Monday, October 23, 2006

I got played

I don't like practical jokes. I don't like playing them on people, and I don't like when people play them on me. I never got into the whole "April Fool's Day" thing either, but perhaps it's time I join in, because now I've been fooled big time, and it's not even April!

A couple weeks ago I got an email from The Big Finn that went something like this: "Aren't you a Crest user? I just noticed they started selling it at Coop Gartenstadt!" Crest is our favorite American toothpaste and we've never been able to buy it in Switzerland. Up until now, we've had to stock up on every trip home, and sometimes we've had to ask visitors to bring us some from the US. Wow, I thought, now I can buy it in Basel!

So I finally made it out to Coop Gartenstadt this past Saturday. I used to be a regular Gartenstadt shopper, but that was pre-baby. Now, in my post-baby days, I do most of my shopping at whatever Coop I pass by while downtown running errands. The stroller now serves as my shopping cart, so I shop virtually every day, buying very little on each trip rather than stocking up with the car by driving to Gartenstadt. I should also add that you can get to Gartenstadt using public transportation, but from our house it takes a tram to a bus to another tram. Nonetheless, we ventured out on Saturday in search of the alleged Crest.

It was nowhere to be found. I walked up and down the aisles of that section several times, and never saw any Crest toothpaste. I even asked a Coop employee who was stocking shelves (in German, no less) if they had Crest toothpaste. After she said no, I told her (in German again) that a friend had told me a few weeks earlier that they had it there. She looked at me like I was crazy. I started thinking TBF was crazy, which wouldn't be that far off considering he previously steered me wrong leading me to believe you could buy Doritos in Basel!

One more walk through the aisles, I thought. All of a sudden, I saw it. Several boxes with the word "Crest" on it! But wait a minute... that's not toothpaste... those are condoms! Coop apparently carries Crest brand condoms! Oh, that sneaky Big Finn! He got me! I guess it's time for to start planning ahead for next April Fool's Day, wouldn't you say?