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Showing posts with label online shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label online shopping. Show all posts

Monday, September 26, 2022

**UPDATE** My Walmart Plus Failed

UPDATE:

I recently saw a Reddit post that mentioned the absolute genius of Sony. "The founder of Sony hired an outspoken critic of their products so they could make better products. 20 years later, he became the president of Sony."

Walmart, are you listening? You don't have to hire me. I give my criticism out for free.


Walmart has a membership plan, similar to Amazon Prime. I gave it a try and... boy, what a complete nightmare.

So why get a Walmart Plus membership?

First of all, what made me want the membership was the fact that there was no-minimum free shipping and free local delivery with purchases totaling over $35. About the same for most grocery store plans. Hyvee's Plus plan purchase minimum is lower at $24.99 but the item prices are higher and the store doesn't have the product variety that Walmart does - naturally because, who does besides Amazon? The other thing is that Walmart is a budget-friendly one-stop kind of place to shop. I know there are haters galore but I am a Walmart customer due to finances and my lifestyle limitations.

So.

General Pros and Cons

The no-minimum free shipping of items went well when I used it but I hated taking advantage. I did make some small orders but started trying to be more organized so that I was not ordering one single thing at a time. Besides, even though you can find almost anything for shipping, the product prices get crazy and vary greatly. I'm not paying $30 for a variety bag of potato chip snacks to be shipped when I can get them delivered or in-store for $10.

Now grocery delivery is my jam, as the kids say (said?). I am on such a crazy diet for my sarcoidosis and have such small food storage space that I usually order once every 2 to 3 weeks. Grocery delivery is a convenience for many people but for me, it is a necessity. I don't drive and I live in a tiny town where neighborhood shopping prices are driven by wealthy tourists. I truly rely on grocery delivery from big box stores.

(Side note: recently, I learned that Walmart Plus members can get Paramount Plus also. Well, that is its own nightmare story so I will save it for later.)

The Plus membership taxes my budget because, at $12/95/month plus tax, it is more than a discounted Prime membership. But again, I depend on the delivery services.

So, what went wrong?

I am going to let pictures tell most of the story. Thankfully, I am in the habit of taking screenshots because of cognitive issues. I had to go through the screenshots of the phone app and Twitter messages just to sort out for myself what the hell happened. My Twitter messages shown are in reaction to what's going on with the ordering app and the Walmart site chat reps.

Here goes:

This was the beginning. The first problem order & it was a doozy. It never did arrive & cust svc were as stumped as I about what happened. As you can see, I was actually worried that the delivery driver might have been in an accident.


Keep in mind, I had so many problems with this order that I dang near had to whiteboard the screenshots to sort them out. This one problem was to do with the water I ordered. The shopper removed it from my order as being an "unavailable" item. Funny enough, I was able to go in and add the water to a new cart. Never did get the water or figure out what was up with the unavailability. 

The same order is still a problem the next day. The app shows that the order is still being delivered. The tracking info (I think it showed the driver being 17 minutes away) had not changed overnight.

This phone text is showing nonsense info about an order that a chat rep canceled for me. They canceled it because they thought the app might be glitchy... The word "glitch" got used a lot by the reps and myself.

By the way, this text came in on August 3rd for an order that was made, screwed up, and canceled on the 2nd.

And I realized that part of this crazy, lost, glitchy order included items that were to be shipped rather than driver-delivered. At this point, my brain hurts and, because of my sarc, I'm actually taking handwritten notes to keep track of this mess.


Then I get an app message saying that my order - yeah, that crazy, canceled, lost order - is... delivered.  I have no idea what is going on. I have nothing delivered. A chat rep assured me that the order has been canceled (I was worried about credit card charges) and to go ahead and just start a new order.

 The magic water that keeps appearing and disappearing from stock is still a problem but the chat rep refunded my bad order. I'm still fairly happy at this point, I decide to hang with Walmart for the time being. (That happy feeling won't last.)

 


This is all annoying but I'm still game. I even thanked the chat rep and said that I'd once worked cust svc so "I get it". 

The bossy side of me though can't help but offer some long-winded advice to Walmart. It goes on for several Twitter messages. I won't bore you with it, but I go on for a bit. But back to the nightmare...

With that first bad order all taken care of, I foolishly think things will be better. I place another order. 

This order was made early in the morning to be delivered between 5 & 6 in the evening on the 6th. That did not happen. On the 7th, I got in touch with Walmart. Again. 


