Not A Crook…You Varmit

I know times have changed.  Going shopping is not the fun relaxed experience it once was.  Crime has made stores more on the alert to thieves.

But just for a moment….imagine how it is today.  You get ready to pay the cashier.

Yes that young high school kid or the energetic senior citizen.  You hold out your bill and hand it into those waiting hands.  It’s that simple—right?  Wrong!

The cashier looks it over like a fine piece of art.  Holds it up to the light.  Crackles it.  Takes out a pen and scribbles on it.  Does it again.  Repeat steps 1 and 2.

You feel tempted to say….Hey I am not a crook.  Was that a siren going off?

Do not say (resist the urge though tempting)—hey I just made it today.

It’s not the wild west and I don’t have a bandanna on my face partner.  Just take the ####???!!!! bill.

So finally it is put into the register and you get your change.

One time in the near future—I think when they give me a bill.  I will take out my counterfeit bill detector pen and use it on the bill or bills they give me in return.

Just think about it?  How do we know the bills you are given in return are all right?

So—pardon me partner—-my horse is parked outside and I have to make my get away!

©2019–Craftvamp–Sally J

 

 

 

When $7 Dollars Is Really $7

Recently I went to one of the large chain stores that begins with W.  They always advertise low prices and state they are going lower.  Also they emphasize friendliness to customers.

In the Ladies Department was a table with very nice printed fleece tops.  Each one had a design and was very soft.  I noticed the big sign on the table and it was $7.00.  So these nice tops were supposed to be priced at $7.00.  The original price was $9.99.

I choose a nice mint green one with metallic unicorns on it.  Before I went to the check out….I went to the price checking machine and checked all the prices of what I was buying in the shopping cart.  Yes…this fleece top was $7.00.

When I went to the cashier, she rang up most of my items.  When she came to the fleece top…..she looked at it.  I said it is $7.00 because it was on the $7.00 counter.

She said to me…just because something was on the $7.00 table doesn’t mean it is $7.00.

Okay…..so….what does this reasoning mean?   When the price rang up—$7.00—her theory did not hold up.

©2019 Craftvamp-Sally J

 

 

 

Bagless Or Mindless

Who ever invented the bagless vacuum cleaner?  I just have one question for you…..WHY?

Obviously you have never vacuumed or cleaned a room.  You go around vacuuming the floor, wall, ceilings and then the  dirt cup is full.

So you open it and shake it into the bag.  All the dust, particles, debris goes into a garbage bag and into the air.  You breathe in this garbage and it makes a terrible mess.  You feel gritty and like a dog that needs a bath.

Why is this better than a bag you put into the machine and when full –take it out and put the whole thing into a garbage bag.  NO DIRT BATH FOR YOU!

All the promoters of this act like mindless idiots.  No bags—so easy.  Really —ever choke and cough when using this bagless  invention?

© 2019 Craftvamp–Sally J

 

 

 

Paperless Or Powerless?

I know we are in a new age….what should we call it?
The re-use or re-recycle era? The electronic rules universe?
What I am mainly referring to—is the way the websites and stores are
supposedly cutting down on paper waste by using email to communicate.

All right—they ask before you leave the check out–do you want the receipt emailed or printed? You are given a choice.
But they never tell you that be prepared to have you email box overflowed with
endless communications from them.
You get a rundown of what you bought—what you might like to buy just like what you bought. Add to that additional items that could go with what you bought. Then to add to the mix—here are some things like what you bought that other customers have purchased and liked.

So to put it in a capsulized version—you are going to be stuffed with more advertisements than a turkey at Thanksgiving.
Why—does anyone see the irony in this?

©2018 Craftvamp–Sally J

Have A Good——

So now that we are on the subject of greetings. It is a normal thing used in
every day society. The earliest humans saw each other and said….”Ugh” and responded back “Ugh”.
Remember when you would go into a store and the cashier would pack up your things and say…”Have a nice day.”
I know some people did like people saying to them have a nice day. If you were
having a terrible day–they were not at fault.
It is always good to think that people want you to have a day that is not too
horrible. Sometimes we do have really rotten days!
I think when people are training to work in stores—the bosses or executives –tell them what to say. It is always nice to feel you are welcome in a store, even if it is just words that are a practiced drill.
One store–a drug store I go into –there is a cashier. He is polite and always says when you grab your bag….”Have a good one.” I am still wondering what a
good one is????

