I wrote this yesterday and didn’t post it. Totally not related to gardening. But what the heck. If you find it boring, just quietly click the back button.
Saturday, 11-29-08
I didn’t shop on Black Friday (yeah for me). But this morning I ran across a Staples Friday and Saturday ad. They had a $99 shredder for $19 (after rebate, of course, and instant discount). I actually need a good shredder, so I could justify spending the money. There were a few more items on the page that I thought the price would justify the expense, so I grabbed them and went to the register. And low and behold, the register rings up the regular price.
The cashier showed me on the sale paper that the deal is only good Friday from 6-10. Well, that’s not what the Staples site said. It said INCREDIBLE DEALS – 2 DAYS ONLY. And when I clicked on the shredder it says “Offer Valid Nov 28-29.”
I hated walking away from the items in the basket, but the cashier was getting on my nerves. Imagine expecting a cashier having to answer your questions when you don’t blindly say, “Okay. Well, if your computer says it cost X and my research on your site says Y, I’ll just hand you the extra money.”
So, before I got nasty with the cashier, I left the store. I went and looked it up on the computer again, and there it is in black and white (and a little red and blue and yellow and gray), Offer Valid Nov 28-Nov 29.
I called the store and asked to speak to the manager (who was really nice, by the way) and I explained to him (again) that I was looking at the ad and would he be willing to honor the price that his company’s web site is showing. To make a long story (a little) short(er), when I showed him the ad, he honored the price. Thank you, Mr. Store Manager, at my local Staples store.
So, he rings up my shredder at the adjusted price…and guess what? No rebate prints out. But good store manager that he is who’s trying to accommodate a frequent flyer customer, he goes to the back and prints out the rebate.
And guess what? The rebate is good for one day…yesterday. So, all that time and energy for nothing. Well, maybe not for nothing. I learned a good store manager trumps a bad store cashier. They still have me as a customer…but not on Black Friday…unless it’s something really good next year.
Happy Gardening Shopping
