<p>
</p>
<p>My go-to charity is my local SPCA, as opposed to the national organization. But my other go-to charity is WorldVision, which of course is global.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yesterday I was in a local yarn shop, helping D spend a gift certificate (not gift CARD!) which she got for Christmas, and I was really struck by the customer-service aspect of the experience. Dealing with customer “service” these days with the corporate giants is so time-consuming and frustrating, and you never know if you’ve gotten accurate information because they’re not accountable to you. By contrast, at the yarn store we were face-to-face with the owner of the business, who was a fount of information and advice. It was so refreshing to have a pleasant encounter with the person who makes the decisions and has the answers. I was happy to buy some yummy yarn from her; I have no idea if we could have gotten it cheaper online, and I don’t intend to find out. The great time we had in her store was worth the price.</p>