The "Value Menu" (A Visit To The Wireless Store - The Sequel)

I apologize once again for the McDonald's food reference. I will try and be a bit more creative in the future...

When my daughter & I went to the cell phone store on our follow up trip (after the sticker shock of the initial visit)a few interesting things happened leading up to the event.

Before leaving for the store, I have never seen my daughter so productive in her chores. Water flying as dishes were cleaned, carpeting seen for the first time as dirty clothes were picked up,etc. We were milking this experience for everything it was worth. Asking her to wash & wax the cars was a bit much, but I think her frozen fingers will still be able to text messages. After all, how often does a teenager routinely do their chores?

As she was getting ready, it almost seemed like she was going out on her first date (which by the way won't be until she is 32). She spent an inordinate amount of time primping before the departure. I did not understand this ritual, as the minutes rolled by and I could smell the burnt hair emanating (a word I could only use with the power of spell check) from the crimping iron (ouch! that seems like it has to hurt!). Who am I to understand the female mind... especially a teenage female mind (is it possible?). Maybe because this was the first time she would meet her new phone and everything had to be just right. After all, first impressions and those first few words she would text were so important...

So we get to the store and again are greeted by the clipboard lady - ready to take our name so we can hurry up and wait. As we are waiting, my daughter scans the phones at the entrance of the store that are way too expensive (i.e. Droid)and require an $899.99 per month (did I get my decimal place in the wrong spot?,oh well!) Internet fee. She was quick to point out what a bargain the $29.99 per month unlimited Internet usage on the enV Touch phone she wanted would be in comparison. I wish she applied that type of critical thinking with her school work...

As our name is called and we become one of the "chosen ones", I show my daughter the less expensive phones that do not require Internet access. Feeling fairly confident in my selling abilities, I try and convince her that this way she won't be tempted by having access to the Internet. Let me now introduce Jennifer,our sales representative, into this discussion. A very knowledgeable sales person,who,by no coincidence,happened to own an enV Touch that my daughter wanted. She proceeded to inform the old man (since I was twice her age) that Internet access was still accessible on the basic models, just like the enV Touch, and my daughter could still access it freely. Only freely meant easily, not cheaply. Jennifer explained that the benefit of having the enV Touch would allow for a certain amount of free access in case she did "accidentally" accessed the Internet. "Thank you for that insight" I smirked. My daughter looked over and smiled at Jennifer as if this conversation had been planned out for weeks. I replied, "Fine, we will take the enV Touch with the "Value Menu" Option." She asked what that was, and I told her the $10 per month Internet access. She suggestively sold the $29.99 per month unlimited Internet access option, to which I replied "I don't feel like "Super Sizing" today." She seemed a bit put out with my analogies, but humor and sarcasm were all I knew at this point.

Then the additional waiting began. Since my daughter had been off-line for many days, it seemed that it took several minutes to transfer over all of her unread text messages. Jennifer even seemed surprised at the time and number of messages that were transferring. Actually, Jennifer opened one message by mistake as we were awaiting all of these important trade secrets from the Pentagon to transfer. I volunteered to read the opened message, but received "the look" from my daughter that only a female can give. After the infinite transfer of messages occurred and National Security was once again at a lower alert level, Jennifer was kind enough to be coerced into removing all of the shortcuts to the Internet that were present on the new phone.

My daughter asked in front of Jennifer if I was going to put this experience on my blog. I replied "Certainly". As a result, Jennifer then became more engaged in our conversations. So here is to you Jennifer and may you enjoy your 30 seconds of fame. I knew she was treating me more like a celebrity when she offered me a bag to put the empty phone box to carry it home...

I haven't heard or seen much from my daughter since she got her new phone...

So, as a shameless attempt to interact with her more I asked her to make a "cameo" writing appearance by providing a message to everyone regarding this experience:

"omg i ttly LOVE my new fone!! its awesum!! omg i can color pics 2!! (: im so glad i got rid of the dinaasaur! hahahahahaha! :p"

Eight years of private education and this is how she writes. I am so proud! Actually she writes clearer and is funnier than her dear ol' Dad!

I always "kid" with my kids that tonight is going to be a "board game" night to remind them that we need to spend more time together...

Perhaps a blog for another day...