Dead Smurf

My car broke down on Monday evening on my way to Toys R Us. I stopped in a parking lot to double check a map on my phone and the internet was taking a while, so I shut my car off for a couple minutes. When I tried to start it: Nothing.

I broke down right next door to an auto shop. I walked over to the shop...they wanted to charge me $50 to move my car to their shop (shoot, for $50 I would have pushed my car the 30 feet!!) and then $54 to diagnose the problem....$104 before they even fixed anything!!??

I knew it was just the battery or the alternator and I'm not willing to pay money where it isn't needed. The man at the shop told me Auto Zone was up the street, so I took a walk to the store. When I walked in I was greeted by Ron. I asked him about a battery jumper and he said it needed to be plugged in overnight, so I asked him how much a battery weighs (I know they're pretty heavy). He was concerned that I was by myself and that I was going to carry the heavy battery to my car and possibly get battery acid on my clothes too. I told him I was waiting for my husband and he would swap the batteries when he was done working. He told me their store was open until 10pm and we had plenty of time, so I didn’t need to carry the battery to my car. He suggested we wait until Doug was available to help and then even told me about the restaurants nearby; I teased about having time to help him stock shelves.

I left the store for a while, I figured I would walk down to Toys R Us. It was too cold and my ears were starting to hurt (my ears are sissy ears and they hurt when the air is cold or there's a wind), so I went back to ask if a jumper was available for me to walk back to my car. Ron gladly let me borrow their jumper (he told me not to shut my car off, so he could test my alternator). My car started without a problem using the jumper, I drove back to Auto Zone, Ron tested my alternator and Doug arrived at about the same time.

The staff that assisted us with the purchase was very helpful too! They made sure we had tools, gloves, brought out a flashlight and checked on us while we were changing the battery. When we were done they offered a sink to wash our hand as well. My night could have really sucked, but it didn't. Auto Zone's staff was great! I promised Ron I would bring them all cookies and I did and I wrote a letter to Auto Zone corporate to tell them about their great customer service.

I have a super amazing husband too. I know changing a battery isn't that big of a deal, but I can always count on Doug to help; he'll drop everything without giving a huff like I might.

When we got home I was so cold after being outside without a jacket for an hour, so I put on pajamas and then put on footed pajamas too. Doug laughed at me because I had 2 sets of pajamas on and then I curled under a blanket. Footed pajamas are AWESOME by the way :)Cars can be a realy pain sometimes, but I'm so thankful it was just a dead battery.