carnage

Three days later, my boys no longer smell of dog spit & blood. I was so proud (of them? of me?) that it had been over 6 weeks since their last "incident". I heard it start in the garage. I ran outside to blast them with the super soaker. No success. I hit them with the super soaker; still no effect (other than to break off a piece of the stupid soaker). So I dragged over the garden hose and turned it on them full bore; I swear it took 15-20 seconds of drenching before they finally broke up. Sopping wet and immensely apologetic, I made them stay outside. (Hold on *they* were wet & apologetic, I was merely pissed. Okay and wet.) No one needed suturing, but for the first time little Yoke got the brunt of it. They *knew* they were in the proverbial doghouse, and for two days it was nothing but "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am".

The morning after the incident, as it is 95.8% of the time, the boys were wrassling in the backyard like happy idiots, the best of buds. Now today is Day 3...let's see how far we get this time.

Bait but no switch

Remember the (not-so-)old jingle, "It's Joe Albertson's supermarket, but the (fill in the blank) department is mine."? Well it ain't ol' Joe's store anymore.

I tend to buy groceries at the end of the advertising week. This is normally a fine thing, unless you want to pick up a good deal at Albertsons: by then, the shelves are totally cleaned out of anything you had wanted that was on sale. Since it's been my fault waiting to go until there was nothing left to restock, I decided to go in yesterday, Day 2 of the weekly sale. My favorite cereal bars were on sale, and I wanted to stock up (otherwise, I probably wouldn't have even gone to A's this week). I was pushing my shopping cart & dutifully patting myself on the back...until I reached the cereal aisle. My favorite cereal bars were on sale, alright. At least they would have been, had there actually been any on the empty (yet still messy) shelves. On Day 2!

Is it me, or is this not very good customer service? Are they lazy about restocking? Accidentally poor planners? (That I doubt, since it happens all the flippin' time at this chain.) What is wrong with Albertsons? My family has always had a soft spot for A's (based in Caldwell, Idaho). Not only is half my family from Idaho, my mom & cousins went to the (formerly*) College of Idaho in Caldwell. So it's a loyalty thing. At least it was, until this whole SavOn/Osco push came in several years ago. It's no longer Joe's family's store, it's morphed into something else. Based on my experience yesterday, no wonder A's is struggling. What a shame.

*Yeah well it's Albertson's C of I now. What possessed the regents is beyond me.