Merry Christmas! Just not for us Wal-Mart shoppers...

I can understand being upset, but this is a little over the top. I do
think that since the manager was able to match up the serial numbers,
you should have been given cash back. But you did get a gift card,
which isn't the worst if you shop there often.
As far as how your day went, why not have just made up a quick story
and explain the whole Santa fantasy another day. Since that didn't
happen, just try to chalk it up to one of lifes unpleasant
experiences. We all have them multiple times thoughout our lives.
Learning how to deal with them plays a big part in our happiness.

You should have checked the box first. It amazes me, re-reading this,
that you didn't take that basic responsibility.

Seriously??

I am wondering how NO ONE noticed how light the box was. Secondly,
most boxes for display models that I've ever seen are marked DISPLAY
for that very reason. Either that or the box gets tossed or lost LONG
before it can ever be sold.

While I feel for your oldest that her holiday was dampened by not
getting the present she had her heart set on, if it had been my child
and she acted like that, running her mouth in front of the little
ones, she'd have been in for a turn over my knee.

Your daughter sounds like a spoiled, selfish little brat who clearly
doesn't understand the true meaning of Christmas if she would go out
of her way to wreck it for others just because of a mistake with her
gift.

And from your letter, I think it's safe to assume that was not her
only gift. Talk about ungrateful!

Therefore, I think you should have her take her WalMart giftcard and
donate it to a less fortunate family (you can find them through the
Salvation Army) or a local women's/children's shelter. Then she could
learn a little humility and appreciation for what she has.

Your daughter still believed in Santa at 11?

You didn't notice that the box seemed a bit light?

That they compensated you. Not to say they shouldn't have, but have
you read the news story about a guy who got a pasta sauce in a
camcorder box?? And the selling store refused to take it back? A
person I know purchased DVD's from WM, came home, found one of the
DVD's to be empty - back within half hour, receipt in hand, and noone
would accomodate her - the employees' argment being - how do they know
she didn't open it.. I am glad for you - that they didn't give you a
hard time and issued credit (which, since you're there twice a week,
should come in handy)
As far as your 11 year old "ruining" your entire holiday because she
said out loud 'there's no Santa"... I can see where that may have
been dissappointing, but that's a little insensitive to people around
the world whose holiday actually WERE derailed by deaths, accidents,
ilnesses, losses of employment, evictions, and such. Your 11 yr old
will have to wait a couple extra days for her camera... Your letter
makes me sad.

You're child sounds like a spoiled brat to throw such a
fit...especially at 11. And for you to think she deserves a shopping
spree for the mistake? No wonder she's spoiled. And they tried to
compensate you the best that they could according to their rules. But
her a different flippin camera! She's 11! who cares! an 11 year old
shouldn't have a $120 camera anyways. This is coming from a
photographer, and 11 year olds cannot appreciate a camera the way it
should be.

What did you expect from Walmart anyways?

Details of your child's behavior over this issue is not important to
the situation. It doesn't matter how old she is, how many kids you
have or of what gender, or their questionable behavior. What is
relevent is the mix up that the company made.

That being said, you were compensated for the lack of camera in the
box. It merely seems that this was not enough for you. If your child
is truly too spoiled and divine to wait a week or two for the next
shipment of nine hundred dollar cameras, then use the gift card for
the other two to three times per week that you visit their store
instead.

I could see you going into this little tizzy if Wal-Mart told you no
and did not issue a gift card. Not receiving cash back is not a
reason to behave this way. And yes, Wal-Mart is not at all interested
in your daughter getting a camera; they are interested in you spending
that nine hundred dollars at Wal-Mart. That's how big businesses
operate. If you don't want to give them your business any longer, you
can choose not to redeem the gift card, but Wal-Mart will still have
that nine hundred bucks. It's in your best interest to close your
mouth and be grateful they gave you anything at all. There was a real
possibility they might not have.

Also, as I have read your previous retaliations against those who
think your parenting skills are sub par, if you do not want commentary
on the way you raise your children, it would be prudent not to post it
in a public forum for all to see, cringe over and mock.

And thinking, even in jest for the slightest second that your child is
entitled to some kind of shopping spree because of this just sends me
into a fit of giggles. With this kind of entitlement attitude her
mother has, I can see where she gets her need to ruin others' holidays
and spoiled, pouty ways.

Your daughter, and yourself as well, need to grow up.

~A

You couldn't think up a lie and think it up quick??
Like...maybe..."Santa must've gotten so busy packing all those
millions of presents, he must've had a mess up on the present packing
floor! Sorry Sweetie, but I will straighten this out with Santa as
soon as Christmas is over. In the meantime - YOU GOT A COOL CAMERA
COMING!!! Isn't that NEAT?!?"

Geez.

Yea, they were closed on Christmas Day. So what???? They should be
closed on Christmas Day, and every other holiday too for that matter.
Are the workers there not entitled to a little time off to spend with
their families?

