I have been shopping through online classifieds looking for a generator to use with my camp trailer. Not an essential item, but something I want and I am willing to shop around for. I want to find a decent deal before making a purchase, but I have a specific model in mind I would like. This model is quiet, puts on the watts and amps I need and is unfortunately fairly expensive. Yesterday I found one available in the price range I was willing to spend recently posted on KSL Classifieds, one of the main sites I have been watching.

Typically good deals on these particular classifieds are sold fast. By fast I mean if you don’t jump on the chance you might as well not make the call. I jumped on this one and was happy to find the generator I wanted was in good shape, was hardly used, and most of all were available! I jumped. I committed to the purchase, said I would pay the full asking price and would make arrangements to pick it up that night. A deal was struck, at least in my mind.

The difficulty here is that the seller was located a solid hour and a half from where I live, so I needed to make the trek to pick it up. With a family, it is not always possible to jump in the car and leave. My wife was out and I was “parenting” (not called babysitting in our home), so I had to wait until my wife was back to see when it would work for me to take the 3 hours to pick it up.

My wife came home and we discussed going that evening to pick it up, only perhaps 4 hours later, but as quick as I could arrange it. I gave the seller a call back only to be told, “Sorry, I already sold it to someone else. I am meeting him right now.”

I was floored. Yes, he had already sold it, TO ME! Even more frustrating, he felt no responsibility to me whatsoever.

I suspect he was offered more money by the later buyer, but that is beside the point. We had an agreement to which he should have felt obligated. I gave my commitment to pay his price, and he agreed to sell it to me. We agreed that I would pick it up later that day. His word was obviously only as good as the next highest bidder.

It was just a stupid generator, and another deal will eventually come along. I am sure many of your reading is thinking “Get over it” but it was something that stuck with me because I let my ill feelings for this guy to fester. After a few opportunities to complain to some friends about it, though, I started to think about the meaning I could pull out of this event.

So how good is our word these days? Are we always on the lookout to slight out fellow man so that we can come ahead? When you make a commitment, do you follow through? I would never try to portray that I am perfect in any regard, but at least I feel an obligation to follow through when I make a commitment.

In the business world, especially an entrepreneurial one, your reputation is your biggest asset. Word of mouth advertising is based entirely on having earned the trust of an individual to the point that they will refer you to another business or individual. Much of my business experience has been based on this level of trust and method of marketing.

There is a place for legal documents, binding agreements, etc. There is also a place where written agreements should be unnecessary. In a simple person-to-person situation, you should be able to have a verbal agreement and have confidence that both sides will keep their site of the commitment.

Perhaps I am just old school, or better put naïve. I believe people when they tell me something, particularly commitments. This does make me the easy butt of jokes that rely on gullibility, but I’m ok with that. Days like yesterday make me question whether my rose colored glasses are getting more tarnished and if the cynic in me is going to become the dominant personality. I do have a strong cynical side, but I try hard to keep it in check.

But, today is a new day, and I woke up telling myself to the events of yesterday behind me and keep my trust in others. If there is anything good I can take from this is to remember to be good to my word. I know what it is like to be slighted, and the feeling is not a good one. Hopefully, this little life lesson can be one that pricks your consciousness as well, and you too can commit to your commitments. Little things like this can make the world a better place.

Okay, …it has happened…I turned into my mother.

But worst than that somehow during my sleep I was picked up by an alien space ship and dropped on some unknown planet where the residents look like my teenage daughter. This creature has her face, voice and blond hair but the similarities stop there. I was sitting at my kitchen table (or at least the hologram image of my table) innocently sipping my Mocha- Java International Coffee and looked up to see this creature in my daughter’s skin oddly staring back at me. This is where I made my first mistake…I smiled back. Now not realizing I was no longer ON EARTH I wasn’t aware that a smile is the expression of pure hostility on this new planet. The “my daughter look-a-like” glared back at me and yelled, “WHAT DOES THAT MEAN???”

Next mistake…I spoke back. Not knowing the sound of my voice would send this creature into a horrible frenzy of confusion and contempt. In 15 seconds I learned I had caused her break-out on her forehead, her hair is frizzy, her alarm clock waking her up late, someone breaking in overnight and stealing ALL her wearable clothes …leaving her NOTHING to wear and I think the Fall of Rome. The third mistake…trying to “reason” with the said creature in pink lip gloss. This is where the confusion of the languages came in. I being the kind of mom that offers advice came up with what I thought was a solution to the problems keeping this creature from functioning. I suggested applying some pimple cream to the third eye appearing on her forehead…this I found her ears to hear…WEAR A LARGE SIGN SAYING I AM A PIMPLE COVERED GEEK!

