This Christmas once again we have submitted to what I call “bike shuffle” let me give you an idea what bike shuffle is. Imagine that you pay deposit on bicycle for your child this year far in advance and the bike arrives from Holland, we assemble it and put copy of your invoice on it, maybe even call or text you saying the bike is ready for collection. So you go arrange the car and free time to come and pick it up, but in the mean time some other anxious parent comes into our store saying he put the deposit down on the bike and that it should have been here already and assembled and starts clinching fists and shouting and threatening all because he fears that the child will not get its Christmas present.
I try to calmly explain that the bike is on its way and we get the delivery in batches and that everyone will get their bikes for the big day but I can only repeat myself few times before I submit and just pull your invoice from the bike and give it to the person that just walked in, many times even unannounced, just to calm them down and get them going out of the door. In the mean time you walk in saying you are here to pick your bike and I have very hard time to explain where is your supposedly ready bike. It’s hard to explain in one sentence that I have shuffled invoices around just to keep an difficult customer from beating me up.
While I understand that as it gets closer to Christmas everyone starts to worry a bit or even gets nervous but we do deliver our promise year after year so I’m asking myself if all this drama is necessary. Christmas should at first be about family time spent together and serenity, not about presents. In the end you will remember not the things you owned but the quality time you spent with the people you love.
So please take it easy this Christmas and cherish the moments you will spend with your loved ones and don’t let “things” get you stressed.
Have a lovely Christmas!
