Break your kid’s whining habit

Great article!

G Street Fabrics – THE DEVIL!!!

Original post moved to magnoliastitches.blogspot.com

Tuskegee’s 2007 Football Schedule

ANYONE who knows me, knows that I am a SPORTS JUNKIE!!! WHOO HOO! My alma mater’s schedule is FINALLY out (we’ll talk about that issue, later) and I am not THAT thrilled with the schedule.
I WILL be in Birmingham, Labor Day weekend, God willing and the creek don’t rise….that is the same day that Southern and FAMU play and TUSKEGEE plays Miles that evening! GREAT football at the same stadium the same day! WHOO HOO!!!!

Sept. 2 Miles College + (ESPNU TV) Birmingham, AL 6:00
Sept. 15 Benedict College+ Columbia, SC 6:00 ET
Sept. 22 Fort Valley State University + Tuskegee 1:00
Sept. 29 Concordia College-Selma Tuskegee 1:00
Oct. 6 Morehouse College+ (72nd Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic) Columbus, GA 2:00 ET
Oct. 13 Stillman College + Tuskegee 1:00
Oct. 20 Albany State University + Albany, GA 7:00 ET
Oct. 27 Kentucky State University Frankfort, KY 1:30 ET
Nov. 3 Clark Atlanta University (Homecoming) + Tuskegee 1:00
Nov. 22 Alabama State University (84th Turkey Day Football Classic) Montgomery, AL 1:00

Customer Dis-Service

Seeing that some of my past jobs have been in customer service-focused areas (waitress, department store clerk, Burger King (whatever was cleva that day), retail clerk, etc.), I KNOW both sides of the table. I know what businesses want/need and I know what the customer wants/needs.

Well, I shop regularly at Nordstrom for my shoes (their selection is second to none). I took a trip home last weekend where there is no Nordstrom store, so I resorted to Dillards. My HoneyBear and I ventured out to the mall for some new black shoes to wear with skirts or pants. I didn’t take the old-Quacker shoes (as my cousin calls them) home because they have HAD it (they were on their last leg and LOOKED LIKE IT).

While at Dillards, I asked a particular salesman (let’s call him salesman A) for my size in a particular shoe. Mind you, he acted like I was bothering him (um, bruh, you are at WORK in a DEPARTMENT STORE in the shoe department…if you aren’t feeling well, GO HOME. If you can’t afford to go home, STRAIGHTEN UP YOUR ATTITUDE!). He goes to look for my size and comes out empty-handed and says that he didn’t have the size.

Now, maybe I am SPOILED by Nordstrom’s customer service, but when I asked for the shoe, he didn’t ask was I looking for a particular shoe, color, size, is it going with an outfit, etc. He just comes back and says, “Naw, we don’t have that shoe in your size.” So, I said thank you and continued to look (which he saw me do). He walks on and starts helping other customers and puts on a MUCH better disposition/attitude to help them.

I keep looking around because I WAS looknig for a particular style and color of shoe. Another salesman (let’s call him salesman B) comes up and asks me did I need some assistance and was I looking for anything in particular (DING DING DING…..he’s got it). I handed him 2 shoes, that I already had picked up, and told him what I was looking for. Salesman A runs a BEELINE back over to where we are and says, “What cha need, what cha need” and salesman B tells him, “I got it”, and salesman A, somehow, ends up with getting me my shoes.

Now, had this been me on any OTHER day, salesman A would have gotten an earful and salesman B would have ended up with my shoes. But I was tired and this was one battle I chose not to fight that day. This MAY have come back to BITE me later….keep reading.

I ended up purchasing a pair of shoes and wearing them to church the next day (the service lasted all of an hour, mind you). The shoes ended up hurting my feet and I vowed to take them back. I am at the age where I will NOT be in pain for beauty, any more. I ventured to Dillards the next day to return them and was told “we do not take returns on shoes that have been worn”. HUH? If this was Nordstrom, they would have taken the shoes back, no questions asked, and asked can they help me find something more suited to my needs. At Dillards, all I got was, “I need to speak with my manager” and “we do not take returns on shoes that have been worn”.

