My wife Marie-Anne is about as hooked on Cabela's as I am, so it's no surprise that she went there recently to finish up her Christmas shopping. What is surprising is what happened during her visit...

As she stood at the checkout with some $176 in merchandise, she decided to use the Cabela's Club card to pay, in order to gain points for later trips (points translate into dollars that can be used at the store to buy things). Realizing there was only $1.34 in points on our account, she opted to just leave it there and charge everything right to the card. What happened next is somewhat of a Christmas miracle!

The cashier said, "your entire purchase was just paid for with points."

"But I only had $1.34 in points, that's impossible," Marie-Anne said.

The cashier said she knew but that's what the computer was telling her. She excused herself to call her supervisor and, eventually, corporate, to try and rectify the situation. After all, they couldn't just GIVE her $174+ in merchandise!

When the cashier returned twenty minutes later, she apologized for the wait. "So, is it all fixed?" Marie-Anne asked.

"There was nothing they could do about it," she said. "Merry Christmas."

"But, I can't take this stuff...I didn't pay for it. Can't you just run it through again?"

"Merry Christmas," she repeated.

Marie-Anne, nearly in tears, said "Merry Christmas and thank you," as she left the store with a full cart. To this day, she's still in disbelief.

I've always liked Cabela's as much for their friendly, accommodating people as for their merchandise. Now, I like them even more. Had their goal been solely to make a few bucks, they could have, eventually, gotten their money. They had a glitch in their system and, rather than inconveniencing a customer, they took the high road. How can you not warm up to a company like that?

Cabela's, thank you. You were and are my favorite place to shop!

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