Returned the Z-Coils, and got a Breda on my phone
February 1, 2004, 7:26 PM
Well, my saga with Z-Coil shoes came to an end, as I returned the shoes to the store, and the gentleman gave me back my check, which the store had not yet cashed. I felt really bad returning them, but I felt even worse that day that I wore them to work. Wearing my Airwalks and having the heel pain actually felt good after dealing with the Z-Coils.
And I repeat, they’re not bad shoes. Just not the right shoes for me. Some people swear by them. They didn’t work out for me.
Meanwhile, I figured out how to download pictures to my computer from my new cell phone and vice versa. So now I have a picture of the Charlottesville Wal-Mart on my computer that I took from the parking lot, and I have a picture of a Breda train on my phone that I took a year ago as my phone background. Now my phone is really me, and has personality.
Plus my ring-tone is “Funicula”, which I remember as a TV jingle for a board game called “Grape Escape”. So now my phone is really me…
Categories: Cell phone, Shopping
And the Z-Coils are going back to the store…
January 30, 2004, 5:57 PM
It was a nice, expensive idea, but I’m returning the Z-Coil shoes. Sure, my heels feel great, and that’s what I bought them for. But geeeeeeeeeeez… that part of my foot felt great at the end of the day. But the entire rest of the foot was killing me by the end of the day. I’ll take the heel pain over the way everything felt at the end of today. Plus I think I was either on the verge of getting, or now have the beginning stages of a blister on my foot. Either way, the cure was worse than the problem. So scratch that and I’ll be going to get my $180 back from the store (did I say these were expensive as hell?), since they have a seven-day return policy, and I only used them on smooth floors so they’re still in new condition.
So I’m getting my money back. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and so I’m going to get my money back since I saved everything. Box, receipt, check carbon-copy, wrapping, everything. So there you go.
Meanwhile, I’m going to try a much less expensive method – I’m going to try some Dr. Scholls inserts that they sell at work and see how they are. And it’s a lot easier to return that way if it doesn’t work.
Continue reading…Categories: Shopping
Goodbye foot pain and poor cell-phone service!
January 29, 2004, 9:17 PM
Well! I dropped a bundle of money today. I got a pair of Z-Coil shoes (see an entry or so down to see what I mean) and a new cell phone.
First of all, the Z-Coils. These are shoes with springs in them. I got them to wear at work, because the heel pain I get from standing all day goes from bad to unbearable over the course of the day. And since standing on my toes all day to relieve the pain in my heels is a bother, this is a good potential solution. The lead CSM in Staunton wears this kind of shoes, and she says she is fine in them. Hopefully these will take care of the pain. And if they don’t work out, there’s a seven-day return policy. But if they do work out, then it was a worthwhile investment, despite being expensive as hell. We’ll see what happens at work tomorrow.
Also, I got a new cell phone today, having switched carriers from Ntelos (formerly Intelos) to Verizon Wireless. I switched because I was not pleased with Ntelos’s service. I didn’t think that they had all that great of service. With Ntelos, I only got 200 minutes, no night/weekend service, the local service area generally consisting of the Shenandoah Valley, and local only in Virginia. With Verizon, most of the country is local, and the service area is equally large. Oh, and it works in the underground tunnels on Metro, which is a big plus for me.
Categories: Cell phone, Shopping
Add “Boyd’s Hairdressers” to my crap-list
January 6, 2004, 3:19 AM
Fresh from my first day at the new Wal-Mart in Waynesboro (which in itself was a great experience, and I’m pumped up for the January 21 grand opening once I get a vest that fits), I went down to Staunton Mall to Boyd’s Hairdressers to get a much-needed trim.
Now on a Monday night, the mall was SLOW. I think you could probably count the number of people in any one area of the mall on one hand. Seriously. Boyd’s was no exception. I was, in fact, their only customer.
Soooooooo… there are two employees, both idle, one reading a magazine. Seeing this, I jumped on the opportunity to get a quick haircut.
Giving the gift of cash…
December 22, 2003, 1:36 AM
And another thing… what has Christmas come to in our house? For me, at least, Christmas is really all about cash. Actually, reverse gifts to be more specific. I’m going shopping for my own gifts this year, getting them wrapped, and then getting reimbursed for them by the gift-giver. My parents don’t know specifically what they ended up getting me for Christmas, but I’ve taken it upon myself to act surprised nonetheless when I unwrap the gift that they bought me (by way of me).
