A few things outside of the realm of photography.
This morning Jessica and I purchased a Wii at our nearest Target. She was trying on some clothes when I discovered they had a few in stock. There were already people coming over to buy them, so i asked the “team member” if she could hold on for ten minutes while I waited for Jessica to finish up in the dressing room. No go. Well, Jessica made it in time for us to scoop up one of them. After we finished many other errands we came home and I began hooking everything up to the tv etc. Everything was working great until I went to insert a game disc. It wouldn’t take it. I tried and tried and no go. I figured maybe it didn’t “grab” the disc like a cd player and maybe I needed to help it in. Nope…that just resulted in a Wii that wouldn’t eject a disc it didn’t know it had. I was finally able to get it out with some tweezers. So I called Target. They said “yeah we’ve got a couple left in the back”…I said, “great, could you hold on to one for me; I’m on the way to exchange the broken one for a good one.” “No sir, it’s first come first serve.” I understand supply and demand, but that to me is a lame move in customer service. I’ve already given them money and they gave me a broken piece of merchandise. All I was asking was that something I’ve already payed them for be operational. Well, I wasn’t in the mood to fight with them on the phone as during all of this I started to feel hot, nauseated, and felt as though I would be seeing my breakfast again any minute. SO – Jessica and I packed the broken system up perfectly and took another drive to Target. They still had one left…phew. It took about 10 minutes for multiple people to check to be sure everything was in the box we were returning along with snide remarks about how they have never had one returned out of the however many million they’ve sold etc. Even better customer service. So we finally got our Wii, came home, hooked it up and it works…Yay! I know everyone loves Target, but I used to work there and today’s experience is just another reminder that Target is still a big box gleaming with waxed floors and fluorescent lighting just like the other big one that everybody loves to hate. The biggest difference to me? One has more expensive commercials that appeal to the same crowd that like Apple commercials. People like me that happen to be okay with showing a little brand loyalty. I’ve got Apples galore and Target bags for cleaning the litter box. However, hip music and “different” creative directing on commercials do not make up for poor customer service. </rantOne>
Country music currently sucks and has for about the past ten years or so. This isn’t even a “cool guy” comment about how it was better when it was just Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. Nope, it was fine just a decade ago even. Alan Jackson, Clint Black, Garth, George Strait, the old guys mixed in along with the classic ladies of course. It all sounds like someone is strangling Jessica Simpson now. Forced twang, over produced session musician tracks, steel guitar just because, all the fiddles playing the same harmony in every song. It’s just not what it used to be. I know I said this isn’t a “better than though” snob kind of thing, but just listen to “Big City” by Merle Haggard and then listen to “Takin’ Off This Pain” Ashton Shepard. Sorry Ashton…I’m sure there is real talent in there somewhere, but the producers thought it would be better for you to sound like just a little more “polished”.
</rant2>
Sorry about that…just had to vent a little. ;)
-JG
