Dear AC Moore,
Thank you for all the years of good service and quality merchandise. It seems I am always looking for just the right item but unable to find exactly what I want. Your stores have allowed me to make what ever it was I was looking for, therefore allowing me to have exactly what I was looking for.
Tonight all of that changed. I will now purchase the items I need on line with another supplier or at Ben Franklin if I need it right away. Why this sudden change?
I know it was almost time for the store to close but I knew exactly what I wanted and where it was (invitation ink stamp). My little girl and I scurried between two employees who were standing fixed in their spots blocking the isle a good deal and reached the stamps (2nd isle in on the left). Quickly I grabbed the stamp I need and a very sweet voice came over the intercom saying “It is now 8:58 and our store will be closing in two minutes. Please bring your purchases to the register.” I was not the only customer in the store. I saw a couple go in just ahead of us. As I bent down to reached for the over sized black ink pad I heard a store clerk say in a very stern voice “Put. That. Back. We. Are. Closed. You‘re gonna have-ta leave.” She was standing at the end of the isle with her arms folded and a very cross look on her face.
She didn’t give me a chance to say anything about the fact that we were ready, the two minutes left announcement or that I would be using a credit card so no one would have to recount their pre-counted registers. I slowly placed the stamp back in it’s place and kept my eyes fixed on the employee as if she were a wild animal and any sudden moves would result in a fatality. I kept Snow White strategically behind me, incase the creature decided to attack.
As Snow White and I walked past the registers to the exist there were 6 or more employees all standing close together with their arms folded, angry-someone-pissed-in-my-cherios-this-morning, haven’t eaten anything all day because of it AND I’m-gonna-eat-you-and-your-little-girl-too looks on their faces It was a mixer of the God Father’s body guards and the Wicket Witch from the Wizard of Oz.
I knew the store was closing and I was going to be quick and not inconvenience anyone. Apparently, they do not want my business and I am personally not welcome.
I admit I went in to the store just before it closed but to be told by an employee “Put. That. Back. We. Are. Closed. You‘re gonna have-ta leave.” That was completely uncalled for. On top of that to have the Giodo squad form a line? Did they really think that little Snow White all dressed in pink was such a danger? What was so important that it couldn’t wait until the store closed?
Not only will I not do my own personal shopping there but I will no longer purchase supplies for our Brownie and Girl Scout Troops at your store. I will also tell my parents who will tell all the organizations they participate in who will no doubt advise them to stop using your stores. My sister and brothers will also do the same. I plan on telling everyone I work with about my experience at your store. The last time a store pissed me off in such a manner (actually it was worse) they were out of business the very next month (smaller East coast chain). I am by no means saying I have “pull” but word of mouth carries more weight than any other form of advertisement. Should those who read this post stop buying from their local AC Moore? Only if your service is as poor as what was experienced by me on this night.
In retrospect…..
I had planned to use Fans as invitations for Snow White’s Birthday party. This way she could discretely pass out invitations at school where she sees most of her friends. The fans I ordered (because no one way out here in the country has paper fans) arrived with printing on both sides. Thus I would not have been able to use the meanie AC Moore invitation ink stamp.
Was this God’s way of saying to me “You have spent ENOUGH on this party! Stop it already!”
Given that I did a break down of last year’s expenses for Snow White birthday bash I will do the same this year. You wont believe what I went through to get it all together this year. The party looks simple enough from the photos I posted but there are so many more photos I didn’t post.
P.S. I haven’t visited the AC Moore shop since that dreadful night. Still a bit pissed at the pissy attitude.
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
My Black Friday Experiences
Thursday, Thanksgiving Night
After laughing and taking a few photos of the all night Black Friday campers we went back to my house for a little shut eye. I tried to fall asleep but after staying up so late it was difficult. Around 2:30 am I finally fell asleep. At 3:00 am I was awakened by what I thought was a strange noise which turned out to be my cell phone.
Remember, I had signed up for all the short cuts and emails and everything for the Black Friday sales and secrete in store sales. I answer the phone not really awake “Hello. This is your local Walmart manager calling to say Happy Black Friday. GET YOUR BUTT UP! IT’S TIME TO SHOP!” I had only slept for all of 45 minutes so I was a bit groggy. After this sort of off the wall greeting via phone I softly say “Hum, it must be one of those things I signed up for on line.” Then comes a burst of hysterical laughter on the other end of the phone. It was my brother, Uncle C, giving me wake up call.
Finally, I realize the stores would be open in one hour! I live out in the country now! We had to get dressed and start driving! I grab some clothes and start dressing as I run from my room up two flights of stairs to wake up my sister. “Hurry Up! It’s time to go!” Apparently my running sort of scared her dog Bear. He was asleep on the bed right next to her. At first he just popped his head up but as I ran up the stairs getting closer and closer to the bedroom door….Well, lets just say he almost wet the bed.
I take him out for his potty break. Pup was not about to be woken up at this time of the morning to do his business. I throw food in the cat bowls, dog bowls and rabbit cage. Auntie D was ready in a flash and out we went.
My driving had Auntie D pretty scared. She yelled a few times “SLOW DOWN! Don’t hit that car! Are you really awake!” he.he.he. We made it to Kmart in 15 minutes flat! Wait a minute. Why does it look so deserted? Oh poop! It is almost 4 am and this store doesn’t open until 6am. What can I say? The number one item on my list was the 19 inch, LCD, flat screen TV with DVD player for $197 at Kmart.
On to plan B. We head over the Circuit City for the Gold Nintendo DS and Zelda game for $139.99. On our arrival we discovered the line had indeed grown since midnight but not by much. It was almost time for the doors to open but I started thinking. With the number of people lined up outside it would take a good 30 minutes or so for us to actually get through the doors. Did I mention it was 29 degrees outside? After a few minutes of deliberation I proclaim Snow White too young for a DS and we head over to the mall next door.
While making it across the 4 lanes from Circuit City to the Mall we witness an awful accident at the light heading towards the main roads. The traffic lights were blinking Red on two sides of the intersection and blinking yellow on the other two sides. The problem was an extra large pick-up truck on one of the blinking yellow lights side came plowing through the intersection and sent a large SUV spinning. It made a horrible noise! We waited a few moments to see if they were ok. Given that the SUV and another car next to it started to back up we figured they would be ok. The pick up truck looked like it just kept going but might have stopped a little way down the road where we could not see it. Ok, I am wide awake now!
The mall stores opened at 4am so we started out in JC Penny’s looking for work out clothes for Auntie D’s new boyfriend “Chief”. She was very picky and selective about what was considered good work out clothes and what wasn’t. I wish I had her sense of work out fashion. Me, I am girly, girl. I don’t care about the brand name or what the material is as long as it would look super cute on me. Then again we were shopping for a man.
I picked up a beaded canopy for Oldest Daughter since it was half off and then another 10% off at the register. Those things are pretty expensive. When I was looking at them in the spring they ran from $75 - $150. It was on sale for a really good price so it would be one of her small gifts. We needed to spend a certain amount to get an additional percentage off at the register so I picked up a cashmere scarf set which was normally $30 but on sale for $10. This gave us the amount we needed but were told that discount is for 3pm. Oh well, they were still really good buys. We stood in line for what seemed FOREVER! Each sales counter in the store had four registers but only one cashier. Hey, it’s Black Friday! What were they thinking?
During our 15 - 20 minutes in line we made a few friends and laughed about this and that. Just when I thought the whole world had been put on pause, a lady came up and softly said “I can take some of you over here…in draperies.” Auntie D jokingly said “Oh, so you have been hiding from us?” As the woman unlocked the keys of her register I started to get a little nervous. We had been in the store for a good while and in line longer than we anticipated. Would we still get to Kmart in time for the LCD TV?
