Useful Tips to Enhance Your Home and Sofa Appearance

Benefits of Getting Discount Sofa for Your Home

Discounted sofas can be found in various styles, shades, and styles. You ought to be in charge of what you really are searching for in a discount sofa, not the particular shop. Through providing just restricted sizes and designs at a discount value, the shop handles what you purchase. Until you absolutely need to have any sofa right now, take your time as well as shop around to the ideal discounted sofa at a cost that matches your wallet! When you find the perfect low cost sofa in the proper value, you'll be able to provide all your family members and also friends a cushty atmosphere and also put in more room's d?cor. Lower price settees can be found in durable synthetics, pure resources, as well as smooth legitimate leathers. Search for your low cost sofa which you sense fits you and also room the very best. Not every, but the most of low cost couches today feature a h2o and spot resistant treatment method to save lots of your sofa via specific devastation in case a thing is actually built on them. Some are usually perhaps available in 'pet safe' fabric. So, invest some time, do some research, as well as in no time you will find that best lower price sofa you have always wanted.

Improve the Look of Your Sofa - Cushions

Got a vintage sofa that's even now got numerous years of challenging put on still left within it : nevertheless it's searching just a little fatigued along with out-of-date? If the previous sofa frame remains to be functional, however the furniture is actually exhibiting a little deterioration, changing it can be just a matter of several meters of material plus some cozy brand-new soft cushions. If you've been sensible adequate to select a new sofa using a cushioning again along with couch, it is possible to wind up appearing like you do have a completely couch once you're finished. Here's the way to spiff up your outdated sofa using fresh furniture as well as pillows.
If the couch comes with a fastened back, your options with regard to restyling would have been an extra limited. Still, you can make a positive change along with brand-new fabric protecting to the upholstery along with an alter of favor to the seats pillows. It is usually as fundamental as selecting slipcovers for your couch and also soft cushions in the exciting, current type, or : in the event that you're audacious * it is possible to go as much as slicing absent the fastened wedge pillow again as well as updating this together with blankets.

Tips to Improve Your Home Appearance - Sofa Slipcovers

A powerful approach to increase the appearance in your home should be to suit some new sofa slipcovers around your own fatigued searching couches. In addition to sofa handles, all sorts of household furniture addresses with regard to car seats of most styles and sizes can be bought to have an reasonably priced price. Stretch out slipcovers can now be quite simple to adjust to, so you can transform the look and experience of one's total space in a few minutes. Appropriate some ready made slipcovers can instantaneously conceal used seeking upholstery on the settees as well as recliners, giving them a brand new brand new take on life. Slipcovers for settees can be found in a huge selection of shades and also designs, so that you will be able to discover a thing to compliment the prevailing furnishings along with design of the area. Choices range from land checks in order to flowery designs, for you to contemporary designs or even stripes. There's also a wide array of hard wearing but appealing fabrics, throughout everything via corduroy to chenille, imitation buckskin or perhaps suede. Numerous modern day sofa and also easy chair insures are generally entirely device cleanable, therefore it is not difficult to hold and then clean. The vast majority of very good if you have pets as well as small children which may acquire dirt on your top quality household furniture.
Author Resource:- Get more info information and facts concerning slipovers as well as sleeper sofa at http://www.mysectionalcouches.com

Discounted sofas can be found in various styles, shades, and styles. You ought to be in charge of what you really are searching for in a discount sofa, not the particular shop. Through providing just restricted sizes and designs at a discount value, the shop handles what you purchase. Until you absolutely need to have any sofa right now, take your time as well as shop around to the ideal discounted sofa at a cost that matches your wallet! When you find the perfect low cost sofa in the proper value, you'll be able to provide all your family members and also friends a cushty atmosphere and also put in more room's d?cor. Lower price settees can be found in durable synthetics, pure resources, as well as smooth legitimate leathers. Search for your low cost sofa which you sense fits you and also room the very best. Not every, but the most of low cost couches today feature a h2o and spot resistant treatment method to save lots of your sofa via specific devastation in case a thing is actually built on them. Some are usually perhaps available in 'pet safe' fabric. So, invest some time, do some research, as well as in no time you will find that best lower price sofa you have always wanted.