©2018 Craftvamp/Sally J

The Power Of Hello

Are you the kind of person that says Hello or Hi to someone you know when you see them? I am that way. Not everyone is.
Do you think it is a way of being polite? Is there something inside a person
that wants to be friendly or recognize a person?
I know some people do not say Hello when you see them. It is just a greeting.
Is it not businesslike enough? Maybe the people that do not acknowledge others are really unhappy people.
It is harder to say Hello to people than it is to ignore them. I am sure many shy people would answer yes to this. You gather up the courage and blurt it out.
Sometimes you get the risk of being snubbed.
A few weeks ago–I was at an art show. This much older artist in her 80’s came right up to me. I had spoken to her before and also gallery sat with her. We were 12 inches apart —I said Hello–she looked–turned and went the other way.
Well I guess she is one of the ones that does not say Hello. She also has three names and I guess Hello is not one of them.

©2018 Craftvamp/Sally J

Carded In Rite Aid

I had a cold. I rarely take cough syrup but use natural remedies like herbs.
But this time —I wanted to get rid of it quick. My throat was sore. I had an art show opening to go to.
So I picked up a bottle of the blue stuff in the local Rite Aid.
When I went to the cashier. I have been going to her a long time.
She said –“Do you have your license on you?”
I said “Why?”. I said—“Do you want a date?”–thinking they need to know you are over 21.
She said,” No I need to see your license.” So looks at it.
Now this is real silly. I wasn’t buying beer. I felt uncomfortable.
I wasn’t going to use this to produce drugs. I know other places will ask
for a date–to see that you are over 21. Also that you are not some kid
going to stuff it up their nose or drink to get high.
So they look at your license like they are reading a best seller and look at
you. Practice the authority gaze. Barf—barf.
It’s stupid and the world wonders why people’s identities are in jeopardy?

©2017 Craftvamp-Sally J

Not A Bargain–Beware

When you are shopping in the food store. Beware of those packages of vegetables that are marked special priced and packaged in a cell pack.
I bought some peppers. Peppers are high here. So I thought a good buy. Not. When I opened it up to cook. Two were a little soft. Three reds and a green.
So I was cutting and tasting one of the reds. Yuck. It was moldy in the inside. So watch out for that great buy.

©Craftvamp–Sally J

Security And Privacy

Due to the recent changes at Etsy—I have decided to close my shop there—Skymoonlady.

I enjoyed being part of the Etsy experience.  I also met a lot of great people.

But being forced to accept a payment plan that I do not want or need is just ridiculous.

I use Paypal and do not want direct payment with Etsy.  Paypal is easy and safe for me.

I do not want to share personal info like social security– vital dates —bank account information over the internet to set up a payment plan I do not want or need.  I do not want to have to prove to Etsy —who I am —just for the sake of selling a twelve dollar necklace.

I mean who is going to profit with my personal info?  It is not for my benefit.

Listen to all the well educated security experts that tell us to NEVER give out this information over the internet.

Etsy is playing the part of Rhett Butler in this scene by telling us—-“Scarlet…Frankly I  don’t give a dam.”

Just like Gone With The Wind—so gone is my shop.

©Craftvamp-Sally J.

 

Packing It In

We have all have experienced it.  What is it?

When you have been packed or bagged by an over zealous clerk at a check out counter.

So you say to me—Well what do you mean?  All right let’s start at the beginning.

You are in the grocery store.  You have a whole wagon (or cart) of food and supplies. Looking back—maybe it is at least $100 dollars worth.  There are heavy cans—paper supplies–meat—deli items—pet supplies—soda—bread and etc.

Then the clerk rings everything up.  Looks with a gleam in her eye and then tries to fit it all into two dinky plastic bags.  WHY??? Is she on some kind of mission to save plastic bags by giving me something unrealistic to lift to and from my car?  Does she think Superman or Wonder woman is  out there sitting —waiting to put these concrete weights into and out of my car?

Then there is the I Am Saving The Planet starting with you clerk.  I stopped off at the Rite Aid store.  They have a great section of low priced cookies, crackers, canned fruit, paper supplies, plastic pitchers, cleaning supplies, kitchen towel, dish rags and more.  So I though I would stock up and had one of those plastic carry baskets stacked up to the rim.

I approached the counter and the manager clerk—said —just lift the whole basket onto the counter—-it is easier.  It was a little heavier to do it.

Then he said I like to try and save the earth by using fewer bags.  He proceeded to stuff things and even lined the pitcher with things inside.    Well—he was very pleased with himself.  But I said to him—I can not lift that.  So he looked foolishly puzzled.  I mean who could—maybe we should have had a weight lifting contest with the other people standing behind me.  Then he got the message and used another bag.

I have a message to you clerks out there—-It’s great you care so much about the environment.  But if you are trying to save it—-start with the person after me.  Your store’s bags are so cheap and the money I spent paid for it many times over.

Besides I recycle these bags on my own.  I store hats and handbags in my closet with bags.   They also are  used to pick up  the debris from cleaning  up in the garden. I use the plastic bags as garbage bags  for my garbage can.

So get the message guys—just do your job—you are not saving the world on my time. You just complicate things for me.

©Craftvamp-Sally J.