4 Trauma Day

Some days you're the windshield; Some days you're the bug. 1st Trauma: This morning on my way to the gym I stopped at the new Big O Tire store on Craig Ave. The Lake Mead store I usually visit was out of my way, and a chain store is a chain store, right? Another woman and I approached the door together. Being obviously younger, I held the door and let her enter first. We walked to the counter together. The kid at the counter said, "Who owns the classic Caddy?" The lady said she did. He went into raptures over her car and processed the paperwork for her oil and lube. He did not so much as glance at me. She left the counter. I stepped forward just as the door opened. In walked a "briefcase." The kid behind the counter got all animated and started telling Briefcase everything that had been done to get the store ready for the division inspection. He talked about the shiny floor, the shiny windows, the shiny rim display .... Briefcase interrupted, "I believe you have a customer." The kid turned and looked at me as though I had materialized from thin air. He told me I'll have two new tires on my car in a half hour or less. About twenty minutes later I hear him telling Caddy Lady that he's really sorry, her car was going to take a bit longer than he'd anticipated. He said nothing to me. Very shortly there after Caddy Lady left. Twenty minutes later I went in search of my car. It was parked right outside the door. The guy at the counter says to me, "Oh yeah, your car's done." I paid him, took my car keys, walked out to my car and checked the trunk. No spare tire. I walked back in and requested my spare. As he put the spare in my trunk I said I was less than impressed with their service. He demanded, "Why, just because we forgot your tire?" I said, "That -- and my half hour wait that was an hour and five minutes without explaination or apology -- on top of the fifteen minutes it took for you to notice I was in your store in the first place." Does he apologize? No. He tells me that Caddy Lady is a very important customer and Briefcase is his boss' boss so they deserved special treatment. I said, "Well, since you've just religated me to non-important customer you won't mind if never return to your store." THEN he apologized. I should have stuck with the franchise where the service personnel think I am important even if I walk in wearing sweats and only drive an '03 Malibu. ------- 2nd Trauma (not mine): I get home from the gym, shower and am just about dressed when I hear knocking on my door. My neighbor lady often knocks on her way home from work, it is 2:45, the exact right time for it to be her -- so I open the door one-handed, still pulling on my jeans with the other ... only to shock the mailman speechless. Apparently he has never seen fushia panties before. Poor fellow. Anyway, my books from half.com have finally arrived -- 40 days after I purchased them. Nineteen days left before I return to work and now my novels arrive. ------ 3rd Trauma: On July 3rd I ordered a new cell phone and new service from (I thought) T-Mobile. Turns out the service was indeed T-Mobile, but the phone was not. In searching for T-Mobile I somehow ended up on an independant broker's site. Well, the independant broker never sent me my phone. I called them 3 times to no avail -- and no cell phone. So today I get a bill from T-Mobile for my activation fee and 1st month's service. My heart flipped over -- certain someone else was using my new cell phone, I called T-Mobile's customer service. They were wonderful. Apparently stuff like this happens all the time with brokers. She asked me if I wanted her to transfer me to their sales department so I could have them ship me a phone. I told her that if it was all the same to her, I'd like to go to my local T-Mobile store and talk to a rep with "skin." So the nice lady from customer service gave me the addy for the nearest T-Mobile store, I went there -- and walked out talking to a friend on my new phone! ----- 4th Trauma: As I left T-Mobile two woman stopped me in the parkinglot. They were wearing enough bling to blind me in the sun. One says, "My food stamps didn't come. We need food for our babies." I look around and see no babies. What I do see is two young women in their early 20's. Both well groomed and sharply dressed. Both wearing fancy painted acrylic nails and way too much glittery jewelry. I shook my head no and said, "I'm sorry, you dress better than I do," and I brushed by them. Behind me one woman said to the other, "I told you we were dressed too nice." ------ So, how was your day? Tomorrow I am staying home. Oh wait ... must get curvy. Curves: Day 4 stretch in 3x around the gym stretch out