Improve the Look of Your Sofa - Cushions

Got a vintage sofa that's even now got numerous years of challenging put on still left within it : nevertheless it's searching just a little fatigued along with out-of-date? If the previous sofa frame remains to be functional, however the furniture is actually exhibiting a little deterioration, changing it can be just a matter of several meters of material plus some cozy brand-new soft cushions. If you've been sensible adequate to select a new sofa using a cushioning again along with couch, it is possible to wind up appearing like you do have a completely couch once you're finished. Here's the way to spiff up your outdated sofa using fresh furniture as well as pillows.
If the couch comes with a fastened back, your options with regard to restyling would have been an extra limited. Still, you can make a positive change along with brand-new fabric protecting to the upholstery along with an alter of favor to the seats pillows. It is usually as fundamental as selecting slipcovers for your couch and also soft cushions in the exciting, current type, or : in the event that you're audacious * it is possible to go as much as slicing absent the fastened wedge pillow again as well as updating this together with blankets.

Tips to Improve Your Home Appearance - Sofa Slipcovers

A powerful approach to increase the appearance in your home should be to suit some new sofa slipcovers around your own fatigued searching couches. In addition to sofa handles, all sorts of household furniture addresses with regard to car seats of most styles and sizes can be bought to have an reasonably priced price. Stretch out slipcovers can now be quite simple to adjust to, so you can transform the look and experience of one's total space in a few minutes. Appropriate some ready made slipcovers can instantaneously conceal used seeking upholstery on the settees as well as recliners, giving them a brand new brand new take on life. Slipcovers for settees can be found in a huge selection of shades and also designs, so that you will be able to discover a thing to compliment the prevailing furnishings along with design of the area. Choices range from land checks in order to flowery designs, for you to contemporary designs or even stripes. There's also a wide array of hard wearing but appealing fabrics, throughout everything via corduroy to chenille, imitation buckskin or perhaps suede. Numerous modern day sofa and also easy chair insures are generally entirely device cleanable, therefore it is not difficult to hold and then clean. The vast majority of very good if you have pets as well as small children which may acquire dirt on your top quality household furniture.

source from : base articles

Cruising Alaska -- Now It's A Family Thing

If you're thinking about a family vacation to Alaska, and you're wondering if your kids would enjoy a cruise to "The Last Frontier," wonder no more. Young family members from toddlers through teens have a blast on big ships and small as their vessels sail through the protected waters of Alaska's Inside Passage. Aboard ship or ashore, there are lots of kid-friendly, parent-friendly, and grandparent-friendly places to see and fun things to do.

It's true, only a short decade or two ago families with kids aboard Alaska cruiseships were as scarce as Alaskan Dall sheep lambs in a grizzly bear's lair. But the times have changed -- big time. Today you will find, in addition to the traditional hefty contingent of seniors and near-seniors aboard each ship, a growing number of families. Sometimes these groups are multi-generational, with gramps and grandmas, moms and dads, and kids that range from gangly teens to babes literally in arms.

The reason? Word is out that Alaska's attractions are sure-fire hits for travelers of any age: attractions like humongous whales breaching full length out of the water, grizzly bears chasing salmon along forest creeks and rivers, icebergs (sometimes as big as a tour bus) crashing, splashing, and thundering off the faces of miles-long glaciers.

Too, there are opportunities to mush in a dog sled behind a team of charging huskies - after helicoptering to a lofty mountain-top glacier no less! Kids and parents can ride bikes through towering forests or down mountain paths and trails. They can also kayak among whales and sea lions. Whole families can fish for lunker king salmon. Or try their luck at gold-panning in creeks and streams.

Newest craze for the young and the young-at-heart is riding a zip-line through the upper canopies of towering spruce and hemlock forests in Ketchikan and Juneau -- hanging safe and secure in a harness as they "zip" along a steel cable some 130 feet or more above the forest floor.

Or, less daunting, while visiting museums up and down the coast families can absorb the totemic culture and the history of Alaska's Native peoples. They can learn about the period when Alaska was "Russian America." And they can view mementos of the tumultuous gold stampede to the Klondike during the late 1800s,

No question about it, Alaska has something exciting to offer every family member, regardless of age.

But what about life aboard the cruiseships? Will young people find the experience dullsville?