It seems to me like they're willing to fix the problem. What was the
point of this letter? Also, how was it Walmart's fault you decided to
tell your daughter the truth?

Seems to me like you're trying to scam them for some freebies.

Just a personal practice of mine, anytime I pickup a layaway item
(especially if it's expensive), I open it up right there at the time
that way I'm sure to see if the item is intact, and it proves that
nothing dishonest has been done on my part.

I can understand you had the receipt and the box/accessories minus the
camera, but I'm guessing Walmart offered credit b/c they had no way to
verify that the camera was not in the box when you left the store w/
it.

Sorry this happened to you.

Since you can't prove the camera wasn't in there when you opened the
box and the store can't prove it was in there when they sold it to you
the gift card for the purchase price is the best resolution to the
situation.


I have to ask this question: Do kids actually believe that ELVES
build things like PS3's, IPOD's and digital cameras? When I was a kid
my parents handled the whole "santa didn't bring me everything on my
list" thing by telling us that Santa did bring the presents but the
elves couldn't make things such as Atari so Santa had to buy those and
if the really popular items were in short supply Santa did the best he
could. Mom and Dad then had to get the missing items once the stores
had them again. Problem solved and no disappointment on Christmas
day.

I don't know if this was mentioned, but have you looked at walmart.com
for the camera? You can use gift cards online, and it may be in stock
online.

Did you try taking your Wal-Mart gift card to another area Wal-Mart?
I live in a relatively small town and we have TWO of them...plus
within 30 minutes there are 4 more. It's not ideal, but it could have
helped with your daughter getting her gift sooner.

She's complaining because she didn't get cash!
Why are there those who speak as if she got nothing?
She got a store credit!!

it just happened to be the box for the display model. After waiting
about 20 minutes, the second manager comes back and says there are no
more in stock except the display model, and that I WILL GET MY MONEY
CREDITED TO A GIFT CARD.

That's more than I would have given her.

All of you have somehow missed the whole point of this letter and I
will explain!

First of all, the camera has the same serial number as the one that
was suppose to be in the box as the serial number on the box is the
same.. So what should have happened here is that the manager(s) should
have just taken the camera off the display shelf and put it in the box
and given it to her! Very much common sense from a manager's point of
view, unless you have no customer relations skill whatsoever as in
this case.

The rest of the story was just what happens if something is screwed up
and during the holidays guess what, its worse and I will give you an
example..This lady is lucky that it was her daughter and not some long
lost relative that lives overseas and only comes home for the holidays
or something! But what walmart did was make a bad situation worse, as
instead of the camera or even the cash back..they reverted it to a
gift card which forces her to have to live with walmart's mistake, but
not only that, she still has money for which she can ONLY use in
walmart!

Remember the old adage in retail that one customer is worth 20
others.. she was dissappointed, but I guarantee that 20 others
customers X whoever else those other 20 customers inform, arent going
to be shopping at walmart during the xmas season for sure! I know I
will remember this letter when buying something of that nature at a
walmart!

Now, as for raising of her children, if you think you can do
better..fine, but leave the raising of her children to just
that....HER!

All I have to ask is why didn't your daughter open gifts at her
grandparents house? My children believe in Santa (they are 8 and 4)
but even they know that Santa only visit's their own house and any
other presents come from their grandparents (or uncle) or whomever
else they have gone to visit.

What happened to you is sad and I feel bad for your daughter, but you
have bigger problems to worry about in my opinion. Just because
something went wrong, she felt it was okay to ruin Christmas for her
younger siblings and to be disrespectful at her Grandmother's house?
Frankly, if she were my kid -- my worry would be less about the camera
and more about her behavior. The lack of a camera in the box is
WalMart's fault, the rest is not. Of course, reading this line, "I
would say she deserves like a shoping spree or something," kind of
makes me understand what we are dealing with here.

Hello

Well of course they are closed on Christmas. There's really no need to
put that in parentheses.

I do think they should have refunded your money. It was their error.

I had a problem with a price match at Walmart on a camera. Although
most letters of this nature I submit through planet feedback, this
time I wrote a short comment via the Walmart website and had a call
from the manager within a day. Not only did they match my price but
gave me an additional $10 gift card for my trouble. I also received a
followup phone call from the district office the next day to be sure I
was contacted and was now satisfied.

I am very surprised they didn't offer you anything. Since you had the
original receipt, they should have refunded your money via the same
payment method you used to purchase the camera, or at least offered to
order it from their website with no shipping charge. You also could
have requested that they check at another local Walmart (there's one
almost every 10 miles in the Pittsburgh area) and just went there to
get it.

Another shiny example of what NOT to put in a letter of complaint.

I tried to have this conversation with a friend of mine a few years
ago who also did not understand that when you are writing a letter,
keep it short, sweet and too the point without a lot of emotion.

