With My Thanks to WalMart:

I'm wondering whether to wax eloquent about the fiasco adventure of finding a digital kitchen scale. But blogging is all about telling, so here goes! Y'know, I've been doing a little dab of "PR" blogging for an online group of stores, CSN.  Nice folks, and I've enjoyed working with them.  After my first promotional blogging for them, I used their generous promotional gift code, to buy a comfy kitchen mat, if you recall.

Anyway, as I was contemplating this whole soap-making venture, the one major expense (by "major," I mean more than $10) was a digital kitchen scale. The end results of the soap are much more certain if the ingredients are measured precisely.  Well, I'd just gotten another promotional offer from CSN, so I decided to use the gift money from them this time, to buy a scale!  Perfect solution:  they have dozens to choose from, at the right price.

But ...

I placed my order. They told me when it was likely to ship.  Then, much later they told me it wouldn't ship then; it would ship on Dec. 15.  Then, the night before, I get an email saying the scale I'd ordered was no longer being made.

No longer being made? And they didn't know this before?

At this point, I was a bit frantic. I'd borrowed a scale from my friend twice, but was ready to have my own. My first batch of soap was almost gone, and I wanted to make more. Argh!!!

In a fit of frustration, I drove all over town, looking for a digital kitchen scale, which I considered to be a rather specialized item. I went to Belk. And Sears. And Penney's. And other stores that carried kitchen stuff. No luck!

Finally, my mind wondered a strange thought.  What about WalMart?  Why wouldn't they carry a kitchen scale?

WalMart?  You mean the store we love to despise? The store where all things are made to break within 3 months? I would find this thing there?

And, of course, I did. For 1/2 the price of the other one. And it works just fine.

So, this is a post for WalMart, for all the times I've disparaged you and criticized you.  This time, I'm very thankful you had exactly what I needed, so convenient, so cheap. Thank you :)

My soap is drying nicely.