This slice of life has had four months to marinate and its impact hasn’t faded in my mind. Time to write the story of an Apple Store pickup that warmed this elder’s heart –
The heart-warming incident occurred on Cyber-Friday when it’s known that deals abound on all things tech. I’d decided to purchase an Apple watch because of its health habit benefits. A hearing-impaired pal who lived alone received one from her son. He didn’t live nearby and worried about his mom, who didn’t wear her hearing aids at night, etc., etc., etc. I knew that the watch was quite pricey, had oodles of choices of watch face, band color and the like… Further, I knew that assistance with set-up would be required. I was pumped to shop!
Well, I wasn’t the only person who craved an Apple watch with a Cyber-Friday price. The store at the nearest-to-me mall was slammed.
Oops! I’d neglected to make an appointment online. In addition, because I was double-vaxxed and boosted, I’d left my armada of masks in my car, and all inside – customers and staff – were masked up.
I stepped forward onto the threshold of the store. The clerk triaging appointments flinched when I announced my intention sans appointment. But, rather than lose a customer, the Apple loyalist allowed me inside the sacred place, so that I could loiter among the displays and, perhaps, expand my shopping list. Maybe because he noted the wrinkles and crinkles on my face, he winked that I needn’t hurry back to my car to grab a mask.
There are few privileges of age in America, so I accepted his nod without comment.
I stalked about the store for twenty minutes. No place to sit and rest my weary feet. I finally decided to rest my purse on the single Apple watch counter and display, staking my claim as well as resting my weary shoulder.
It wasn’t long before a man of certain age – crewcut hair and mightily suntanned, eyes crinkled in the corner, too – sidled up to me. “Nice purse. What designer is it?” I shot him a demure smile and said nothing.
Wink-wink, the contagion of the day. I hadn’t had two men wink at me in ages.
Before I could reply, another man of a certain age and dressed in an Apple clerk shirt swooped into view. “May I assist you in your purchase of an Apple watch?”
“Yes, please.”
“I can help. What are your specifications?”
Because I’d browsed, I could answer that question pronto. The man assembled my components, I slid my Visa card across the glass top counter, and he processed my payment with his hand-held card reader.
“Hi, honey!’ My husband kissed me on the cheek, cycling the other guys away. “Did you get your watch?
“Yes, but if I linger in the store a bit longer, the special tech will assist me with set-up. Can you circle the mall, maybe find a few Christmas gifts for me?”
“Sure.” An Apple hunk waved me to his station and helped me to begin the process.
When my husband returned to the store, he held no shopping bags, but had reason to be happy for himself. Not only had I gotten my watch, I’d received an $50.00 gift certificate for his new iPhone!
P.S. Apple’s Cyber Friday deal saved me $3.33 on the watch! Hahahahaha –
P.S.S. Here’s the famed purse… with somebody‘s new book is front (wink-wink)
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