Yes, you are mad. Yes, you deserve a refund (which you got with the
store credit) However, the rest of it is not Wal-Mart's fault and does
not even pertain to them. YOU chose to tell your daughter the truth
when you could've easily made up something (the whole santa thing was
made up - yet you were afraid to make something else up to perpetuate
a lie? hmm.) That was a choice that YOU made and has no place in a
letter of complaint. They don't care and obviously most of the posters
here don't care. It's irrelevant information.

Your letter should have said, "I bought a camera, my child opened it
on Christmas, there was no camera, I want a refund." End of story,
leave the extra crap out. I know it was an emotional, traumatic
experience for your child - but it was only made worse by your
reaction to it.

Complaint letters should be short and to the point...use the who,
what, where, when, why, and how model...

Who bought/used the service?
Where or when it was bought/used?
What was bought/used? What or why was it wrong?
How you expect this to be resolved. (Yes, even if it's far fetched,
you are entitled to your opinion)

ALl other information is not needed. No emotion. Just cut and dry. You
have to remember, you are not the only one in the world who complains
and adding emotion just makes it come across as if you are entitled to
more because of whatever your story is...they don't care. Trust me.

If the damn camera was in the box like it was SUPPOSED to be,none of
this would have happened!I guess if it would have happened to
you,you'd have reacted so much better.I'm tired of all you hypocrites
telling me how I SHOULD have handled the situation.I handled it the
best I could,given the circumstances.
I use this site to deal with my being unhappy with how I was dealt
with by a store,not for all of you to try to tell me how to raise my
kids.I'm doing just fine,Thank You!!
They messed up,yes,I believe it was not intentional,but still,they
were at fault!!The camera on display has same serial code as was on my
box.They know that it was the camera that belonged in MY box,that I
paid for,that SHOULD have been the HIGHLIGHT of her Christmas,not the
gift that **** on her day.All her sisters' gifts were complete,why not
hers?Can you put yourself in her shoes & imagine how she felt?She's
upset,thinking she must not have been good enough all year,that it was
a cruel joke played on her.A straight A student,who does her
chores,and is a great kid!
And yes,when my daughter threw her fit,she was disiplined as she was
supposed to be,when she was supposed to be,sorry if I don't abuse my
kids for you!
When writing my post,it asks ME what I felt should happen,I know damn
well that she's not going to get a shopping spree out of this
mistake,but at the time I was writing,thats how I felt, she deserves
something,dammit!! You are all telling me that you would not want some
kind of compensation????
All you trolls need to get a life instead of worrying about how I
raise my kids.
Take the base of the letter,nothing else.
I paid for a camera.
I recieved no camera.
There is PROOF that the camera I BOUGHT was still sitting on the
display case.
I got brushed off by employees.
My daughter lost a bit of innocence that I can NEVER get back.
Go to school,CAUSE & EFFECT!!!
BECAUSE it happened,she questioned Santa & I answered her honestly.

One last thing, I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO CHECK TO SEE IF AN ITEM IS IN THE
BOX!! IT SHOULD BE THERE!!I saw the box go from a LOCKED display
case,the EMPLOYEE carried it to layaway,b/c they are worried about
theft.I was not allowed to handle it in store.

I would like to thank those that understand why I was so furious,the
rest of you can go to hell.

Honey, Sorry it happened. But it's Wal-Mart, don't expect much. That's
just how they do things. You pay for what you get right? Low prices =
low service.

I agree with you that the manager should have made an exception and
given you your money back since he knew they didn't have any more
cameras available. The stores need to have policies, but they also
need to have people managing their stores who are good at resolving
problems. It sounds like Wilmer was clueless about how to handle this
mess since he made the other manager take care of it for him, and
didn't even bother to open his mouth to let the other manager know
what the problem was. Therefore, making YOU even more upset since you
had talk about the problem all over again. It sounds like they need
to train some of their managers better. You're right when you say
that walmart seems more concerned about getting people to spend their
money in the store, they probably trained Wilmer and the other manager
to handle things this way.

Some 11 year olds are too old for kiddie menus. Some 11 year olds
watch porn.

And then, some 11 year olds believe in Santa.

This truly is the crossroads age, ain't it?

I understand that you and your daughter were upset over the empty box,
but I think you overreacted. While I do think 11 years old is a bit
old to believe in Santa, I also think it's nice that your child still
held that belief. But, you didn't have to tell her that Santa didn't
exist - you could have said the elves made a mistake. And while most
children learn there's no Santa from their older siblings, I think
your daughter overreacted - she did not have to tell her younger
siblings that there was no Santa - and if she didn't want to open her
gifts, maybe you should have told her that you'd give them to Toys for
Tots - so that children who would appreciate them would get them.

