Open letter to K-Mart and other sales sources!

It is the holiday season - shopping season - stress season!

We make a list, check it several times and head out to the brick and mortar stores or plop down in front of the monitor and order on line....

It has been almost 3 weeks of waiting and wondering if my holiday order would come in from one of the "Marts".... I have come to the conclusion - "No! It won't"!

Let me make a generalization for most shopping arenas - do not play me- (or other shoppers). Be honest! If you do not have it, say so!! Just be up front and honest!

Is it so hard to say,"I'm so sorry, that is a popular item and we have sold out! I would be glad to assist you with similar items if you like..." Please do not string me along with "Your order is being processed - you should have it in 5-7 days" . Maybe in 5-7 Neptune days - but not in Earth days!!

Even to a trusting sole like myself - it will soon become apparent that the items just aren't coming! You don't have them (if you ever did) - and I am not going to have them either. So give me my money back - smile and wish me a Merry Christmas as I trudge off to find my holiday spirit elsewhere!

Here is my gift to you Mr. Businessman: Be honest quickly, tap dancing around the issue will not make you look better!

Oh- and Merry Christmas!

Shopping Horrors!

Ho Ho Ho! We are in the midst of the Christmas countdown and I was feeling rather cocky... and thus comes my "come-uppance"!  Pride goes before a fall and all that stuff!

I had done the majority of my shopping online... "Priding" myself with online coupons, free shipping and major discounts!  Then the second shoe drops! And wham! I am going to be forced into the brick and mortar stores after all!

You see I ordered several toys for great nieces and nephews, etc. Nothing extraordinary but necessary to cross their names off my lengthy list! (Again puffing out my chest in making such super selections in such an easy manner!)

Then I began to realize that nothing had been delivered. NADA! ZIP!

Sooooo, I began to scan my emails... where were these non-delivered items? Today I received an email from K-Mart- it seems they decided to cancel -CANCEL- my first order- completely - everything gone! (Do I hear the disappointed gasps from small tots having the Toy Story figures ripped away?)

Not wanting to deal with emails and stupid buttons, I opted to call the 800 number.  Amy was very friendly and almost as shocked as I was to see the holiday happiness disappear into the nether regions of the internet!  She volunteered to reorder (Nope she could not see any reason my order was dumped either - but I was beginning to feel a little hurt mixed in with my anger!) She is going to "expedite" my reorder and give me free rush shipping... we'll see!

Upon further review, I find my Shutterfly order was split and only half delivered and the other half -according to them - also delivered - but I know better! It is not here!  So "Linda" also known as Ajdon, is reordering and assures me it will be here ...sometime!

Ah but wait, it gets better.  Going down the list of orders, I check out Sears. This should be easy - Ed only wanted one thing... which I now see by this ignored email has been shipped to....wait for it..... SAWYER IN MASS.

Yup- my 3 year old grandson will  soon be the owner of a massive battery operated Craftsman skill saw....

I can see the shock and awe on Greg's face now as little Sawyer opens THAT box! =-P

Could there possibly be more... Yup!  Yet another order was split and one item shipped and the other....well, we may never know!!

So on Friday, instead of doing all the catch up things I had planned to do, I will dash to Walmart and replace all the goodies that are floating through the postal neverland.... I am going to the doctor tomorrow to see if they really do make a pacifier out of valium!

While Scott is happily counting the days to Christmas - I will be slowly sucking my way into a calmer holiday!