Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Almost a Shoplifter

My teens and I went to Walmart to get some sleds. After picking out the coolest sleds we could find, we rounded the corner, and something made me stop.  It was a blue Tony Hawk stunt bike – classic, only $49 bucks, and the perfect size for my 9 year old nephew.

I called my sister. “Tami, I know we don’t do gifts for the kids, but there’s this bike.  I don’t know why, but I’m supposed to buy it.”

Tami said, “Well... Ryly’s bike was stolen out of the shed last week, and we don’t have the money to get him a new one.”

Hanging up the phone, I said, “Okay, kids, we’re getting that bike for Ryly.  He won't care that it’s the cheapest bike in Walmart.”

We took our treasure to the checkout counter, when it rang up at $124, I nearly choked. I said, “Can you double-check that price?”

“The bike is $124,” the clerk snapped. “The numbers don’t even match on that price tag.”

A line began to form behind me; impatient shoppers gave me the stink-eye. The checkout clerk called the supervisor, and together they discovered the $49.99 tag had been taken from some other item. Twenty minutes later, when the Supervisor rang for the Assistant Manager, I started to get scared.

Maybe they thought I was trying to steal the bike! The thought made me shiver. But the surveillance tapes will save me…Shit! The surveillance tapes! They’ll see my kids and me riding the bikes up and down the aisles! They’ll see us stopping at the accessory aisle to fill the tires with air!  They'll see...

My thoughts were interrupted when the Supervisor said, “What are we going to do?”
The Assistant Manager said, “We’re going to give them the bike for $49.99.”

And that’s how, my children learned the power of giving. I wish you could’ve seen my nephew riding his Tony Hawk stunt bike: no shoes, no jacket, all smiles.

Thanks for stopping by.
Please support me with your honesty.


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17 comments:

  1. The gal from whom we got our new little Yorkie, Lizzy, invited me to participate in a buying spree for needy kids at Walmart. I was given two cards with fake name, age, sizes, and wishes. I had a girl age 13 who wore a 24W size, and wanted make-up. The limit on that one was $100. The other card was for an infant, age 12 months, and the limit was $50. This was HARD WORK! I had to add and subtract in my head because I forgot to bring a calculator. It took me the whole two hours to finish! When I was done, though, I felt pretty good about the whole thing. Christmas can bring out the best in us, or in some cases, the worst. I had the BEST time shopping for someone else.

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  2. This was fabulous! You were rewarded for wanting to do something so caring and heeding your "gut" (when "something told you to buy the bike") that you were rewarded with the lower price tag!
    Loved the image of all of you riding the bike down the aisles lol
    Happy, Healthy New Year to you!

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  3. Yahoo! I'm glad they did the right thing because often that would not have been the case.
    And thank you again for my express mail. You saved my Christmas!

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  4. @Judie - good for you. I agree that it's not always easy to give, but it is rewarding.

    @Kimberly - Thanks for joining.

    @Caren - OMG - I left out the part where my daughter stood in the cart so we could see the bike prices and I pushed her right into a sign

    @Raquels - Glad the package helped ;-)

    Happy New Year to all of you! Thanks so very much for taking the time to read.

    -Buffi

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  5. Too cute! TOO FUNNY! Great story. I couldn't tell you how many times I've held up a Wal-Mart line over "Well, I'M not the one that put it in the wrong spot...it said it costs $x; I'm paying $x!"
    HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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  6. @DitsyGypsy - Me TOO! But this time I was actually nervous. Happy New Year to you!
    - Buffi

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  7. I think this is GREAT. Things don't just happen "just because", ya know. ;)

    I am a new follower from Dannie's Happy New Year Blog Hop.

    Here's a link to my blog if you'd like: Randomly Speaking, Poetically Thinking, Simply Me...: Dear “Mr. B.”,

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  8. There IS still good in people...that asst. mgr knew in his heart you were NOT trying to steal...like the 'bike' spoke to you, it 'spoke' to him, as well...your nephew is blessed, and so are you!

    New follower from the Blog Hop! Please feel free to stop by with a ‘follow back’: Thrifty and Frugal by Debbie

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  9. I'm about to post my acceptance and award pass post, and I decided to select YOU as one of my 15 newly discovered blogs to pass the Stylish Blogger award to...I hope that you accept it! Thrifty and Frugal by Debbie

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  10. Oh wow, I sure hope you get this published!!

    Thanks for following my blog!! I'm now following you back....and this looks like a blog I will be visiting often :)

    Happy New Year!!

    ~Steph
    4 the LUV of SaNiTy

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  11. That's a great story and well done Walmart. I'm over here from the New Year Blog Hop.

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  12. Congrats!!!

    I was chosen to receive the Stylish blogger award and I got to pick bloggers I thought deserved the award as well and you were one of my choices

    Check it out here
    http://lotsoffunwithmyfamily.blogspot.com/2011/01/stylish-blogger-award.html

    ps: this post brought a tear to my eye :')

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  13. Buffi - this sounds fantastic! Really, just what I would want to read. Am looking forward to it, and looking forward to reading more of your blog.

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  14. Btw - that was me @momadabsurdum (http://blog.seattlepi.com/parentingadabsurdum/)

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  15. Sweet deal! I shudder to think of the things a security camera could catch me & my dysfunctional fam doing! LOL

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  16. Hurrah for great aunts! I am a fantabulous aunt too, and I love every minute of it!! :)

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