Pretty Woman: Walmart Edition

Time for some Friday Musings. My son will have a Pre-K graduation next month. His teacher decided to just go ahead and keep it cheap (approved!) and have all the kids wear red t-shirts during ceremony. I had to buy an actual graduation gown and a cap for my daughter back in the day. So, the parents were given a deadline to purchase  the t-shirts. Originally, I was just going to order it on Amazon. The shirt was  $7, shipping included, which isn’t bad at all.

Of course, being the cheapskate that I am, I decided  to check Walmart prices after dropping my son off at Pre-K. I didn’t really need  anything from the store, but it was on the way, so why not? I ended up buying some snacks and other junk along with the t-shirt which was only $4. Yay! Good call on skipping Amazon. Unfortunately, when I got home, I’ve discovered that t-shirt somehow got left behind in the store. Great.

So, now I had to make another trip to Walmart to fight with customer service for what rightly belonged to me. But hey, 4 bucks  is  4 bucks. Of course, there was a long line of people at customer service desk. An older gentlemen in front of me decided he wanted to chat.

Him: Well, hello there, pretty woman.

Me: Why thank you. Hello to you too.

First of all, there is nothing like a 75-year old man flirting with you to boost your self-esteem for the day. I still got it! Anyway, he then proceeds to tell a long story which I can barely hear because of all the noise in the store. At the end of it, he asks me what my opinion is on the matter. Huh? I tell him I’m not sure. I couldn’t hear the guy. He then  acts extremely offended and says he can tell that I don’t want to talk to him.

Me: Not at all. I’m sorry , sir! I’m just tired. My son woke me up in the middle of the night (always use the “kid” card when in a pickle).

Him: Oh, that’s OK. I remember when I shipped my last kid off to the navy. I was dancing on the streets!

At that point, Walmart CSR (my savior) was ready to help the man. Unfortunately, somehow he got the wrong amount in refund and started giving Walmart employee a hard time. That took about 10 minutes to straighten out. Finally, it was my turn, and I got the t-shirt  after all. Winning! The whole time I was thinking to myself how I should have just paid $7 on Amazon.

Of course, there  is nothing wrong with trying to save a few bucks here and there. It all adds up. Most of the time, going to Walmart will be uneventful. But it did make me think how in this hobby we often go out of our way for minuscule savings. Many times, the time and aggravation are just not worth it.

That’s why I recommend you now and again look into making things simpler even if they end up costing a bit more. I’ve mentioned service Plastiq (my referral) If you sign up through that link and make a payment of at least $20, you will get 200 FFDs (fee-free dollars). Then, you can refer others and collect 400 FFDs per person. You can use Plastiq for mortgage, car payment and other bills. I’m not sure I’ll be able to utilize the credit if you sign up through my link, so it might be better if you use readers’ referral links in the comments. 

This service could be very helpful in meeting minimum spending requirements. I’ll be honest, I’m not familiar with Plastiq, but my friend and a couple of readers used it and had a good experience. The fee on credit card payments is 2.5%, and sometimes they have promotions.  While it probably doesn’t makes sense to use this service for everyday spending unless you are getting at least 3% in cash back, it could be useful for sign-up bonuses.

Oh, and to all of you MS gals who go to Walmart to buy money orders, the “Pretty woman” story could easily happen to you!

Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses