6-8 weeks for delivery

Currently: vexed

The week before Thanksgiving, 2006: I couldn’t find the item I was looking for on the store shelves, so I did what any person who has slowly overcome her fear of talking to service people would do; I found an unencumbered staff person to place my order.

“Sure, [that] seems to be in stock and we get new deliveries every week. We’ll have it for you within 10 days to 2 weeks. We’ll call you when it comes in.”

No problem.

2nd week of December, 2006: (Hmmm, I haven’t gotten a call from [the store] yet. Maybe they forgot. My order really should have come in by now. No big, I’ll just stop by and pick it up.)

“You placed an order when? I don’t see--Oh, there it is. Yes, well, the distributor takes a vacation during Thanksgiving and is very busy in December, so we don’t place many orders with them around the holidays.”

What??!! I ordered before Thanksgiving and, um, no orders in December? What about Christmas? What if I wanted it for Christmas?

“Well, I’m going to try and place an order this week but no guarantees it’ll be here by Christmas. Gee, sorry.

(Argh, holding out hope.)

Christmas week, 2006: Hi, I placed an– “Oh, hi, Ms. ----------, no, it hasn’t come in yet, and we really don’t know when it’ll get here. It’s all at the whim of the distributor. Try back after the New Year.

(Seethes.)

(Stomping.)

3rd week of January, 2007: “[item]? When did you place your order? November, you say? (genuine-sounding surprise and concern) It should have been here by now!”

(Grits teeth and smiles.)

“Hmmm, here’s your order request, but I have no record that the order was ever placed. Must have slipped though the Christmas cracks; sorry, we’re very busy then. I’ll place the order and have it for you in 10 days to 2 weeks. We’ll call you when it comes in.”

(You can’t be serious…)

End of the third week in January, 2007: (Scr*w this supporting the small, independent retailer!)

(Logs on to Amazon.com…)