It didn’t have the nicks and scratches on it when he bought it but that’s life. We haven’t really used it THAT much. I love this bench and I think he bought it because I was telling him how much I liked the bench my mom had that seemed to be the only piece of furniture that survived us 5 kids. Just before that Christmas, I asked my mom for the bench and I brought it home. Poor Mark had no idea that I made those arrangements and 2 benches sort of migrated to my house simultaneously.

Well, that didn’t last long. On the first family get-together at my house, my youngest brother pipes up with these words exactly…”I have a bone to pick with you.” Good-natured but he did have a bone. “What?” was my honest response.

He wanted to know how I ended up with the only vestige of our childhood-the bench-(totally “Madmen” before “Madmen” was on the air)-when I already had a bench. Luckily my brothers and I all get along and can talk about anything and I explained the mix-up with Mark’s best intentions. Since he was the only one with the guts to bring it up and I had possession (we all know that’s 9/10 of the law), I gave it to him. No offense but he and his wife did not waste any time hauling that little thing out of here.

I didn’t have room for 2 benches and as the kids got older, the bench Mark bought got kicked around the house like a red-headed step child (I love red-headed children and would NEVER kick a kid around-just relying on a euphemism to give you an idea). So I turned to Craigslist.

I vaguely remembered what Mark paid for it, knocked a tad bit off that price and listed it. My theory with this particular piece is that while I don’t use is a whole lot, I still love to look at it. Looking at it is not a good reason to keep it so I listed high. If I didn’t get the price I wanted, fine, it could live here and we’d use it occassionally.

I won’t lie to you, I originally listed it about 6-8 months ago just to see if it would get bites. That’s what I love about Craigslist. Listing is not that time-comsuming and unless your desperate to get rid of something, it pays to be patient. It sat online or in my account for a while then I listed it again-maybe for higher and a nice lady a few towns over LOVED it. She didn’t blink an eye about the price but the day she was arranging to drive over to pick it up, she asked “It’s black, right?” I guess she had the ad on her iphone and it looked black. “Uh-no, it’s sort of colonial blue green.” Oh well, so sorry, I told her. It could easily be painted. She agreed but she didn’t have the time. And I let it go.

On a whim, I emailed her back to see if she’d still be interested if I painted the bench black and she was thrilled. 2 weeks later, it was gone.

Now for my Costco story. I have to admit, there are a handful of items that are so much cheaper at Costco than the grocery store that I keep renewing my membership. I tried the “executive membership” for the 2% rebate but it’s been so borderline that this last renewal, I just did the basic membership.

I’ve always been impressed with Costco’s customer service and return policy, even though I’ve only used it a few times. I recently purchased a Christmas gift that I thought I might have to take back if the recipient wanted something else. We have believers in this house (probably for the last year) so I can’t post a photo or give any more detail than that-even though the believer does not read said blog). Anyway, when I purchased the item, I asked whether I’d be able to return it if the recipient did not want it. Of course. Then I lost the receipt. So I asked again…could I return it after Christmas without the receipt if the recipient was disappointed. No problem.

Next thing I know, the Costco coupons come in the mail and the item is $30 off! I was pretty confident that I’d be able to get the discount. I called and they said if I didn’t have the receipt, I’d have to bring the item back, return it and repurchase it. I totally understood. Seemed reasonable and I was happy to do that.

The day I was going to jump though those hoops, I found the receipt while decluttering a kitchen catch-all basket (it pays to declutter). I walked to the service stand and the nice lady cheerfully…..I mean cheerfully…handed me $42 and change in return. When I told her the coupon was only for $30, she said that sometimes the manufacturer changes that after the coupon books go to print. Wahoo!

The thing was, she was so nice about it and seemed to be as happy about the windfall and the exchange as I was.

The same day, I tried to return a $2 “satisfaction guaranteed” store brand item to my local grocery store without a receipt and the young girl at the counter looked at me like I was pond scum. Sorry but this is the same grocery store that I spend nearly $1000 per month for food and $400 per month for fuel using their bogus “fuel perks”. (I’m realizing the inflated grocery prices is not worth the fuel savings-but that’s a different post). But really, she copped an attitude over $2? One might ask why I’d bother to return a $2 item. I get that. It just so happens that I’m there nearly every day and these things were unedible. You bet your A*&% I want my 2 bucks back. I ended up getting a different container of the same brand as an exchange because she couldn’t give me a refund. That’s ok. Hannah likes the mandarin oranges for her lunch, the pineapple bits, not so much.

So there’s my endorsement…..use Craigslist and Costco and avoid G?ant Ea>gle! Boo Gia?t Eagl>!