We were rung up, checked out and running for the exit. I raced down the highway and we were at Kmart 5 minutes before opening! Wooohoo! We rock! Wait? What is that I see? A line? How dare they start a line now when there was no line at midnight or 4 am. Oh well, to the end of the line we go. It wasn’t a particularly long line. There were about 70 people in front of us. People lining up behind us were complaining a little saying it was already past 6 am and what was wrong with the employees watches?
The moment arrived! The doors were opened! …then it started. People started cussing and yelling and I am still about 50 feet away from the front doors. Apparently some people came out of their cars and walked right up to the front doors. They made no attempt to go to the end of the line. Sure, the people who have been freezing out here in line will have no problem letting them hop out of their toasty warm cars and butt in front of them. “GET TO THE BACK OF LINE!” a group shouted at them. They said other things but I wont repeat them. Did the new comers do that? Nope. They waited next to the front doors and scooted in here and there when they could.
Ok, I am through the doors! Auntie D rushes off to get a cart and I head over to Electronics. I was here just a few days ago to make sure I knew where the store was. There was no barricade to this department then. The employees set it up so only one person at a time could get either in or out of the department.
Auntie D wiggled her way in since she is far braver than I. What was I doing? Guarding a completely empty cart. She is only about 4’8” so it was difficult for me to see her over the barriers. I saw people coming out with two or three of the TVs in their carts. One young woman who might have just turned 20 parked her cart right infront of me like maybe I should get out of her way. Then she started looking over her shoulder and turned her back on her cart a few times. Auntie shouted that the TVs were all gone.
For a brief moment I considered an awful thought. Maybe the next time this 20 year old looks over her shoulder I could just grab… Oh for heaven’s sake. I couldn’t do that! I had to laugh at myself for even thinking I might be able to out run her or not feel guilty for taking one of her TVs.
The woman behind me looked like she was going to really cry when she heard Auntie D say there were no more TVs. Then she raised her chin and said “That’s ok. Walmart has them for a dollar more.” Off we ran for the exist, the woman, Auntie D and me.
We arrive at Walmart and run to the Electronics department where we met Surfer Dude salesman “What? Oh. The TVs? Yeah. They’er gone. You are Soooo lucky you weren’t here for that. There was hitting. And fighting. And cussing. And yelling. Yeah. You were lucky.” At this point it is about 7 am and all I have purchased is a scarf set and a beaded canopy at JC Penny’s. Neither of these were on my list of gifts. Ok so I asked Auntie D where she wanted to go next?
She decided it would be a good idea to head back to the mall. Yeah! the traffic lights were really working now. No more blinking lights to cause crazy accidents. They did have the police there directing traffic inside the various parking lots around the mall. The accident from earlier that morning was cleaned up when we left for Kmart but a new accident involving 4 or 5 cars had happened while we were in JC Penny.
Ok we are at the mall. Gleefully swishing through Boscovs, Hot Topic, Pet Gourmet, a few Jewelry shops and I cannot for the life of me remember what other shops we ventured in to.
It is almost noon and all I had was a muffin and coffee at 3am. My body is starting to give out from lack of fuel and rest. I resign that we must eat before we hit any more stores. Auntie D agreed to eat a quick lunch at Ruby Tuesdays. As we ordered I noticed I was slurring my words and might have only had my eyes half open. I would have mistaken myself for a well dress drunk. he.he.he.
Food was good but not the answer. I still could barely move and realized if I did not get some much needed sleep my body would indeed give out. Auntie D reluctantly gave up her protests that I just needed to get my body moving again.
Oh my goodness, we made it home and not a moment too soon. I took my shoes off and fell asleep as soon as my body hit the bed. Really, I was O-U-T, out! Auntie D tried to wake me up a few times with things like “Your bathroom upstairs is flooding.” Or “Hurry! ManSon just left a message on your answering machine! He is in trouble! He needs you! Help Him!”
In answer to her first claim about the bathroom I say “Plunger. My bathroom.” I might have motioned towards the bathroom door but I am not really sure. When she mentioned ManSon was in trouble I yelled back “MANSON IS FINE! HE IS FINE! SHUT UP! GO AWAY!” Makes you want to rush over and be a guest at my house doesn’t it?
If ManSon was really in trouble he would have called my cell phone, not the house phone. When I said I took my shoes off and fell asleep…I couldn’t stay awake long enough to get undressed and put on jammies. I even forgot to take off my blue tooth. he.he.he. Well, I was extremely tired and only had about 3 hours sleep in the last 48 hours. I played the message and it was some man wanting to sell me a car warranty which I already have, thank you very much. The bathroom was fine too.
After sleeping for four hours I did get up and we headed back out to the shops. First stop, Target. Auntie D was looking for a specific GPS system with all the bells and whistles. She wanted it to talk to her, sing to her and be her very best friend on all her long travels. Me? I just need map quest and one of my children to sing to me on road trips.
I could duct tape the old Game Boy on to my dash and pretend it is a GPS thing-a-ma-giggy. he.he.he. Oh hush. I thought it was funny at the time. I was giddy from shopping, lack of proper sleep, rushing and just well everything.
Oh look! Something Shinny! It was a Gold Nintendo DS in a box inside the square register area. “Why, yes miss. We do have the Gold Nintendo DS with the Zelda game right here. How much? $139.99 plus you will receive a free $10 gift card.” She opens the box and pulls out a few pink ones with the lame Nintendo Dogs game then hands me the coveted Gold one! Here it was, Friday evening and I had one of the coveted Black Friday super sales items in my very own hands! A lady standing next to me also asked to see the Gold Nintendo DS. I held mine tight to my chest but that was silly. The sales lady had a whole box of them right there. She said it was a gift for her daughter and had the same opinion of the dog game. Neither of us Moms were going to give into buying a DS for our daughters just because it was our daughter’s favorite color. We know our girls would appreciate the Zelda game more. Besides, you can buy pink covers called “skins” (creepy huh?).
It turned out buying the DS at Target was much better than standing in the cold waiting to get into Circuit City. The price was the same and I received a $10 gift certificate right there at the register. Some stores offered gift cards with Black Friday purchases but when I read the fine print … “to be used at a later date” or “will be mailed to you in 6-8 weeks.” I did look at the back of the card to see if there was a time limit to use it or anything saying it depreciated if not used. Nope. Not on the card at all so I was really happy. Hey, maybe add this to the Teacher’s gift?
Eventually we went to the mall closer to my house. We walked around a bit but the only store we actually purchased anything from was Bath and Body Works. Aunt C, our sister-in-law is not someone you want to get the wrong gift for. Well, let me put it another way. We really enjoy seeing someone’s face light up when they open a gift from us. If that doesn’t happen I feel like I just chucked money in a garbage can. I thought the Cherry Blossoms would be a nice fragrance for Oldest Daughter but WOW it really packed a punch. I finally found a sent I liked and Auntie D was still having trouble picking out the perfect gift for Aunt C. The staff was super nice, non-intrusive and ready to help. Finally we decided to buy the red alligator style gift bags. We saved a few bucks by going the gift bag rout than we would have had we just bought the bottles. I also saw a manicure set in a case that matched the gift bag…for $10! They looked so cute I wanted to buy one for everyone I knew. Ok it was almost 10 pm and we skipped dinner. I might have been a little light headed but still, they were cute!
The stores in the start to pull down their gates and close the doors. It was time to head home and have a little something to eat. But wait! It is late and nearly everything was closing up. There was no way I was going to turn on my oven in my tired condition. We decided Pizza Hut would be open and cheesy breadsticks sounded like it would really hit the spot. We tell the cashier we would like 4 orders of breadsticks. Auntie D adds “Family size please.” I haven’t been to a Pizza Hut in forever so I had no idea what that meant. The cashier looks at her and then at me “Are you sure you want 4 orders?” All I hear is 4 orders of breadsticks and I say “Yes. I have teenagers.”
