Great Deal...Great Help....

Okay, so my camera's battery went dead and now I can't find the darned charger. I MUST have my camera for this little trip....so off I went to RC Willey in Damonte Ranch. That's where Steve bought the camera so I thought for sure that they'd have a spare charger.

So, I get there...I'm in a total rush and completely mad at myself because I left in the middle of packing clothes for this little getaway and Steve's due to be home any minute and he'll be wanting to know why I allowed myself to be distracted when we've got a 3hr drive to for this little faux-cation......(thanks Ang)

Whew.....anyway, there I am looking for a charger for my camera's battery (it's a Sony) when I spy this cool looking little HP 4x6 photo printer on a shelf. I poked at it and it didn't move or make a weird noise, but it didn't have a price tag anywhere. You see, I've been looking for such a thing ever since Martha and I got to attend the Fiskars Finest "Orange Carpet Event" in Chicago where Angela took those *smashing* photos of me with Heidi Grace and Amy of Cloud9 Design. So this fellow breezes past me and I catch his attention. Totally leaving the printer behind...the battery is my focus....my mission....

Nope. No battery. No Charger. Story of my camera's life....gotta go direct to Sony...dang!!! So, you know me....gotta make some lemonade...."hey fella, how 'bout this here printer.....how much is it?" He procedes to poke it around and finally agrees with me that there's no price on it. He heads over to his inventory thingy and comes back to tell me that it is normally $199.99 and is on sale for $99.99 ...."Say what?!"

Alright, so I'm thinkin'::: what's wrong with it??? why so cheap??? I've been pricing them and it's a total no-go for anything under $100. Naturally, I start asking questions....a LOT of questions. The suspicious kind. Needless to say, this fellow decided there were bigger fish to fry over in the car audio department...he had better things to do than listen to some suburban mom/CIA wanna-be fret over a hundred dollar purchase....so he left me.

I was a little crushed, I'll admit. But being familiar with rejection in a variety of forms, I allowed the computer with the BIG GREEN sign announcing internet access to draw the attentions of my heart, they don't call it "retail therapy" for nothin'. Besides, before MaryAnn left me in charge of the store, she showed me this magical place called "GOOGLE" where you can learn anything about anything....even how to get your key unstuck from a door lock. (surprisingly useful information....)

So I'm standing there googling this printer to find out why it's so cheap and where it falls in the line-up of HP printers as far as features and such when this guy walks up to me and says, "I hear you're interested in a photo printer??"

I figured he was probably upset about me looking at the BEST BUY website right there in his store. I got a little defensive and explained that I was trying to figure out if this printer that has an MSRP of (get this....) $249.99 and is on sale for $99.99 is a piece of junk or if it's worth taking a leap of faith and buying. A hundred bucks is hard to come by these days, ya know....

He smiled at me....I melted.....(I do that) He offered to help me find out what the deal was. Even did a little hunting for information himself....said they had a number of them on-hand and even more at their warehouse in Salt Lake. I couldn't help myself. I wanted, and therefor needed, a printer just like this one and it's model number was the highest I'd seen of all the HP printers I'd been looking at ..... it had to be a good deal. Then my phone rang....uh oh....Steve!!!!

Thank goodness the reception is bad in the store. I didn't answer and explained to my freindly fellow that my husband was probably wondering what was so important that I hadn't packed for paradise yet. Gratefully, he said, "C'mon. I'll walk you to the cashier so you can get out of here faster". Away we went.

A delightful young lady, named Dottie, rang me up. Total with tax $107.and change. AMAZING!!! It was just then that I realized I hadn't even thanked the man who'd gone out ofhis way to help me. When I turned to ask his name I half expected him to have disappeared like the lone ranger. Instead, he wrote his name on a card and thanked ME, for the sale!!! Imagine that! Gratitude for my business...Amazing!!!!

I've gotten so used to being snubbed for troubling the sales staff at various stores around town I was shocked! How refreshing is that?? Someone was actually happy that I came into their store and spent my hard-earned money on something they were offering. WOW!!

His name: Robert Evans. His department: Electronics (I think). His motivation: to do his job and do it well. He actually said he wasn't out to sell me what he thought I needed but what I thought I needed. Am I going back? You bet! Will I ask for Robert Evans? Darn Straight....he's not afraid of my questions.....that makes me feel good. Am I recommending you go to RC Willey and ask for Robert Evans....please do. He was great for me and I know he'll do a great job for you! Tell him I sent you!! See if he remembers me....

Plus, that deal on the printer was FANTASTIC!!! We'll be using it in the store...come check it out!! It's all pretty and shiny.... ;-D You can find it on page 8 of their Labor Day Sale ad... turns out it's what we call in retail: a "loss-leader" - a buy so great you have to at least go into the store to check it out and while you are there you'll buy something even more expensive and maybe a few more things to go along with it....oh, and don't forget that new bedroom suite you've been dying for.... uh huh..... Ladies, they've got our number....they just don't have our batteries...at least not my Sony one..... Robert Evans....Thank you.

My faux-cation at the Hilton in paradise is waiting....see you all when I get back - Jen