random truths – Day 1,054 (Saturday) – service and sales

There was a service appointment for the Jeep scheduled for 8:30 this morning, made back before all the dire weather forecasts about the Arctic air that arrived and settled in for the past couple days. The decision was made to brave the cold and keep the appointment, making it just another day of getting up hella-early. At least there is coffee and snacks available in the customer waiting room.

Despite randomly receiving dealership service coupons in the mail for the past year and a half, the only coupons to be found today expired last May. The coupons found online at the dealership site required buying a three-pack of oil changes with tire rotation.  

At check-in, the clerk didn’t ask if I had a coupon and by then I had forgotten to ask if there were any specials. He didn't mention the three-pack special on the website. He did say it “might take longer due to the cold temperature.” Whatever that meant. I didn’t ask.

The waiting room was occupied by four people when I arrived. It was as quiet as if it was empty, just like the last time I was there. Two women were occupied on their tablets, a man read a book, and another man had his chair swiveled to face a display case filled with toy Jeeps and key rings and other small items. He was studying them as if he would be quizzed. My February book club selection, Fiona and Jane, was on hand to keep me entertained.

I grabbed a coffee from the machine and sat in a chair that was sort of near the large, square coffee table. Despite there being snacks on the table and the coffee machine and a mini-fridge stocked with bottled water and soda, none of the seating was located near enough to the table to comfortably use it. If I leaned forward in my seat, I could just about reach my paper coffee cup on the table. At least half the seating required getting up and walking a few steps to the table that held various vending machine packs of crackers with peanut butter or cheese and packaged cookies. Bowls held Starburst candy and Hershey Kisses. After an hour, someone who works at the dealership came and turned on the large TV mounted on the wall.

Awkward waiting room.

Even more awkward that the distance from chair to table, the table wasn’t under the light fixture that hung from the ceiling. I was nearly clocked in the forehead by the lowest hanging globe when I walked over to the coffee machine in the corner. 

It took every bit of self control I had to not reposition the furniture into a more logical, less hostile arrangement. It turned out, I would have had plenty of time to do it, as my oil change and tire rotation took two hours to be completed. Maybe I could have gotten a discount on the hefty $127 bill for my decorating, safety, and customer experience tips. Dang, I miss the olden days of the $29 oil change where they also vacuumed the car. 

After the oil change, I headed to the Kohl’s I missed visiting on Friday. The clearance markdowns are another 50% off, and friends had been posting some fantastic purchases on social media the past couple days. My $36 score was two pairs of pants, two bras, a cross body purse that will be great for traveling, and a Christmas ornament. I circled the shoe department like an animal of prey but didn’t see any I couldn’t live without despite the low, low bargain prices. It was a surprise when to realize I had been in Kohl’s for nearly two hours. I hate shopping, but when I do it, I sure do take my time about it.

Once I returned home to check on Winston, the rest of the day’s tentative schedule was scrapped. I didn’t feel like going back out in the cold, even though there were two great art events happening. It was an afternoon of sitting on the couch, sometimes thinking about the grand idea I had in Kohl’s to go through the closet and pull out the things that don’t fit. Maybe tomorrow.