As far as Wal-Mart - I am not a Wal-Mart fan but they did give you a
gift card. I personally think they should have given you the choice of
a gift card or your money back, but regardless, your child does not
deserve a shopping spree. What will that teach her - that when
someone makes an honest mistake, you'll get rewarded for it?

I personally never enforced the idea of Santa with my son. When he
was young, we didn't have a lot of money and weren't able to go
hog-wild at Christmas.

In all of the songs and cartoons and stories about Santa, they
constantly teach that Santa brings toys to all the GOOD little girls
and boys. Our neighborhood was mixed, with some families that were
well-off, most families like us that were in the middle, and some
families on welfare. Some of the welfare families were headed by the
stereotypical 'welfare queens' - 4-5 kids, living in a subsidized
house paying $50/month for rent, receiving welfare, food stamps, free
medical care, plus having a relative or two and a boyfriend, all of
whom have jobs, living there too, so there's a ton of money coming
into the house and very few expenses.

So when Christmas comes, my husband & I, working our low-wage jobs but
paying our bills and saving money, have about $150 to spend on our
son, who truly is a good kid, for Christmas gifts. Meanwhile, some of
the low-rent kids, who vandalize property, steal, are defiant and
swear, even at adults, get suspended from school, etc., are having a
grand old Christmas, getting hundreds of dollars of gifts. How do you
explain that to a child who believes in Santa?

The manager did the right thing. Unlike the experience another person
had at Best Buy, you were offered your money back! You were not
accused of stealing, yourself.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to give a GC/store credit, in this
situation. True, you cannot buy this same camera. But you can get
something else (another camera, perhaps).

What bothers me about this letter is the abuse of pathos. I have no
doubt that your children cried. I have no doubt that you burst the
Santa bubble. At 11, few children still believe in Santa... but if
your child was able to still believe at her age, that's great!

However, this has little to do with your complaint. Which is,
specifically, to get your money back. While Wal-Mart cannot undo YOUR
DECISION to tell your child there was no Santa, you need to decide if
your complain is that you child's Christmas was ruined by Wal-Mart or
not. The decision to give you a GC or cash does absolutely nothing to
fix the feelings your daughter had/has.

It should have been left out of the letter. Why? Because it comes
off as abusive and an attempt to manipulate.

You see, I think you have a legit issue (the fact that you were given
a boss without the camera) and it's a shame to ruin this with the
issue of an 11-year old's believe in Santa.

I do have to ask: if the box WAS open, why didn't you notice it? If I
was wrapping a gift, I'm positive I'd notice that the seal was broken.
Heck, the minute I was handed the box, I'd have realized it.

Lastly, your suggestion of a shopping spree is crazy. And you know
it. Why would you even suggest such a thing? This line, along,
flushes you entire letter down the drain.

My advice: take the store credit and find a nice gift for her. And
use this as a learning experience.

I personally don't believe in a physical Santa Claus, but I believe in
the magic of Santa. Santa is very powerful for children, and even
adults. Santa is just a being that teaches us the importance of giving
and sharing. You took away that from your daughter by your own
admittance. Wal-mart did not force you to do that. Something like this
happened to my niece, and her parents didn't even want to address it.
I sat her down and said "Hey, I know Santa personally, and Ill get in
touch with him to see what we can do." And I told him it may be a
couple of weeks since Santa needed to rest from delivering all those
toys. I went out and bought the present myself, wrapped it and gave it
to my niece, and it said "from Santa." Don't blame Wal-mart for your
mistake of spilling the Santa beans.

If my kid acted the way yours did, she would have been in HUGE
trouble. She attempted to ruin the spirit of Christmas for your other
kids, and you let her do it. It should have been stopped when it
happened, not later on, long after it happened.

Wal-mart made it right by giving you a gift card. You can check back
for the stock to replenish, buy it elsewhere, or spend it on something
else. I find it odd you weren't given your cash back, but thats
between you and management.

She's ELEVEN... She doesn't believe in him, big deal. Christmas isn't
about Santa anyway.

I'm sorry, but if I'D acted like that little girl at 11, I wouldnt be
GETTING the darn camera. Yes, Walmart screwed up. Yes, your precious
little girl was missing her main present. YES, THAT SUCKS. And I feel
bad for her. BUT. It was YOUR choice to reveal the truth about Santa.
And, your kid acted like a little brat. Why didnt you drag her into a
notehr room and lay into her the FIRST time she said "ther's no santa"
in front of the other kids? Thats YOUR fault. SHE ruined Christmas and
you allowed it. Walmart didn't do anything except believe you and give
you your money back in some fashion. They COULD have refused and been
well within their rights. An 11 year old has no business acting like a
2 year old. If anything ruined Christmas, its that. And I'm sorry, but
shame on YOU for letting PRESENTS dictate the spirit of Christmas
anyway! Maybe its time to teach your children about the true meaning
of Christmas and that love, not presents, is the most important thing.
Take some tips from Mary Jo, seems SHE'S doing the perfect job.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. My kids are now 23 and
15, and I have *never* admitted to them that there is no Santa. Every
year we go through the same routine. We exchange gifts on Christmas
Eve, and as soon as everyone is asleep, I put the things from Santa
under the tree, wrapped in special paper, together with a half-eaten
plate of cookies and a half glass of milk. I never let on that I know
what's in the packages and always manage to look surprised when they
open them. I honestly think my son is still on the fence about
believing it!... hahaha.

