Walmart, Hairdos, and Monstah Trucks.

So, I had to buy a new keyboard.  Apparently, I'm rather keyboard abusive and I have to replace mine every so often.  The one I just destroyed has been around for a year or so.  My keyboards are not cheap, since I have to have the ergonomic boards for work -- otherwise instead of my arms just feeling like they are going to fall off after an 8 hour shift, they actually DO fall off *nods*

So, I went online and tried to find a cheap ergo board and ended up finding a good one with an acceptable price at Walmart.  The shipping was ridiculous, so I used the "Site-to-Store" option to avoid the shipping cost. (As an aside, my Jewish friend asked me why I had done that instead of just having it shipped to the house and I told him I didn't want to pay the shipping .. to which he replied, "Well, I didn't know you were Jewish.")They email ya, you go pick it up. Easy enough, right?

Right.

We ran out yesterday to pick up the package and had to take the 10-mile jaunt to the back of the store to the designated pick up area.  The entire area is empty with the exception of 2 cash registers and a little touch screen that says "Touch here if you need assistance."    So, I touched there. 

The screen then beeped at me and said that an associate had been contacted and would be with me shortly.  So, we waited.

And waited.

And waited. 

And someone came out of the break room, looked at us, and kept walking.

And Pookie "touched there" and we waited some more for the elusive associate who was on the way.

And someone else came out of the break room, kept they eyes down, and moved along at a brisk pace.

And this happened about 5 more times.

Finally, I grabbed a little man coming out of the break room and handed him my receipt and he handed it back to me and asked if I'd touched the screen.  I told him I had ... twice.  So he touched it and walked away.

We waited some more and the little man came back. He touched the screen again and said, "I touch, they come."   I'm pretty sure he works at the Chinese place too, he sounded like the one that tells me "We no derivah dere, is too fah." 

I said, "No, they don't come.  Nobody comes."  And then touched the screen again.

Finally, many days and grays later (translation:  about 30 minutes), a lady with a big rolling mop bucket came back there and assisted us.  I guess they were running short on cashiers and were having the janitorial staff take care of customers... which would explain why on the busiest day of the week they only had 1 register open on the north side of the store with a line about 30 deep. 

Anyway, I got my keyboard and we got out.  I will NOT be using Site to Store again for something small.  The money I saved on shipping was not worth having to sit there forever waiting for someone to deign to assist use.  Unlike the money I could have saved with Geico, which follows me around looking cute ... the money I saved with Walmart got tired of waiting for me to be done at the counter and left.

The keyboard is pretty nice, with the exception of the stiff spacebar ... but I figure a few days of me beating on it should loosen it right up ;)


In other news, my red-headed Pookie decided she didn't want to be a redhead anymore.

So, she's not.

We went to the Monster Truck Spectacular last weekend with my mom, sisters and brother-in-law ... Mom said she's always wanted to go, which kinda shocked me.  What shocked me more was that she was getting all into it, cheering and clapping and stuff. My sisters looked bored, but Pookie, Mom and I had a great time. 

They had one of the few women in the monster truck business there.  She is N.U.T.S.

But, I guess being surrounded by men, she'd have to be just as nuts, or more nuts than they are just to make it lol