Adventures in Wally World

I avoid confrontation. If I see a situation brewing where confrontation is definitely part of the equation, I'll find a way to slink away, not have to become part of the mix.

Yesterday, though, I actively confronted another person. 

Funny Delightful Son came home for the weekend, and we went computer shopping for him. His laptop gave up the ghost, so he was on the hunt for a replacement. After doing some online research, he decided to head to Wally World where the kind of computer he was searching for was listed online as being on sale. When we arrived at the technology department, he found the computer. Right below it was the sale tag. FDS said he was going to play around with the computer for a bit, so I wandered off to the bike accessories aisle to see if I could find some bungee nets to use on a couple of my panniers.

I found what I was looking for then returned to FDS who had that look on his face, the look of things not going as planned. Apparently while he was checking out the computer, a Wally World employee came over and removed the sale tag and told FDS the item was no longer on sale, and he could not purchase the computer at the sale price. The fifty dollar difference plus the sales tax on top of that put the computer out of FDS's available funds range.

It was my turn to have a look on my face, the look of "ummmm, no, this is not acceptable." FDS could clearly see it and told me it was okay. He was ready to walk away. I shook my head and said it wasn't okay. I wasn't ready to walk away. 

I went to the young man FDS pointed out as the person who removed the tag. Trying to be conscious of my tone and my body language, I kept my voice neutral and myself calm. I said my son was hoping to buy the laptop but was told it was no longer on sale. The young man confirmed this, telling me the sale had ended. I replied by saying the sale tag was still in place when we arrived, and it was still being listed online as on sale and this was the reason we had made our way to Wally World. Because we were under the impression the item was on sale, the sale price should be honored. The young man refused to budge. 

So I asked to talk to his manager.

He got on the phone, got in touch with his manager and asked that person to come to the tech department, sputtered a bit about why, then hung up. 

He looked at me and FDS and told us we could have the computer at the sale price.

During the ringing up of the item, the three of us chatted about the situation. I thanked the young man and told him I really appreciated his help with the matter. He thanked me for being nice in the way I spoke to him, that many people who interacted with him were awful. I can only imagine.

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