Hardly. The mid- to mega-sized ships in particular are literally resorts afloat with swimming pools, spas, snack shops, ice cream parlors, outdoor game courts, video arcades, and movie theaters. Special staff members aboard these vessels -- with one exception -- include trained youth counselors. These crew members arrange age-appropriate social activities, organize games and sports events, supervise arts and crafts, take youngsters on shipwide treasure hunts, and generally see to it that cruisers from tykes through teens enjoy their cruise as much as their parents and grandparents.

Although smallship cruiselines in Alaska do not staff their vessels with special counselors for young cruisers, the ships are no less family-welcoming. These vessels can enter small bays and inlets where guests can view wildlife on close-by forest shores, explore waterways by kayak or in spiffy powered Zodiacs, hike remote island beaches, perhaps even stop for a natural hot springs dip in forested surroundings.

One smallship cruiseline even schedules three Alaska cruises each year especially geared for family travel.

Regardless of vessel size, and with only a couple of exceptions, cruiselines in the Alaska trade actively court family cruisers. Few such travelers, young or old, find the experience anything other than "cool." And they're not referring to the weather.

To view a report about each of the 14 cruiselines and the 44 ships that encourage family travel (and the two companies and their vessels that do not), visit http//www.AlaskaCruisingReport.com. Click the tab called Ak Cruising With Kids.

Credit this articles to author : Mike Miller
Source of articles : Populararticles.com

Are You Ready For A Baby

With the advent of modern-day birth control, people are better able to control when they start a family. Not only is bringing a child into the world a heavy responsibility, the pregnancy itself can be quite cumbersome. Here are some things to think about:

1. Are you financially ready to have a baby? Raising a child can be very expensive. While finances shouldn't deter your from starting a family if you really want one, be prepared for a higher strain on your finances. You'll be spending less time in the mall for yourself and more time in the baby aisles of the supermarket.

2. Are you emotionally ready to have a baby? It is much easier to raise a child with a loving partner. Having a baby often puts a strain on the marriage, since the raising of a child can be quite stressful.

3. Is your biological clock ticking? While the above two questions might make you want to put off having a baby, remember that you only have so much time to have a child. It is much easier for a woman to have a healthy baby in her 20' and 30's than if she attempts to do so in her 40's. While modern medicine can cure a lot of diseases, it still cannot turn back the biological clock.

Source of articles : http://www.articlecircle.com

Hand To Mouth Habits In Babies

Picture courtesy from Google


Many warnings have been given in these pages about the dangers of catching diseases by putting things into mouths that do not belong there. Keeping the hands clean has been suggested as one of the best ways to protect health, and parents should impress this on their children at an early age.

One result of a bad habit that is often overlooked until it is too late is illustrated below. Sucking the thumb causes a constant pressure against the front of the jaw which gradually changes the shape of the soft bone. This starts the trouble long before the teeth appear. Aside from the chances of acquiring dirt and dangerous germs in this manner the distortion of the teeth may later affect the child's health by making difficult the proper chewing of food.
Tricks in All Trades

Resourceful mothers find many ways to keep babies' fingers out of their mouths. They are willing to interfere with this cute trick in order to benefit their children's future health and appearance. The plan that probably gives as good results as any is to fasten two or three little fingers together with a narrow strip of adhesive tape. The resulting bundle is too big to fit into a small mouth and the bad habit is quickly overcome. Finger-nail chewing comes later in life, being more popular with girls than boys. This has plenty of hygienic disadvantages and is a distressing operation to watch but, fortunately, causes no permanent disfigurement.

Parents will do a real favor to their children by taking whatever drastic action may be necessary to break up this habit surely and soon. It is not a sanitary or social asset to anyone.

source of article : Here

Cons of The Vending Machine In Schools

People see snack vending machines everyday, usually no matter where they go. They are so common that most aren’t given a second glance unless the person passing needs a chocolate or soda pop fix. One’s only lunch preparation is to make sure to have a handful of change for the machine. This has made school vending machines a popular thing in schools across the world. This article is going to discuss why these machines are a problem for schools and students alike.

Initially, the idea of having vending machines in schools did not seem too bad. Junior high and high school kids seemed like great candidates for snack vending consumers. This is exactly why schools choose to place the machines in their schools. It is widely known that schools are usually low on money, so what better way to generate some extra income than through their own students! Kids will pump hundreds of dollars into drink and food vending machines rather than purchase what the school is serving for lunch in the cafeteria. Still, this does not seem like such a bad thing, as the children enjoy the snacks and the school makes a little money. It seems as though everyone wins.

