I like to shop online. I started back years ago when my knees got so bad I hated walking enough to buy groceries or go to yard sales or whatever. I used to judge shopping locations by their battery shopping scooter carts as first priority. The knees are fine now but the online habit stayed. I'm considering changing it.
The online grocery ordering started for us in Arizona with a grocery store that was an early one to offer it for seniors (then others) to avoid the risks of catching / sharing covid. They had first opened at 6:00 AM for seniors only, 7 for anybody, but later switched back to normal hours, letting everybody who wished order online and drive to reserved parking spaces to have our order brought out. And yes, of course, the ice cream was kept in a freezer until we got there! Even in what they call winter when we were only a mile away. It worked well, until they adopted QR codes and we seniors didn't. They quickly decided to accommodate us and put their phone number back on the delivery parking spaces' signs so we could claim our food!
Once we came back north, we checked with Walmart. They had a pretty good system and we've been using it for nearly all our shopping. Lots of items weren't food, since we didn't move everything we owned/needed/wanted to keep moving costs down, and we quickly learned to take note of what we could pick up along with our groceries, and what had to be delivered, free with a certain level of purchase, usually in 2 days. Or at least for a while. Then Trump started threatening tariffs, something different with every utterance, and the system got a bit gummed up. Walmart never noted on their order sites whether a company they contracted with was domestic or local. Two days often stretched to 6, or simply an email notice that it would take longer.
It seemed fairly innocuous. At first, anyway. Then things stopped showing up completely. I tried patience. It didn't work, unless their plan was to hope we might forgot we ordered something weeks ago and forgot about it. I learned long ago to keep those emails saying what I ordered, when, and its supposed arrival date. Many even had tracking numbers. Eventually I called Walmart's customer support and was rewarded with a snippy retort that Walmart had nothing to do with those orders and were offering no refunds (despite having them on their website... still!) Somebody still owes me a battery clock, an indoor wall thermometer, and a pair of small rugs shaped to fit in front of the toilet.) I needed the rugs and clock, and since have walked into a store and purchased something similar in person. I decided I didn't really absolutely have to know how cold a room in the house was, I'd just keep a throw blanket in it, as does Steve, so no indoor thermometer was bought. I just needed to get over it... except my resentment at being cheated. I did look at one of those emails about a month ago, checked the tracking number, and found a "failure to deliver" note ... from California! Good thing I like the replacement battery clock better than what I ordered. But still....
None of what was "late" ever did show up. I've made a note to check the Walmart site EVERY TIME for whether what I wanted was in the store at the moment and able to be picked up, or not. In the latter case I ordered something else instead, or nothing. I have Steve doing the same thing, and he hasn't actually lost any money... that way. He recently had to replace a mouse pad, and ordered the only one of the several listed online that was actually in the store. It's solid black, not cutely decorated, but we got it with the groceries even though the young man wheeling out our order looked puzzled at why this foreign thing was in with food and was ready to throw it aside as trash. Good thing I was standing back behind the car with him when he did that! Sometimes we have to train them, you know, like keeping eggs or bread separate from anything heavy instead of under it, or frozen things together but away from just refrigerated, especially when something frozen has to travel half an hour home on a warm day and just happens to be ice cream . For us particularly we also teach not putting multiple gallons of milk in a single bag. We don't even get paid for our training services!
After the year of our being trained to buy what's currently domestic, I've come to depend on the hints that some things might not come... ever. I just discovered other sites from other companies don't do us the favor of dropping hints. That just became relevant.
Part of my prep for upcoming surgery is locating the rare piece of clothing in my wardrobe which has sleeves in it, but doesn't have to be pulled over head and raised arms together. In other words, it should have front buttons or a zipper or something similar. I have not bought anything like that for well over a decade, unless it was considered outerwear like my winter coats. Every top is stretchy in various degrees and pulls over my head. It's the reason Steve has to help me dress in the mornings with my bad shoulders. Some things are old and loose - especially the second day of wear - enough for me to fight with by myself, or at least on my better days. But two days from now I'm under orders to pretty much keep my one arm just hanging straight down for a few weeks or more, and to be held there in a sling which is only to be removed for hygienic purposes. (I guess they want me to use my antiperspirant every day, eh? And take the occasional shower at least so I can check for bleeding and/or infection. Steve's going to love assisting me with shower duty! )
I finally found something to wear during that time... sort of. I do have a couple old zipper-front hoodie sweatshirts. It kind of defeats the purpose knowing I'm going to have to wear something sleeveless under that or have zipper scratches down my middle for weeks, but there we have it. Steve dug out one of his button front long sleeve "flannel" shirts, but even my hand finds that fabric sratchy. Do they make wool flannel? I've wandered through a couple clothing departments but pull-over everything seems to be the mandate of the year. Lucky my summer wardrobe does have a few unscratchy items in it, which I know from actually wearing them, and old ratty but soft cotton tee-shirts do graduate around here into the pajama-top drawer.
However, I'm still thinking about not raising my arm for some time. I was the perfect target for a shirt ad online. They were men's shirts, but soft and button front. Unlike most men's shirts they came in colors I like, like teal or purple. A little pricey, but worth one try. I ordered one. It won't be in time for checking out of the hospital, but should be delivered soon after. Prompt delivery adds a few bucks but OK just this once.
I got confirmation via email, and all the details fit what I ordered. I got several more emails suggesting I could order more right now and each additional would be cheaper because of quantity. Delete. Delete. Delete. The original order confirmation email I'm keeping, even having taken a photo of it in case.
This morning I checked into my bank account, a frequent habit to be sure the card is not being misused, or my math isn't off and there's an upcoming minus balance or something. This is one of those months where social security arrives later than usual, and certain bills have to be held extra days, not a problem since I plan for it.
The balance was lower than expected!
I went through the details and the shirt order had an extra charge on it. It was also the first indication anywhere that it was arriving from Hong Kong! Their business name was not the single word from their ad online, but now had added "Hong Kong"into their business name. The fee was labeled "International Fee US Funds". Not tariff or anything resembling that word. The order was all in English, sizes not claimed to have some nationality attached to them like some places who give, say, US and UK sizes in different columns. That's information good to know before one picks their size, of course. But it's also a tip off that the garment is sold and/or made internationally. Just like a three week out arrival date is a hint, either of that or overburdened shipping staff. Or in another case years ago I could pay in either American currency at price "X" or Australian at price "Y". That was an interesting way of comparing how currency exchange values varied over time, or differed from Canadian ones, since I bought from them for months. I paid in US currency of course.
All that aside, this was a deliberate withholding of final price at the time of sale, or of even the possibility of a change. Everything else had been listed in the ad, including options for shipping. So far, since the charge is less than a dollar, I'm merely annoyed. I'll be waiting to see what else may not be as stated. Size? Color? Softness? Will it have been manufactured, like another clothing company recently lost my business after switching, on machines that leaves tails of thread to unravel instead of ending in a lock stitch?
That other company, incidentally, keeps sending me catalogues on a frequent basis. At least their paper is reyclable, as that's where those go now. Our postal center has a recycle bin before you head out the door to drop crap in without reading. It fills regularly. I help.
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