Of course it broke

I’ve whined about this before but this is a periodic reminder that the Christmas Tree Shop sucks. Most everything I’ve bought from there turns out to be a cheap piece of crap that breaks, and the store is annoyingly crowded and everyone in there moves like molasses.

 

I avoid that place but was in there a few weeks ago to buy pool noodles, since Target was out of them. I figure, it’s no big deal if a pool noodle is cheap and breaks since they don’t last more than a summer. While I was there, I bought an umbrella I saw while waiting in line. I needed one because I lent my son my umbrella that morning since it was raining and he was going to be outside all day at camp. I ran a few errands at a few stores and couldn’t find an umbrella so I figured, what the hell. I’m in line and it’s right here. I also figured, this thing won’t last long.

 

I got literally two uses out of the umbrella and of course it broke. I mean, why wouldn’t it break? I’m surprised it didn’t explode while I was walking out of the store. It’s still usable so I’ll keep it for a backup but one of the spokes is loose.

 

I’m sure the Christmas Tree Shop has its fans but for me, it’s just a bunch of cheap crap—dollar store quality but more expensive. The last thing I got was a patio umbrella because our other one broke so I needed one soon and it was cheap. I should say it was inexpensive and also cheap. The umbrella had no holes at the top to ventilate air so I had to cut some. It would still be taken easily by the wind so it was always sort of rotating around. But I figured, this is already a sunk cost, so I’ll stick with it. I didn’t notice how crappy the umbrella was until I got a new one this year and it stayed perfectly still. Sometimes you’re just better off paying more.

 

Instead of Christmas Tree Shops, they should call the store the Shit Shack, or Sunk Cost Fallacy, or False Economy, or Ritzy Dollar Store.