Unfortunately, winning is far from what the children are doing. Supporting the presence of school vending machines makes the people on school boards all across the world hypocrites. In general, schools try to teach good health and nutrition to their students, they even go as far as to have certified lunch programs to show how well their students are being fed. By allowing these snack vending machines, they are losing everything they have worked for in the past. There are, however, ways to get around this. The fact is that the children will eat and drink whatever is offered, so instead of offering soda, offer water vending.

This notorious issue could be changed quickly. Chances are the children will probably be surprised but not too upset if they are presented with healthier options. This is not to say that candy and soda need to be taken out completely, just less of it. If the schools intended for their students to eat unhealthy all of the time, then they would not have put forth the effort to teach them about nutrition and healthy food choices in the first place. School vending machines do not have to be a bad thing. With a few changes, they can be useful in many ways.

Article Source

Cons of The Vending Machine In Schools

People see snack vending machines everyday, usually no matter where they go. They are so common that most aren’t given a second glance unless the person passing needs a chocolate or soda pop fix. One’s only lunch preparation is to make sure to have a handful of change for the machine. This has made school vending machines a popular thing in schools across the world. This article is going to discuss why these machines are a problem for schools and students alike.

Initially, the idea of having vending machines in schools did not seem too bad. Junior high and high school kids seemed like great candidates for snack vending consumers. This is exactly why schools choose to place the machines in their schools. It is widely known that schools are usually low on money, so what better way to generate some extra income than through their own students! Kids will pump hundreds of dollars into drink and food vending machines rather than purchase what the school is serving for lunch in the cafeteria. Still, this does not seem like such a bad thing, as the children enjoy the snacks and the school makes a little money. It seems as though everyone wins.

Unfortunately, winning is far from what the children are doing. Supporting the presence of school vending machines makes the people on school boards all across the world hypocrites. In general, schools try to teach good health and nutrition to their students, they even go as far as to have certified lunch programs to show how well their students are being fed. By allowing these snack vending machines, they are losing everything they have worked for in the past. There are, however, ways to get around this. The fact is that the children will eat and drink whatever is offered, so instead of offering soda, offer water vending.

This notorious issue could be changed quickly. Chances are the children will probably be surprised but not too upset if they are presented with healthier options. This is not to say that candy and soda need to be taken out completely, just less of it. If the schools intended for their students to eat unhealthy all of the time, then they would not have put forth the effort to teach them about nutrition and healthy food choices in the first place. School vending machines do not have to be a bad thing. With a few changes, they can be useful in many ways.

Article Source

Mini Motorcycle Choppers: Fun For All The Family

These mini motorcycle choppers have really become all the rage for children and adult's alike. They are that one-step above a toy so to speak that teenagers and adults have come to enjoy for their own. You can buy these mini motorcycle choppers in the form of the most popular Harley Davidson style or in fact just about any other style that you may wish for.

Many people opt to have their minichopper custom made to their own specs and plans. It just depends on what you are looking for in a mini bike. If you are a mechanic or are handy in that field you can even build your own. There are plenty of plans and blue prints for sale especially on the Internet.

Depending on what country and or state you live in there will be differing rules and regulations for riding these great little bikes. Some places demand that you must be licensed to ride on the road while others say because the motors are of a smaller size you may ride them on the road without a license.

As much fun as these are they do need the rider to be responsible as some of these bikes can go very fast. In fact some can go up to 60 miles an hour using 4 stroke engines. Children should always be advised on riding them safely and preferably not on the road, as they are not very visual for other vehicles to always see them. But on the other hand the majority of these mini motorcycle choppers are ridden by adults and teenagers.

They really are a lot of fun and they look fantastic. You can pick them up for a reasonable price especially online. They are sold fully assembled or you can assemble them yourself. Don't forget the option of buying a used one either.

author : Susan Dean
resource : http://www.populararticles.com/article33701.html

Santa Claus Quotes

Christmas happens only once a year, but it it one of the most fun times of the year! Writers have said a lot about the Christmas holiday (and everything that goes with it). Celebrate Christmas with these quotes from famous authors like Charles Dickens and Walter Scott.

