It’s become hip to hate on Walmart. People complain about long checkout lines and  messy stores. They ridicule the shoppers. There are plenty of Walmart jokes, many poking fun at overweight customers with curlers in their hair or those sporting low-slung, butt-revealing pants.

I admit it: I laugh too when I read stuff online like “Just a reminder: Walmart will be closed on Christmas Day so both cashiers can be with their families.” Or “You know you’re at Walmart when you see a guy wearing a bath towel poncho” with a picture of a guy pushing a cart while wearing what looks like…a poncho made out of a bath towel.

But hey, I’m not here to pile on. I know Walmart isn’t as upscale as its competitor Target, but there is stuff there that I can’t find elsewhere. At least not at Walmart prices.

Take this pretty outdoor pillow in a fall pattern. Only five bucks. I may go back and get another. I’ve had two five-dollar summer outdoor pillows from Walmart that have lasted for two seasons now, so I expect this seasonal pillow will make it through a few falls. And again, only five dollars. Available in a big bin in the garden department.

Speaking of the garden department, another positive about Walmart versus Target (in my town anyway) is that I can pick up plants while I’m there. I bought two lovely small mums for $1.27 each the other day. It was a start to replacing my summer flowers in my backyard pots.

The best deal I’ve gotten at Walmart recently, though, was a big-ticket item. My husband and I were shopping for a ROKU television (part of cutting that cable cord business I talked about in last week’s blog). Our son-in-law, wise in all things related to electronics/television/Internet, told us the exact model to buy from Walmart.

Not only did we get a great deal on this TV ( a 50 inch for $268), but the guy who helped us in the electronics department was friendly and knowledgeable. He and my husband even had a nice little chat about college football while he was ringing us up.

I know Walmart isn’t as pretty and yuppified as Target. I don’t catch a whiff of Starbucks coffee when I’m there and the aisles don’t seem as wide and shiny as those at Target.

But I look around my house and see lots of stuff that I’ve bought from Walmart over the years: a favorite set of sheets, toys and games, Corelle dishes, picture albums, candles, workout clothes…. So it would be mean of me to talk too badly about Walmart. I’ve gotten so many good deals there.

And as for those long checkout lines? I’ve discovered self-checkout, where I usually breeze right through.

Am I alone in liking Walmart? What’s been your experience?