Costco
by Kyla
Today I hustled up to Costco in Courtenay, an opening statement that itself requires some explanation.
1) I don’t hustle. Like, ever. In fact, I notoriously drive like a granny, if the granny in question is half-blind, has road-anxiety, and is prone to wagging her index finger at those passing in cars. So when I say I hustled up to Costco in Courtenay, I mean to say that I was a passenger in a car (my car, in fact) that was hustling up to Costco in Courtenay.
2) Hustling was necessary because I have a 3000-word paper due, oh, three weeks ago and if I don’t get it done by Monday I am expecting to be, well, even more ashamed of myself than I currently am.
3) Costco in Courtenay was necessary because they sell glasses, unlike the Costco in Nanaimes. My oldest kid is legally blind (fo’ reals. Good eyesight is just one of the many gifts I have passed onto her) and as she’s super sporty (which, obvs, she also gets from me) she tends to run through her glasses fairly quickly, what with taking volleyballs and hockey pucks to the face on a regular basis. I just got her glasses priced out at a local glasses place here and the cost – some $500 – had me in fits on the floor.
It’s not that I don’t want to spend 500 bucks on getting my kid glasses; it’s that at this exact moment in time I actually can’t, but her walking around with glasses held together with hockey tape was getting pretty old, let’s face it.
So my buddy and I hustled up to Costco in Courtenay to see if they could beat $500 for my 12-year-old’s glasses. They could. Lenses and frames for $120. Together, not each! I did a little jig there in front of the 72-inch televisions, and handed over my American Express, the only one of my credit cards with even the remotest amount of life in it at all.
And then, suddenly, as the credit card was leaving my hand, I remembered the other credit card – the new American Express that had come in the mail, the new American Express sent to replace this one, this one that expired exactly three days earlier – the other credit card that was sitting, unactivated, in a soup bowl in my kitchen (because where else would you keep a new credit card but in a soup bowl, I ask you?)
I grinned at the woman there. This might not work, I said as I handed her the card. Apparently it’s expired. Do you think that matters?
She gave me a look.
I get this look a lot. I think every professor I have ever had has given me this look. I am not sure it’s a nice look, but it’s a familiar look, and thus somewhat comforting.
So, we’ll give it a shot then? I said hopefully.
She suggested I phone American Express, possibly in the hopes that I and my mournful, pleading tone would become American Express’s problem rather than hers. After many minutes on hold later, American Express did, in fact, over-ride my old credit card and allowed it to make the purchase, and in ten days my daughter will have stylish new glasses to replace the askew, hockey-taped pair which is currently serving her so inadequately. (Let me repeat: 120 dollars. One hundred and twenty dollars. Okay, so, I know that big box stores are bad evil the root of all that is wrong in this world, and they put small local businesses out of business, and we should all feel shame if we so much as set foot in one, but, um, one hundred and twenty dollars! I’m just sayin’! Costco in Courtenay… think about it!)
I was so excited, nay, so elated, upon returning home that I decided to garden, because nothing says ‘it’s time to get down to your history paper on F.R. Scott’ like weeding last summer’s pea plants. This went marvelously well until I got tripped up on a rusty old metal spike and ripped up both my leg and my favourite pair of pants. And why is there a rusty old metal spike in my yard? Because it is holding together one of the vegetable boxes, of course, and although I have almost cut myself on that exact same spike at least three times in the last year I have never taken any action to, you know, remove it. Now that I have successfully been cut by it, however, it seems obvious that action-taking earlier might well have been a good idea. I’m thinking there’s a tetanus shot in my future, and possibly the sewing up of a trouser leg, if only I had a darning needle and if only I could sew. I bought these pants for two dollars. I’m not giving up on them that easily.
With days like this it’s a wonder I’ve ever gotten any school work done at all. I’ve gotta say, I don’t think it’s looking very good for me and old F.R. Scott. Surely even my (extremely) long-suffering professor will be hard-pressed to take the lure of low prices at Costco as a valid reason for being late(r) with my essay. Still, Gord, 120 dollars! I’m just sayin’!
so, is the rusty old spike still there say.. for next year’s adventure? just sayin’…
um…
lol π I sure hope Gord doesn’t give you a look when you ask him for the extension! And please get the tetnus shot! You have had enough issues without compounding them now!
I think we are well past the extendable time, let me just say that. If I don’t get this paper done, if I were Gord, I’d fail me. I’m just sayin’.
I enjoyed reading this Kyla!
Thank you!
so YOU are the driver i tailgate!!
Ah, yes, I seem to recall waggling my index finger at you whilst peering down my nose through my glasses…
Glasses at Walmart.. all in $100 bucks.. Duncan. Just sayin… I know they tried giving the business to locals but the wait time was 3 wks plus… not cool, built a plant in TO and total wait time is less than 1 wk. But same day. .now that is impressive.
Someone else just told me I could get glasses at clearlycontacts.ca for under $100. Apparently the last seven years that I have spent buying 300 or 400 dollar glasses for my kid at least once a year could have been handled differently. Who knew? (Well, obviously most of my readers knew, but I did not.) 120 dollars! It’s hard not to still be excited about that, even though I know now I could do even better at other places. 120! And that fit on my expired AmEx. Seriously, it was like Christmas around here!
try clearly contacts.ca they are canadian (out of burnaby) and you can often get frames and lenses for 38 bux! and shipping with insurance is only around 16 bux and you can usually have them within a week!
Thanks, Amy! someone else suggested this place, too. 38 dollars! That’s even better than 120! There’s so much to be excited about today.
yay!!!! i found you! π first off…happy late birthday. π with being off fb, i miss the ease of being able to contact anyone.
i can totally relate to doing pretty much anything to avoid an assigment. π i am quite gifted at that myself. π
i’m blogging again if you ever want to check it out:
http://pinaday.blogspot.com
hope you guys are well and that you are not infected with tetanus. π
nicole
Nicole! Oh, happy day! Blogging is how we first met, thanks to you, as I recall. How are you, friend? Glad you found me (how did you?)
back to our beginnings. π
i’m doing well. crazy busy with the kids and me in school. i was missing having everyone’s birthdays, so i logged onto fb for a little bit to get them all down and then deactivated again. π so i grabbed your blog off your wall. π
get er done! the light is at the end of the tunnel. you have so little time left! waste not want not! you can do it!
Yay! Thank you for the pep talk! I can always use a good pep talk.