 BTW - that whole "We'd like to look into it"? That must be a copy/paste script because they use it every time. Until later, when they stop the fondness for "looking into it"...


They "look into it" and things are fixed. Then they made the mistake of inviting any more concerns - or maybe I made the mistake of taking them up on it.

One of the perks of a Plus membership is a Paramount Plus membership. Of course, I was having problems with mine. Of course.


I won't go into it all but I wasn't able to sign into Paramount. Not on any browser. Not after clearing cookies and cache and waving a magic wand over the computer. But, bless their hearts, they really wanted to help me with it. At this point though, I have Walmart fatigue & I decline.



See how they are almost begging to help with the Paramount issue? That urge to help will fade fast when we get back to problems with the Walmart ordering system...
I can do without Paramount but... Another order and another Walmart screwup. My new order is going to be delayed. Of course. Because a delay usually signals a biggre problem, I get proactive in alerting Walmart:


Late doesn't bother me. Getting another weird system glitch is what worries me.
Am I a pest for being concerned at this point?
Nope, I am not a pest. I am apparently psychic. This order is also turning out to be a problem. The order is late and the browser is not updating and neither is the app on my phone. I try cancelling to avoid another hours long delivery failure nightmare.


As usual, the chat agent is amazing and is able to get the order cancelled. However, even the agent is curious about the "glitch". He is very sorry and encouraged me to try placing the order all over again. I decide I will try that.
When I mention that I am going to try again but am wondering if it will work this time, Walmart pulls their old copy/paste "reach out" message... They want me to provide them with past order info. As if they cannot scroll back through all these messages.

I give them the problem order numbers. I provide them with a maddening screenshot of a particuarly weird that happened. An order shows on the app as both delivered and cancelled. It's like magic.


At this point, I am done. Walmart is mysteriously not responding to the provided info - info that they requested. 

They just ghost me. So I let them know that I am cancelling the order and cancelling my Plus membership.


Here is how bad that "glitching" of their system is. The chat rep now goes into "forwarding" the problem to a "team". I'm just over it at this point.
 

There are more screenshots but, at this point, I have a headache. I made sure that I canceled my membership and made sure that all charges were refunded back to the original payment method. Then I immediately went back and resumed my InstaCart membership. That's only $10 per month. Sure, I will have to InstaCart shop between Hyvee, Aldi's, Target, and the other stores but at least I won't have to work an unpaid part-time job of fixing Walmart delivery problems.

One funny thing to mention is that, before their Plus program, Walmart was one of the InstaCart shops. I guess they think they can do a better job with Plus. Good luck with that.

When I canceled my Plus membership, I still had 20 days left to use it. I tried doing a couple of shipping orders but, because of the crazy pricing, Amazon was cheaper. And more reliable.

So, as I mentioned to Walmart in the Twitter messages, I wrote a blog post about this epic failure. I will send them a link but they haven't been responding to me for a while. Their problem is in not listening to customers. One of the suggestions I made to them was to have someone take a look at how InstaCart works from a customer POV. I doubt they did that.

Peace
--Free



P.S.: I'm too weary to look it up, but I did tweet out that Walmart failed me. They did the "reach out" thing & I reminded them that they were ignoring me. So they... ignored me. You have to laugh.



Monday, May 24, 2021

New Normal & Shopping Online (Resources)

 So.

Even being a hermit by nature did not prepare me for this "new normal" situation of being locked down. Not only am I shopping online for the usual things I always ordered but now I am having to find resources for extras.

With my health danger level currently set to Defcon2 - or whatever is a step before it gets kinda bad - I am trying to eat better. Whole foods, high-fiber foods, fully-seeded and good-grained foods. Less red meat - bye-bye weekly smoked neckbones, hello fish, chicken, and tofu.

I don't care that Trader Joe's hasn't come online. I have been forced to search out and find other places and products that I can get online.

Now here's the deal: I only have searched these out and not examined them. I'm sharing with you but just know that you will need to do your own homework to discover the details. The list is focused mainly on "healthy"(er) type choices, but there are some general options included.

