"Retail Hell/At the Mal Wart" (part 1)

I purchased a Coleman product that was defective, on 2/23/12.  By 3/15/12 the product was out of commission.  I recalled that Coleman includes a flyer in the box indicating that you are not to return the product to Mal Wart.  So I did without for 2 months-because I never got around to the hassle of waiting for Coleman to replace it.

Someone said to me that if they were me, they would just toake it back to Mal-Wart, despite what the manufacturer says.

I can't get thru to Mal Wart by phone, so I go there in person at 11 a.m.  I explained to the stone faced clerk that I'm not going thru Coleman because I'd have to wait a month for a replacement.  I explained what the problem was and how I'd like to do an exchange.  I said, please don't take it personaly if I ask for a manager. 

Oddly, she turned me away, stating that they have a strict "return" policy that can't be bent.  I walk away without saying a word.  She calls me back and says, "do you want to talk to a manager?"  "Yes, I said, i appreciate that.  I told the mgr. that I don't have the receipt but I know the exact date of purchase.

She reluctantly agreed to exchange it.  KNowing what a headache all transactions are, and that if I came back later, likely I'd be asked:

"Who told you that?"

So i made note that the clerk was Melanie and that the manager was Yolanda.

1.5 hours later, after 2 bus rides, I got the old product all ready to turn in.  When I got back to Mal-Wart at 12:30 p.m.  I knew the clerk I had dealt with but couldn't rememeber the name of the mgr.

So, I said "The mgr who was here at 11 am cleared this transaction for me"

A different mgr heard me and stated "I did not clear anything!"

Me-"I never said that you did!"

The clerk who waited on me this time said "Well, I can't do anything without i.d."

(Weird, no one said I needed a photo i.d. when i was here earlier)

I showed her my drivers license.

She replied "I can't take this, it's expired!" (I don't have a car, and nobody in Mountain Town has ever turned away my d.l. for not being a valid form of i.d.)

I said "Yes, but it is me and nobody has ever turned me away before!"

"Well, it isn't going to work!"

I reminded her that nobody told me earlier that I'd need i.d.  I showed her my bus rider's photo i.d. from Maryland.  It does not expire until July.

"That's not valid!"

(I cannot believe this shit)

I said "You can see that it doesn't expire for another 2 months!"

"That doesn't matter" she said.

I said OK go get the manager from earlier today.

I offered the i.d.'s to the mgr from earlier.  She said, wagging her finger in my face, "THESE AREN'T VALID!"

OK HERE'S MY BIRTH CERTIFICATE!  i said.

Australia's Got Talent 2010 - Didgeridoo Beat Boxers

OMG!

Australia's Aborigines 'ravaged by alcohol' - 20 Nov 08

As you know I lived in Australia for 9 months. The situation outlined in this video is pretty much identical to the situation for the Native Americans, even right down to life expectancies in both cultures being 47 yo to 50 yo.

"Are you reading out of my journal?"

I've heard David Sedaris due his comedic shtick twice now on npr, (different ones) and I thought, this guy thinks like I do, he might as well have been reading from my journal.  Yesterday, I heard him do a shtick on waiting in line at the Starbucks. 

He waits at least 10 minutes because the customers in front of him, want to discuss their families, world events, etc.  It was hilarious to listen to.  I was just telling my friend who works at Starbucks (she was on the bus) that, "All the Starbucks employees KNOW not to ask me about my day or what I'll be doing that day"

For one thing, I have no pat answers and I don't like small talk.  Secondly, it would mean that I am contributing to holding up the line, and I don't want to do that either.

One of the Starbucks that gets a lot of tourists, I had to stop going in there because I had to listen to each rich tourist dissertation on where they are going on vacation, how it was, and how beautiful life is.  On top of that I had to listen for nearly a year to the clerk

"Oh My god like totally, Im getting married I'M GETTING MARRIED!  LOOK AT MY AMAZING ENGAGEMENT RING!  And like my parents are paying for us to go to Barbados!"  I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  BLESSED!"

Well, you get the idea.  It's easy to see why the social classes rarely mix.  I mean unless the richer class is going to share with the lower classes, who wants to listen to or celebrate their beautiful homes, beautiful husband, 4x a year vacation minimum, and that their daddy buys them a new car every 2 years.!

"LIKE, OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH MYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDD, TOTALLY!"

Homelessness & Tent City Statistics.wmv

I'm not crazy about the music, I'd rather just hear folk's stories without the overlay of music. Nonetheless, this is a very eye opening video that I want to share.

Missing Persons Walking In LA LIVE !!

I can't find a very h.q. video for this song, but enjoy anyhow!

"Maybe you know and maybe you don't"

When I was homeless in Indiana in 04, I was sitting in a cafe, and I noticed that-the only people out walking were; the mailman and the folks from the shelter.  This is how I came up with the name of my blog as well as the name of my memoir and that is "Only the Destitute Walk"

Today I was in the grocery store and I heard an old song fave that reminded me of my blog's name.  The song is called "Walking in L.A." and it goes on to say that "no one walks in l.a.!"  With that in mind, I am going to post a you tube video for this song.  ;)