Shopping (again)

I've had to do some shopping over the last couple of weeks. It is not one of my favorite activities, but if there's no getting out of it, by gawd, I take on my mission with a zeal and spend the $$$!

My first stop was my favorite department store here, Takashimaya (you all know how I feel about Isetan's lack-o-customer service). However, there are a few things that I wonder about every time I go to the department stores here (as far as I can tell, they're all set-up this way):

• I go to the department to select the goods I would like to purchase.
• Once I've selected the item I want, the sales clerk peels-off a sticker and plasters it onto a form, handwrites some stuff on the form, and then points me in the direction of the cashier.
• The sales clerk keeps the item at that counter.
• The other day, I wandered around to several counters before finding one that didn't have 20 people in the queue.
• I pay for the item at said cashier counter.
• After I pay, the cashier gives me 2 receipts. I do not understand why every merchant in Singapore must give a customer 2 paper receipts. I spend more time shredding those suckers and it just seems like a huge waste! Why do we need 2 receipts?

Anyway, on with the process of buying something at a department store in Singapore...

• I am then required to walk back to the department where the coveted item awaits.
• I hand over the receipts to the salesperson.
• Salesperson carefully wraps my purchase and makes it look all pretty. I'm not joking here. Singaporeans are amazing gift-wrappers! I always enjoy standing in the gift-wrap queue at Christmas-time in Takashimaya. It's a "watch and learn" kind of thing, except I never have learned. Anyway, your gift is wrapped in a few short minutes and it will be beautiful! It's all about the measuring, folding, and double-stick tape. They even do pleats!

Maybe somebody can answer my questions. These are still "issues" for me after all of this time living here. Why is a customer inconvenienced so much? I would think that a department store would want to get the customer to buy something as quickly as possible before they have a chance to change their mind. I mean, I might have decided that I didn't really need to buy those frames while wandering the store looking for a short queue.

On to other news... I broke my elliptical. It started last year, when it became rather "wonky" while I was trying to exercise. The WHH did his best to adjust it... because he's good at adjustments with his "diddle-stick" (hey, that's what he's always told me it was called!).
(EDIT 11/10/2007: I forgot to link to SJ when I wrote this last night. Hmm... could it be that the wine I was drinking affected my thought-process???)

He ordered a new part for my machine because the original was rusted out (mold, mildew, and rust are big problems in a tropical climate). Problem was, when he tried to install the new part, the old one wouldn't come out. He did some more adjusting (gawd, he's good at that) and I was able to use it until last week, as I was doing my best to finish "Lawrence of Arabia" (I'm telling you, those desert scenes wore my ass out!). Suddenly, I heard a strange whirring sound, and then I was thrust forward! Holy shi...! I didn't hurt myself, but the Pro-Form 880S was pronounced DOA by the WHH who was sick and tired of "adjusting" it for me.

This meant yet another shopping trip for a new elliptical. I found one, and it will be delivered tomorrow. They even promised to remove and dispose of my good ol' Pro-Form. Honestly, I've had that for almost 4 years now, and I've used it consistently. For $800 it was well worth the money. The only reason this one crapped out is because of the humidity here. The apartments here have a separate aircon for each room. The only time I turn the aircon on in that room is when I'm exercising. Hence, lots of moisture in the air.

I am excited about my new cross-trainer. I even bought some new movies today (because I only mailed back the others from Hollywood Clicks today). I haven't worked out all week and I'm feeling bloopy. The WHH is in the U.S. this week, so I figure I might as well watch some movies and work out on my new machine. Yipee! I'm such an interesting person. Maybe I'll take a picture of myself tomorrow. (heh)

That just reminds me, I'm also getting my highlights done tomorrow by a new person. My regular guy, Casey, is booked up for 2 weeks. I think that my hair will start looking rather awful by then, so I agreed to have one of his underlings who has worked with him for 15+ years do my hair. I made that appointment yesterday only a few hours before I read this entry by Miss Britt.