We sit at a table and wait for our breadsticks to go. After a few laughs about things that happened through out the day the cashier comes over to our table. “I am so sorry. We seemed to have burned two of your orders. Can I offer you a free drink while you wait.” We laugh it off and agree to have a root beer. A few minutes later the cashier returns with 4 large pizza boxes! Um what? How many breadsticks did we order? Auntie D starts laughing and says “Family size…that means we actually ordered 40 breadsticks.” Oh well, I do have teenagers and they have friends.
At home we each ate maybe 3 breadsticks each and went to bed. Auntie D lives in another state so she wanted to get a jump on the holiday traffic. This meant I would get up at 3 am …again. I did wake up, say my goodbyes and even waved from the front porch as she drove off. Then…I slept until noon. Ahhh.
After laughing and taking a few photos of the all night Black Friday campers we went back to my house for a little shut eye. I tried to fall asleep but after staying up so late it was difficult. Around 2:30 am I finally fell asleep. At 3:00 am I was awakened by what I thought was a strange noise which turned out to be my cell phone.
Remember, I had signed up for all the short cuts and emails and everything for the Black Friday sales and secrete in store sales. I answer the phone not really awake “Hello. This is your local Walmart manager calling to say Happy Black Friday. GET YOUR BUTT UP! IT’S TIME TO SHOP!” I had only slept for all of 45 minutes so I was a bit groggy. After this sort of off the wall greeting via phone I softly say “Hum, it must be one of those things I signed up for on line.” Then comes a burst of hysterical laughter on the other end of the phone. It was my brother, Uncle C, giving me wake up call.
Finally, I realize the stores would be open in one hour! I live out in the country now! We had to get dressed and start driving! I grab some clothes and start dressing as I run from my room up two flights of stairs to wake up my sister. “Hurry Up! It’s time to go!” Apparently my running sort of scared her dog Bear. He was asleep on the bed right next to her. At first he just popped his head up but as I ran up the stairs getting closer and closer to the bedroom door….Well, lets just say he almost wet the bed.
I take him out for his potty break. Pup was not about to be woken up at this time of the morning to do his business. I throw food in the cat bowls, dog bowls and rabbit cage. Auntie D was ready in a flash and out we went.
My driving had Auntie D pretty scared. She yelled a few times “SLOW DOWN! Don’t hit that car! Are you really awake!” he.he.he. We made it to Kmart in 15 minutes flat! Wait a minute. Why does it look so deserted? Oh poop! It is almost 4 am and this store doesn’t open until 6am. What can I say? The number one item on my list was the 19 inch, LCD, flat screen TV with DVD player for $197 at Kmart.
On to plan B. We head over the Circuit City for the Gold Nintendo DS and Zelda game for $139.99. On our arrival we discovered the line had indeed grown since midnight but not by much. It was almost time for the doors to open but I started thinking. With the number of people lined up outside it would take a good 30 minutes or so for us to actually get through the doors. Did I mention it was 29 degrees outside? After a few minutes of deliberation I proclaim Snow White too young for a DS and we head over to the mall next door.
While making it across the 4 lanes from Circuit City to the Mall we witness an awful accident at the light heading towards the main roads. The traffic lights were blinking Red on two sides of the intersection and blinking yellow on the other two sides. The problem was an extra large pick-up truck on one of the blinking yellow lights side came plowing through the intersection and sent a large SUV spinning. It made a horrible noise! We waited a few moments to see if they were ok. Given that the SUV and another car next to it started to back up we figured they would be ok. The pick up truck looked like it just kept going but might have stopped a little way down the road where we could not see it. Ok, I am wide awake now!
The mall stores opened at 4am so we started out in JC Penny’s looking for work out clothes for Auntie D’s new boyfriend “Chief”. She was very picky and selective about what was considered good work out clothes and what wasn’t. I wish I had her sense of work out fashion. Me, I am girly, girl. I don’t care about the brand name or what the material is as long as it would look super cute on me. Then again we were shopping for a man.
I picked up a beaded canopy for Oldest Daughter since it was half off and then another 10% off at the register. Those things are pretty expensive. When I was looking at them in the spring they ran from $75 - $150. It was on sale for a really good price so it would be one of her small gifts. We needed to spend a certain amount to get an additional percentage off at the register so I picked up a cashmere scarf set which was normally $30 but on sale for $10. This gave us the amount we needed but were told that discount is for 3pm. Oh well, they were still really good buys. We stood in line for what seemed FOREVER! Each sales counter in the store had four registers but only one cashier. Hey, it’s Black Friday! What were they thinking?
During our 15 - 20 minutes in line we made a few friends and laughed about this and that. Just when I thought the whole world had been put on pause, a lady came up and softly said “I can take some of you over here…in draperies.” Auntie D jokingly said “Oh, so you have been hiding from us?” As the woman unlocked the keys of her register I started to get a little nervous. We had been in the store for a good while and in line longer than we anticipated. Would we still get to Kmart in time for the LCD TV?
We were rung up, checked out and running for the exit. I raced down the highway and we were at Kmart 5 minutes before opening! Wooohoo! We rock! Wait? What is that I see? A line? How dare they start a line now when there was no line at midnight or 4 am. Oh well, to the end of the line we go. It wasn’t a particularly long line. There were about 70 people in front of us. People lining up behind us were complaining a little saying it was already past 6 am and what was wrong with the employees watches?
The moment arrived! The doors were opened! …then it started. People started cussing and yelling and I am still about 50 feet away from the front doors. Apparently some people came out of their cars and walked right up to the front doors. They made no attempt to go to the end of the line. Sure, the people who have been freezing out here in line will have no problem letting them hop out of their toasty warm cars and butt in front of them. “GET TO THE BACK OF LINE!” a group shouted at them. They said other things but I wont repeat them. Did the new comers do that? Nope. They waited next to the front doors and scooted in here and there when they could.
Ok, I am through the doors! Auntie D rushes off to get a cart and I head over to Electronics. I was here just a few days ago to make sure I knew where the store was. There was no barricade to this department then. The employees set it up so only one person at a time could get either in or out of the department.
Auntie D wiggled her way in since she is far braver than I. What was I doing? Guarding a completely empty cart. She is only about 4’8” so it was difficult for me to see her over the barriers. I saw people coming out with two or three of the TVs in their carts. One young woman who might have just turned 20 parked her cart right infront of me like maybe I should get out of her way. Then she started looking over her shoulder and turned her back on her cart a few times. Auntie shouted that the TVs were all gone.
For a brief moment I considered an awful thought. Maybe the next time this 20 year old looks over her shoulder I could just grab… Oh for heaven’s sake. I couldn’t do that! I had to laugh at myself for even thinking I might be able to out run her or not feel guilty for taking one of her TVs.
The woman behind me looked like she was going to really cry when she heard Auntie D say there were no more TVs. Then she raised her chin and said “That’s ok. Walmart has them for a dollar more.” Off we ran for the exist, the woman, Auntie D and me.
We arrive at Walmart and run to the Electronics department where we met Surfer Dude salesman “What? Oh. The TVs? Yeah. They’er gone. You are Soooo lucky you weren’t here for that. There was hitting. And fighting. And cussing. And yelling. Yeah. You were lucky.” At this point it is about 7 am and all I have purchased is a scarf set and a beaded canopy at JC Penny’s. Neither of these were on my list of gifts. Ok so I asked Auntie D where she wanted to go next?
She decided it would be a good idea to head back to the mall. Yeah! the traffic lights were really working now. No more blinking lights to cause crazy accidents. They did have the police there directing traffic inside the various parking lots around the mall. The accident from earlier that morning was cleaned up when we left for Kmart but a new accident involving 4 or 5 cars had happened while we were in JC Penny.