Anyway, I realize that you must have been shocked when your daughter
opened the box, but like Mary Jo said, you could have handled it
better with a little quick thinking. It may be too late for damage
control as far as believing in Santa is concerned, but at least you're
not out the money and can get another camera, even if it's at Walmart.


There's so much more to believing in Santa than just receiving gifts.
It's more about believing in hopes and dreams, and not giving up. I
think kids need that more than anything else, and us adults do too.
Don't let this one incident spoil it for you and your family. Start
anew next year, and if you truly believe, your kids will too.

I've never had this problem but I'm certainly going to check they box
of any high ticket item I buy. There is another letter I read today
where a woman had the same thing happen to her at Best Buy and they
wouldn't do a damn ting for her.

My suggestion for anyone else this happens to is when you go into the
store to report it make sure you look as nice as possible. I work in
an urban area and people try to scam us all the time. They know what
to look for. I can spot a shoplifter the minute they walk in the door
just by the way they look and are dressed. You don't want to give
them any reason to suspect you are lying.

In the spirit of the holidays, you should have thanked the managers.
:) They believed you and refunded your money, even if it was only onto
a gift card.

Actually, now I think of it, the gift card was most likely a
compromise. They couldn't refund your money because there was no
camera, but to disbelieve your story all together would have been
loutish. The gift card sounds like a good middle ground. They cover
their own butts as well as trying to do the right thing - or at least
a good thing - by you.

As for the whole Santa thing....I stopped believing in Santa when I
was about 3. My grandma's house burned down just before the hols and
it kinda put a damper on the whole thing. For some reason, believing
in Santa that year was tough.

I'll be truthful, however, I do believe in Santa. :) Not the fat man
coming down the chimney, but the idea of love and charity and giving
not to recieve, but for the joy in giving. (I'm 28, btw.)

Way down below Tina said you are lucky you got the credit. I am
inclined to agree. You were smart enough to save your receipt.
Excellent (compared with others who have posted elsewhere) Now, you
told the manager you opened the wrapping and found the seal neatly
cut. The manager beieved you. That is most excellent. You know
there are people who intentionally do stuff like this to get freebies,
correct? So I am happy nobody suggested that you did such a thing,
and under the circumstances I think a credit is appropriate. I can't
comment on your daughter's belief in Santa Claus. This could have
been handled differently, but that is water over the bridge. I hope
your daughter enjoys the fascination of her camera.

to give gift cards and not cash back on gifts, regardless of whether
or not you have a receipt.

It is up to you and your spouse on when to reveal "Santa". I have
chosen not to do the "Santa" thing with my two younger ones since I
was called a liar by my two older children when the truth was
revealed.

I agree with several other posters.

The responsibility for the missing camera lies with Wal*Mart.
Responsibility for the daughter's Santa issues do not.

Most children don't take the news of Santa's non-existence well at
first, but it seems to me the daughter behaved as a spoiled brat. To
be upset over a missing present is one thing, it's quite another to
ensure that no one else enjoyed their Christmas Day either. So,
perhaps, Wal*Mart could have been more careful, but the person who
ruined Christmas was her.

While others have recommended continuing the Santa charade by coming
up with a convenient excuse, I really believe it was time the daughter
learned the truth. Admittedly, the circumstances could have been
better, but most situations like this are hardly ideal.

Along with telling her the truth about Santa, I would have offered
instruction on respecting her sisters' youth and setting an example on
handling disappointment.

Absolutely, she does not deserve a shopping spree because one
Christmas present was missing. The OP received a gift card for the
purchase price (although a cash refund would have been appropriate if
cash was used to pay the layaway).

Ok..I will start by saying this. My 7 (almost 8) year old still
believes in Santa and will for as long as I can persuade him to. Heck!
I still believe in Santa! Like I told him this year after a friend of
his told him that Santa was only made up to take our attention away
from the "real" reason for Christmas..Santa is in all of us. When you
help someone out that might not get Christmas any other way, like
donating to Toys For Tots or the making up the shoe boxes that we do
every year...THATS being Santa. And he LOVED that!!! He was so happy
to know that HE was being Santa to someone else!!

Anyway, I am sure he doesnt completely believe but I have told him
that when he stops believing that he stops getting gifts. LOL!
However, if this situation had happend to me I would NOT have handled
it the way you did. I think that part of the blame her goes to you.
Yes, its Walmart's fault that the camera wasnt in the box. However...

