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Plain English
Jun. 10th, 2005 05:11 pmThe following is an excerpt from Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary:
retail:
1) vt to sell in small quantities directly to the ultimate consumer.
2)a) n the sale of commodities or goods in small quantities directly to ultimate consumers. b) at a retailer's price.
3) adj of, relating to, or engaged in the sale of commodities at retail.
4) adv in small quantities; from a retailer.
I just got off the phone with a customer service rep from OneHanesPlace.com. I had just put in an order for a new bra and I was trying to find out why their online store did not take a coupon that I had for $3 off.[1] I can understand that they might not be a "participating retailer" as described on the coupon. I can understand that their website might not be set up to take coupons like this one.
What I *can't* understand is the lady's insistance that they were not a retailer. She kept saying that they were a catalog, as if that was supposed to make sense to me. It didn't. So I looked in my dictionary, and found the above. To my mind, OneHanesPlace.com, which sells a bunch of different bras (not to mention other pieces of clothing) by different manufacturers directly to consumers at pretty much the same price as, say, Wal-Mart, is just as much a retailer as the aforementioned Wal-Mart. I mean, to say a catalog company is not a retailer is saying that Sears-Roebuck wasn't one, either.
What say you? Am I completely off my rocker? Do I not understand plain English anymore? Or is it the lady I talked to that is smoking something?
[Poll #510584]
[1] What can I say? I'm cheap.
retail:
1) vt to sell in small quantities directly to the ultimate consumer.
2)a) n the sale of commodities or goods in small quantities directly to ultimate consumers. b) at a retailer's price.
3) adj of, relating to, or engaged in the sale of commodities at retail.
4) adv in small quantities; from a retailer.
I just got off the phone with a customer service rep from OneHanesPlace.com. I had just put in an order for a new bra and I was trying to find out why their online store did not take a coupon that I had for $3 off.[1] I can understand that they might not be a "participating retailer" as described on the coupon. I can understand that their website might not be set up to take coupons like this one.
What I *can't* understand is the lady's insistance that they were not a retailer. She kept saying that they were a catalog, as if that was supposed to make sense to me. It didn't. So I looked in my dictionary, and found the above. To my mind, OneHanesPlace.com, which sells a bunch of different bras (not to mention other pieces of clothing) by different manufacturers directly to consumers at pretty much the same price as, say, Wal-Mart, is just as much a retailer as the aforementioned Wal-Mart. I mean, to say a catalog company is not a retailer is saying that Sears-Roebuck wasn't one, either.
What say you? Am I completely off my rocker? Do I not understand plain English anymore? Or is it the lady I talked to that is smoking something?
[Poll #510584]
[1] What can I say? I'm cheap.
