well…I have gotten some more shopping done. I alternate between being ambivalent and being excited about the season

I think I blogged about this last year. Does getting older ruin this time of year? Do your children getting older ruin it? Maybe ruin is not a good word. You just become less enthusiastic. Yes, I know there are lots of people who aren’t enthusiastic about this time of year, anyway. But I used to enjoy it, alot. I used to look forward to … everything. I found myself at work today getting in a good mood about it.

So…what is it that causes you to lose the enthusiasm?   Old age?  Becoming more cynical?  Your children growing up and questioning you about the reality of Santa Claus?  I’m sure it’s a little of all those.  But I also think another part is lack of customer service at a lot of the places you frequent to GET your gifts.

I’ve pissed and moaned about it here before but honestly…it seems that most all (but not quite all…the ladies at Bath & Body Works are wonderful) people who work in stores and restaurants just do not give a shit.  They don’t want to get off their lazy butts to help you.  They roll their eyes – so you can see!! – when you ask for anything.  If you want an extra packet of ketchup.  If you want the item on display because it is all that is left. 

Sorry, I just had a really BAD experience at Walmart last night.  On Monday evening, I used the check yourself out lane, grabbed my receipt and left.  When I was balancing my checkbook the next night, my receipt…was not mine.  It apparently belonged to the person that had checked out prior to me.  I called and after getting just a little snobby (she started it, seriously) the lady actually got all nice and helpful – she told me she had printed it out & it would be waiting for me at customer service.  I had bought Christmas gifts and feared I would need it.  I told her it would be Wednesday (the next) night before I could pick it up.

I get there last night and there are 2 girls in customer service.  One is rather large and appears to be sitting on something, going through a bunch of crap.  The other is just standing there.  I tell them what I am there for.  The girl sitting seems to know exactly what I am there for, and calls a CSM.  The girl sitting mentions the name of the lady who printed the receipt to the CSM.  The CSM leaves.  She comes back and has no receipt.  The two ladies at customer service have NOT MOVED.  I repeat that I was told it would be waiting for me.  Yet, none of them – not even the CSM - make any effort to LOOK anywhere for it.  They don’t look on the counter, under the counter, in drawers…they just don’t care and it shows.

I leave in a huff, I call the store from outside, I talk to some lady who wants to get all the information from me AGAIN.  I had given the other lady numbers and times off the receipt I had, and now they wanted me to do it all over again and come back in an hour.  I hung up on her.  I called back after cooling off for a few minutes and heading to the mall.  I just let go – I told her none of those people at the service desk would get off their lazy asses to look and it was obvious that they just did not give a shit. YES, that is EXACTLY what I said to her!  Bless her little heart…she tried to help me, but it was apparent that no one knew where the printed receipt was. 

I hope that the items I bought work out for who I bought them for.  But I’ll bet they can take them back and say they were gifts and it will be okay.  Walmart has this limit thing – you can get 3 refunds without a receipt by showing your DL.  And their computer keeps up with that crap. 

Anyway…I guess I digressed from my main point.  I WANT to be excited about the holidays again.  I really do.  Maybe I need to have a holiday movie festival this weekend, because it seems like none of the majorly good movies are much coming on this year.

Maybe it’s because It’s a Wonderful Life is only allowed to come on once a year now.  Hmmm….