A.)You should always check things like that to make sure its in the
box. Could you not tell that it was very lightweight? When a box is
missing its MAIN item I cant imagine it would feel full. I try to open
and check as many things as possible BEFORE wrapping them up and
sometimes before paying for them. That way if there is a problem I can
fix it before Christmas day. And you certainly had enough time to do
that if you had just checked.

B.) Telling your daughter who, until Christmas morning, still believed
in Santa that Santa wasnt real because something was missing was NOT
the way to go. You should have told her there was a mix up at the
North Pole and that some tire, over worked elf must have forgotten to
put the camera in the box but that you would call them and find out
what happend and when you could get the camera. At least SOMETHING to
cover if you were so intent that she still believe.

Now, I have to say that your daughter was seriously over dramatic
about this and had she continued to act that way Christmas would have
been over if she was my daughter. But...given her age and all I am
guessing that this is just the beginning of your trouble. But there is
no way I would have let her act that way and then excused it just
because she didnt get something she wanted.

You will eventually get your camera. Or you could just go somewhere
else and buy the camera and then use the gift card for something else.
Or use the giftcard and then return the stuff again. Just dont buy
electronics this time.

Hey..my son literally asked Santa for a dolphin this year. Now how in
the world do you think I managed to make him happy knowing full well
that we werent getting him a dolphin? I bought him some books on
dolphins and a calender that has beautiful pictures of dolphins and
then I typed him up a letter from Santa explaining that Sea World
wouldnt give up a dolphin and that he didnt have the room for it
anyway. But that maybe the books will hold him over until he grows up
and earns enough money to take over Sea World. The letter also told
him how proud Santa was of him for wanting to help take care of the
animals. He was THRILLED!!!!

No, your daughter does NOT deserve a shopping spree for not getting
everything on her Christmas list. Why would you even go there?! I
think I can see why she pitched such a fit. Spoiled much? Good Lord! I
didnt get one thing I wanted for Christmas. What do I deserve?!

You deserve a camera to replace the one you didnt get and that would
be all. The fall out is on you. You should have handled the situation
better.

Some of you people should be ashamed of yourselves. What's the big
deal if an 11 year old still believes in Santa. Isn't that still the
age where innocence should be revered. Hell, I wished I still
believed in Santa and I'm 48 years old. My 10 year old neice still
believes in Santa, and my sister who's her Mother thinks that although
odd she's still in that fantasy land, why pop the bubble. It will
happen soon enough. My neice is also reading at a 15 year old level,
scores way above her age group in all subjects and has a very high
I-Q. The world is tough enough. Let children be children. They all
mature at their own rate. It's also okay that the 11 year old girl
was disapointed. I would have been too. And for the shopping spree,
the composer of the letter knew she would never get that, but just put
it out there for the sake of venting. What's wrong with that? A lot
of you probably didn't get breast fed as babies and are still
suffering from the reprocusions of that non-event in your development
years.

I'm all for Santa..........at any age. Grow down! Not up!

My son is almost 11, and he still believes in Santa. Besides that, I
can just imagine how he would react if he opened his special gift and
found the box was empty. I don't think her daughter behaved that much
differently than any other 11-year-old would behave in the same
circumstances.

That being said, I can't believe WalMart didn't give you cash back
since you paid with cash. That's absurd, especially since they know it
was their error.

OK... I'm not going to say that 11 is too old to believe in Santa
(gags self). And it is a shame that she was disappointed. But 11 IS
old enough to understand that things happen, and TOO old to carry on
about it all day to the point of refusing to open other gifts and
upsetting the younger children with her carrying on about "there's no
Santa". What I would have done, if I decided that the time had NOT
come to say "you're right, there IS no Santa, and I bought these gifts
for you because I love you, but let's let your sisters have the
fantasy a little while longer and stop harping about it. Tomorrow we
will get you another camera. Now let's stop the crying and enjoy
Christmas" would be to explain that Santa must have made a mistake,
because he would never "rip her off", and we would absolutely fix it,
so stop carrying on and enjoy Christmas. But that's just me.

I agree that you were entitled to cash back instead of a gift card,
unless they had some rules in place for items purchased on layaway.
Did you ASK for cash back?

"I would say she deserves like a shoping spree or something, but I
know thats not going to happen"

At least you know.

I think Walmart did try to make it right. Afterall, it could be an
employee error, or it could be a theft too. I'm not sure how heavy
the camera was or if you wrapped it, but you might have noticed the
weight of it while doing so.

On spilling the beans on the Santa thing, that isn't Walmart's fault.
There are a million things you could have come up with to keep her
happy. Afterall, that's what you have to do in the first place.
Santa can make mistakes too, maybe one of the reindeer accidentally
knocked over the box and out spilled the camera so we have to go see
what we can do to replace it. But sooner or later this day does come
and things change. It's part of life.

