The Sweet & Sour Shopper

I am working on changing the blog template here. I wasn't too happy with the generic one that google gives out when you first start a blog. So this blog may look a little weird over the next couple of days. I just downloaded this template and I like it, however the photos at the top are not my family and I am trying to find out if I can change it and include my own photos.

I will admit I am not very good at this type of thing. A long time ago, I used to design my own web page and I did enjoy it. But I've fallen behind with the times and have no clue what to do anymore.

So please be patient with me. I am hoping to write on a regular basis here, as well as on my other blog "Little Sweeper Little Corner" That particular blog explains more about my hobby of entering sweepstakes, which in turn puts myself in the position of going out and finding and entering sweepstakes, which are usually held by places of businesses.

Hello and welcome to my blog, "The Sweet & Sour Shopper". I came up with the name and idea for this blog yesterday, due to a frustrating experience at an establishment and I wasn't happy. No sirree Bob, not me. In fact, I was frustrated enough to make myself send a tweet and a face-book gripe about them, to them. It didn't do anything, but I thought "Why not make your blog about your shopping experiences?"

Now not all my shopping experiences are bad, some a really good. So that's why I thought the Sweet (for really good experiences) and the Sour (for really bad/horrible experiences.

Now another thing about myself as a person. I enter sweepstakes/contest on a fairly regular basis, for several different reasons. One I love the feeling that I could possibly win a wonderful prize and gain a new experience through winning a wonderful prize. Also, I am beginning to realize I like "marketing" I honestly wish I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up back, oh I don't know...20 years ago, and went to college to learn more about Marketing and Advertising. Yet, here I am in my EARLY forties ( yes I am afraid I did yell the word "Early" at you, but I have stress..I am not old damn it!) and I feel it's too late to go into that field at this time in my life. However, I get what pleasure I can, by studying Sweepstakes/Promotions. It's amazing to me, what tactics are used to get people to spend their money on companies services and/or products.

So here I am, a youngish middle age woman, who loves to enter sweepstakes for various reason and a person that also seems to have *way* too much time on her hands. I mean, who really cares if my laundry is piling up in the laundry room, right? (besides my husband and my child, who are wearing dirty clothes. Oh well, they are both old enough to run the washing machine and dryer themselves, right?)

Here is what happened to me yesterday. I would imagine only another "sweeper" would understand my frustration. I heard about a particular promotion being held at an electronics store, and which also was only open to about nine different states. This first off, makes it better odds. This store is giving away a new car (camaro) a 55" TV and a Laptop.

The start date was (I believe) May 10th and was suppose to run until June 6, 2010 (which also happens to be today) I went there yesterday to look around and also to enter in this contest. However, it wasn't meant to be I suppose, as they had ended it A WEEK EARLY!

This one upset me, because I drove about 45 minuets to get there and I wasted my gas, which isn't getting any cheaper, since we are now into the summer triple digits in Texas. I do realize now, I probably should have called in advance, to see if the promotion was still running. But I also didn't care for the managers attitude towards me. He refused to even look at me, or address his comments about my inquiry to me.

I also want to mention that I am also a "little person" and use a scooter for my mobility. Unfortunately, sometime I run into people that have "problems" with my disability. When there is no eye contact at all, it really burns me up! That's what I got from this so called manager.

Another gripe I have about this experience. If they want to shut down a promotion earlier than posted, then at least take down the dang poster you have hung up by your front entrance!

So this was my first "Sour" shopping experience and I have now shared it with you guys. I really do wish that when companies decided to have these types of promotions, that they stick with what they print up on their posters/press releases, etc. Sadly, this has left me with a bad taste in my mouth and I can't say that I will be in a hurry to return to this particular store.

Grade D+