Friday, September 11, 2015

Buying an Umbrella Can Be Hazardous

     We threw the old umbrella in the garbage can yesterday. The last time we used it we got just as wet as if we hadn't used it. By the time I got it closed and in the car I was wet. It just wouldn't close anymore at least if you're out in the rain and in a hurry..

     We get an average of  12 in (31 cm) of precipitation a year. We rarely have to use an umbrella. On the farm we didn't have an umbrella and I don't remember a raincoat. If it was heavy rain we stayed in. If it was light rain we stayed out and continued working.

    But we decided we had better buy a new umbrella sooner than later so off we went yesterday afternoon.

    We wanted something of quality. Our goal was to find a good reliable umbrella.

    Okay first we found the flimsy umbrellas. We tried them and they were exactly the same as the one we threw in the garbage can. We moved on and found something promising. There was a button on the handle so the Micro manager tried it and to her complete surprise the umbrella popped out causing a  customer beside her to duck very quickly. It was a little embarrassing. So stroke that one off. 

     We did find something that was better than the others and discretely put it on  the back of the rack while we looked at others in another store.

    We came back to get the one we thought was best. the Micro Manager wanted one more look at both of them when they were open. She opened the second choice and somehow her finger got pinched and in trying to escape the pinch she tore a good piece of skin off her finger. She was more that a little upset. 

    So with oohs and aahs, band aids from the staff and the manager the mess was sorted out. The store boxed up all the offending umbrellas and took them off their shelves.

    See , it's not just the pointy end of the umbrella that's dangerous.


24 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. It' was one of those pinches that really gets your attention.

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  2. Ouch! That sounds really painful!

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  3. Ow! I hope it's better by now. I have one of those that opened and closes with a button. It's small and I can stick it in my backpack in the place where the water bottles goes on the outside. It's perfect for me. And of course I have a half dozen raincoats. :-)

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    1. I prefer a coat but getting in and out of cars you need an umbrella.

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  4. I always know when it's going to rain because all of our umbrellas go into hiding.

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  5. The sort of thing that happens to me but I keep quiet. I do enough idiotic things that I can't hide.

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    1. I'm with you. I don't like causing a fuss.

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  6. I have an umbrella, but I never use it. I just pop a baseball cap on and wear a jacket over my backpack on a rainy day.

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    1. That's great if you're not getting in and out of a car.

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  7. This proves that shopping can be hazardous! We have umbrellas in the car...we hardly ever use them. I am not sweet enough to melt:)

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    1. My allergy kicks up when shopping. Honest! The odors from new stuff really bothers me.

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  8. I often haven an umbrella with me but hardly have to use it. Only when I don't have put one into my bag it starts to rain cat and dogs and I regret I haven 't one with me. But a coat with a cap will do too.

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    1. the coat and hat are fine when you don't have to get in and out of cars.

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  9. Yiiikes! My stomach did a somersault when I read about your better half tearing off a piece of her skin on the umbrella. I use an umbrella more for the sun than the rain here in Hawaii. However, we've had an uncommonly wet couple of days that would make an umbrella pretty handy.

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  10. Sounds like maybe you didn't need one, too dangerous

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  11. So did you buy any umbrella?
    Here in Seattle we wear a lot of rain gear, GoreTex jackets, boots, etc. but not so many umbrellas.

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  12. Well, my goodness! I haven't bought a new umbrella in years, still hanging on to the old reliable one that is in the bottom of the closet...where it never sees the light of day or a splatter of rain. LOL!

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  13. I have goretex pants and hooded jacket, all good n well, but I also buy a golfing umbrella.....lotsa room. Your encounter with the alien umbrella did not go well. OUCH!!!

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  14. Umbrellas. sigh. We put people in space...

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  15. A lesson to all. As I think most of us keep those around.
    Poor lady. As Grand kids would say back then. You got a Owie Grandma.

    Lets all get smart and buy a good one. There I am like you Red. We got to the point. Yet so many days it has been raining so when do we really throw them away?
    Let us know if you ever get a reliable one. And show us a pix. Singing in the Rain.

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  16. Glad to hear the store took the offending umbrellas all off the shelf, unfortunately it took an injury to bring attention to this. I hope the Micro Manager is on the mend. Who would have thought that buying an umbrella could be dangerous?

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