By Kathy Hughes
Contributing Writer
Always quick, and sometimes too quick, to jump at a deal, the offer of almonds at six dollars a pound was too good to pass up — with free shipping, no less. I recklessly ordered a five pound bag.
I eagerly anticipated my shipment, as almonds — roasted, unsalted have become not only expensive, but scarce. I was beginning to take it personally that my supplier was out of them three weeks in a row. Sure, I knew there were other outlets to be found locally, but none so convenient as my regular source.
The delivery took a little longer than anticipated, but I was sure it would be worth the wait. In due course, when the order arrived, I was greatly disappointed to find I had a five-pound bag of almonds, alright, but they were raw almonds, not the least bit roasted. I was confused— had I actually ordered the wrong item, or was the company at fault for sending the wrong thing?
Back they went, and now taking due care, I placed my order again and waited impatiently for my great deal to be fulfilled. When the package arrived, one look at the bag and I knew this was wrong — these were not almonds. They were anemic looking little round balls that at first glance looked like chick peas. It took me a minute to realize what they were — I know my nuts, and these were macadamia nuts. This was insulting — how could anyone mistake macadamia nuts for almonds?
If anything, I am persistent; a deal on almonds was advertised, and, by golly, they were going to make good on it. Back they went, and I hoped the company would be horribly embarrassed by their mistake, as only they should be.
Apparently, there was no embarrassed at all, for the unbelievable happened in my next delivery — macadamia nuts once again. It was as if they took the returned bag of nuts and shipped it right back to me. Three tries, and I still had no almonds. There was no deal, and there wasn’t going to be any deal — no almonds, and no deal. Only one thing was for sure, and that is UPS was the only winner on running back and forth with five-pound bags of nuts.