"Sing hey! Sing hey!
For Christmas Day;
Twine mistletoe and holly.
For a friendship glows
In winter snows,
And so let's all be jolly!"
- Author Unknown

"There are three stages of a man's life: He believes in Santa Claus, he doesn't believe in Santa Claus, he is Santa Claus."
- Author Unknown

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus."
- Francis Pharcellus Church

"I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys."
- Charles Dickens, "A Christmas Carol"

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."
- Charles Dickens, "A Christmas Carol"

"Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!"
- Charles Dickens, "The Pickwick Papers" (1836)
"Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling."
- Edna Ferber

"I do like Christmas on the whole.... In its clumsy way, it does approach Peace and Goodwill. But it is clumsier every year."
- E.M. Forster

"Fail not to call to mind, in the course of the twenty-fifth of this month, that the Divinest Heart that ever walked the earth was born on that day; and then smile and enjoy yourselves for the rest of it; for mirth is also of Heaven's making."
- Leigh Hunt

"Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart."
- Washington Irving

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"I hear that in many places something has happened to Christmas; that it is changing from a time of merriment and carefree gaiety to a holiday which is filled with tedium; that many people dread the day and the obligation to give Christmas presents is a nightmare to weary, bored souls; that the children of enlightened parents no longer believe in Santa Claus; that all in all, the effort to be happy and have pleasure makes many honest hearts grow dark with despair instead of beaming with good will and cheerfulness."
- Julia Peterkin, A Plantation Christmas (1934)

"Love came down at Christmas;
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Stars and angels gave the sign."
- Christina Rossetti

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."
- Dr. Seuss

"A Christmas gambol oft could cheer
The poor man's heart through half the year."
- Walter Scott

"To perceive Christmas through its wrapping becomes more difficult with every year."
- E.B. White, "The Second Tree from the Corner" (1954)

"Somehow, not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.

"And the more you spend in blessing The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart's possessing
Returns to you glad."
- John Greenleaf Whittier

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus."
- Francis Pharcellus Church

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MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE OUT THERE!!

Physical Therapy And Kids

There are many reasons as to why children may need physical therapy. It could be because they have cerebral palsy and they need physical therapy to help them move their bodies easier or perhaps they broke a leg, or they may have weak muscles somewhere in their body. Even those with brain injuries may need to see a physical therapist since the brain has a lot to do with the functioning of muscles and knowing how to do things such as sit, walk, and roll.

There are a number of different conditions and injuries that require http://www.source1medical.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.326/.f) physical therapy in children. There is even one such condition called Jumper's knee that becomes a problem for a lot of children and adolescents. If the child complains of tenderness and pain around the bottom of the kneecap, then this might be the problem. Kids who are involved in sports tend to have this problem during growth spurts. A physical therapist may use heat and ice as well as ultrasound to gain control over the pain and any inflammation. The physical therapist also works on strengthening the knee and creating a balance through exercises such as posture exercises.

However, children are always severely spraining ankles, breaking legs, arms, hands, and feet. They may pull something somewhere or tear a muscle during physical activity. All of these incidents call for some kind of physical therapy whether short-term or long-term. Physical therapy is important in children who have injured a part of their body because an injury can actually stunt growth, so it is important to make sure proper growth is inhibited by creating proper alignments and balances within the body.

Equipment
There are different types of equipment that may be used with children who are going through physical therapy. An example is a safety belt that prevents the child from falling down or stumbling when they are learning how to walk. Crutches may also be used and the child and parents will be instructed on how to use them when the child encounters such obstacles as stairs. Children may also be required to wear a safety belt while learning how to walk on crutches so they do not injure themselves further.

Other types of equipment include:

Walkers made just for children that help them learn to walk.
Toys such as balls, swings, benches, and slides. Toys are an important tool because it encourages the child to work their muscles through fun.
Steps, incline mats, and hurdles can create a great physical environment for a child because these objects encourage them to climb and jump.
Many of the different types of http://www.source1medical.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.89/.f) physical therapy equipment that is used promotes physical activity in some way. Then there are others types of equipment that is used in reducing pain and inflammation and helps restore a balance within the injured area. There seems to be a little something for every situation for every single age, whether it be devices to help a child walk or to rehabilitate a muscle that has been torn. With sports becoming so intense nowadays, sports injuries are very prevalent and a physical therapist is required for the healing process. Then again, children are born with conditions that physical therapy can provide relief for. That is why it is important that the proper equipment be available to help these children.