Ok we are at the mall. Gleefully swishing through Boscovs, Hot Topic, Pet Gourmet, a few Jewelry shops and I cannot for the life of me remember what other shops we ventured in to.
It is almost noon and all I had was a muffin and coffee at 3am. My body is starting to give out from lack of fuel and rest. I resign that we must eat before we hit any more stores. Auntie D agreed to eat a quick lunch at Ruby Tuesdays. As we ordered I noticed I was slurring my words and might have only had my eyes half open. I would have mistaken myself for a well dress drunk. he.he.he.
Food was good but not the answer. I still could barely move and realized if I did not get some much needed sleep my body would indeed give out. Auntie D reluctantly gave up her protests that I just needed to get my body moving again.
Oh my goodness, we made it home and not a moment too soon. I took my shoes off and fell asleep as soon as my body hit the bed. Really, I was O-U-T, out! Auntie D tried to wake me up a few times with things like “Your bathroom upstairs is flooding.” Or “Hurry! ManSon just left a message on your answering machine! He is in trouble! He needs you! Help Him!”
In answer to her first claim about the bathroom I say “Plunger. My bathroom.” I might have motioned towards the bathroom door but I am not really sure. When she mentioned ManSon was in trouble I yelled back “MANSON IS FINE! HE IS FINE! SHUT UP! GO AWAY!” Makes you want to rush over and be a guest at my house doesn’t it?
If ManSon was really in trouble he would have called my cell phone, not the house phone. When I said I took my shoes off and fell asleep…I couldn’t stay awake long enough to get undressed and put on jammies. I even forgot to take off my blue tooth. he.he.he. Well, I was extremely tired and only had about 3 hours sleep in the last 48 hours. I played the message and it was some man wanting to sell me a car warranty which I already have, thank you very much. The bathroom was fine too.
After sleeping for four hours I did get up and we headed back out to the shops. First stop, Target. Auntie D was looking for a specific GPS system with all the bells and whistles. She wanted it to talk to her, sing to her and be her very best friend on all her long travels. Me? I just need map quest and one of my children to sing to me on road trips.
I could duct tape the old Game Boy on to my dash and pretend it is a GPS thing-a-ma-giggy. he.he.he. Oh hush. I thought it was funny at the time. I was giddy from shopping, lack of proper sleep, rushing and just well everything.
Oh look! Something Shinny! It was a Gold Nintendo DS in a box inside the square register area. “Why, yes miss. We do have the Gold Nintendo DS with the Zelda game right here. How much? $139.99 plus you will receive a free $10 gift card.” She opens the box and pulls out a few pink ones with the lame Nintendo Dogs game then hands me the coveted Gold one! Here it was, Friday evening and I had one of the coveted Black Friday super sales items in my very own hands! A lady standing next to me also asked to see the Gold Nintendo DS. I held mine tight to my chest but that was silly. The sales lady had a whole box of them right there. She said it was a gift for her daughter and had the same opinion of the dog game. Neither of us Moms were going to give into buying a DS for our daughters just because it was our daughter’s favorite color. We know our girls would appreciate the Zelda game more. Besides, you can buy pink covers called “skins” (creepy huh?).
It turned out buying the DS at Target was much better than standing in the cold waiting to get into Circuit City. The price was the same and I received a $10 gift certificate right there at the register. Some stores offered gift cards with Black Friday purchases but when I read the fine print … “to be used at a later date” or “will be mailed to you in 6-8 weeks.” I did look at the back of the card to see if there was a time limit to use it or anything saying it depreciated if not used. Nope. Not on the card at all so I was really happy. Hey, maybe add this to the Teacher’s gift?
Eventually we went to the mall closer to my house. We walked around a bit but the only store we actually purchased anything from was Bath and Body Works. Aunt C, our sister-in-law is not someone you want to get the wrong gift for. Well, let me put it another way. We really enjoy seeing someone’s face light up when they open a gift from us. If that doesn’t happen I feel like I just chucked money in a garbage can. I thought the Cherry Blossoms would be a nice fragrance for Oldest Daughter but WOW it really packed a punch. I finally found a sent I liked and Auntie D was still having trouble picking out the perfect gift for Aunt C. The staff was super nice, non-intrusive and ready to help. Finally we decided to buy the red alligator style gift bags. We saved a few bucks by going the gift bag rout than we would have had we just bought the bottles. I also saw a manicure set in a case that matched the gift bag…for $10! They looked so cute I wanted to buy one for everyone I knew. Ok it was almost 10 pm and we skipped dinner. I might have been a little light headed but still, they were cute!
The stores in the start to pull down their gates and close the doors. It was time to head home and have a little something to eat. But wait! It is late and nearly everything was closing up. There was no way I was going to turn on my oven in my tired condition. We decided Pizza Hut would be open and cheesy breadsticks sounded like it would really hit the spot. We tell the cashier we would like 4 orders of breadsticks. Auntie D adds “Family size please.” I haven’t been to a Pizza Hut in forever so I had no idea what that meant. The cashier looks at her and then at me “Are you sure you want 4 orders?” All I hear is 4 orders of breadsticks and I say “Yes. I have teenagers.”
We sit at a table and wait for our breadsticks to go. After a few laughs about things that happened through out the day the cashier comes over to our table. “I am so sorry. We seemed to have burned two of your orders. Can I offer you a free drink while you wait.” We laugh it off and agree to have a root beer. A few minutes later the cashier returns with 4 large pizza boxes! Um what? How many breadsticks did we order? Auntie D starts laughing and says “Family size…that means we actually ordered 40 breadsticks.” Oh well, I do have teenagers and they have friends.
At home we each ate maybe 3 breadsticks each and went to bed. Auntie D lives in another state so she wanted to get a jump on the holiday traffic. This meant I would get up at 3 am …again. I did wake up, say my goodbyes and even waved from the front porch as she drove off. Then…I slept until noon. Ahhh.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Black Friday and Christmas Sales
Holiday shopping oh how I love it!! Today during my lunch hour I decided to visit a few stores just to find the exact locations of the Super Sales items for Saturday morning. Oh My Goodness! The store was holding a Secret Sale today on tomorrows items PLUS so much more! I have signed up for emails of Secret Sales and Weekly Ads for All the major stores I shop at or think might have something on my shopping list.
Thank Goodness I went to the mall during my lunch hour today! I bought my mother a 1.5 ct sapphire with 0.5 ct tw diamonds at a fraction of the regular price!!! (HUGE SAVINGS! HUGE!!) I bought one for my wonderful mother and Santa even had enough to add one in his bag for me. I also bought bracelets for my nieces, sister -in-law, Grammy K and one for Santa’s to put under the tree for me. Since I purchased an obscene number in pieces of jewelry (high volume low comparative cost) the sales woman gave me a discount card , which resembles our library card, for repetitive use from now until mid December. A bonus gift of free Disney toys was also given. Since the toys were very age appropriate for my Ex’s son who would truly LOVE receiving them, will have them under his tree. No, he is not my son but he is a wonderful part of our lives. Super savings on jewelry plus a free gift for someone who would love it is GREAT!
Lesson I learned today, just because the ad says the sale is tomorrow does not mean you should wait until tomorrow to visit the store. A few of the items I purchased were advertised via TV and emails specials for tomorrow morning. If you went to the store today and asked about tomorrows sale items specifically, you were given the sale today! Another way around the secret sales and to get you in their stores shopping before the advertised events.
