Yeah it's true that even in Wal-Marts it is possible to find local colors. After truck stops, they're the best bet for travelers : you'll find everything you need there : camping supplies, food, cds, maps and even souvenirs. I ran into a cashier in Colorado who lived in Montreal for 2 year.

She knew I was from Quebec because I bought some wine and she asked to see my I.D. (it always surprises me because I'm never asked that in Canada (legal drinking age is 18 here)). So I gave her some Quebec news, she remembered a few words of French, it was great!:-) I talked a lot with another cashier in Illinois who asked me questions about where I was from, and other stuff like that, in return she told me about Illinois, really interesting:-) She had a particular accent and colorful expressions that I never heard of...I understood one word out of two, but it was ok anyway...;-))

Gen:-)