Month: November 2012

You’ve got mail

On By thestampsinmypassportIn Aish.com, JWRPLeave a comment

As you all know by now, I went to Israel in June of this year. I have blogged here on different occasions the impact of the JWRP trip had on me and my life. So many things have happened since returning, that it is hard to put into words sometimes.

On the second to last day of the trip, one of our excerises was to write a letter to ourselves. There weren’t any ‘guidelines’ as how to write it, what to write. It was share with yourself what you are going through, feeling and hope and expect to go through and feel upon returning home. The letter would be mailed to you three months after returning from Israel.

Sounds easy enough…right?

So, here we are – 170 women sitting in the lobby and in classrooms of the Aish building in the Old City pouring out our hearts to ourselves on paper. It was very quiet (except for the sniffling that could be heard from around the room).

I didn’t really know how to start? But at the end of it, I filled three pages. Signed it, wiped away my tears, sealed the envelope and put it in the box. Not to be seen again until sometime in September.

If you know me, you know that I don’t get to my mailbox often. It is on the ground floor of the condo and I am hardly ever on the ground floor, I go from my suite to the underground and back. It was right around Rosh Hashana and I was in the car with my mom, and it occured to me that it was three months since I had been home from Israel. THREE MONTHS – my letter should be coming soon! So…what did I start to do – check the mail every day!

And then one day, there it was. I almost didn’t recognize my own handwriting. Postmarked from Israel. My letter to myself. I went right upstairs to open it.

And what did I find in it? For the most part, exactly what I hoped to happen back on June 11, 2012 was happening. I asked a few of the other ladies from the trip if they had received their letters and how they felt about them. Everyone felt about the same as I did.

I actually left for Israel five months ago TODAY. I can’t believe it has been five months. SO many amazing things have happened in my life in the last five months. I am very grateful for the opprotunities I been able to have and experience. I think it will continue for quite a while.

Thanks again for reading, I appreciate it.

Scanning the codes

On By thestampsinmypassportIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I was in a clothing store in Florida last week and found a REALLY great top on a clearance rack (50% off). I tried it on, and loved it, so I went to purchase it. When the cashier gave me the total, I said to her, “that’s not 50% off” to which she replied, “no, it is 30% off, is that okay?” Well, um, no it is not okay, I got it from the rack that was 50% off. I didn’t pay right away and went back to show her where I got the shirt from, and obviously it was put back in the wrong place. The store gave it to me for the clearance price, I have a really nice shirt, all is good.

So….that always brings me back to the laws we have in Ontario and I think most of Canada. There is a scanning code of practice. Essentially what that means is that if the price at the scanner is wrong (scanning higher) and you catch the mistake, you can get the item free (max $10). If you are buying more than one of that item, you would only get the first one free and the additional items at the correct price.

It is amazing to me that so many people are not aware of this code. The next time you are at Wal mart for instance, look right below where the debit machines are, you will see a white sticker with the code printed right there. Right there, where you are checking out, and the prices are wrong all the time.

I would say that for me, it happens at the Loblaws brand of store most often. I have been the lucky recipient of free coffee, lettuce, melba toast, thank you cards, just to name a few.

Here is a short list (many more listed on the link attached above):
Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd.
The Home Depot Canada
Canadian Tire Corporation Ltd.
Toys r Us
Shoppers Drug Mart
Wal*Mart Canada Corp.
Giant Tiger Stores Ltd.
The North West Company
Best Buy/Future Shop
Loblaw Company Limited
Metro
Sobeys

There are also many independent stores that participate as well. It all comes down to being aware of the code and what your rights are if the price is scanned incorrectly.

The bottom line is you need to be an educated consumer. Know what is in your cart because most likely you have put it in the cart because it was on sale. Don’t be afraid to question the cashier, even if this make the people behind you pissed. You can do what I do – while you are waiting for the price check, educate the person behind you, because they could be the next person to pay more than you have to at the cash!

See y’all tomorrow!