Most people have heard of Wall Drug because of endless advertising. The nearer you get to Wall Drug, the most advertising you'll see. Wall Drug even advertises its own advertising with billboards that read "WALL DRUG SIGN ON A BUS IN LONDON" or "WALL DRUG BILLBOARD IN TOKYO". This has proven to be a powerful marketing tool, as Wall Drug is perhaps the most well known tourist trap in America. Naturally we had to stop by.
Located in Wall, South Dakota, Wall Drug was opened in 1931 and was a popular stop for tourists who were drawn in by the offer of free icewater. The free icewater tradition is still offered today, although the water doesn't come with ice(!?) and is self-served in a paper cone.
It is hard to miss the amount of parking available for Wall Drug, along with the Wall Drug RV park. The building (or series of connected buildings) takes up a whole city block, and is filled with not only a pharmacy, but a church, a restaurant, and animatronic t-rex head, and thousands of square feet of cheap plastic crap.
According to the wikipedia entry, Wall Drug spends as much as $400,000 on billboard advertising every year. They also give away free bumper stickers ("ONE FREE PER FAMILY") and deserve to burn in hell.
The best part, if there is one, about Wall Drug is that it's filled with old people and foreigners. And when that's your best feature, you've truly earned the tourist trap designation.
So here's to Wall Drug. Blah.
4 comments:
Oh kind sir how you have failed to notice the triump of a lonely South Dakota man with a little bit of entrepenuerial ambition and a lot of time. This man has created the pride of Wall, South Dakota. For anyone who has been there it is a beautiful town filled with many nice hotels and gas stations so that you may enjoy the great Wall Drug experience over an entire week of excitement. This great enterprise is the continuing exponential growth of one of South Dakota's greatest businesses. A real statement of the western idea of capitalism with a family-oriented theme. Attractions are available to those of all ages including you Mike. I hope this might open your eyes to some of the fascination of Wall Drug. Plus there's a donkey to take your picture with!
I suspect I should have seen this coming.
All the advertising is almost offensive, but because there's really not that much to see as you drive across South Dakota it's almost entertaining.
Calling Wall Drug a triumph is sort of like calling Wal-Mart a triumph, except Wal-Mart might actually have something worth buying. Mission accomplished, I guess.
And yes, there's a donkey to take your picture with. There's also a deer.
Wait is that you, Mr. Franey? We have people here that can find you out.
Good to see that everyone else is working as hard as I am.
Your accusations are outlandish, Dave. Be carefull. He'll cut you.
Or kick a water bottle at you.
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