I will make very minor comments because, well, that's what I do. Here we go:

  • Thrive Market. I don't know how I feel about this one. I'm not big on memberships. (If you want a peek without logging in, try this link.)
  • Farmbox Direct is another service I probably won't use. I live in the Midwest. I'm good for veggies.
  • Natural Food Shop - I am linking to the FAQs because I think that's more helpful.
  • I am going to link to the About Us page for Bubble. I found this most interesting, even if I don't need their products. 
  • Natural Zing has a narrow inventory but is all about "superfoods" so I think it belongs here.
  • I want to love Boxed and I kind of do. It reminds me of a local co-op grocer that would get good stuff sometimes but wasn't the place to go looking for everything. Biggest Plus is that it's like a membership-free warehouse. Of sorts. I'm not immediately impressed by the prices on, say, sparkling water.
  • I think vitamins-only when I hear Vitacost so I am linking to their Food section.
  • GoPuff is the service I would use if I wanted a bottle of Jack and some smokes at midnight because I can't sleep. That's not what they are limited to, of course, but their delivery area is narrow. Check the very bottom of the linked page to see if your area is covered.
  • Amazon Fresh is something I would LOVE to have access to. Alas, my zip code is too hick for them.
  • Bob's Red Mill sells mostly in bulk (I can't even afford a handful of his products) but the site has recipes for bread I looked at.
  • Grain Place Foods just looked interesting to me.
  • Pleasant Hill Grain covers grains, seeds, and even bakeware.
Now, for those of you who missed so many of my other posts,  I will direct you to search back for links to these standard online shopping options:
  • Target is on Instacart in most areas or you can use their on-site choice of Shipt.
  • Walmart delivers, has curbside, in-store pickup, shipping options, and might even have options specific to your area.
  • Instacart is awesome. Even in my small and limited zip code, I have options of Target, Staples, Petco, Hyvee, and Aldis. Choices depend on your deliver-to zip code. My niece in Alaska has Costco as an option. Meanwhile, I can order regular ground delivery from Costco - if I still had my membership.
Check if there are any smaller, local services providing delivery. My best friend and I joked how, back in the day, you could have a taxi pick up cigarettes and bread from the local mart and bring it to you. I kind of wish that was a joke.

Let me know if any of you hear about other places.

To summarize:
Shopping online might be the new normal. Saving while shopping is smart. You can make shopping easier and cheaper. Use the online resource. Use online groceries. Buy in bulk when you can. Get a food sealer or other food-saving process. Health and wellness is more important than ever. 

Peace
--Free


Monday, January 07, 2019

Online Shopping in General, InstaCart Specifically

Last year I did a post about online shopping. I also wrote another post that I thought I had published but... it was still there as a draft post when I was checking just now. Of course, the non-published post is the one that was most important. It was all about the perks and erks of the process. Oh well, I will recap the points I wanted to make in that post, then I will get on to reviewing the InstaCart experience.

*use code* TCONWAY13A115

To recap the post that wasn't, I talked about the pros and cons of online shopping. Here are the highlights (and keep in mind that I am speaking from the viewpoint of someone who no longer drives.)
  • PROS - convenient during inclement weather; for people without transportation; for budgeting (no loitering and impulse shopping); and can be scheduled.
  • CONS - lost shipments are a hassle; broken items have to be returned; product descriptions might be deceptive, and there is a wait for delivery.
Overall, though, I prefer online shopping because it helps keep me on budget and - no car. Even though I have family that will jump through hoops to get me anywhere I might want to go, I hate having them out on winter roads any more than necessary. Keep in mind that I live in a tiny town in Iowa. Two things about that: winter and not a lot of nearby stores. The nearest Walmart is less than 10 miles away but it can be a rough 10 miles, depending on road conditions (and out-of-state idiot drivers using the highway). Also, if I am sick, there is no getting me onto a highway even for a short drive.


*use code* TCONWAY13A115

So, yes, I am grateful for online shopping. For a long time, I was only using Amazon, Walmart, and ever now and again, Target I was even getting my contacts and some clothing via Costco until that membership fee became a problem. Even my prescriptions are delivered. Pretty sweet, right? And for the most part, I was set for most of the goods I needed. The one thing missing was perishables - meats and dairy. Then I discovered that Hyvee - via Aisles Online - delivers for a minimal fee for orders under $100 (and free for $100+ orders). Perfect except Hyvee can be a little pricey at times.

tracking it
Very recently, I noticed that if I used InstaCart I could order from Aldi. This was otherwise not an option because the store is not listed on the Aisles Online list. InstaCart, however, does list Hyvee (and oddly enough, Petco). I decided to give it a try since there were things I needed from both Hyvee and Aldi.