Moving onto the frizzy hair I suggested she use some of the smoothing gel I had searched 15 stores to find…but again her ears heard…WEAR A BAG OVER YOUR HEAD SO NO ONE WILL SEE YOU!

I thought I would be safe discussing the alarm clock…I mentioned how maybe she had hit the snooze button…but in the alien planet air that was heard as…SEE I KEEP TELLING ALL MY FRIENDS HOW LAZY YOU ARE!

Now I must admit by this point my sugar-free, fat-free Mocha-Java coffee was cold, I was worn out and this may not have been the time to try and “teach” the creature anything…so when I suggested her “nothing to wear” dilemma was maybe caused by her never getting her clothes into the hamper to be washed…I should have known this was declaring war in alien speak. As they say, …if looks could kill…well, let’s just say I’d be typing this from a cloud. The creature squealed a horrible high pitch wail…flipped it’s hair and stormed out of the room…I was certain to gather reinforcements from its fellow creatures and come back to eat me alive. So I decided to re-heat my coffee in the microwave as I would need all the strength I could muster. Now here is the part that just made my day…behind me the creature had been greeted by her father…my husband…and this is the exchange I overheard… “Good Morning sweetie.” “Hi, Daddy…I love you, have a good day.” “Love you too.”

And I realized at that moment that the 17 hours of labor pains I had were just hitting their peak now…15 years later.

Major brands – from Walmart to Kmart to Sears to Old Navy, to name but a few, will be open for business on Thanksgiving night. As if that’s not bad enough, one major department store is running a commercial which features someone stealing something out of another person’s shopping cart.

Look, I get it… I really do. I’m in advertising and marketing and have been for over 20 years, so I know all about the need to move merchandise/make money, and if people are willing to shop, far be it for a retailer to not oblige them. If a retailer wants to open its doors on Thanksgiving night, so be it.

But have we reached a point where nothing is sacred anymore? Is there any day that is off limits when it comes to consumers spending money in a bricks and mortar location? Obviously in today’s digital world, consumers can go online and shop anytime they damn well want to. However, they cannot of course get the instantaneous satisfaction of handing over their money and receiving a physical item in exchange. If you order online, you must then wait. And when it comes to the holidays and shopping, some of us don’t exactly have an over abundance of patience.

Sure we will do plenty of shopping online this holiday season but give us a chance to get in our cars and drive to a mall and spend the next X number of hours fighting through crowds as we listen to piped in holiday music… hell yeah, many of us will jump at the chance.

But does that make it right?

Like I said earlier, I understand it from the retailers’ perspective but Thanksgiving night? Really? What, opening at 3AM on Black Friday – or even earlier, wasn’t good enough?

Maybe I’m feeling this way because I used to work in retail (supermarket) many moons ago. So I know of the plight of the retail worker when it comes to the holidays and drawing the short straw and having to work while others are at home with their families.

Or maybe it’s because I’m an emotional guy who thinks everyone deserves at least one day they can spend with their family and friends; where no one needs to man a register or stock a shelf.

Are those days over for good?

It just seems like the whole Black Friday phenomenon is now rolling into one continuous shop-a-palooza with a brief respite being provided on Thanksgiving itself to allow for consumers and workers alike a few hours to stop and eat, watch a little football and then right back to battleground.

And someone has to help me with this one… Yesterday I saw a commercial for Sears promoting their “Day After Thanksgiving Sale” which they pointed out was happening on Friday, AKA the day after Thanksgiving. Now are we collectively that devoid of logic that we needed a reminder that the “Day After Thanksgiving Sale” was indeed happening… the day after Thanksgiving. Or, did Sears and their ad agency feel the need to inform us that this was NOT a Thanksgiving Day Sale but rather a “Day After Thanksgiving Sale?” You know, just so there was no confusion…

Black Friday Pilfering..
As for the aforementioned major department store and the ad they’re currently running which features out and out theft… watch it for yourself.

Did you see it? Go back and look what the woman does at the :14 mark…

So not only does this commercial feature one of the worst jingles in history, in my humble opinion, but out and out puts stealing front and center.

Oh sure, the spot is intended – at least I assume it is – to be evoke warm holiday feelings. But to show someone literally taking something from someone else, on Black Friday of all days when tensions run exceedingly high, just makes no sense to me.

What do you think the reaction will be if someone tries this on Black Friday?

Customer #1: Hey, you just took something right out of my cart!

Customer #2: It’s ok, that’s how they do it at Kohl’s! Happy Thanksgiving!

Customer #1: Oh no you didn’t…

Cue the store security, police, etc…

What were they thinking showing this in their commercial?

Someone please help me understand… Anyone. Bueller?