Source 1 Medical provides http://www.source1medical.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.89/.f) Physical Therapy Equipment designed for children and adults. We provide Child friendly Pediatric http://www.source1medical.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.326/.f) Physical Therapy Tables and Furniture.


There are different types of equipment that may be used with children who are going through physical therapy. An example is a safety belt that prevents the child from falling down or stumbling when they are learning how to walk. Crutches may also be used and the child and parents will be instructed on how to use them when the child encounters such obstacles as stairs. Children may also be required to wear a safety belt while learning how to walk on crutches so they do not injure themselves further.

Best Buy Gift Card

I stumbled upon this story about best buy gift card scam and i thought i want to share with my friends the story. Just as a precaution incase it will happen to us one day.

It was my birthday a couple of days ago. I’ve gotten well past the point where I make a big deal out of it. Still, it is nice that others recognize the day. It is pleasant that someone else lets you know that they are happy you were born. It’s also nice to get presents. So, it was my birthday and my wife got me a couple of presents, which was nice. She got me single cup coffee maker that brews coffee right into a travel cup, so I can kind of grab and go. She also got me a $100 Best Buy gift card, and that is where my adventure begins.

I used to love Best Buy. I went there often to buy CDs and other products because they had the best deals. They also had a tendency to have the largest selection. Since the advent of the Internet as a shopping venue, however, I find that Best Buy no longer has the best deals. I also don’t like having to deal with the crowds in there at Christmas time. The nearest Best Buy store to me is also quite a bit further away than other big box stores I could go to. But all that didn’t really matter today because I had a $100 gift card and I was going to go spend it on something I wanted, something fun. I was actually going to go shopping for myself. I got in my car and headed to Best Buy.

I arrived at Best Buy and grabbed a little hand held shopping basket. I wondered what there was that I would want for less than $100. I saw some digital cameras, but any that I wanted were more than $100. Besides, I already have a digital camera. I saw some digital camcorders, but they started at well over $200 and I don’t have the extra money to spend on something so frivolous at this moment. I saw a nice pair of binoculars for about seventy five dollars which I thought about because my telescope broke a while back, but I took a pass on it. I walked around the computer section for a while, trying to get a feel for the newest in that technology, but nothing caught my eye and there were certainly no deals that jumped out at me. I settled on the old stand by, CDs and movies. I went down the aisles looking at the Rock CDs, as those were what I was interested in. I picked out about five CDs, including Death Cab for Cutie, The Killers, a couple of old CDs from the Cure that I had never replaced from when my house burned down, and some other CD that I can’t remember. I then went to the movie section to look for something that might interest me. I found a history documentary on Hitler and the occult and some other movie. I wanted to get as close to a hundred dollars as possible. When I had picked out what I felt was enough I proceeded to the cash register.

I waited patiently in line as the cashier finished with the customer in front of me. I said hi to the cashier and asked her how she was doing as I like to do when in that situation. She told me she was fine and we continued to make small talk as she rang up my merchandise. The total of my purchase was $91.51. I felt OK with that and handed the cashier my gift card. I told her I wanted the remaining balance in cash. She told me she couldn’t do that. I asked her why not and she informed me that they couldn’t give cash back for a gift card. I insisted that someone had given her cash for that card and that I should be able to recover the cash I wasn’t spending. The manager quickly became involved. She told me that they could not give change for a gift card unless it was less than five dollars. She told me that if I had the receipt from the gift card that I could get the change from it. Can you imagine? Does anyone give someone a gift card and then give them the receipt to? How ridiculous does that sound? I changed tactics and told her I didn’t get up that way very often and did not want to return to her store to spend what was left on the card. She told me that I could go back now and spend the remaining money. Now my ire was raised. I saw their game. People get these gift cards and then are forced to spend almost the entire amount at the store, and I’m sure that the store hopes the consumer will spend more than what’s on the card. I could feel my face getting red. I grabbed my merchandise and walked out the store.