Since I absolutely want to get the best value, I was comparing prices from both Hyvee and Aldi for each item on my list. Aldi is basically cheaper for most things, especially produce. Then I ran into a problem trying to search for an item that I have ordered from Hyvee recently. It wasn't showing up when I searched via InstaCart.


*use code* TCONWAY13A115

Just to make sure that I wasn't having a brain issue, I opened up Aisles Online in another tab and searched the item. It was there, like always. Hmm... I did searches for a couple more random things. Not everything that comes up in the Aisles came up in the Insta.

What I ended up doing was creating 2 carts - one for Hyvee via Aisles online and the other for Aldi in InstaCart. I don't have the time or the energy for frustrating myself.

About Delivery Fees & Other Charges

InstaCart has a cheaper delivery fee ($3.99) than Aisles Online ($4.95).

With InstaCart, customers can sign up for InstaCart Express for $99/yr and get all deliveries free, no matter how large or small the order. There is also a promotion where if you order $35 or more from certain retailers, your delivery could be free. That might be a great deal for me if there were more stores in the network in my zip code. I just don't see the value in the Express service when my choices are Aldi's, Hyvee, and Petco.


*use code* TCONWAY13A115

My InstaCart basically included the following charges:
  • Checkout Bag Tax or Fee $0.42 (but those Aldi bags are awesome)
  • Delivery Fee $3.99
  • Tip $1.00 (you can choose the tip amount)
  • Service $2.75 (I guess this is for the shopper putting the order together)
I can't be mad a that "bag tax". Those Aldi bags are awesome and I will be re-using them for sure.



There were options for the Tip. You could select from set percentages or type in an amount. I felt that with all the other fees, a minimal tip was appropriate. However, because of the quality of service, I will tip more in the future. After all, I didn't have to get out and warm up a car, drive into town, shlep through the aisles, cart up and unload bags... Yeah. God bless that Tammi who did that shopping for me! I think she is covered by the service fee and the tip must be for the driver.


*use code* TCONWAY13A115

Ordering from Hyvee is much more straightforward but kind of set. If you need to make changes to your order once it's been placed, you have to call the store. The fees are also right up front. You order and as soon as you pay, that amount is what is charged to your card. If something is not in stock, your card is refunded quickly. The service is also a bit more local-friendly. By that I mean your shopper sends handwritten cards and information. When I first moved used Hyvee I wanted to take advantage of the store's fuel/club card. My family could use the fuel points and I could use the coupons. Of course, I wasn't able to get to the store to pick up a card and my family was out of town. I simply mentioned this in the comment section of my next order. The shopper sent the fuel card inside a card with a kind note to always let her know if I needed anything else.

If you order $100 or more from Hyvee via Aisles Online, you get free delivery. Again, this would be great if I ever ordered that much. As it is, I don't think the delivery fee is too much. It's a bargain when you consider all the trouble I'd go through getting out in the weather and on the roads. Never mind on the days when I am sick.


*use code* TCONWAY13A115

Now, just because I don't want to leave anything out, but I am really tired today, I am just going to list some little tidbits in no particular order.

  • InstaCart has a sweepstake every month. Entry is by taking a survey that is mailed after your shopping experience. I entered to win the $200 Visa Gift Card for this month. Fingers crossed!
  • InstaCart fine print mentioned that on my $63 purchase, my card would be authorized for $75 for up to 7 business days. However, when I checked, my card was only processed for the amount I spent. 
  • Depending on where you live, you will have more or less choice in stores to shop your InstaCart. I do advise that you double check the available items. Remember, my Aisle Online items that were not available via InstaCart. I didn't see any price differenced though when there were items available in both apps.
  • Don't limit yourself to InstaCart and Aisles Online. Keep in mind your location. I found both my delivery services by Googling for the ones available to my zip code (and I live in a tiny town 2 hours away from a major city). 
That's it and I hope that this helped someone. I personally don't know what I would do without these services.


By the way, I tried to do the "share" thing via social media to win referral money but the InstaCart page just kept glitching on me. If you do decide to use it, consider using the referral codes I'm posting all over this particular post. Please and thank you.

Peace
--Free

Saturday, September 09, 2017

Amazon's Prime Wardrobe

If you guys have NOT heard yet, Amazon really is about to take over the world.

Remember back when we were just ordering our books from Amazon? And then they started selling all that other stuff - stuff to use with our cellphones, stuff to get our kids for holidays, stuff to organize and clean our houses, etc.? Remember that?

