Can You Hear Me Now?

I must have had a feeling of parental softness yesterday because I took both the girls to the Verizon store. K's plan was up in a month, B was going to get a phone in a month anyway, B's BFF just got her ears pierced and B was feeling like a wimp because she didn't want to yet, B and I are leaving K high and dry while we go to Texas for a week, they had just sat through my softball game in the rain..... Anyway, I had that 'how can I make it up to you?' feeling. Yeah, so we went to Verizon.

We had to wait for 1/2 hour because the store was packed! It wasn't like they were giving phones away...or were they? When our nice salesman came over to us, I said, "Please treat me as an idiot. I have no idea what I am talking about, I just know I have an upgrade and need a new phone, but already have an extra number for it."

I think I saw the guy grinning wildly and summoning the sucker truck from the back of the store. He actually asked the girls what they were looking for in a phone. They knew what they wanted and actually had an Academy Award speech prepared for him. He gave them 2 options and they chose the blahblahblah, complete with touch screen and flip up keyboard. Yeah, the thing is nicer (ok, way nicer) than my phone and in a different hemisphere than their father's phone. 

They are dancing around, high fiving the "cool" Verizon dude while I am signing my name 5, 10, a million times on the magic screen. I could have excused the guy from probation for all I knew what I was signing. In the end he said, "That will be $100." I was thinking, "Hey, that's reasonable. I just made my new plan with unlimited texting and kind of added a line. OK." Then the very sweet man, who I invited to Thanksgiving dinner, said, "Oh and send this in and you will get $70 back."

So explain to me how I got 2 new phones (retailing at $200 each) for $30?! Yeah, I don't know either. Maybe it pays to call yourself an idiot right when you walk in the store. I know I can't wait for my upgrade in September!!!!!