What has changed for Black Friday this year? Well, a few years ago in Indiana ( I was there at the time) you only received the Black Friday sales flyer from Walmart IF you were already signed up on their mailing list. The sales flyer did not go out in the regular edition of the news paper with all the other store flyers. I was only on there for a 6 month project so, um, no. I was not on the Indian mailing list at my temporary living quarters. Thank goodness my cousin was on the mailing list! Otherwise I would not have found out about the 20” TV for $79, $60 Dirt Devil all in one vacuum cleaner and many, many other items. My cousin’s mother-in-law laughing said “Your poor children.” True, nothing was on sale at super savings that my children wanted. They are just not the type who crave the “Gotta have it now, newest, latest greatest creation of all time, right now.” They want things that no one else usually thinks about wanting for Christmas or for a gift of any kind. Black Friday sales have never assisted me in purchasing their rare requests.
Although Black Friday sales usually have no effect on my children’s wish lists they do come in handy for items other family members wish lists or house hold items I need or want for my own house.
I do have to wonder with each year Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping displays over lap each other more and more. Sales that resemble “Black Friday” special hours and “Super Holiday Savings” sales are now peeking before the normal Black Friday. This year the holiday bargains are more like musical chairs. The music plays, sometimes on TV, sometimes on the internet and sometimes only in the actual store.
Millions of shoppers are preparing for the holiday sales events. I am really loving the idea of finding Super Deals before they normally happen. Mind you, if I find out you saved on a Nintendo DS, Leapster and Bratz Math Game, Princess/Bratz TV or a 19 in dual AV outlet TV and I did not know about it in time I would be pissed….extremely as these are my Black Friday targets. I think I would be so upset by it I might even go so far as to boycott that particular store for a full year. After all, they did not notify me of their sale when I tried so hard to make sure I was on every list possible, so why should I bother with at all with their store?
I wonder how many people will miss the Pre- Black Friday Super Sales. How many of them were actually planning to spend and save before Black Friday this year? I was actually making out a budget to follow the Black Friday sales and not the Pre-Super Sales. This resulted in my missing a few huge sales last weekend and the previous weekend. I was not planning to shop on those weekends nor will I be likely to make the jump start on my Christmas shopping so early next year. The normal path of my monthly bills and my repetitiveness from years and years of Christmas shopping just will not allow me to be sucked into the retailer’s and wholesaler’s who would like to make this a new trend. Extra savings is always nice but where do we draw the line on the calendar to end Christmas Savings accounts and budget for the spending feast which usually happens during that special time of year?
Thank Goodness I went to the mall during my lunch hour today! I bought my mother a 1.5 ct sapphire with 0.5 ct tw diamonds at a fraction of the regular price!!! (HUGE SAVINGS! HUGE!!) I bought one for my wonderful mother and Santa even had enough to add one in his bag for me. I also bought bracelets for my nieces, sister -in-law, Grammy K and one for Santa’s to put under the tree for me. Since I purchased an obscene number in pieces of jewelry (high volume low comparative cost) the sales woman gave me a discount card , which resembles our library card, for repetitive use from now until mid December. A bonus gift of free Disney toys was also given. Since the toys were very age appropriate for my Ex’s son who would truly LOVE receiving them, will have them under his tree. No, he is not my son but he is a wonderful part of our lives. Super savings on jewelry plus a free gift for someone who would love it is GREAT!
Lesson I learned today, just because the ad says the sale is tomorrow does not mean you should wait until tomorrow to visit the store. A few of the items I purchased were advertised via TV and emails specials for tomorrow morning. If you went to the store today and asked about tomorrows sale items specifically, you were given the sale today! Another way around the secret sales and to get you in their stores shopping before the advertised events.
What has changed for Black Friday this year? Well, a few years ago in Indiana ( I was there at the time) you only received the Black Friday sales flyer from Walmart IF you were already signed up on their mailing list. The sales flyer did not go out in the regular edition of the news paper with all the other store flyers. I was only on there for a 6 month project so, um, no. I was not on the Indian mailing list at my temporary living quarters. Thank goodness my cousin was on the mailing list! Otherwise I would not have found out about the 20” TV for $79, $60 Dirt Devil all in one vacuum cleaner and many, many other items. My cousin’s mother-in-law laughing said “Your poor children.” True, nothing was on sale at super savings that my children wanted. They are just not the type who crave the “Gotta have it now, newest, latest greatest creation of all time, right now.” They want things that no one else usually thinks about wanting for Christmas or for a gift of any kind. Black Friday sales have never assisted me in purchasing their rare requests.
Although Black Friday sales usually have no effect on my children’s wish lists they do come in handy for items other family members wish lists or house hold items I need or want for my own house.
I do have to wonder with each year Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping displays over lap each other more and more. Sales that resemble “Black Friday” special hours and “Super Holiday Savings” sales are now peeking before the normal Black Friday. This year the holiday bargains are more like musical chairs. The music plays, sometimes on TV, sometimes on the internet and sometimes only in the actual store.
Millions of shoppers are preparing for the holiday sales events. I am really loving the idea of finding Super Deals before they normally happen. Mind you, if I find out you saved on a Nintendo DS, Leapster and Bratz Math Game, Princess/Bratz TV or a 19 in dual AV outlet TV and I did not know about it in time I would be pissed….extremely as these are my Black Friday targets. I think I would be so upset by it I might even go so far as to boycott that particular store for a full year. After all, they did not notify me of their sale when I tried so hard to make sure I was on every list possible, so why should I bother with at all with their store?
I wonder how many people will miss the Pre- Black Friday Super Sales. How many of them were actually planning to spend and save before Black Friday this year? I was actually making out a budget to follow the Black Friday sales and not the Pre-Super Sales. This resulted in my missing a few huge sales last weekend and the previous weekend. I was not planning to shop on those weekends nor will I be likely to make the jump start on my Christmas shopping so early next year. The normal path of my monthly bills and my repetitiveness from years and years of Christmas shopping just will not allow me to be sucked into the retailer’s and wholesaler’s who would like to make this a new trend. Extra savings is always nice but where do we draw the line on the calendar to end Christmas Savings accounts and budget for the spending feast which usually happens during that special time of year?
Monday, October 15, 2007
Shopping Marathon
Friday. Well, I cannot remember much from Friday other than we rushed here there and everywhere. It started at the crack of dawn rushing around the house to get ready for work and school. All day at work I rushed to get things done then waited for this and that to come back with important information.
During my lunch hour ManSon said "My wallet was stolen." Oh My Gosh! When? Where? What happened? "Well, it was at so and so's house." But that kid lives in another state. You haven't seen him since..."Yes. I know. Since May." Why are you...What do you mean..Are you pulling...Your Social Security Card? License? WHAT?! {deep breath} How is it that you waited this long to say something?
I make phone calls to the State License agency and Social Security Office. Apparently you need a utility bill in your name if you are over the age of 18. What the heck? What about college students? Surely there must be some college students at the local University who live with their parents so the parents can save some money. You also need a birth certificate and your Social Security Card. No surprise there. The list of items needed to identify you for your Social Security card is just one...a Doctors Note.. A birth certificate doesn't do a thing for you. Thank goodness a dentist note will do. ManSon has not been to a doctor in the last three years since he has not been injured or seriously ill (thank God).
After work I rush home, make dinner and a lot of rushing about to get things done around the house, homework and such. I was dead on feet by 10:30 pm but did not get to bed until much later.
Saturday morning we had a basic breakfast then it was off to the Post Office to pick up a certified package addressed to ManSon. We think it was the Cobra paper work from my employer. Unfortunately it was addressed to him so we could not pick it up due to ManSon having no ID.
After the Post Office we decided to go on a shopping spree for ManSon. He was in need of a whole new wardrobe. Really, this boy has specific taste. He becomes really attached to the clothes he buys and wont let them go until they are about to fall apart. Unfortunately, he has very good taste so it takes a very long, long time for them to wear out.
Another problem with purchasing clothing for ManSon is his size. He is 6 feet tall, has a 29 inch waist and likes about 2 inches of his pant cuffs to rest on the top of his shoes. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a pair of Man's dress slacks with a 29 inch waist? It is like finding a needle in a hay stack and I really truely mean that.
