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Just to recap: I live and work in Vermont; the state that has very recently experienced devastating flooding from Tropical Storm Irene.
On Tuesday (August 31) while at work, I took a call from one of our product suppliers (let's say they are a publishing company with a name that sounds a whole lot like Tandem Mouse). The person calling wanted to ask two questions. The first was: "How did you guys fare through the storm?" I told the caller that we had been very fortunate that our store had not been damaged. Caller then asked her second question. She wanted to know if we had sent a check for invoice # xxx. I looked up this information and told her that yes, we had sent a check for the amount of $262.23 on the 27th of August. The caller thanked me and said goodbye. This call perplexed me a bit. My first thought was that we had made some sort of error and had sent payment to them much later than it was due. Why else would they be calling and asking about when the check was sent? When I studied the invoice, I discovered that the due date for the 262.23 was August 31. It didn't take me long to figure out that Tandem Mouse (f*cking book publisher) had heard about the storm hitting Vermont and had been concerned about their money. Seriously?
Today, while I was helping a customer, I saw a man enter the store with a highly lacquered jewelry box in his hand. He had the air of someone who was trying to sell me something. When I finished with my customer, I asked him if I could help. He then started on his spiel. He told me he was a Bennington resident with the credential to prove it and he was on a mission to make some money to provide to the people who had been displaced by the flood. In the jewelry box he held was gold and jewels that he had amassed over the years. He would flip the box open for a second or two to allow me to view the gold and stones that were stored within. I told him right from the beginning that we did not buy metals, stones or jewelry from anyone who wasn't a licensed wholesaler. He continued to tell me how he got all of his jewelry (he once owned his own store just over the border in New York - had I heard of it? Uhhh...no) plus, he had relatives who just gave him jewelry. He flashed 1/2" 'gold' chains and bragged that they'd never been worn. I kept the same smile and said "I'm sorry, we don't buy anything from anyone who doesn't sell wholesale." He kept talking about the gold and the jewels that he had. I kept saying "I wish you luck, but we are not interested in your items." He kept on. And on. And on. He told me that the jewelry came from his store, his grandmother, random people. He told me he wanted to sell it to make cash for the flood victims, independent wealth and back to school supplies. I finally out-lasted his spiel and watched him take his bogus box of stuff into a car with New York license plates and drive off. I really wished I'd called him on his claim to be a Bennington resident...
Finally, I encountered a woman today who approached me with a map. She wanted to know how she could get to our covered bridges. I explained to her that only one of our covered bridges was open at this time due to the flooding that we had experienced over the weekend. I helped her with directions to the one bridge that was open. She then asked for directions to the other two bridges. I told her that they were closed and that she probably wouldn't even be able to get anywhere near them due to road closures near the bridges. She scowled and thanked me. A few minutes later, I heard her asking my CW directions to the covered bridges.
All of this makes me want to dig a hold and hide away from the human race. Then, all you have to do is tune in to any sort of media. Radio, television, newspaper, Internet. Vermonters are stepping up and taking care of our own. There is an amazing out-pouring of support and assistance from within. I am going to take all of the anger I have towards all of these entities who simply wish to get whatever menial satisfaction that they want from our wounded community and I'm going to direct it into providing as much assistance as I can.
r
On Tuesday (August 31) while at work, I took a call from one of our product suppliers (let's say they are a publishing company with a name that sounds a whole lot like Tandem Mouse). The person calling wanted to ask two questions. The first was: "How did you guys fare through the storm?" I told the caller that we had been very fortunate that our store had not been damaged. Caller then asked her second question. She wanted to know if we had sent a check for invoice # xxx. I looked up this information and told her that yes, we had sent a check for the amount of $262.23 on the 27th of August. The caller thanked me and said goodbye. This call perplexed me a bit. My first thought was that we had made some sort of error and had sent payment to them much later than it was due. Why else would they be calling and asking about when the check was sent? When I studied the invoice, I discovered that the due date for the 262.23 was August 31. It didn't take me long to figure out that Tandem Mouse (f*cking book publisher) had heard about the storm hitting Vermont and had been concerned about their money. Seriously?
Today, while I was helping a customer, I saw a man enter the store with a highly lacquered jewelry box in his hand. He had the air of someone who was trying to sell me something. When I finished with my customer, I asked him if I could help. He then started on his spiel. He told me he was a Bennington resident with the credential to prove it and he was on a mission to make some money to provide to the people who had been displaced by the flood. In the jewelry box he held was gold and jewels that he had amassed over the years. He would flip the box open for a second or two to allow me to view the gold and stones that were stored within. I told him right from the beginning that we did not buy metals, stones or jewelry from anyone who wasn't a licensed wholesaler. He continued to tell me how he got all of his jewelry (he once owned his own store just over the border in New York - had I heard of it? Uhhh...no) plus, he had relatives who just gave him jewelry. He flashed 1/2" 'gold' chains and bragged that they'd never been worn. I kept the same smile and said "I'm sorry, we don't buy anything from anyone who doesn't sell wholesale." He kept talking about the gold and the jewels that he had. I kept saying "I wish you luck, but we are not interested in your items." He kept on. And on. And on. He told me that the jewelry came from his store, his grandmother, random people. He told me he wanted to sell it to make cash for the flood victims, independent wealth and back to school supplies. I finally out-lasted his spiel and watched him take his bogus box of stuff into a car with New York license plates and drive off. I really wished I'd called him on his claim to be a Bennington resident...
Finally, I encountered a woman today who approached me with a map. She wanted to know how she could get to our covered bridges. I explained to her that only one of our covered bridges was open at this time due to the flooding that we had experienced over the weekend. I helped her with directions to the one bridge that was open. She then asked for directions to the other two bridges. I told her that they were closed and that she probably wouldn't even be able to get anywhere near them due to road closures near the bridges. She scowled and thanked me. A few minutes later, I heard her asking my CW directions to the covered bridges.
All of this makes me want to dig a hold and hide away from the human race. Then, all you have to do is tune in to any sort of media. Radio, television, newspaper, Internet. Vermonters are stepping up and taking care of our own. There is an amazing out-pouring of support and assistance from within. I am going to take all of the anger I have towards all of these entities who simply wish to get whatever menial satisfaction that they want from our wounded community and I'm going to direct it into providing as much assistance as I can.
r
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