This summer has been hot hot hot! (Most days the temperature has been 99 degrees or higher!)

This article is not one to complain about the shoes that have melted or the fact that ice melts in coolers in a short period of time.  I’m not complaining about the humidity or the pass-out factor of 99% during the middle of the day. Nah, not me. You see, I remember all too vividly the rain in 2009 & 2010. Someone somewhere prayed for it to rain & it did rain…it flooded.

So, back to this summer, as a result of the heat we have gravitated toward water most weekends, holidays, or whenever possible.  Our choice destination has been a lake more often than not, as a means to cool down. This summer, my youngest son and I have learned to swim and we feel much more confident in the water. Move over Olympians, momma doesn’t need floaties anymore! One day, after coming back from the lake, Nick had an idea to buy a pool. Fireworks went off, Joy resounded, the angels sang as my excitement soared into the heavens, laaaa LA!!

We didn’t buy one immediately, rather, we discussed it and shopped around several known lowered priced stores to price check them. Several days later, of all places we could have shopped, we landed at a certain mass retailer that I have very little respect for: Blah-Mart. I always bad mouth this particular retailer, but since Nick wanted to shop there, I relented. We didn’t buy the smallest pool or the biggest pool. We picked a modest pool: 12′ X 36″ above ground Blah-Mart special. We purchased it late on a Saturday night and two different employees leaned in close to us at different times and places in the store,  saying “SAVE YOUR RECEIPT”. Happy and excited, we got up early on Sunday morning to prep the yard and assemble the pool. It was already hot & humid that morning at 8am and by just taking the pool parts out of the box, we were drenched in sweat. This pool was going to be so appreciated…we thought.

We took the liner out of the box and began to spread it out on the ground. It had grass on the bottom of it. We opened it up and were knocked backwards by the rotten, molded, wet algae infested stench! Someone with no ethics had used this pool and returned it to the store! Parts were missing, the liner was nasty, we were soaked in sweat, and we were seriously ticked that the massive retailer sold us this gross product. Who returns a pool used? Who takes time to empty, partly dry off a liner, neatly pack the frames into a box and then returns it?  Who does that? Gross!!!!! A tad bit frustrated and angry, we piled the pool pieces in the truck and took off to return the pool.

We piled it high into a shopping cart, liner wadded up and flowing over the edges, and wheeled it into the store…with our receipt. Even though Blah-Mart had sold us this atrocity, the manager had an ugly grimace on her face when we showed it to her. She was not believing we had just bought the pool at first. After looking at the receipt, determining we had only had it for a few short hours (over night), she came to the conclusion we must be telling the truth. I dislike Blah-Mart very much! Nick told the lady at the front desk and the assistant manager that he was not angry at them, but angry at the fact that the store sold us this nastiness that we could have contracted a disease from! We were both upset that they would even have it one their shelves to offer to the public. Long story short, they agreed to refund our money. We didn’t want a refund though, we wanted another pool. They were out of that size. They called to several other stores and the stores were all out (even though their computers reflected that the other stores had it in stock). I called a store about 18 miles away, close to where I grew up and BINGO, they had one for us!! We received store credit, plus a bonus $50 and were on our way across town to get another pool.

The day was heating up. It was noon time now and the Truck AC was blowing with all its might to keep the cab at a balmy 85 degrees. It was 101 degrees already at noon. We arrived at the other store, opened the pool packaging to verify we were not buying a used pool again, and were happy. We purchased the pool and a pool cover. The sour lady at the customer service desk began to crack through her evil facade and was smiling when we left as well. Nick has that effect on people. It’s pretty cool 🙂

We drove home, unpacked the pool, and began to assemble it in the heat. It was 104 degrees now at 2pm. After an hour and half, we were filling the pool with water! Drenched in sweat, stinky, frustrated, tired, yet relieved to finally have success – we got in the water around 4:30pm.  🙂  Ahhhhhh!!!

It was refreshing, cool, nice, gave much relief from the heat, brought smiles and laughter…and had a leaking liner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At this point, we were worn down, tired, and exhausted. We literally said, “oh well”. 🙁

I no longer dislike Blah-Mart, I hate them. They pay their employees very little, have far too expensive health insurance, do not cover the necessities of medical care on their policies, keep their workers on food stamps or below poverty levels, treat the people that work for them with little to No dignity, yet offer a whopping 10% discount to their under paid peeps in hopes that they will spend their measly paychecks with them before they go home.

It used to be a decent company when its daddy was alive, but the children must have been spoiled brats that run it now!

Okay, I’m done. If you work for Blah-Mart and they are your bread and butter, I wish you better in life 🙂

If you are just a consumer, you have the right like I do, to dislike them and no longer shop there.

(The name of the company has been changed.)