November 24, 2019 – “No longer manufacture them” - or – “out of stock”

         It is “shopping” time and I hate most of it.  First we will tackle the no longer manufacture them.

         Every year for the past 20 years, I have used an At-A-Glance Weekly calendar that has a soft leather cover.  The last five years it has become more difficult to get the new calendar inserts.  I eventually started to order them directly from the manufacturer in August or September for the next year as they had an advertising page in their calendar.

         I have been due for a new leather cover – mine is worn and frayed and this year I was going to bite for the new leather cover when I ordered my 2020 replacement insert.

         They no longer make them – well not the kind I want.  The version of leather cover I have has a pocket in the front to slip business cards in and a section to slip documents behind and only last year did they add a plastic pocket in the back.  Every year I used to get a fresh address book that slipped in the back, as well.

         Friday, I trotted up to my local Staples and looked at the available calendars.  Why do we have to have the “zipper” bit?  I guess no one has a desk anymore as they are on 24/7 and have to be organized where they happen to be; I guess they have to zipper it so that their little bits and pieces don’t fall out in travel.  I also bet the older workers long for the old days when things were simpler and more sedate.  I guess those days are gone for good. 

         I fingered them all and was just about to toss my hands up in the air when I finally spotted a stylish, navy blue embossed leather weekly calendar.  Not the size I prefer – 8” x 9” - it is 9” x 11”.  There are no inside front or back pockets, no address section in the back.  It lacks four features I was looking for.

         It does have gold tone metal edges at the cover corners making it stylish looking; it is uncluttered on the page – due to no small calendars on the page for reference.  It does lay flat when opened due to the wire ring – not as posh as my prior calendars.  It does have the tabs for the month at a glance and that page has the prior month and the next month calendar on those pages for planning.

         Since it was the only one I could touch and finger and assess, that I could live with, I bought it.

         At the cash register, I met someone I know who suggested, “Wait until the first of the year when they go on half-price sale.”  I laughed at her – “Wait? There were only two of this type – wait for what – something I don’t like?”

         So, I acquiesced to a new calendar and perhaps this could be better for me.  I have less desk space now at my new computer location and my other calendar being open all the time took up too much desk real estate.  This I can close and prop up in my metal divider.  I will just have to get used to it – that is all.  But, I hate change!

         Second item of the day – “Out of stock”.

         Can someone tell me why the major grocery stores, actually all stores, went to these UPC codes if they can’t keep items in stock?  Was not that the point – inventory control and stock re-purchase ease?

         Two weeks ago, my husband could not find decaffeinated Earl Grey Tea by Bigelow at Wal Mart where he likes to food shop.  “They are out of it.”  He said.  That was two weeks ago.

         I slipped around to Ingles grocery store last week and they don’t even carry Bigelow – they carry Twinning’s and I must say – I don’t care for the Twinning’s taste – I think it is weak and not fragrant. Besides, not decaffeinated.

         I don’t like shopping at Wal Mart – too spread out – but I had a mission to find a new electric coffee pot, and the only place in town that has those “winter berry scented” black trash bags is Wal Mart along with my quest for Earl Grey Tea.

         I travel with a list and went from one location to the next in the store to find my handful of items.  In the tea section – no Earl Grey Tea of any kind – what seems to be the issue?  The week before Thanksgiving and it is bare?  What if I waited until next week? 

         There were only three bags of stuffing left on the shelf – what?  I got the last box of “Winter Berry scented” trash bags, what?  There were hundreds of shoppers in the store.

         Is it management‘s style not to care about their customers?

         At check out the cashier asked gaily, “Find everything you were shopping for?”

         “NO,” I immediately said and listed off three items and the young man said, “Yeah, I used to work in stock control, there is nothing you can do about it.  If we have only one in the store, they won’t even order the item.”

         That was a telling conversation – think of it – if there is only one box of tea on the shelf – they can’t order more?

         I traveled to another store and when I found the decaffeinated Earl Grey Tea – I didn’t buy one, or two – I bought them all [3], cleared the shelf so that the store would re-order. And, I will make note in my new calendar which store that was!

         When I went to Staples, I was also looking for printer labels for my Brother’s machine.  They used to have a display of the printers and a selection of labels.  NOPE, just prongs with a tag of what I wanted. I had to come home and order them on line. 

         At some point, we will all be ordering everything on line to be delivered to us and there will be no brick and mortar stores left.  Just think of it – we’ll have hours of extra time to pursue our leisure instead of circling around to three grocery stores to buy a simple commodity like tea.