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By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Ordering online for Christmas, and waiting, and waiting…

Dec 21, 2022 | 4:48 AM

‘TIS THE SEASON for shopping and mine is all done. Let me clarify — my shopping is finished but the job isn’t.

I did most of my shopping online. Easy peasy.

I justified it to myself partly because it’s a way of avoiding crowds without masks, and partly because so many things aren’t available on local shelves.

So, a few key strokes and done. That was weeks ago. The intervening time has been spent looking out the window hoping to see a delivery van. Different items have different expected delivery dates and I’ve discovered those dates are only a suggestion.

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I’ve checked progress through tracking numbers pretty much on an hourly basis for more than a month, watching as my parcels move from pickup and from depot to depot, gradually closing in on Kamloops.

Various couriers are involved, and each has a different system. One order came all the way from China, and, despite the courier being identified by name, it eventually got here via Canada Post instead.

Another parcel has been “out for delivery” from wherever it arrived in Kamloops a week ago. I keep getting email messages that the courier has encountered problems getting it to my doorstep and will try again another time.

I got one parcel at my front door around 9:30 p.m. a couple of days ago. When another one failed to show up despite a cheery message that it had been delivered, I contacted the trucking company and was informed I wasn’t eligible for a refund and should check with my neighbours to see if they got it.

All of this serves me right. Next year, I’ll look harder for comparable products on local store shelves. You know, the stores that employ lots of local people, support local causes and have actual phone numbers you can call.

As for this year, well, my apologies to those who find IOUs under their tree.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor, waiting for delivery.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.