I was a few steps out the door when an idea hit me. If they weren’t going to give me the $8.49 change for the card, which should not have been that unreasonable a request, then I wasn’t going to give them any money at all. I turned around and went back in. I didn’t need the junk I had bought. Besides, I could probably get it cheaper somewhere else. I would return it and get my money back.

I went to the return counter and told them I wanted to return everything I had just bought. I told them I wanted cash for the merchandise. They would not give it to me. They would only put them money back on the gift card. Again, a manager got involved. This manager had a badge that told me he was a “hiring manager”, whatever that meant. I told him what was happening and that I refused to spend any of my money at his store. He told me that he would have liked to have given me cash for change but that Best Buy had a contract with American Express and that the agreement stated that they would not give change for more than five dollars. I told him I didn’t care about his excuses and that I wanted the money back for the card. He told me I needed the receipt, that if it was bought with a credit card that money would be returned to the card, if it was bought with a check then a check would be sent to me, if it was bought with cash than I would receive cash. The other manager, who had come over to observe the proceedings, said she had told me the same thing. I explained to her that she hadn’t, that she didn’t say anything about a contract with American Express. She told me that she had told me about not being able to return money without the receipt. The point was moot. I was going to have to get the receipt from my wife, who had been thoughtful enough to buy me this gift card which was now turning into more problems than it was worth. This certainly wasn’t the best customer service I had ever experienced.

I really doubt that these people cared about what was going on here. I can’t help but believe that those workers simply saw me as some butt hole out to give them a hard time. I doubt very much that they could see this from my point of view. I figured it this way, that someone had given them money to buy the gift card and had given me the gift card to use like money at their store. They were going to get their $100 cash for the card no matter what, so they should be able to give me the change. If what I was told by the “hiring manager” is true, then American Express really should have no business telling Best Buy how to best serve their customers. Personally, if it were me, I’d find someone else to handle the gift cards or do it myself if some corporation like American Express was putting such stupid restrictions on my customer service. If I had only wanted to spend ten dollars at their store it seems to me that it would be ten dollars more than they would have had otherwise. What harm would it do Best Buy to give change for a gift card no matter how much or how little one spends when using it? It seems to me that too many people probably just accept these restrictions, don’t question them, and so like sheep we just spend the money at that store even when we can’t find anything we really need or want. We really have become materialistic zombies wondering about the aisles of the big box stores buying junk to try to fulfill our empty lives. I found myself, as I traveled home now light all that merchandise but still in possession of the $100 gift card, thinking that I really didn’t need the stuff I had bought and that the money could be better spent elsewhere. I found myself thinking that all I was doing was acquiring meaningless junk anyway. Certainly there was more to life than acquiring material goods. I began to wonder if this episode was going to bring me some kind of spiritual epiphany.

I got home and fortunately my wife had the receipt for the gift card. If she had thrown it away I guess I would have been stuck with the card and I would have been forced to spend the money at Best Buy. It seems to me that that policy is also a little unfair. I took my son with me when I returned to Best Buy. I gave the manager the card and the receipt. He then asked me if I had the credit card which had purchased the gift card. I told him no, that it had been a gift. My son noted “Hence the name gift card.” Quite an astute observation from a thirteen year old, even if it was beyond obvious. I told him he had said all I would need was the receipt and that had he told me I needed the card I would have brought it. I ended up having to call my wife to get the credit card number. I then explained to the “hiring manager” that I knew he didn’t care, but someone higher up at Best Buy should. I explained that they’d had $91.51 in their pocket and that money had been lost to them simply because they refused to give me $8.49 change. Not only that, I told him, but I had given Best Buy gift cards as gifts in the past and I would no longer do that. In addition, my wife, who also thought the policy of not giving back change was silly, would never again buy a Best Buy gift card. I also told him that I would write about this episode and people would read about it. And so I have. In the end, the money was put back on my wife’s credit card and she gave me $100 dollars cash I can spend anywhere. I don’t know where I’m going to spend it, maybe I’ll hunt down some deals on the Internet, maybe I’ll take my family out to dinner. I’m sure I’ll make good use of it. As for a spiritual epiphany, it never happened, at least not yet. But I do feel better now that the episode is over and I've kept my promise to write about it. In fact, I feel strangely more empowered with $100 cash in my pocket than I did with flaccid piece of plastic good at only one store in my wallet.

I got this story from : http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/22349