Current Mood : People-angry (a hyped-up version of 'people-frustrated')
Spent on Sewing/Crafts : $15.22
Spent on Dolls : $5.22
What a day. Dearest Son went to Granny and Granddad's house yesterday afternoon, and Beloved Hubby had a two-hour touch-up job this morning, so I got an early start on my prowls. Got all the way to the bank when I realized I'd forgotten to wheel the trash around. Our usual pick-up is Thursday, but they pick up the next day when it's a holiday. It's supposed to be out at 7:30, and it was 9am, but I hoped.
Got to Hancock's, where pretty much every pattern that wasn't Kwik-Sew or Vogue was 99c or 5 for $5., so the catalog tables were swarmed. Luckily, I'd had my list in my purse for a week, copied from pattern co. websites, so I breezed in, snagged the five I wanted - four doll clothes, one craft (which is also doll clothes, really) - and headed back to the register. Stopped to look at the Yo-yo looms, still at 30% off, and got two, a heart and a flower/star shape. Sewing yo-yos aren't stringed toys, but small gathered shapes, usually a circle, sewn together for various projects. $14. and ten minutes later, I was at the Salvation Army there, a major waste of time. Luckily, I spent more time walking to it than I spent in there.
Decided to check the sale Barbies advertised at Big Lots. Too bad I never found ‘em. Ditto for the ones at Target, but I snagged DVDs of Cars (our first one is DOA) for $12., and The Notebook, Walk the Line, and a three-in-one of Bachelor Party, Back to School, and Weekend at Bernie's, $4. each. They had all the registers open, and since I didn't have a cart, I made the rounds twice and was out the door with my purchases in less time than it took to find legal parking. Of course, many shoppers didn't concern themselves with ‘safe' or ‘legal' out in the parking lot...
Stopped by the craft fair on the way home. Mostly for ideas, it was about the same sale I'd been to earlier this month. Bought two Tupperware miniatures, a prism bowl keychain and an Elphie-size ice-cream scoop, a buck each. Also four magnets you'll see later, including a Betty Boop one for DFIL, for another buck. I was amazed that gift bags made of inexpensive cotton with a ribbon drawstring were selling. They were fairly cheap, but still... again, about half of what I saw, I could easily make m'self.
After lunch, Beloved Hubby wanted a nap, so I was out again, this time to GoodWill. I'm glad I went, I made two great finds, but I ended up ticked off. Store itself was its usual ‘half bare, half overpriced' self, and frankly, the only times I've ever found anything interesting in the last two years, it's been in the bins, waiting for staff to shelve. Today was no exception. I scored another vintage sewing box, a mustard-yellow thread spool and bobbin box, identical to my hunter-green one. I'd been eyeing one at the flea market, but it was fulla thread, and the seller wanted $8. By the time I had the guts to ask if she'd accept $5. for it (and I had $5. for it !) it'd already sold. Oh, well, I thought. I was lucky to have the green one, and it'd just been a buck at that yard sale.
But no, here was its sibling, identical and in perfect shape, $1. No thread, but heck, I had plenty of that in a shoe box, waiting at home. Score ! Another bin came out later, mostly kids' cowboy boots, so I had to wait my turn to poke through it. Another score ! A slightly larger Barbie case, the latest one, in pink instead of black. Nearly new - the tag was still attached, and so was the plastic bit that held the strap together for shipping ! $3., and mine !
Happily, I took my purchases to the register. And watched in dismay as the cashier took a pair of shears from her register and sliced the tag in half, right through the UPC ! WTH ? She explained that she had to, or otherwise, I'd take it back to the store and I could get cash or ‘whatever I wanted' for it.
Oookay. Let's put aside the fact that this case hasn't been made or sold since 2002. But I just got accused of theft at a GoodWill - not that I stole from them, but that I might steal from some poor merchant who donated brand-new stuff to GWill out of the goodness of his register-tape stained heart. Unbelievable !
And here's the thing - this scenario doesn't hold water. When I worked at Disney Store, we had a special clerk who, at sale time, entered the UPCs into the Telson with the new prices. Every week, we'd get lowered prices from Corporate, until the sale was over or the stuff was sold out. Any merch we had left got entered as ‘unknown UPC' and the stuff itself got sent back to Corp for its final destiny. If someone brought it, say, a Mickey blouse they'd gotten during the sale after it was over, it'd scan ‘unknown ‘. With a receipt, they'd be issued a refund or store credit, their choice. With no receipt, we couldn't take it back. If the sale was still on, they'd get whatever price the item scanned as, unless they had the receipt. Simple, clean - from a company that prided itself on positive customer service. We never had a blowout or problem with it.
I sincerely believe that Victoria's Secret and Old Navy, the two examples the cashier gave as companies who donated new stuff, have the same technology, considering I quit DizStore in 1995 ! If VS and ON allow full-price refunds or store credit on stuff they haven't sold in over six years, no wonder both companies are having trouble !
Adding to the fire was the fact that cashier tucked the half she cut off inside the register, as if I was entertaining the idea of taping it back together or something. By now, I really felt like GoodWill saw me as some sort of rip-off skeeve, not a customer. Since when did GW ever care what anyone did with their purchases afterwards, as long as the checks cleared ? And if I've ever seen anything dangling tags at GW, it's because one person donated ‘em that way, not because they got a huge box from VS or ON.
If it's such a problem, why not cut the tags before putting stuff on the shelves ? Because they know the tags are a selling point...at least until the con artist /customer gets to the register ! Snip, snip ! You don't get to keep those ! It's also kinda stupid for companies to donate stuff with active UPC code tags to begin with - or even inactive tags. It may be some time before I darken GWill's door again. I want to understand, but the cashier really seemed to think I was out to rip somebody off, and it was only through her virtuous actions they were spared my evil intentions. No, d@mn it, I'm just a harmless collector who rather wanted the stuff she was payin' for intact. Sheesh.
At least no one accused me of anything untoward at 7-11. And I was in there at a bit after midnight, for snacks. Sad.
I think next year, I'm gonna do Buy Nothing Day, especially after what happened in Long Island. Seriously, is a slightly cheaper crap plasma TV (already considered on the Betamax side of technology) worth a man's life, you idiots ? You know Mal-Wart's gonna say he was a temp, so they're not liable for anything, his temp agency is. Sad. And an utter perversion of what they say the holiday is supposed to be about. I'm sure a rag-swaddled infant born in a barn would be impressed by your shopping prowess for ‘his' holiday, there, morons. I hope they catch and publicly humiliate you for the rest of your days. There's my 'not in synch with the reason for the Season' moment.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=6353623
I'm just upset - not at you, I know you wouldn't trample a man to death for crap electronics. But the people-frustration's gotta go somewhere... (teary sigh)