NOTE TO SELF: never make another shoe purchase from Dillards.

That was it. No, “can I help you find something else” or “what was wrong with them” etc. Just NOPE.

Okay, let’s look at this scenario from BOTH sides.

SIDE 1: If I were Dillards, I’d take the shoe back as a loss/write-off because the customer is not happy and hasn’t done anything detrimental or fraudulent. If I (Dillards) take the shoes back and she finds a suitable shoes, I’ve just retained a customer who will come back, again, to shop.

Side 2: Dillards does not take the shoes back and does not help customer find another pair (nor did they ask) or make concessions. They have just lost a customer who will NEVER purchase shoes in their store, due to their WHACK policy, ever again.

Please tell me I am wrong, people! I am so sick of customer dis-service that I REFUSE to support establishments who don’t offer GOOD customer service, any longer!

Os-cette the Grouch

This is my mood after getting 2.5 hours of sleep due to a SEVERELY delayed flight and having to get up and STILL get to work on time….

Not today, not today………. grrrrrrrr……….

Fight for your Flight

GREAT advice for those that travel often! Summer travel season is coming soon!

Here is the link.

Knitting Project – continued work

Post moved to http://magnoliapurls.blogspot.com/

Zelnorm recall

If you or someone you know is currently using Zelnorm, please inform them that the FDA has announced the immediate discontinued marketing of this drug for safety reasons.

For further information please view:

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01597.html

and/or

http://www.zelnorm.com/index.jsp?usertrack.filter_applied=true&NovaId=7852773755750977644

Ex-Grambling coach Robinson dead at 88

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2825016

A legend has passed on.

Here is a wonderful picture tribute done by the Washington Post.

The Open Toe Shoe Pledge

The Open Toe Shoe Pledge

Alright Ladies, it’s that time of the year again. Just a friendly reminder!! Please raise your big toes and repeat after me: (The Open Toed Shoe Pledge)…

As a member of the Cute Girl Sisterhood, I pledge to follow the Rules when I wear sandals and other open-toe shoes:

I promise to always wear sandals that fit. My toes will not hang over and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs. And the sides and tops of my feet will not pudge out between the straps.

I will go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free. I will not cheat and just touch up my big toe.

I will sand down any mounds of skin before they turn hard and yellow. I will shave the hairs off my big toe.

I won’t wear pantyhose even if my misinformed girlfriend, coworker, mother, sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there.

If a strap breaks, I won’t duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back into place hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it.

I will not live in corn denial; rather I will lean on my good friend Dr. Scholl’s if my feet need him.

I will resist the urge to buy jelly shoes at Payless for the low, low price of $4.99 even if my feet are small enough to fit into the kids’ sizes. This is out of concern for my safety, and the safety of others. No one can walk properly when standing in a pool of sweat and I would hate to take someone down with me as I fall and break my ankle.

I will take my toe ring off toward the end of the day if my toes swell and begin to look like Vienna sausages.

If I have been privy to the magic that is Foot Soup, I will share that knowledge and experience with the non-initiated.

I will be brutally honest with my girlfriend/sister/coworker when she asks me if her feet are too ugly to wear sandals. Someone has to tell her that her toes are as long as my fingers and no sandal makes creepy feet look good.

I will promise if I wear flip flops that I will ensure that they actually flip and flop, making the correct noise while walking and I will swear NOT to slide or drag my feet while wearing them.

I will promise to go my local beauty school at least once per season and have a real pedicure (they are about $10 and worth EVERY penny).

I will promise to throw away any white/off-white sandals that show signs of wear…nothing is tackier than dirty white sandals… Don’t keep this to yourself – pass it on to other sisters.