We went to the big mall which is nearly located in another state. We split up into groups to scour the stores for 29 inch dress pants. After three hours of blinding ourselves looking at every size of ever pair of pants in the two story mall we met up at the food court for a break. When I sat down I swear my muscels let out a huge sigh of relief. I had mannaged to find 3 pairs of imported dress slacks with a 30 inch waist. Hey, that beats out the rest who only found 34 inch waists. ManSon even tried on JEANS! He has never worn jeans in his intire life. I had to laugh at the thought of him wearing jeans. It would be like putting ice cream on pizza and not being pregnant. Well, I said to ManSon "You in jeans is like watching Escaflowne without subtitles." It is like nails scraping on a chalk board to hear Escaflowne in English. Weird.
Ok so we are all worn out. We take a 15 minute break and rush off to the one store which actually has pants ManSon size. He tries them on since they are imports and hip hurray they fit! ManSon looks over the jackets and swears one of them would be the coolest item he owns. Lucky for him the matching jackets are half price if you buy the pants. He was beside himself when I said we would take both of the jackets he liked. The pants were on sale for $75 each then bonus buy (purchase jacket) made them $45 each add on $64 for each jacket.
Oh my gosh Pup is whining at the moment. Snow White has her bedroom door shut so she can change her clothes. Pup is outside her door whimpering, howling and barking. He thinks she is going to bed without him.
Ok back to the shopping spree from this weekend. ManSon's girlfriend "Corkie" was part of our shopping possy. She dyes her hair different colors but seems to be down to earth with a strict mother. Really nice girl trying to figure out where she belongs with a mom who can reel her in. I could not be happier for the moment. She was very helpful with the shopping, quick to get tasks accomplished and a joy to be around.
While ManSon was trying on the pants she helped me look through the many, many long sleeved sweater shirts. ManSon wanted long sleeves with a collar but not dress shirts and goodness knows how he dislikes logos. We found one shirt in the whole store and it was a Men's Medium. In this particular brand the medium was a tad bit long but he really liked it so that was added to our purchase at that store. We still needed 4 more pairs of pants and a dozen shirts. By this time the stores were closing so we gave up for the day...so did our legs.
Sunday afternoon we decided to tackle another mall and check out their stock. The same store that had his size pants but in a different mall. They had clothes ManSon really liked but way too big. "No one carries that size. It's just not done. " ManSon's response "In a world of obesity concerns no one stocks small sizes. Maybe I need to start eating those 'can my butt look any bigger' meals. We all laugh and walk away leaving the sales lady looking perplexed.
Snow Whtie was telling me about two cartoon theme songs she thought were the greatest. She really doesn't watch too much tv. I told her to ask her brother if he still has his Pokemon sound track from when he was in 2nd grade (remember ManSon is 19). He knew exactly where it was and handed it right over to her. He knew how excited she would be! I can hear Pokemon Master blasting in the background.
We finally went to Macy's and they HAVE mens' shirts in size Small!! We bought up a full lot of shirts but may have to go back when they replenish their stock. From now on we will shop at Bonton for pants and Macy's for all of ManSon's clothing.
So, after 9 hours of running (litterally) here and there for ManSon's wardrobe we made a dent in what he really needs to replace. Shoes...well he wants Vans but the shoe stores here do not sell Vans! Well, they sell the slip on multi color/deco Vans at the skater shops but not the Vans he has become acustome to. I see an out of state shopping expedition in a big city in our near future.
During my lunch hour ManSon said "My wallet was stolen." Oh My Gosh! When? Where? What happened? "Well, it was at so and so's house." But that kid lives in another state. You haven't seen him since..."Yes. I know. Since May." Why are you...What do you mean..Are you pulling...Your Social Security Card? License? WHAT?! {deep breath} How is it that you waited this long to say something?
I make phone calls to the State License agency and Social Security Office. Apparently you need a utility bill in your name if you are over the age of 18. What the heck? What about college students? Surely there must be some college students at the local University who live with their parents so the parents can save some money. You also need a birth certificate and your Social Security Card. No surprise there. The list of items needed to identify you for your Social Security card is just one...a Doctors Note.. A birth certificate doesn't do a thing for you. Thank goodness a dentist note will do. ManSon has not been to a doctor in the last three years since he has not been injured or seriously ill (thank God).
After work I rush home, make dinner and a lot of rushing about to get things done around the house, homework and such. I was dead on feet by 10:30 pm but did not get to bed until much later.
Saturday morning we had a basic breakfast then it was off to the Post Office to pick up a certified package addressed to ManSon. We think it was the Cobra paper work from my employer. Unfortunately it was addressed to him so we could not pick it up due to ManSon having no ID.
After the Post Office we decided to go on a shopping spree for ManSon. He was in need of a whole new wardrobe. Really, this boy has specific taste. He becomes really attached to the clothes he buys and wont let them go until they are about to fall apart. Unfortunately, he has very good taste so it takes a very long, long time for them to wear out.
Another problem with purchasing clothing for ManSon is his size. He is 6 feet tall, has a 29 inch waist and likes about 2 inches of his pant cuffs to rest on the top of his shoes. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a pair of Man's dress slacks with a 29 inch waist? It is like finding a needle in a hay stack and I really truely mean that.
We went to the big mall which is nearly located in another state. We split up into groups to scour the stores for 29 inch dress pants. After three hours of blinding ourselves looking at every size of ever pair of pants in the two story mall we met up at the food court for a break. When I sat down I swear my muscels let out a huge sigh of relief. I had mannaged to find 3 pairs of imported dress slacks with a 30 inch waist. Hey, that beats out the rest who only found 34 inch waists. ManSon even tried on JEANS! He has never worn jeans in his intire life. I had to laugh at the thought of him wearing jeans. It would be like putting ice cream on pizza and not being pregnant. Well, I said to ManSon "You in jeans is like watching Escaflowne without subtitles." It is like nails scraping on a chalk board to hear Escaflowne in English. Weird.
Ok so we are all worn out. We take a 15 minute break and rush off to the one store which actually has pants ManSon size. He tries them on since they are imports and hip hurray they fit! ManSon looks over the jackets and swears one of them would be the coolest item he owns. Lucky for him the matching jackets are half price if you buy the pants. He was beside himself when I said we would take both of the jackets he liked. The pants were on sale for $75 each then bonus buy (purchase jacket) made them $45 each add on $64 for each jacket.
Oh my gosh Pup is whining at the moment. Snow White has her bedroom door shut so she can change her clothes. Pup is outside her door whimpering, howling and barking. He thinks she is going to bed without him.
Ok back to the shopping spree from this weekend. ManSon's girlfriend "Corkie" was part of our shopping possy. She dyes her hair different colors but seems to be down to earth with a strict mother. Really nice girl trying to figure out where she belongs with a mom who can reel her in. I could not be happier for the moment. She was very helpful with the shopping, quick to get tasks accomplished and a joy to be around.
While ManSon was trying on the pants she helped me look through the many, many long sleeved sweater shirts. ManSon wanted long sleeves with a collar but not dress shirts and goodness knows how he dislikes logos. We found one shirt in the whole store and it was a Men's Medium. In this particular brand the medium was a tad bit long but he really liked it so that was added to our purchase at that store. We still needed 4 more pairs of pants and a dozen shirts. By this time the stores were closing so we gave up for the day...so did our legs.
Sunday afternoon we decided to tackle another mall and check out their stock. The same store that had his size pants but in a different mall. They had clothes ManSon really liked but way too big. "No one carries that size. It's just not done. " ManSon's response "In a world of obesity concerns no one stocks small sizes. Maybe I need to start eating those 'can my butt look any bigger' meals. We all laugh and walk away leaving the sales lady looking perplexed.
