Category: Shopping

Adventures in buying a microwave light bulb

~ SA Otey

I asked someone (mistake) there if there was an LED equivalent so that the light would outlive the microwave. The clerk gave me one even though I asked him about it saying “appliance”. Cut to the chase, it didn’t work, but that’s not the fun part of the adventure.

Lowe’s tried to lure me into their store with a free $10 gift card, and it worked. My microwave light burst during seven power surges in the neighborhood and those suckers cost $8 so I set forth on my adventure.

When I went to check out, the cashier had no idea how to use the gift card. It wouldn’t scan and when she tried manual entry the field didn’t allow for all the numbers on the card. Programming tip: nvarchar(max) on all the fields forever! Not really. So I paid full price and went to the customer service desk.

They refunded the bulb after about 5 minutes of fighting with the gift card, but then the computer froze, locking them out of the system. So we had to move to another cash register. Once it went through the light bulb had now been returned twice for the same transaction. That comes into play when I return to Lowe’s later, when I try to return the bulb that doesn’t work. So I get store credit. So I spent about 20 minutes and 3 gallons of gas to purchase a light bulb. The $10 gift card was pointless. Next time, I’ll just use Amazon.

Small Business Saturday, Shop Local!

~ SA Otey

I think it’s a neat idea to shop local, but not for long. I think that all customer service reps, or anyone that is responsible for answering phones, need to take acting classes. If you are having a bad day and use a sarcastic tone or interrupt the person calling then your superiors need to know about how you are ruining their business. Local shops won’t last much longer, you can’t compete with robots that take your orders and ship things to your door in 2 days.

Black Friday comes once a year

~ SA Otey

Don’t let any of these retailers fool you. Black Friday happens once per year. There is no…

  • Black Friday in July
  • Early Access to Black Friday
  • Black Friday Starts now (First week of November)
  • Black Friday for only members of our website

The term “Black Friday” has two key origins: first, as a term used by Philadelphia police in the 1950s to describe the chaos of post-Thanksgiving shoppers, and second, the retail explanation that the day marks when stores go from being “in the red” (at a loss) to “in the black” (profitable). The Philadelphia origin was initially negative, but retailers rebranded the day in the 1980s with the more positive financial meaning as the term spread nationally. Now it means nothing.

Making extra donations at Walmart during the holidays

~ SA Otey

They have some great prices, but good grief it’s not worth it about 99.99% of the time. Once you pick a buggy you can’t tell it’s got a busted wheel until you roll it over two levels of cobblestone entrance tile and hit a smooth surface. By then, they are banking on the fact that you won’t care enough to exchange it. Thus, never servicing their shopping carts..

They always have someone begging at the entrance. If you don’t give them any money, they give a condescending look and tell you to have happy holidays, but they are condemning you to hellfire and damnation. The Salvation Army is usually out the day after Halloween, and one lady was apparently using the kettle as an ashtray. I don’t know if she was smoking a cigarette or a bong, but the smoke was billowing into the solarium of vending and electronic recycling machines..

How to yard sale

~ SA Otey
field grass green ground
Photo by icon0.com on Pexels.com
  • Bring large bills and pay for .50 cent items. Get a possible freebie because no one can make change fo a $100
  • Ask for small bills as change to wipe out their supply for other shoppers
  • Automatically cut 50 to 75% off their asking price
  • Look into the garage and ask about pricing for things that are not labeled or obviously for sale. Bikes, pets, water heaters, etc
  • Gain access to the house, come out one of the doors asking how much for the tub
  • Try to purchase one of their vehicles.
  • Request items like “needle nose pliers”, if they don’t have any for sale ask. “Well, why not?”
  • Bring a few shovels and start uprooting their sod. After all, it is a “yard sale”

https://amzn.to/3BVpfPL

Pay less at the grocery store with one simple trick.

~ SA Otey

It’s subtle, but stores that offer smaller carts usually have higher prices. Warehouse stores that offer large carts serve a purpose for bulk loading. When you enter a store and see that the little cart is the only option then walk away.

Smaller carts are easier to push but you can’t put as much in them, so the store will jack up their prices so that you can’t carry too many of their items to your home. I’ve noticed these carts at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Harris Teeter, and now PetSmart.

Why not have all your groceries delivered?

Understanding FIFO vs LIFO in Queues

~ SA Otey

Typically humans will form a queue if there are multiple registers open. The term first in first out (or FIFO) comes to mind. However, there are people who subscribe to the LIFO life (Last in first out). LIFO is our natural inclination, we are self-centered creatures and have our own interests in mind. So when someone bypasses the established queue, simply give them a reminder they’re not the only person in the store or on the planet.

For instance, I was checking out at a sporting goods store and approached the register. At first, I thought the checkout was empty until I saw the queue of four people waiting for the first available cashier. I took my place in the queue. As my turn approached a person jumped in front of me and began to place their items on the counter. The cashier said nothing. A person behind me said passive aggressively “Some people don’t know where the line starts”.  I approached and politely informed the lady that the line started (I pointed in the direction of the 5 people behind me). She said something like “she didn’t see the line”. I replied, “Yeah, it’s right over there”.

A queue makes sense if you are in a busy store that’s understaffed. It’s the faster way to check out. The only problem is the person who starts the queue has to enforce it for the second person who arrives. You have to space yourself at just the right position between both registers. It helps the register be within close proximity.

If you don’t have the option to ship something to your house or buy online and pick it up in-store then you should reconsider shopping at that establishment.

The Decline of Toy Shopping for Kids

~ SA Otey

I miss the days when there were new start wars movies coming out every fall. I looked forward to Septembers and Force Fridays when all the new Star Wars action figures were released. But this has been my experience…

Whatever happened to let kids buy toys. I took my children shopping for toys and the shelves were empty. I can only assume that grown men and women went to buy the toys earlier in the day and are now selling them on eBay for profit.

I know it’s fun to purchase “Hard-to-find items” but let the kids have a shot. If you really want one of each item then buy an entire case from entertainmentearth.com and let the children experience shopping for new toys rather than looking at a barren wasteland of potential happiness.

I don’t know if this happens but retailers should split the toy shipment into two pieces. Set aside half of the shipment for the people who stand in line at midnight. Then the other shipment for people who have to work and have children who may want a few toys.

Why BOGO Sales May Not Save You Money

~ SA Otey

Can you believe this used to be $3.00 for a sixer of 16.9oz of Pepsi Zero Original Recipe with all the caffeine and ginseng?

Do you think BOGOs are a good deal? How’s come when you see the same item at Walmart it’s the same price as one of the buy one get one? That’s because BOGO is a scam. Paying full retail price vs what the price should be. It’s not near as worse as by 3 get 2 free that Harris Teeter shills. If you divide it out it’s about the same price as a single item at Walmart or Aldi. Don’t fall for it!

Maximize Savings: Shopping on Tax-Free Weekend

~ SA Otey
photo of black flat screen monitor
Photo by Fancycrave.com on Pexels.com

How much do you love people? How much do you love people and massive amounts of them confined in one area? Do you like long lines at the dressing room and checkouts? Do you enjoy fighting over parking spaces and pedestrians who forget how to walk in parking lots?

If you said yes to any or all of these questions then you will love shopping on tax-free weekends in your state. It’s only rivaled by Black Friday sales. However, you can pay slightly a bit more and shop from your computer at home. You have to deal with the age-old question, “How much is my time worth?”.