Take the gift card and enjoy what you can out of it. That is what I
would do. Make the best of it.

Wait a minute, you're telling me Santa Claus isn't real? Darn it all
to heck!

Thanks for ruining my Christmas, lady.

One thing I'd like to point out.. and I'm just throwing this out
there..

This child is only 11 years old and to children, stuff like this is a
BIG DEAL. I can kinda understand her thinking, *christmas is messed up
for me, I got no camera, just a teaser empty box and the news that
there's no Santa, so why should my sisters have a nice Christmas*.
This was an unfortunate situation all the way around and hopefully the
3 other children still believe. But, it's a situation that can be
learned from:o)

when your daughter gets her camera, she'll love it. I remember when I
got my first camera *l* I took pictures of everything!

After reading your letter again, as much as it pained me to do so, you
mention that you had your pink sticker and receipt and go up to a
manager (Wilmer) that you recognize.

Did you ever stop to think that your first stop should have been the
returns desk? I mean, it's the day after Christmas, everything is
bedlam, and you stop some manager who is probably assisting someone
else, and then wonder why he walks off.

Also, why wouldn't Wal-Mart seem more concerned with making sure that
money is spent in their store? It's a STORE, not a place for spoiled
11 year olds to get a free shopping spree because mommy was too busy
to open the packaging of a pricey camera. Duh.

Anyone here remember when Christmas was about spending time with
family and friends, and tidings of comfort and joy, oh, and the Baby
Jesus?

A shopping spree because your daughter got an empty camera box? Thanks
for the laugh.

Seriously your letter was perfect until you asked for a shopping spree
for your daughter. I can see why she acted the way she did when she
found out she was ripped off. I can see why she made a big deal out
of her disappointment and was overdramatic. After all her mother does
the same by saying her daughter deserves a shopping spree. If you did
not want to spoil Santa for her than you could have bought the camera
another day and wrapped it and given it to her another day by leaving
a note from Santa saying. "Sorry *******, I did not get to deliver
this to you at Christmas it fell out of my sleigh. You are wrong
about one thing though. Wal-mart did not ruin your Christmas, your
daughter did by behaving rudely. Especially since you told her not to
beforehand.

Wow - when I was 11 I was in the 7th grade - I'd have gotten beaten up
for still believing in Santa!

That being said, you think she deserves a shopping spree? Wow. At
least you realize you won't get it.

I do have to say, though, that while it does stink that this happened,
you might want to teach your child a little bit about graciousness and
how to be less selfish. You let a child ruin your holiday? Over a
camera? And the fact that she told the little ones the truth about
Santa (which, as I said, she should have been told long before) and
spent the entire day in a sulk is shameful and should not have been
allowed.

Yes, I do agree you should have received cash back. That,
unfortunately, is really the only thing I agree about here. Your
daughter was disappointed, yes (and may I ask why you didn't notice
the slit in the box prior to wrapping? I mean, seriously - didn't the
box feel a little light to you?), but you should never have allowed
her to behave in such a fashion as a result.

and my 10 year old still believes in Santa... Just wanted to put that
out there.

With that said, I think you should have received a cash refund if you
paid cash but you received a gift card and you claim that you will
continue to shop at Walmart. Use what you would have spent at Walmart
on the new camera elsewhere and the giftcard for your food shopping.

I agree that Walmart fell short on this one. What is the display box
doing on the shelf to begin with??

I think that in this case you cut your loses (since there really
aren't any) and move forward with it. It is a shame that your
daughter no longer believes in Santa though. It is such a pure
thought that one man can travel the world in one night delivering
presents to children... so magical. ;)

You want more than you paid for because of a mistake. Also you 11
year old still believes in Santa that's funny. When were you going to
tell her that Santa is not real, because seriously when she becomes a
teenager and when her classmates find out that she still believes in
Santa they will make fun of her.

You got your camera. Wal-Mart made it right.

Might I suggest opening the boxes for future big purchases?

First of all, I'm really sorry this happened. I am OTD (older than
dirt) (38), but even *I* can remember what it was like to be a kid and
I remember how I found out Santa wasn't real and I cried (Hey, cut me
some slack--I found out about Santa, the Easter Bunny AND the frickin'
Tooth Fairy ALL AT THE SAME TIME -- THANKS MOM!). BUT: I also was
told by my mom very firmly that I was NOT to say anything about Santa
to other kids, because it wasn't up to ME to spoil it for another kid.
So your daughter needed a talking to when she started ruining it for
the other (younger) children. I know she was pissed and upset, but
she's old enough to get "get it."

Second, most retailers return your money to you in the same manner
they received it -- cash or check, gets you cash or a check (some
places send you a check two weeks later). Charging it, gets it
credited back to your credit card. So I don't see why they had to
issue it as store credit.