Then my sister already knew what I wanted, that being a long-sleeved shirt from Wal-Mart. So since I work there, she said I can go get my gift and provide a receipt. I went and bought the shirt. And I’m still getting it gift-wrapped, though more on principle than anything else.
Speaking of gift-wrapping, when I bought my gift from Mom and Dad in Roanoke on Thursday and then had it gift wrapped at Valley View Mall and asked for a receipt, I got some very strange looks from the people working the gift-wrap station when I said I needed a receipt for the wrapping. The girl who was taking care of me said, “It’s cash-only,” to which I replied, “I still need a receipt.” They produced a receipt.
Categories: Bedroom remodel, Christmas, Family, Shopping
I got new shoes!
December 13, 2003, 12:07 AM
So I finally got new shoes, and after you see what the old ones look like (I took pictures, as promised), you’ll see that these were badly needed. The new shoes are Airwalks, and are black with white laces and accents. Cute shoes. The style is called “Ricco”. Take a look:
In a few minutes, I shall be off…
December 12, 2003, 11:11 AM
Today, before work, take two in trying to get new shoes. I went to The Shoe Department at the mall in Harrisonburg yesterday, and they were out of Airwalks. So I’m going to go to Staunton Mall before work today and check out their branch of The Shoe Department and see if they have some Airwalks. And if not there, I’ll go to Super Shoes across the street from the mall.
And let me tell you… the shoes I have now could easily be described like this: “Did you just come from church? (No, why?) Then why are your shoes so holey?” Yeah. I have a big hole in the bottom of my left shoe, a tear in the top, and a hole developing in the toe of the right shoe. All from regular wear, not abuse, or even any few strenuous uses.
That’s what happens when you wear shoes every day day in and day out for a year. They really get some use. And I’d say that I got my money’s worth out of them. That and then some more.
I will be taking pictures of these shoes once I get a new pair to show you exactly how hard I wore these shoes. It’s amazing, trust me.
Chair replacement, take two.
December 7, 2003, 2:06 AM
Okay… I’ve been to work and back, and returned the old chair and bought another one, and let’s hope that this one won’t have a rip in it. That rip was quite a disappointment, as well as a pain in the butt, as I had to box it all back up, load it up, bring it back to Wal-Mart, return it at the Service Desk, and then buy another one after work. (Note that having the employee discount at Wal-Mart is a VERY good thing with big purchases)
So hopefully this chair will be a good one. I’ll let you know.
Categories: Shopping
As if it being a large, heavy box wasn’t enough…
December 6, 2003, 12:19 AM
Well, I bought that new office chair that I had my eye on after work today. So I came home, carried this big, bulky box from the car upstairs to my room, unwrapped it all, started putting it together, and found…
A rip in the side of the cushion. I’m thinking, “Ah, CRAP!” Because now this means that I have to return this chair and get another one, one that HOPEFULLY won’t have a rip in it. Thankfully, though, I work at the place where I got it, and I kept the receipt, and so it’s not like I’m making a special trip or anything.
Still, this means I have to tape it all up, take it back down the stairs, load it up in the car again, and load it up into a cart again, take it to the service desk, and return it. Not what I want to have to do tomorrow.
But at least I work at the place where I bought it. I figure I’ll probably return it before work, and then get another one after work.
Still, it feels so weird being a customer at Wal-Mart and being waited on right after eight hours being on the other side of the counter, waiting on paying customers. Oh, and at the register I had just vacated like 20 minutes earlier. It’s slightly amusing.
Thank goodness for calculators…
November 28, 2003, 2:09 AM
Many of you know that math is one of my weak points (and if you didn’t know that, you do now). So I always enjoy having a calculator along when I need to do a calculation. At Wal-Mart, it calculates change, and then I give it to the customer in the largest denominations that I can, if available. Makes life easier for them, plus it makes the smaller denominations in my till last longer.
My sister told me about what the screen said when she went to the FCUK (that’s “French Connection UK”) store at Pentagon City Mall near DC. Not only did these machines tell you how much change to give, but it also said how to give the change to the customer, stating like for $5.72 in change, to give one $5 bill, two quarters, two dimes, and two pennies. I found learning about this quite amusing, since I pride myself in giving out sensible, accurate change.
One random retail tip, though. Don’t put your fingers under the drawer just as it’s about to come out. I learned through personal experience that it hurts when that drawer pops open and your fingers are under it.