When I moved here, I actually ordered a bed and mattress from Amazon and a sleeper futon from Walmart. The mattress, by the way, came in a freaking box no bigger that could have fit in the back seat of a mid-sized sedan! You think I'm kidding?

The box
The mattress



THIS mattress, yes

The bed frame
(and my nephew's leg. Don't even ask)

All this - frame, bed, pillow, sheets, comforter - delivered to my front door!

Pretty soon, Amazon is going to be selling tiny houses that come in a box and self-construct...

Just yesterday I was telling my social networks about Amazon's Launchpad service. That's where you can find products from various startup companies. In my opinion, most of it is a bunch of pricey hipster stuff. There was a cool product that was a kind of grow-in-a-can thing for herbs and vegetables. And there's a super tempting kit that lets you build a computer and learn to code. The price is cheap for what's offered but it's still out of my budget. And, speaking of...

I came to post about just how Amazon is trying to make me give Bezo's all my money - not just the dollars I spend on necessities. See the latest Amazon thing is called Prime Wardrobe.

Shut. UP!

Prime Wardrobe lets you pick out some clothing and have it delivered so you can see if it fits (or if you like it). If it doesn't (or you don't), you get to send it back. That is NOT the best part of this. What's so genius is that you don't even pay or the items until you decide you're keeping them!

Oh, and if you decide not to keep the stuff you can have UPS pickup right from your front door.

Do you know how much I need this in my life?

Listen, right now I get pretty much everything I need online: cleaning stuff, eating stuff, drinking stuff... Between Amazon and Walmart, I only have to trek over to a store for my meats and vegetables. I don't have a car yet so this is handy. Winter is coming soon so, even if I have a car by then, guess what? Still handy.

If I end up liking Prime Wardrobe, the only downside is I might get too lazy and never leave my apartment. But at least, I'll be able to order my Plus size clothes in private! (Just kidding. I will still get my exercise where I can.)

So, I'm just passing the word along. If you want to know more, here is a nice non-Amazon link explaining Prime Wardrobe and a link to Launchpad. Now, if you will excuse me, I've got to go look at some jeans...

Peace
--Free

Monday, August 07, 2017

Online Groceries Shopping: Walmart vs Amazon Pantry

Ever since I even planned to move here to the Lower 48, I thought about doing most of my grocery shopping online. Now that I am here and mostly settled in the new place, I had a chance to try out the online grocery shopping experiment.

For my meats and dairy items, I can walk the block and a half to the little city market. The nearest large grocery store is too far away for me to get there on foot. Even if I could, getting the groceries back would be a hassle. The nearest Walmart is just over 7 miles away in the neighboring town.

I have a Prime account and an online Walmart account. I decided to see which would be most affordable for buying basic household supplies. I'm talking about pantry items (soups and some cooking staples) and things for cleaning and storage. Here is what I ended up listing:
  • Paper towels
  • Toilet tissue
  • Sanitary/feminine hygiene items
  • Soup
  • Beverages (I like Pellegrino in particular)
  • Trash bags and food storage baggies
  • Dish soap
  • Coffee
Since I wanted to know which online store would be best, I opened carts in both Walmart and Amazon's Prime Pantry and loaded them with almost identical items (brand, size, count, etc), then I compared costs.

Walmart ended up being the most affordable. The item prices were not only cheaper, so was the shipping. With Walmart, I get free shipping on orders of $35 or more. With Amazon's Pantry, things are more complicated. 

Okay. For Prime Pantry, the free shipping is contingent on ordering a certain amount of "qualifying" items. If you don't have 5 or more of the "qualifying" items, the shipping cost is $5.99 per box.

NOTE: straight from Amazon, here is the definition of a Pantry box:
Prime Pantry boxes vary in size and can hold up to 45 pounds. Your order will be packaged in an appropriate-sized box, based on the dimensions and weight of the items. This box could be anything from the size of a shoe box to as large as a suitcase.

That sounds simple enough, and I actually thought it would be easy enough to get at least 5 qualifying items. Uh... Nope. 

As I was filling my cart, there was a little meter showing me my "fill rate". I realized that it is a bit harder to fill a box with qualifying items. Unless I wanted to shop based solely on qualifying items, I was going to be paying that shipping fee.


Let's zoom in on some of that:



Of course, Walmart tends to be cheaper than almost any other retailer. Throw in the free shipping when I order over a certain dollar amount of goods and... Walmart is the winner.