Sounds like they refunded your money at any rate, and since you shop
there (or used to) 2-3 times per week, it shouldn't be any problem
using up that store credit.

I don't think you should boycott Walmart--why let one bad experience
ruin it for you? Just be glad they believed you and refunded your
money at all!

"Santa Ripped Me Off" ---- Did your daughter really say that?? OMG, I
think you need to worry less about her knowing there's no Santa and
more about her getting through life with that sense of entitlement!

Do you live in North Versailles? If you do, and Wal-Mart gave you a
gift card, then here's what you do: Have them call the Wal-Mart at
Century III and then march out to the end of the sidewalk - by
Popeye's - and put your butt on the 59A. It will take you right to
there and you can get your daughter the replacement camera that is
"owed" to her.

This is why I never let my son believe in Santa. It's too hard to
explain to the truly good and appreciative children why "Santa" only
brought them one or two presents while Johnny down the street, who is
the spawn of Satan, got a PS3 with 6 games.

I can understand the OP being very upset about the camera not being in
the box. You paid for it and you should get it. I'm curious how long
it was going to take for them to get the camera in stock. If it was
going to be several weeks, maybe they could have upgraded you to the
next model? At Lowes we do that on appliances in certain situations.

What I cannot understand, however, is how you handled the "Santa"
issue. I don't have children and I'll be the first to admit that I
have no idea what someone with four children goes through, especially
at Christmas, but it seems to me that the situation could have been
handled a little better.

Now would also be the time to teach her that things like this happen
and while it's crappy, you still have to show respect to others, ie:
the grandmother, and the sisters.

I'm sure she was upset though, and I hope she gets her camera.

I agree with the previous poster about..."if you bought a camera, you
should get a camara." Walmart is definitely at fault for this one.

What nobody has mentioned yet is that your 11 year old daughter was
acting very childish (like the age of her youngest sister) at her
grandmothers house. I would been upset about the camara but she should
know better than to make an outburst like that in front of her entire
family, and should be a role model for her 3 younger sisters. She is
at the age is which she is approaching middle school and needs to grow
up a little bit. In life, things don't always work out like you would
like to and she needs to learn that.

I'm curious, didn't the box feel a little light when you were wrapping
it? I would have checked if it "just didn't feel right".

Also, I thought WalMart did away with lay a way this year.

Calm had an excellent suggestion for explaining to your child what had
happened without telling her there was no Santa.

You should be thrilled that you got ANYthing at all. They didn't have
to give you a gift card. This time of year theft is a huge thing.
No one here is saying YOU stole anything, but because of people who do
steal, you won't get cash back. How do they know that you didn't
leave the camera at home? They don't. And no matter how honest
someone says they are, not everyone believes that.

In all honesty, if you'd come to me with a box and told me that the
camera hadn't been in there, I'd've wondered whether you'd taken it
out and then brought the box back in. This isn't because you seem
especially untrustworthy to me but because some customers do that and
they aren't easily recognizable. So I'm glad that you saw Wilmer, who
knows you and who knows that you're a frequent customer.

Still, I assume that they are giving you an even exchange rather than
allowing you to return the box. I'd hope WalMart would call you when
the camera is back in stock, so that you can get your daughter's
camera ASAP, but they definitely don't owe you a shopping spree. If
you had returned the "camera" there would probably have been
restocking fees, etc.

As for your family's practices regarding Santa Claus, those aren't
WalMart's responsibility. If Wilmer had been the one to tell your
daughter that there is no Santa, that would be a different story; but
you picked a way to calm your child down that appears to have
backfired, and that's not their fault. (I'm not saying it's yours
either: if it seemed like a good idea at the time that's all you can
do. But it was your good idea, not WalMart's.) You could have said,
"Oh, honey, Santa Claus would never rip you off. I bet one of his
elves made a mistake and if you keep your stocking up I bet Santa will
make a special trip to get you a camera." And then as soon as an elf
had whipped up another camera and shipped it to WalMart Santa could
put that one last gift in the stocking.

Good luck navigating the imaginary Santa issue. I don't envy you for
the conversation you're going to have about the Easter Bunny in a few
weeks.

Is this for real?

"I would say she deserves like a shoping spree or something..."

And YOU deserve a check.
Made out to 'Reality'.

If you paid for a camera, you should get one. No arguement. But one of
the oldest tricks in the book is for someone to buy an item, remove it
from the box, and then go back to the store and say it was missing
when they opened it.
Ain't saying you did that. Just an FYI from a former retail employee's
POV.
And I can't imagine NOT checking out something like that before I
wrapped it. What if it had been defective?

I'd address the whole 'heart-wrenching' "Santa isn't real" episode,
but it's plenty dramatic already without adding to it.
I'm finding it hard to believe an 11-year-old in this day-and-age
would still believe in Santa...?