Here, there and everywhere.

I did a ton of Christmas shopping today in Champaign and Danville and here is what I've found... Customer service is better in Champaign.
Let's see, where all did I go..
First stop, Sam's (Champaign). The ladies at the sample stations where okay. Nothing to write home about.. Although I did get my arse chewed for taking a sample off of a a tray not designated for sample taking. My bad.. It looked like a sample to me, and there were like 5 women just staring at it like they wanted it, so I took it. But apparently it was trash and the lady seriously made me put it back. I felt like a little kid that reached into the candy jar without permission. And Sams has someone standing at the exit door. Their job is to make sure you have the same number of items in your cart that your receipt says you should have. Because I guess you could grab a bunch of stuff in the 50 feet you walk from the check out lane to the exit door. In any case, I've never had them actually COUNT my items. They just mark my receipt with their yellow highlighter. But they do it in a very friendly way.

Then off to Gordmans. Nothing special there. No one went above and beyond. But it was adequate.

Lunch at Chili's. Service there was outstanding. Our waiter was Chris, and he was perfect!! Not overbearing, but attentive enough to get a great tip.

Target. Eh. Can't complain. Friendly but nothing above and beyond.

Back to Danville. Ran to the Vermilion County Health Department for H1N1 vaccines. Everyone there was super friendly, making it a pleasant experience to get a shot. They were all joking and in good moods. I even overheard someone say "is it really almost time to go home? Time flies when you're having fun". Way to go VCHD staff!!!

Then took the kids to Subway on Main street (for not crying when they got their shots, even though they're 20 and 12). Boo to Subway. Three of the most unfriendly guys I've ever let make me a sandwich.

Last stop Elder Beerman. I got a couple clothing items but ended up paying at the cosmetic counter. Candice was my cashier and another young lady was working with her. They were excellent. I had two different coupons with me. One for $10 off entire purchace, and one for 20% off. They took the time to figure out which coupon was going to save me the most money. They were having a conversation about the new "make your butt look better" shoes, and made it a point to include me in the conversation. It relaxed me, and made me feel less apprehensive about the amount of money I had spent throughout the day.. I wanted to pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee and just hang out with them. Nice job ladies.