Snow Whtie was telling me about two cartoon theme songs she thought were the greatest. She really doesn't watch too much tv. I told her to ask her brother if he still has his Pokemon sound track from when he was in 2nd grade (remember ManSon is 19). He knew exactly where it was and handed it right over to her. He knew how excited she would be! I can hear Pokemon Master blasting in the background.
We finally went to Macy's and they HAVE mens' shirts in size Small!! We bought up a full lot of shirts but may have to go back when they replenish their stock. From now on we will shop at Bonton for pants and Macy's for all of ManSon's clothing.
So, after 9 hours of running (litterally) here and there for ManSon's wardrobe we made a dent in what he really needs to replace. Shoes...well he wants Vans but the shoe stores here do not sell Vans! Well, they sell the slip on multi color/deco Vans at the skater shops but not the Vans he has become acustome to. I see an out of state shopping expedition in a big city in our near future.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
A Girl Named Bunny (1 of 3 days)
My weekend started off a little rocky due to a surprise resignation of a fellow employee. His departure left a series of waves crashing in our office but all worked out for the best. I think.
Friday after work I left to pick up Oldest Daughter. She invited an out of state friend to stay the weekend with us but this friend's friend was leaving unexpectedly. Mmm another surprise departure. Anyway Oldest Daughter invited another friend, Bunny, at the last minute. This particular friend annoys the heck out of me. She is not a bad girl nor does she get in to trouble or anything. It is just her complete lack of maturity that sucks the life out of me.
When I say it is ok to invite another teenager over to our house I am expecting a teenager...not a toddler. This young lady is 16 years old but acts like a tempermental toddler. She may think it is totally cute. I want to bang my head against the wall when she is around.
She is Oldest Daughter's friend and it is only the weekend so I agree to let her come over for another visit. Yes, she has visited once before.
During our drive home Bunny is very quite unlike last time where she rarely stopped talking long enough to gasp for breath. This time she was plugged into a DS game and totally oblivious to what was going on around her. I welcomed the change from not stop chattering. I think Oldest Daughter had a little chat with her friend after I mentioned how much Bunny chattered on before.
On her last visit Bunny sat next to me and talked NON-STOP through a 2 hr movie. She kept saying "What just happened? What did I miss?" My response was always "you already explained what was going to happen and that is what was going on while you were talking."
Since I had already seen the movie before I gave up watching and picked up my cross stitch. I was hoping to watch it with Oldest Daughter and get her take on the movie. She also gave up watching the movie due to the chatter and went to bed...leaving me to indure the not stop chattering for remainder of the movie with Bunny. At one point I almost said "Shut up! I need to count the spaces inbetween stitches!" but I sat silent. Saying to myself "You only have to deal with her for two days...just two days. She is Oldest Daughter's friend. Be nice. Smile."
After Bunny's first visit I chalked her insessive chatter to nervousness coming out but Oldest Daughter said she is always that talkative.
Anyway, the lack of filling all space with Bunny's words this weekend gave Oldest Daughter and I a chance to catch up, listen to a few CDs we liked and just shoot the breeze giggling here and there. Snow White even had a chance to join in on the conversation without the constant interuptions.
Instead of heading directly home we had to make a stop at the grocery store. We had just ran out of cat food and needed to replenish the food stock. It was a weekend and teenagers are normally in an abundance at our house on the weekends.
Have you ever been in a grocery store with a tired, cranky 3 year old? I have but it has been a long time so I was a little out of practice and did not have a 3 year old with me.
It is after 9 pm when we reach the grocery store. While making my way throught the produce section Oldest Daughter asked for a few items. I sent her on her way to gather them. No matter what age your children are they still ask for special things in the grocery store. They just ask nicer and understand why if you do not agree with their choice.
I was taken aback when Bunny very perkily says "What's for din-din?" I am puzzled as to why she has not had dinner. Does she really expect me to cook up a huge dinner at this time of the night? I motion towards the lunch meat in our cart and politely say "You can make sandwiches when we get to the house."
"Sandwiches?! Sandwiches?! I HATE sandwiches!" She crosses her arms, puts on the best pouting face I have ever seen on a 3 year old and even stomps her foot! Um, I don't know how to react or what to say. Even little Snow White is puzzled by this behavior. When I stopped stairing at Bunny I decided to move on down the grocery isle.
Oldest Daughter returned with her requested items and asked if she could also get a sub. Thank goodness she came at that time. I agreed to the sub and said "Why don't the two of you pick out something you might like to eat when we get home."
Oldest Daughter comes back with a sub but Bunny comes back empty handed. We walk through the isles and I pick up this and that. Eventually we make it to the frozen food section. Bunny still has not picked out anything. I pick up 4 pepperoni pizzas thinking Teenagers are always willing to eat pizza.
Out of the corner of my eye I can see Oldest Daughter making granduous hand jesters towards the cart while making a head jerking motion signally Bunny to "look". Sort of a "See, Mom is getting those for you." Then it comes..."I HATE Pepperoni! I hate it, hate it!"
I freeze not because she is displeased but she is just being down right rude. If she were really 3 years old I might expect her response but come on! She is 16 years old. Instead of repremanding her I simply reach for the cheese pizzas and she smiles. Then I say "If you wanted cheese pizza all you had to do was ask. There is no need to yell."
Bunny smiled, batted her eyes then linked arms with Oldest Daughter and attempted to skip down the isle with her. Oldest Daughter is not use to making a spectical of herself in public so she detangled their arms and left Bunny to skip through the isle on her own. Oldest Daughter, Snow White and myself stood a the back of the isle just watching Bunny skip up the isle as if she was skipping down the yellow brick road linked arm and arm with the Scarcrow and the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. We looked at her then each other and slowly made our way up the isle behind us. I think Oldest Daughter was keeping her distance so maybe no one would notice Bunny was with us.
We finish our shopping and head home. The girls and ManSon are all so wonderfully helpful unloading the bazzillion grocery bags from the van. I tuck Snow White into bed and the girls watch TV all night in the family room.
Friday after work I left to pick up Oldest Daughter. She invited an out of state friend to stay the weekend with us but this friend's friend was leaving unexpectedly. Mmm another surprise departure. Anyway Oldest Daughter invited another friend, Bunny, at the last minute. This particular friend annoys the heck out of me. She is not a bad girl nor does she get in to trouble or anything. It is just her complete lack of maturity that sucks the life out of me.
When I say it is ok to invite another teenager over to our house I am expecting a teenager...not a toddler. This young lady is 16 years old but acts like a tempermental toddler. She may think it is totally cute. I want to bang my head against the wall when she is around.
She is Oldest Daughter's friend and it is only the weekend so I agree to let her come over for another visit. Yes, she has visited once before.
During our drive home Bunny is very quite unlike last time where she rarely stopped talking long enough to gasp for breath. This time she was plugged into a DS game and totally oblivious to what was going on around her. I welcomed the change from not stop chattering. I think Oldest Daughter had a little chat with her friend after I mentioned how much Bunny chattered on before.
On her last visit Bunny sat next to me and talked NON-STOP through a 2 hr movie. She kept saying "What just happened? What did I miss?" My response was always "you already explained what was going to happen and that is what was going on while you were talking."
Since I had already seen the movie before I gave up watching and picked up my cross stitch. I was hoping to watch it with Oldest Daughter and get her take on the movie. She also gave up watching the movie due to the chatter and went to bed...leaving me to indure the not stop chattering for remainder of the movie with Bunny. At one point I almost said "Shut up! I need to count the spaces inbetween stitches!" but I sat silent. Saying to myself "You only have to deal with her for two days...just two days. She is Oldest Daughter's friend. Be nice. Smile."
After Bunny's first visit I chalked her insessive chatter to nervousness coming out but Oldest Daughter said she is always that talkative.
