't even stock the stuff because it's so dangerous, we figured this sporting goods store would keep it locked away. So we went to where we thought would be the most obvious place to keep it: next to the guns.

But obviously, the managers at the sporting goods store think pepper spray is as dangerous as a bunny in a kitten costume because we were redirected to a different part of the store. The part of the store that sold jogging accessories like earbud headphones and iPod cases. No joke, there was a pink Hello Kitty iPod case for sale hanging right next to the mace and pepper spray.

Their nonchalant attitude and stark contrast to the fear shown at Wal-Mart made me question the efficacy of pepper spray, and then question Wal-Mart's rationale for banning the sale of the stuff in their store.

Regardless we bought one. The most menacing looking one, which came in a mean looking black can.

Oddly, we also ended up buying an iPod case.