Shame on You...And You, Too

Since we've been in Ruby Valley, Carolyn has been having a rough go of things.  Over the past week or so, she's been so fussy, The Judy and I are both exhausted just trying to keep up with her crying.  She's gone from being what I would consider "colicky" at 4pm-8pm to something completely different, crying or whimpering non-stop from 7am-6pm or later and not napping at all unless she's held.

The Judy and I have been brainstorming things we could try.  We took her to the doctor to get her ears checked.  We gave her a few droppers full of The Judy's patented vinegar cocktail for a UTI (the doctor suggested she might have one and wanted to catheterize her for a urine sample...umm...no thanks).  We switched her formula to soy.  Oh, and we might have borrowed some prescription medicine for acid reflux from someone in the valley.

She just screamed through it all and started spitting up even more - especially with the soy formula.  I can't really blame her since the soy mix smells like a cross between fish flakes and cat food.

So, imagine my surprise when they announced on the news last night that Similac had issued a recall for powder formula due to the fact that there's "a remote chance the formula might contain bug parts".

Awesome.

Nothing like a side of beetle larvae to go with your baby's brewski.

They said the only real side effect is gastrointestinal distress.

Oh, that's it? Just a little gastrointestinal distress???

Similac, I hate you.

The Judy and I made the 110 mile round trip to Elko today (couldn't they have issued the recall when I was closer to a store?) to return the recalled formula - one brand new box and one nearly empty box - to the local Walmart.

I was standing in line at the service counter when I noticed that the lady in front of me had nearly a cart full of Similac that she was apparently returning as well.

She stepped to the counter, along with her two friends, both Walmart employees, and started adding up the total.

Then her Walmart employee friend and the Walmart employee behind the counter started talking about how she'd gotten the entire cart-full of formula for free from WIC.

Everyone involved thought it was a pretty good trick - exchanging all $240 of formula for a Walmart gift card and then heading back to the WIC office to load up on more free formula.

Whoa.  Wait.  Are you seriously discussing defrauding a government program right here for all the world to hear?

My bloody tax dollars are going toward that program, sister!  And your blankety-blank-blank-blank $240 Walmart credit!

But wait, it gets worse.

When I approached the counter, the same lady who'd helped the defrauder was helping me.

She told me she couldn't accept the returned formula without a receipt.

I just looked at her in disbelief and informed her that it had been recalled.

She acted like she didn't know. 

Oh, what?  It's been recalled?

Ok, lady, how stupid do you think I am??  I just stood literally 1.5 feet away and watched you help the lady before me!

Then she said she could only take back the new box of formula, not the nearly empty one, even though both had been recalled.

I asked to talk to her manager.

All the sudden, it was just fine to take both.

Yeah it is, you jack wagon!

Give me my gift card.

And shame on you.

And that other lady, too.

I'm writing to Barack about you.