There was another benefit to using Walmart: most of the items ship faster. Maybe because of the location of where they ship from? Also, there is the option of putting together an order for Store Pickup.

Here is my first Walmart order. Total cost for at least a month and a half supply of everything on my list: $70 + tax.

At any rate, I will probably continue to use Walmart for my every-other-month shopping of basics household stuff. I will reserve Amazon for the other Prime items I use. 

Hope this helps anyone who has been thinking of using Amazon or Walmart for basic household shopping needs.

Peace
--Free

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Handle With Care

I have a peeve with online merchants. I won't even go into a lot of detail, but consider the following:

With a $15 gift certificate from NewEgg.com (please, don't get me started on their asses & why I have this chintzy gift cert), I have been trying to order some earbuds. I just want to use the 15 bucks before the gift cert expires.  I found 2 pairs to add to the Shopping Cart:


--JVC HA-F10C 3 3.5mm Connector Earbud Headphone.
Price: $4.25 Shipping* $2.99

and

--Maxwell 190560 3.5mm L-plug Connector Earbud Dynamic Earbuds (Black)
Price: $2.99 Shipping* Free

(The descriptions are straight from NewEgg. *Shipping is noted on item detail pages as "restricted"; a note on the Shopping Cart page warns, "Additional fees may apply to shipments to AK, HI and PR.")

No problem. Just about dang anybody that has something online to sell online tries to charge more to those outside the Lover 48. Whatever.

I'm thinking that, surely, 15 bucks will cover a both pair of such cheaply priced earbuds - even with the "additional fees". (The weight of the JVC buds Googled out at 0.46oz. I've probably swallowed a greater weight of spiders in my sleep.)

I enter in my zip code (so that S&H can be calculated) and...

The subtotal/products less S&H (even though, for whatever reason, the JVC's priced at $5.99):
$8.99

The total of Shipping (my zip code gets one choice of "NewEgg 2 Day"):
$19.17

Yeah.

So, the total I'd have to pay for a couple pairs of cheap earbuds that weigh practically nothing is $28.15

What the happy hell?

Now, back when getting things to Alaska (or almost anywhere else) was pretty troublesome, ridiculous shipping and handling charges were just a part of our lives. Every time my family here sent gifts to my Lower 48 fam, we longer saving up for the mailing charges than we had for any gifts. That was just life. Then. These days, people in the Lower 48 can have groceries delivered cheaper than some other folks can drive back and forth to the store. Global supply chain management goes on every day. What the hell is it about merchants having a problem shipping between the Lower 48 and Alaska (or Hawaii and Puerto Rico)? 

I was so irritated that when a buddy called to chat, all I did was complain until they decided to just help me look up some stuff while we were on the phone. Probably only to shut up my harping ass! LOL

He told me to go over to http://postcalc.usps.com/

Guess what?

If someone in Miami (which is about as far away from Anchorage Alaska as you can get without leaving the U.S.) sent me a 10" x 5" PRIORITY Flat Rate Envelope, it would cost them a whopping 5 bucks at the Post Office - or $4.90 online. FIVE DOLLARS. Five.

So where the hell are the sellers at NewEgg shipping this spaceship-sized package from? Mars? Hell, I could skate my happy ass down and get the package for cheaper than they want to charge.

This whole rip-off of shipping prices when it comes to merchants selling to Alaskans is insane. I know that some merchants do the right thing. One of the most fabulous places to shop online is The Fragrance Shop. They manage to send bubble-wrapped, fragile bottles of oil fragrances for a super-fair price (around 4 bucks, if I remember right). If you want to talk handling charges, TFS also wraps each order in beautiful paper inside a nice box and they include a free sample of fragrance in every single order. I'm pretty sure the last item I got from them weighed more than 6 pairs of earbuds.

Seriously, you merchants out there, you have to start thinking better of your customers. You probably are losing some good business. Plenty of Alaskans make great money. We are stuck up here in snow for months and always looking for ways to keep from succumbing to Cabin Fever. Do you know how many folks practice "retail therapy?" It's not even that regular working people can't afford the S&H; sometimes, it's just an attitude of not wanting to be screwed over.

Now my friend is writing NewEgg a complaint letter since I am starting to feel a little too Sarc-y too focus. I told him how nice he is to do that. He said it's only because I can worry the stink out of shit and he doesn't want to hear me bitching about this every time we talk. Heh heh.

Peace
--Free