You’re right, boxing is a great workout! After all I ate during the holidays, I need a workout! Told my wife the other night I need to start another blog called “Gaining Weight Little by Little” Hope you had a wonderful holiday!

My wife went to a local GameStop who had just got a shipment in that morning but was selling pre-ordered units. The pre-order even came in a little box for under the tree, however the next day we got a call that our wii was in and were able to have it wrap for the kids.

I have to say that while I’m not a huge gamer, the wii is an amazing gamin machine. We got the bundle package that came with wii sports and I was amazed at how sore our bodies were from playing the previous day. (Boxing is a great workout.)

It is very frustrating, but I can see why they do it this. Once bitten twice shy I guess.

We waited for our couch on backorder for an extra month. Our new blinds were supposed to be in in 2 weeks. We ordered them well in advance of Christmas, but we won’t see them for another month now at least, because the backorder has been back ordered. Companies aren’t willing to take risks or pay overhead.

My big frustration with this is that orders are being shipped on convenience priority for the companies, not on a first-come first-served basis for the customers. If 5 people in 5 different states order Ashley couches, and there are 5 couches in the warehouse, they will be earmarked for those 5 customers–unless one store/region orders 3 of them. The company will ship to the bigger order in one place, and only send the remaining 2 to the other customers who have been waiting. 3 people will have to have their order back ordered even though they ordered first, and the computer was showing it as “in stock and ready to ship” when they placed the order.

Both my couch & my blinds were in stock in the warehouse when I ordered them. Unfortunately in both instances one location placed a larger order elsewhere, and their order was shipped, and mine was placed to the backorder list. This happens more than you think and the retailers have little control over it. Many like Home Depot have been changing to a drop ship method on orders so they don’t have to deal with the irate customers and can refer their complaints directly to the warehouse.

The large retailers are turning into a face-to-face version of a catalog/mail order store for any large or expensive items. They stock a floor model and place your order for you with the company. They take a cut, but they don’t take the risk an item won’t sale. The company doesn’t want the risk either so they don’t manufacture enough items to meet demand-in case demand changes.