🎋Spoiled🎋… by JoAnn

I recently received a gift card for my birthday from my daughter Christine. She knows I only shop for clothing online and chose to send me a gift from a favorite website. I was excited to do some online shopping as it had been a while. After I placed my order for several items I just had to have, I was eager to receive them.

I expected my package to arrive in a couple of days, 3 or 4 at the most. After it had been five days, I found myself feeling annoyed. After seven days, I felt angry that my order had still not arrived.
I rarely get angry at anything or anyone. Since I hit the age of 50, each year to follow, the “I just don’t give a #@%$” attitude has strengthened. I now strive for a more “chill” approach to life.

So why was I feeling so aggravated that my online order had not been delivered? I stopped to ponder, and it came to me. For the past few years, I have ordered at least half of my needs from Wal-mart.com. Groceries, cleaning, and household needs like toilet paper, paper towels, pet food, etc. I use their app on my smartphone, very easily order what I need that is deliverable, and POOF, my items are left at my front door in as little as one day! I rarely ever receive something more than three days after placing the order.

I had become spoiled. I have purchased items online for years. I was never phased by a delivery taking anywhere from 7 to 20 days to reach me. I have become so used to the super fast delivery from Walmart that I expect, and in my head demand, that every order be as efficient. Since I’ve realized that some deliveries still take over a week to arrive, I find myself checking on Wal-mart.com to see if what I need is available for purchase through them. You would be amazed at what you can find on their app that is not in their stores. They use many retailers to fill their customer’s needs. It has been a wonderful service, and I recommend you give it a try if you haven’t already.

It’s not that I need items to be delivered so quickly, but I do need the option of purchasing online and having it delivered to my door. My nearest Walmart is a 30-minute drive away. With gas prices being what they are and my body not being what it used to be, it is a massive help for me to receive the deliveries. I pay tax on the order, just like in the store, but the shipping is usually free. I save money on gasoline, not to mention time—no wonder I am spoiled.

It got me thinking about how spoiled we as a nation are in 2023. If you stop to think about it, everything is delivered to us faster. It has been working its way into our lives for decades. We can now receive things at lightning speed. From food to money. No wonder the United States Postal Service is struggling to remain. They are considered “snail mail.” No one wants something that slow. I rarely drive to my bank. I send all my deposits through my online bank app. Pay all of my bills the same way. Who has time, or the desire, to write out a check, place it in an envelope, address it by hand, and then take it to the post office? We used to take that process for granted as our daily routine.

I am so used to doing everything online that I forgot to send my oldest friend a birthday card this year. For the first time in probably 40 years, yes 40, I did not mail a birthday card to a best friend I have known since we were 12 years old. I felt horrible. But the thought of “mailing” a physical card did not even enter my mind this year. Why? Because I am spoiled with being able to do things faster.

What things do you rely on to receive quickly? I don’t believe I am the only one who has fallen into the category of being spoiled.