this family has really chosen well.
their new lamp can even walk itself out of the store.
—
‘ i like change. a new lamp, a piece of art, can transform a room.’
-Madonna
Jul14
Tag Archives: shopping
Aug2
climbing out of the rabbit hole.
follow-up and resolution to yesterday’s post-
after a long spiral down the rabbit hole
in a journey to procure
a throw pillow and a rug
purely on a whim
that i didn’t really need
i went to sleep.
–
when i woke to a new day
i headed over to pick up my goods
determined to make it work
when i arrived at the store
shared why i was there
we, as a group
the only three employees and i
discovered that:
my pillow order had been cancelled and refunded
as they were never able to locate it in the store
next up:
they seemed genuinely stumped
when i showed them
the ‘your rug is ready for pickup’ e-mail
sent to me by their company
they each asked my name
looked at my confirmation
typed the order number in their computers
muttered some stuff
looked at each other quizically
and off they all went on the hunt
each in a different direction
when they returned
it was determined that
no one could find it
they discussed it again
one finally looked up and said-
‘oh, i remember finding it last night and putting in the pickup area!’
who knew?
i was not going to leave that store without my rug
so i actively began helping them find it
(do they only carry one of each item?)
they were all looking for a rolled up rug
but i found it folded on shelf instead
in –
‘the pickup area!’
so lucky i am a hobby detective
(even though i have a strong startle response)
with my refund for the pillow they never found
and the discount i battled with ai online to get
my rug ended up extremely well priced
making it even more of a treasure
last night
i laid on my new rug
without a new festive throw pillow nearby
proud of my crack detective work
exhausted and amused by the crazy process
tomorrow –
who knows what will happen
when i go to the post office and the movies?!!
—
“the only way out of a hole is to climb out.”
-cherly strayed, american author, wild
—
image credit: psyschology today
Apr16
secret doors.
dinner of swedish samplings
shopping for fun things for the classroom
with my co-teachers
wandering through
the twisted path of ikea aisles
a friendly employee
leads us to
yet another secret door
a shortcut through the labyrinth.
—
“there are many secret doors around us, in plain sight.
we just don’t take the time to find and open them.”
-rebecca ross, author
sh
Aug19
go cart.
( a reblog, in honor of ikea’s 80th anniversary)
—
after a long while
and a lot of swedish kaffe
i made it
through
the ikea rat maze
but not before gathering
as usual
all kinds of ‘domgjingos’
and other unexplained things along the way
along with the one item I set out to buy.
I was feeling victorious
when things took a turn.
I left my cart at the end of an aisle
to get a closer look
at an exciting ‘grushlbonker’ of some sort
and my cart went missing.
I first thought that maybe I had misplaced it.
no luck.
I then looked for someone ahead of me
who may have mistakenly grabbed the wrong cart.
still no luck.
I watched for someone to suddenly do an about face
and hurriedly return with the wrong cart in hand
a bit embarrassed and mumbling an apology.
still no luck.
maybe it was my giant blue used $1.49 bag
I had in there that was so appealing?
what could anyone else possibly
find any use for, or value
in the odd collection of things I’d snagged along the way?
I couldn’t even remember most of what I had in there
but now I felt I needed each of them for some reason
and was somehow missing them.
I decided to consider it a small gift to the universe
someone must have needed it all more than me.
I hadn’t paid for anything yet
so no loss
other than time and energy
and of course
that fancy blue bag
but most of all
I had no desire to rerun the maze
so I grabbed a few new things
I didn’t know that I needed
along the route to the register.
and threw in
a shiny new blue bag
along with
a 6-pack of cinnamon rolls
just for good measure.
—
“why would anyone steal a shopping cart? it’s like stealing a two year old.”
-erma bombeck
Jun27
dignity.
i went shopping
for two very different gifts
the first
a bit of fancy lingerie for a soon to be bride to be
the second
a book about animal art for my granddaughter’s soon to be birthday
all went well at the first shop, i found a beautiful gift
at the second shop, i found the perfect book
but when i looked down
i noticed that the lingerie has spilled out of my bag
right onto the floor
smack dab in the center of the little indy bookstore
i casually picked it up without too much fuss
laughing to myself
but when i tried to put it back in the bag
i discovered that the bag had torn
which led to it falling out in the first place
when next trying to quickly stuff it in the bag
it kept getting worse
falling to the ground a couple more times
so i finally
had to scoop the whole mess up in my arms
and clutch it to my body
carrying it to the register to buy the book
leaving one arm free to pay
no one said a word
but they did offer me a small chocolate and a smile as i left.
—
“i left the room with silent dignity, but caught my foot in the mat.”
-george grossman
Apr12
discovery shopping.
