Wal-Mart keeps track of your credit/debit card number. I’m sure many people would be very much saying “Duh!” at this “revelation”. Normally I would too, but I had an experience that scares me:

I bought a pair of pants at WM. I’m too fat for them so I took them back the next day. My normal expectation is that they return them, I sign my name, and then slide my card to capture it’s information and have the money refunded to my account. Unfortunately, WM still had my information, and had it attached to that transaction. The girl just had to punch a button to refund the money to my debit/credit card.

This could be bad on SO many levels. How easily could fraud be done using this system? All one has to do is have a friend behind the service desk and bring back a receipt to have the friend refund money to my account. Better yet, just give the receipt to the friend and have them refund the money since the card isn’t necessary.

Less than a year ago, I believe, the big, evil blue charged a multitude of their customers twice on their debit/credit cards due to an “accounting error”. Frankly, I’d rather they not keep my information so readily available given that history.

I still despise the company that can single-handedly shut down the United States on a whim, but this is just another tick against them from my brain.

EDIT: Even though they had my number SAVED in their system, it actually took WM two full days to get this money posted back to my account. Surprising it takes them so long to return it, but it is withdrawn from my account before I get home from the store.

Friday I sent out a couple of press releases for the Jaycees. They were for the training Bill and Jaffo are putting on over three weeks and the Rick Raney Moonlight Golf Scramble.

The public speaking “training” is really happening, but it’s mostly to promote our general meetings and try to get some new members. The Moonlight Golf Scramble is in memory of a Jaycee who was tragically killed. The proceeds benefit the Jaycees, of course, but also help to pay the scholarship given in Rick’s name every year to a Mount Vernon HS graduate.

Last night Emily and I went to dinner with Jami at the Silver Streak. The women had fun clucking, and afterward I went to play poker for awhile. I didn’t get put out as early as normal. Actually, I would’ve been in for a while longer but Emily was bored after Jami left.

Jami does sound comitted to helping at the haunted house with my room. It’ll be nice to have someone actually show up and help create the mood/atmosphere. Haven’t given it a LOT of thought, but the general idea is coming to me. I’m going to have to go over it with her and see what she thinks.

I was decided to move up the food chain within the Jaycees. I have been nominated and accepted to be the club’s secretary. I’m excited and will do the best I can to further the club and it’s members.

I spent the day organizing things electronically (meeting minutes form, etc.), trying to gather media contacts for press releases, and listing things I will accomplish. So far I have completed a .pdf version of the meeting minutes, gathered addresses for all local media contacts, and made a short list of 4 items that I will accomplish tonight.

Of course I did all this in the hour and twenty minutes I’m not on the clock at work, so everything isn’t as perfect as I’d like. I’m leaving the house early to get some time in finishing up the rough edges.

The mayor did show at the Jaycees’ meeting, but was an hour early. Also he related that he didn’t know what he was supposed to speak about. So he talked to the guys who were there early and then bailed before I showed up. Oh well, maybe someday I’ll get to chat with him about my concerns.

Last night Emily, the kids, and I went to the annual Hiltibidal picnic. John outdid himself again this year with the awesome fireworks display. I think he even got hired to do the Centralia city display. It amazes me that even though he is a guy who only does this type of thing once a year, his show gets such recognition that people want to hire him to do more.

Every year he keeps making the show better and better. I have no doubts that his show was better than the Mount Vernon city one will be. Mount Vernon’s show usually lasts 1/2 an hour at best, and John had at least 45 minutes of quality fireworks. There were ground displays, rapid shell deployments (missle-style), and of course many, many different standard shells of all shapes and sizes.

Great show John, and we look forward to it next year.