I received two surprise packages from Scout today, and was seriously overcome with her thoughtfulness and generousity. But the gift was so over-the-top that it made me feel pretty uncomfortable and I couldn't really accept it.
So I called her to tell her it arrived, and that I was, to put it mildly, overwhelmed. She didn't quite follow me. I told her an espresso machine was just too much.
She didn't send me an espresso machine. She sent me a Cuisinart coffeemaker to make a to-go cup at a time, and from Illy, as a nice added touch, some ground coffee.
Well, the folks at Illy did send the coffee.
AND, a red Francis Francis X5 $650 espresso machine.
Scout was not charged for the machine. It was purely a warehouse shipping error.
Audience participation: Do you
a. reap the fruit of other's incompetence and make yourself a celebratory cappucino
b. call Illy and alert them to the error so they can send Fed Ex back to pick it up
c. sell it on EBay, make a profit and treat yourself to something nice
d. return it to a retailer for store credit
e. call Illy and tell them you ordered a BLACK ONE For God's Sake and make them exchange it
f. other - write me an essay
Thank you for your time.
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2 comments:
f. Other
I will not presume to tell you what I think you should do. I will explain how I would hope that I would approach this situation if it were happening to me. I would think of it in terms of (A)Karma - Does keeping this item that was accidentally sent to me count as a greed for material things which are ultimately unecessary? And do you care about the full circle nature of the world? I would be concerned that such an act would count against my Karma - whether the retribution would be in this lifetime or in the next (assuming there is a next). (B)Do I feel secure enough in my expresso making abilities to warrent owning my own machine - or should I leave it up to the nice folks at Starbucks who know just what to do the second they see me walk through the door? Damn-near perfect coffee every time. (C)The next time I move, do I want to be bothered with packing this item up and lugging it with me?
Those are the things I would consider - as to you keeping it - well, you know whether or not you actually need it. Yes it's someone else's mistake, yes you totally could keep it and have expresso whenever you want it without leaving your home. You could return it or trade it in. What was your first instinct? That is usually the right place to look for your answer, whether you thought - well, I should call them, or gee, where did I put my favorite coffe mug?
Ah, my dear, you were (and remain) my brightest student -and you chose the essay question for extra credit! You have honed in on the essential element of the question, and that you addressed in B - leaving it up to professionals to provide you with effort-free perfection. Well done.
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