(not me, but a baby who shops with my same level of fervor as she fills her cart)
i love the adventure of shopping at t.j. maxx
walking in, not knowing what kind of treasure i’ll find
one can never enter
looking for a particular thing or size
you have to keep an open mind
be willing to discover as you go
i don’t enjoy regular shopping
but this
is almost a sport
a discovery scavenger hunt
going up and down the aisles
filling my cart
with all kinds of things i didn’t know that i needed
or that they even existed
like the stuffed duck with four legs
the vintage style pink baby reindeer with white snow glitter
and a pinecone falling off of it
a very soft blanket with woodland creatures and plants
a sweater that is my exact favorite shade of green
the thai chili and lime bath soap
i cannot believe that no one bought these treasures before i arrived
it’s all a matter of luck and timing!
—
“a discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind.”
-albert szent gyorgyi
Feb26
shopping and dropping.
three out of three are down for the count.
everyone enjoys the ‘shopping experience’ in their own way.
—
“shopping is always fun for those that enjoy it.”
-auliq ice
Dec19
no sleep ’til christmas.
this tired penguin duo is not unlike the first two people i met out in the world today
—
stopped by the store at 9am
for a simple return
on my way to the rest of my day
the only other human i saw
was a slow-moving young employee
who began our encounter
by telling me he was sorry
for accidentally spraying a lot of cologne on himself
when mistaking the top of a bottle for the bottom
shared that he was really tired
worked until 11pm, closed the store at 12am
came in early at 6am, opened the store at 7am
in between
he drove home, ate, calmed down,
tried to get a few hours of sleep in
(no time for a shower, maybe explains his ill-fated cologne mishap)
we talked about how busy it would be as the day continued
when another employee arrived
who began her conversation with him by saying:
“don’t even talk to me, i’m going on break.”
his not unexpected response:
“but, you just got here.”
she quickly shot back a:
“i told you to not even talk to me”
when i left i thanked him for working
knowing they both
still had a very long day ahead.
—
“i finally got 8 hours, of sleep. it took me 4 days, but whatever.”
-author unknown
Aug25
*rudolph.
a white-tailed deer startled shoppers
after it wandered in and strolled the aisles in a dollar general store
it seems even mother nature can’t resist low prices.
—
Shoppers were joined by an unexpected patron Friday when a female white-tailed deer wandered into the Dollar General store in Jackson, Michigan.
“I was shopping and I heard a commotion coming from the front of the store,” said Connie MacGuinness, a customer in the store at the time. “I heard people calling out ‘Oh no!” MacGuinness turned around to see the deer walking straight toward her down the aisle, she said. “I was stunned for a quick minute, then got out my phone.”
A report of the animal’s escapades reached the Jackson Police Department. Police and Fire Services Director Elmer Hitt said within a few minutes, officers from JPD and Jackson County Animal Control arrived to help lead the doe back out of the store. “It seemed as scared as we were, but it didn’t run around or seem upset,” MacGuinness said.
Another shopper told MacGuinness they saw the deer walk into the store through the open sliding door at the front of the building.The deer was in the building for about 20 minutes before police guided it outside an open door by barricading the aisles with boxes and carts.
*note: my personal theory is that rudolph had a lot of shopping to do,
hoped to beat the black friday crowd in november,
wanted to fly under the radar, and stock up on some good deals.
unfortunately rudolph is now such a celebrity
that it’s hard to be out in public
without being noticed and posted about on social media. – beth
—
“i’m like rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. if i’m not ready, the sled isn’t going to go.
-kevin garnett, nba championship player
—
credits: photo – connie macguinness, mitchell kukula, mlive.com, jackson police and fire
Jan22
quit.
the ever-sweet, caring, overworked, underpaid, and passionate manager
of the local dollar store
left this sign as he headed out
for one last time.
(below is what i wrote about him in a post a couple of years back)
when one local dollar tree store closed
my favorite enthusiastic manager
moved to the new location
and judging by my recent visit
he has not lost one bit
of his dollar store fervor and expertise.
this was a conversation between bob (the manager) and evelyn (my cashier) as i was checking out:
E: “bob, you’re really good at remembering all of the balloon numbers to ring up and knowing each one of them without looking.”
B: “well, i’ve been doing it a long time. once in a while a number will change or a new shape will come in, like a unicorn, but it’s part of my job to keep up with it.”
E: “when i worked at the grocery store, i knew all the prices for the cucumbers, the peppers and tomatoes. the easy ones”
B: “some are trickier, like avocados, and for some of those things you only see sometimes it’s harder to remember the all the plu’s.”
E: “it’s really a skill, bob. to be able to do that.”
customer john interrupts:
J: “hey bob – so this is where you’ve got up to – how are you liking the change?”
B: “hey, john. good to see you. it’s great. every day is great. i’m so lucky to be here.”
and how lucky is dollar tree to have bob as a manager?
a man who truly loves his job
takes pride in all of it
is always smiling and helpful
knows exactly where every item in the store is located
and who happily learns the number for the new unicorn balloon.
“so tired you want to quit, then you get more tired, and forget to quit.”
― c
― c
I didn't have my glasses on.... 