Anyway, the lack of filling all space with Bunny's words this weekend gave Oldest Daughter and I a chance to catch up, listen to a few CDs we liked and just shoot the breeze giggling here and there. Snow White even had a chance to join in on the conversation without the constant interuptions.
Instead of heading directly home we had to make a stop at the grocery store. We had just ran out of cat food and needed to replenish the food stock. It was a weekend and teenagers are normally in an abundance at our house on the weekends.
Have you ever been in a grocery store with a tired, cranky 3 year old? I have but it has been a long time so I was a little out of practice and did not have a 3 year old with me.
It is after 9 pm when we reach the grocery store. While making my way throught the produce section Oldest Daughter asked for a few items. I sent her on her way to gather them. No matter what age your children are they still ask for special things in the grocery store. They just ask nicer and understand why if you do not agree with their choice.
I was taken aback when Bunny very perkily says "What's for din-din?" I am puzzled as to why she has not had dinner. Does she really expect me to cook up a huge dinner at this time of the night? I motion towards the lunch meat in our cart and politely say "You can make sandwiches when we get to the house."
"Sandwiches?! Sandwiches?! I HATE sandwiches!" She crosses her arms, puts on the best pouting face I have ever seen on a 3 year old and even stomps her foot! Um, I don't know how to react or what to say. Even little Snow White is puzzled by this behavior. When I stopped stairing at Bunny I decided to move on down the grocery isle.
Oldest Daughter returned with her requested items and asked if she could also get a sub. Thank goodness she came at that time. I agreed to the sub and said "Why don't the two of you pick out something you might like to eat when we get home."
Oldest Daughter comes back with a sub but Bunny comes back empty handed. We walk through the isles and I pick up this and that. Eventually we make it to the frozen food section. Bunny still has not picked out anything. I pick up 4 pepperoni pizzas thinking Teenagers are always willing to eat pizza.
Out of the corner of my eye I can see Oldest Daughter making granduous hand jesters towards the cart while making a head jerking motion signally Bunny to "look". Sort of a "See, Mom is getting those for you." Then it comes..."I HATE Pepperoni! I hate it, hate it!"
I freeze not because she is displeased but she is just being down right rude. If she were really 3 years old I might expect her response but come on! She is 16 years old. Instead of repremanding her I simply reach for the cheese pizzas and she smiles. Then I say "If you wanted cheese pizza all you had to do was ask. There is no need to yell."
Bunny smiled, batted her eyes then linked arms with Oldest Daughter and attempted to skip down the isle with her. Oldest Daughter is not use to making a spectical of herself in public so she detangled their arms and left Bunny to skip through the isle on her own. Oldest Daughter, Snow White and myself stood a the back of the isle just watching Bunny skip up the isle as if she was skipping down the yellow brick road linked arm and arm with the Scarcrow and the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. We looked at her then each other and slowly made our way up the isle behind us. I think Oldest Daughter was keeping her distance so maybe no one would notice Bunny was with us.
We finish our shopping and head home. The girls and ManSon are all so wonderfully helpful unloading the bazzillion grocery bags from the van. I tuck Snow White into bed and the girls watch TV all night in the family room.
Monday, August 20, 2007
What Is Wrong With Kids These Days?
This weekend I wanted to take everyone shopping for back to school clothes and supplies. I finally found a supply list and I just could not believe my eyes.
4 sharpened pencils
1 pencil pouch
1 back pack
We (the school) supply the crayons, folders, scissors and everything else.
Really? Do they really truly mean that I do not have to spend over $60 per child for supplies? Not even the $100 scientific calculators? I will believe this after the first few days of school.
When I told everyone to get in the car for Back to School Shopping something shocking happened. No one wanted to go! They each responded with “We don’t need anything for school this year.” Snow White protested that her current wardrobe was super cute and perfect. She showed me the outfits she wants to wear for her first week of school. Yes, they are all cute and look like new. When I told her we still needed to buy cute pencils and a matching pencil pouch she pulled out a really cute pink pencil pouch with a picture of a cute kitten on the front. The pouch had never been used before and it had 3 brand new erasers inside. Then I said we could look for really cute pencils to put in it. She ran over to my desk and pulled out 3 brand new pink pencils and one purple.
The thought of missing out on Back to School shopping was almost bringing me to tears. Weird huh? So, I start to beg “Don’t you want at least one brand new outfit for the first day of school? You know everyone else will have brand new everything.” They all just shrugged their shoulders and went back to what they were doing. I am a bit bummed out but what could I do. They were right. They have everything they need. I guess I just wanted to satisfy my own needs…you know throwing money away.
When I was Snow White’s age the thought of going back to school with brand new clothes was a thrill! Did I need them? Probably not but I wanted them! I did not want to be the only one to show up for the first day of school in an outfit that was not brand spanking new. I suppose my children are not as shallow as I was at their age. My mother would have been thrilled to hear the four of us did not need anything at all for the start of the new school year.
How did everyone else make out with the Back To School Shopping? Did you find any super great deals?
Friday, August 03, 2007
Back To School
Have you seen Back To School sales flyers yet? I have and I am dreading the school supply list and everything that goes along with Back To School.
ManSon will soon start college and my bank will call saying “Are you alright? Is there a hostage or kidnapping situation? Your withdrawals are no where near normal!” I will simply reply “Back To School supplies.”
Last night during a conversation with Snow White I asked her how her back pack was holding up. The look on her face was absolute horror. In that moment she knew summer would soon be coming to an end. After composing herself she said her back pack was just fine and ran to retrieve it from her room. It was fine, practically brand new! She insisted that a new back pack was not necessary and I agreed.
When Snow White went to bed I looked over at her closet and all the clothes hanging up. She has never worn any of these clothes, they will be too small to wear next year. There are a few boxes of clothes in the basement we never unpacked from our move last fall. So many pretty clothes will have to be transported to the GoodWill, Salvation Army or some other place. I threw away good money on those outfits, outfits she never had the chance to wear.
That brought me to my Back To School shopping resolve. This year I will buy her 5 new sets of clothes for the first week of school. Pretty much everyone else will be wearing brand new clothes. Most will be fall fashions and those children will be dying from the heat by lunch time. My plan is to purchase really cute summer sets one size too big. This way she can have brand new outfits for the first week. They will be on super sale due to the fall line up coming in and she can wear them next summer. I will of course alter them to fit her this year if needed. When the weather changes to fall I will pack up all the summer clothes and bring out the boxes of fall/winter clothing. An assessment of what clothes she has will depend on what if any new clothes will be purchased. As she has a bit of diva in her I know she will want at least a few sets of new clothes. What girl doesn’t like new clothes?!
The local Back To School supply list has yet to come out so I am not sure what will be on Snow White’s school list. Upon receiving the list I will first sort through the crafts, desks and other areas of the house to see if we already have a brand new this or that. I cannot tell you how many times I bought a brand new package of colored pencils, checked them off my shopping list only to find a stack of them at home in someone’s desk.
Here are some staple items always listed on the Back To School Supply list and actually are worn out or used up during the school year….
Crayons
Pencils
Pens (high school)
Pencil holder
Pocket Folders
Glue Sticks
Ruler
Erasers
Here is a list of items just about every school has asked each parent to provide for communal use (I have purchased these items for 18 years, 10 more to go)
Hand sanitizer
Hand soap
Tissues
Crayons
Glue
Make sure to take advantage of the Tax-Free Holiday!! Most states offer a weekend or a week in August to shop free of sales tax for Back To School items. Check with your state to see what is covered and what is not. Some states even cover electronic items but remember the acceptable list varies from state to state. Some states are having their Tax-Free Holiday this weekend! Google “Tax-Free Holiday” or “Tax-Free Shopping” plus your state abbreviation to find out the dates for your state.
What is usually on your list every year? Do you have a School supply list yet? Are you excited about the Back To School Shopping? Any tips or tricks you want to pass on?
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