Good news! I am grateful my wife is still a free citizen. I am grateful we still have a new fridge coming- eventually. I’m grateful the old fridge is still alive and kickin. I’ll take what I get.
My wife went to the store where we purchased our new refrigerator and renegotiated a new model, newer date, and… they’re calling us to make sure we can get it. Otherwise, it might be middle of September or later- much, much later. But we’ll take it. #firstworldproblems. At least we’re getting there.
She went in mad. She’s still pretty mad, I think. Everyone is blaming Cov-icky-boo-boo-ronavirus for all the messed up delays. Except it’s not just the damn plague.
It’s people underselling one another. It’s inaccurate inventory numbers. It’s scratch-n-dent crap getting passed off as fully functional. It’s people so desperate for commission, they’ll say literally anything. It’s manufacturing being shut down and on an entirely on another continent. It’s about big corporate appliance retailers and their screwed up way of doing business.
Let’s rewind about 70 years or so. There’s a building, just down the street from here who sold furniture and rent-to-own appliances. If the owner didn’t have it on hand, he didn’t sell it. If he could get it in, he’d order it and give you a call when it came in. And the best part- the manufacturer was still in the same country as the store.
So was it any surprise when the entire world up and shut down because of Covirona things got totally fouled up? And ‘they’ are actually pushing us closer to nothing but big box retailers willing to stab each other in the back for a bigger commission, with appliances built overseas. This isn’t where I get all teary-eyed and wave the flag.
Cash? Going away. Small retailers? Dying fast. Local manufacturers? A thing of our distant past. Neighborhood stores owned by local people? You guessed it. Dropping like flies. Welcome to what some of us call, “The Plandemic.” And it’s only going to get hairier as it goes, family.
There are a lot of beautiful, kind, gentle people out of a job because of this mess. And more unemployment on the way. My job is looking pretty grim right now. I can see it coming. Of course the bosses are denying it fervently, but I’ve been in this situation before. My Spidey Senses are going bonkers more every day. For about 50 years, automation has been displacing good people. The world shutting down due to sick humans is only encouraging more machine interface.
So far, patience, perseverance, empathy and peace are winning the day. I’m grateful just for being here. I’m grateful my family is healthy. I’m grateful that for now, I still have a job that pays okay. But, by God, as my dear Dad used to say, By God, things are going to get better. The world does not have to be a mess. I CHOOSE BETTER!
This all goes well beyond a fridge or even a gallon of milk in it. It goes beyond one family in Iowa. ALL of us are living not in a “new (gag) normal.” We are living in a new paradigm. We need to adapt, change and band together in communities. Not just local neighborhoods. Not just like-minded folk. We need to get our act together as a global community for economic and social change. (Nothing political.)
End Rant. For now. I guess. Because this is running long.
So, we get Round 3 of Wife Vs Large Appliance Retailer. More as it develops.
Jeff's Game Box 