Happy Holidays

Dear American Family Assoc.,

I appreciate the information you send me about the attacks on Christianity by modern culture. I frequently respond to the information you send me by voicing my opinion in an e-mail to the offender or by voting with my shopping dollars. However, in some cases I do not respond at all. I thought I would take a moment to explain why.

1. As someone once said: "We were called to be witnesses, not judges." Sometimes too much griping and whining only serves to muddy our message. They're supposed to know we are Christians by our love.
2. We may have legal rights based upon our citizenship (and we should certainly do everything we can to fight for the rights of others) but it is unseemly to constantly be demanding our own rights. The whole concept of human rights is a human notion, and a good one at that, but you and I know that in reality we don't have any rights. By the Grace of God what we do have are privileges and responsibilities. It is our responsibility and privilege to bear any hardship as we fulfill our mission to share the gospel.
3. The Christian Church has always thrived under persecution. Rather than complaining about the hardships we endure because we share the name of our savior we should count it all joy. After all, "calm ships don't make good sailors".
4. Target (for example) may not allow Salvation Army bell ringers but I noticed that one year they were selling a CD of Christmas Carols inside and giving a portion of the proceeds to the Salvation Army.
5. I'm not offended by the expression, "Happy Holiday". Actually, it's kind of funny that the P.C. world thinks wishing people a "Happy Holiday" is a more secular expression than "Merry Christmas" since it actually means "Happy Holy Day".
6. Christmas has come to represent that time of year that failing businesses can count on a boost to their bottom line as we all spend money we don't have on products we don't need as we gather with family and friends to celebrate what?... Excessive food, drink and materialism? Or the birth of a small baby to a young Palestinian couple, of the tribe of Judah, at the birthplace of King David, who would one day sacrifice his life for all of humanity.

So when I don't respond to an e-mail warning me that stores are no longer promoting Christmas shopping, excuse me if I don't weep at the de-materialization of Christmas. Christ's mass was never intended to be celebrated in the malls anyway, but in our churches, our homes, our families, and our hearts. That said, I will try to buy less this year and give more. The little I do spend will probably be spent in stores that have a Salvation Army bell ringer out front and I will make a donation on my way by. I will miss being wished a Merry Christmas by the clerk as s/he hands me my purchases but I'll survive. I would not be offended to be greeted by a Happy Hanukkah, or a Happy Kwanza, should I happen to be shopping on one of the days of those festivals. I don't believe that African Americans or Jewish people are offended by Christmas either. Of coarse this may call for the curtailing our festive shopping frenzy until (gasp) a few days/weeks before the actual day. No more listening to Christmas carols while being wished a happy hallowe'en by the clerk who just totaled your back-to-school order.

Sincerely,
Ann Kognito  <><   +   <3   :)

P.S.
It is kind of funny how it's okay to say happy hallowe'en but not Merry Christmas? On October 31st shouldn't store clerks be required to wish us a happy unholy day? LOL :)

Coupons Schmoupons

I'm tired of having to prove to retail businesses that I'm a preferred customer.
Here's the thing; if I'm in your store filling a cart full of stuff, I'm your customer, and I shouldn't have to prove it. And I certainly don't want to find out that some of the people in my line are getting a better price than me. So, no, I don't want to be asked at the register whether I have any coupons, because if I do, they're probably at home in that scary pile of paper that trees died for. I also don't want to be asked whether I want to put this on my store credit card, so my answer to that question will be "no thank you". Please don't see this as an invitation to sell me on the idea of a store credit card so that I can save 10% right now. I do not want a wallet full of credit cards that need to be paid off at various times of the month causing me untold aggravation in addition to adversely affecting my credit rating. What I do want is to know that you are selling me the best quality product possible for the lowest price possible and that the price I pay is the price everyone else pays.You know who treats all customers equally and doesn't make them jump through hoops for the privilege of parting with their money? Amazon.

THE WORST
Bed, Bath & Beyond: Their coupons are so giant they won't fit in your wallet so you never have them with you when you need them, and they're only good for one item.
CVS: I'm tired of trying to quickly stuff those mile long receipts (fat with coupons) into my wallet so I can make way for the next customer. From now on I will calmly stand there and tear off the coupon portion (which is mostly for products I don't use anyway) and hand it back to the cashier. The first "R" of recycling should be "Refuse".

BETTER
Kohls, Pier One, Giant Eagle and Famous Footwear: At least their coupons or customer cards are gift card sized so they fit in your wallet and you have them with you when you get to the check-out. I like the way Famous Footwear's $'s-off cards roll over to the next cycle if you don't use them. Also, if you forget the card they can look up your discount using your phone number. Kohls coupons are also great because they take a percentage off of the whole order (which actually encourages me, the shopper, to fill my cart - smart cookies at Kohls!). Kohls bucks fit in my billfold but they always expire before I get back. That just makes me sad. :( I wish all three of these stores would just issue me a customer key chain card that would accumulate my non-expiring rewards (like Giant Eagle does for fuel perks). Then I would never feel sad about missing out on a deal I had earned. Giant Eagle issues coupons on brands or products you buy and they're not attached to the receipt (which is less annoying) but they're never in my wallet when I need them. I do like their key chain customer card though because it's always there so I always have access to the fuel perks I've earned. Since they stopped their food perks program, though, we've gone back to shopping elsewhere for gas except when we have enough fuel perks to use at Get-Go.

BEST
Heinens: No gimmicks. Simply the best food and service possible for the best price possible.  Their house brand is usually organic, plus they specialize in delicious healthy food, and they have the best selection of fresh and local produce. They do issue a customer card that they scan for sale prices and occasionally attach a coupon  to your bill for a free item (usually a choice between a couple of new, seasonal or promoted items) but this is a minimal annoyance. I often forget to bring back the coupon for the free item but it's just a tiny piece of paper every once in a while so it doesn't wear on me too terribly. Still, I wish they would just have the free items there by the checkout. All in all shopping at Heinens makes me happy. The only time I feel sad is when when I forget my bags and I have to take my groceries home in plastic. :( 

ARRRGHHH!!!
Amazon just told me that I have to get THEIR Visa card to get the free 2-day shipping.
DARN YOU AMAZON!!!!!