Did I actually call television trivial? Well, yep, I did. No one...I repeat no one is going to die if they do not have one (even though the withdrawal pains would be something out of this world for most). Come to think of it, I wouldn't imagine that it would be a pretty sight to watch some people have to wean off their television addictions though. I'll even admit mine: one time a year, I stay constantly glued to the television. March Madness. The Big Dance. HOWEVER, this year my schedule has been ironically arranged so that during both of the big weekends of the NCAA playoffs, I'm either at a counseling conference or at a singles' retreat. Hmm.... what kind of tablet do I take for those withdrawals?
Let me update you on our tv situation. (Refer back to the blog entitled LSD and TVs) We actually lived without a television in our family room for 8 weeks -- and the last time I checked, no one had psychological fallout from it. (That does not mean there were no comments or pity parties, but those roll off my shoulders after raising 3 daughters!! Am I hard or what?)
Finally, after Jeff worked some hours with his dad's business to earn the money for the tv, we were ready to buy. A 34-inch widescreen would give the illusion of being large without paying the $3000 or so price tag. Being married to a thrifty, money-clinched-tightly-in-the-fist (a nicer way to say "tight wad"?) man, I had to do my homework and balance the budget and what would be practical for our large family room, and what was a solid buy. The 34-inch widescreen seemed to be the way to go.
So, we headed down to the closest H.H. Gregg store. Never did it dawn on us that it was six days before the Super Bowl -- and that this might not be the best time to expect them to give us a really good deal. I had been in the store the week before and met C- He was a personable fellow and was so much help with all the questions I had. The tv was on sale that previous week for a price that Jeff could handle without breaking out in hives. :) But, something came up that Saturday, so we didn't get to buy it.
That's how we ended up walking into the store on a Monday night. C- met us in the tv department and we started the negotiations. However, two things worked against us that night. 1) the Super Bowl was coming up and we did not know that there were NO negotiations planned that week for anyone. (*Did you know that most electronic stores charge a 30% restocking fee for televisions brought back within two weeks after the Super Bowl? That's how bad it has gotten with people buying big tvs in order to watch the big game in style and then try to return the tv.)
2) Harder-than-nails managers on duty that night. After an hour of C- going between our demands and the managers on duty (who had to ultimately approve the deal), we knew that it wasn't going to happen that night. C- was exhausted and frustrated, I could tell, but he kept up a good front. He was a great asset to H.H. Gregg that night. (and the reason we eventually went back there) Because, when we left the store, we were disillusioned with H.H. Gregg's platform that says they are willing to make a deal for anything sold in their store. It was only $100 that we were asking off the tv. Only $100. Mere change in the pockets of that company, but those managers that night stood by their Super Bowl vendetta.
Defeated, but still determined, we waited for two weeks. (Don't ask me if it was a patient wait, okay?) I kept looking for sales of this particular television at other stores, but none popped up. Finally, we decided to go back to H.H. Gregg and see if we could get anywhere. C- met us at the door and within 15 minutes, we were loading our new 34-inch widescreen tv in the back of Jeff's truck. The difference? Different managers that day were in charge of the deals and the Super Bowl had passed.
Timing is everything........
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