Hi, I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, soul nourishing romantic women’s fiction with light paranormal elements. My stories show you what life could be like if you had a place like The Circle where you are unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. And where, with this support, you make choices to overcome the darkest nights and choose love and light.
This is an easy topic for me.
Best: when I easily and effortlessly find what I’m looking for and it doesn’t include clothes, furniture, etc. because I’m never sure what I’m looking for, or size, or color or …
Thankfully at my stage in life, there isn’t much to purchase other than what I use on a regular basis. Also, while not set in my ways, I have my preferences and know where the products I use are located in the stores I frequent.
Worst: All other shopping experiences. My
latest “worst” shopping experience was finding and purchasing a flight to a
conference in St. Louis. No direct flights available on the airline I preferred
to use. And since I’ve not flown since 2018, other things have changed.
Before I more than muttered bad words, I called customer service. An
extremely nice, competent woman held my virtual hand and led me through the
process until I’d booked both flights.
What I will add about best and worst shopping experiences is so much of
it depends on the businesses employees. Over the years I’ve been ignored,
talked to like an imbecile, condescended to among other. When it’s something I need
(like getting my car serviced due to a Recall), the luxury of walking out isn’t
realistic.
When a 60 – 90 minute servicing of my car due to a recall had run on to almost
3 hours, I approached the service manager and calmly explained that I was fully
capable of throwing a major tantrum thus creating a major scene and that I was
more than willing to do that if that will get me the service I’ve been waiting
for. The service manager told me my car would be ready in 20 minutes and it was
ready in 15. No tantrum or scene needed.
Moonpower
I want to end on a “best experience” note and I’m struggling to come up
with one that I consider “shopping”. I know in the early 1990’s I started using
a service to lease/purchase my car. I’d call Brian up and say I’m looking to
lease or buy whatever make/model/color/features I wanted. He’d call me back in
a few days at most having found my car. I’d go to his office, sign paperwork
and drive away.
Brian has retired and I’ve lost track of his company.
Moonpower, who is 15 years old, is going
strong with just over 116K miles. She gets serviced every 3K miles. Since I’m
semi-retired, I don’t put the miles on her like I used to. And, while I don’t
plan on not driving any time soon, I’m closer to that reality than I used to
be.
I don’t expect to get another car. For one thing I’d go Hybrid or EV and
those vehicles cost more than I paid for my house in 1975! Well, Moonpower did
also. That’s a story for another day.
You can find all of my books at your favorite e-book vendor. Be sure to ask your local library if you’d prefer to read my books through that resource. If you want to read about shopping experiences in my books, check out Elizabeth’s shopping sprees in Ireland. Gabriella’s adventures in buying a wedding gown might also entertain you.
Learn more about Judith's The Sacred Women’s Circle series at JudithAshley.net
Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.
You can also find Judith
on FB!
7 comments:
Shopping has never been my favorite sport - although, thinking back, I guess it was a favorite sport when I was a teen. But since, shopping for most things is just a bother.
I've been in your situation before, where the "squeaky wheel" does work. And as a woman, I think we have to assert ourselves at times to be taken seriously. But when we do, we also risk being type-cast as hysterical or whatever.... But it sure does feel good, when we deliberately decide it is time to "be hysterical." Glad your car finally got serviced.
I hate to shop. And I only do so under duress. Shopping for clothes is the worst. The chemical smells in the clothing department make me want to run screaming from the store.
Deb, thanks for stopping by. You are correct about the squeaky wheel. When I've had a calm low-key, rather matter-of-fact conversation with the person in charge, like I did at the auto service department, I've never had to actually do anything else. And I didn't like shopping even as a teen...missed that gene.
Lynn, so true. Finding the perfect fit or match or ticket or whatever I'm looking for lessens my shopping aversion.
Barb, I also get very ill when shopping for clothes or looking at material in a fabric shop. I don't remember being as sick when a child and going to fabric stores with my mom, an avid sewer. It first hit me hard in the 1990's, I had taken a client shopping at Nordstrom's and was by a rack of clothes that were being unpacked. I was so sick...I still remember the onslaught of nausea and lightheadedness.
Thanks for stopping by!
My favorite shopping is buying gifts at little shops, or shopping for books.
Sarah, thanks for sharing your shopping favorites. In the past, I've spent hours in the back stacks of used book stores sleuthing for a specific book. I've not done that in a long time. That was much more fun than buying new...and most of them were out of print so that actually wasn't an option.
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