I always thought pike had too many stores. This town is extremely sprawing but even "family-owned" chain garden centers that are prominent in other large metros only have maybe 3 locations. Pike has 17! Just in the atlanta area. To make matters worse, if you ask me (not an actual fact) their customer base would appear to be... not growing that fast, as more and more people move into zero lot line, cluster homes, town homes etc and don't have any where to grow anything. Their product offering hasn't been adjusted to offer these customers much, if anything, for the smaller lots. They should be going after these customers with free workshops and plants to solve problems they have with the small garden. And also appealing to a younger crowd.

Domain is in pretty big trouble. The company that owns them all but cut them off. They've applied for a speedy auction to occur in a few days. I couldn't cancel my order if I wanted to - it was never placed. The salesperson at Doamin said I'll never receive my piece and I had to deal w/the credit card. I now have to dispute the charge w/my credit card. On the brighter side, I called a company in VA (Gallahan's)who carries the vendor that my piece was supposively orderded from. She did some "research" for me right away knowing my situation. She called the manufacturers plant and spoke w/someone about my situation. She told me to confirm w/the vendor that indeed an order had not been placed or see if in fact it had (even gave me a name & direct phone # to call). I guess the vendor is trying to work w/the customers that are still waiting for their furniture. But the vendor said that they had no pieces like I had ordered in stock - so it leads me to believe that an order was not placed. That was in November. So, Gallahan's said even though that piece I had ordered was specifically made for/caried by Domain she can order it for me. The vendor would even fast track it. She's been very helpful. There are some very nice people in the world!

Hello Marcia Banner, How are things going? As you know - there's been a lot of funny business associated with a number of companies "going bankrupt" in recent years. Quite likely your husband's former company has all the bases covered. You might want to check out the trustee that is overseeing their bankruptcy. I don't know where to suggest that you look - but check with the trustee in bankruptcy of your husband's former company, to be sure that their bankruptcy is legitimate, and that the pension plan cannot recover any of the remaining assets. No doubt there are a fairly large number of creditors. They may be checking out to see whether there appears to be some skulduggery involved. What they will be seeking is to recover some/as much as possible of the debt that is owed to them. The agency managing their pension plan may have had money rather improperly removed - in which case they might be able to claim to be one of the creditors. You say that you received a message from the company saying that the pension would be terminated. Which may mean that the whole of the pension fund was managed in-house - so money that was removed to keep the company operational may have been legal, even if most of us would say that it was largely immoral. I wrote in another area that we all should learn major lessons from some of this rash of recent bankruptcies: -if you own stock in your company, best move some of it elsewhere when it becomes free and you can do as you please with it, and -if your pension plan is managed by your company, work with other employees to get the underlying funds moved to a third party - so that if your company goes bankrupt, the pension remains intact. I hope that, as you talk with friends, you'll encourage them to get things in motion to achieve that result in their company. I hope that you're getting things worked out to allow you to keep your head above water. Good wishes to you - and hubby. joyful guy

I was on the Canon (camera) web site earlier today, because I'm getting a Powershot SD1100 IS for my hubs and I wanted to see what OEM accessories are available. On the home page, towards the bottom, there is a link for IMPORTANT REBATE INFORMATION. I clicked on the link, hoping to find that I can get a rebate on the new camera... There's a second "click here" link, which takes you to a page that says this: Important Rebate Info November 14, 2008. Dear Valued Customer, This is an official message from Canon U.S.A., Inc. The third party rebate processing company that was responsible for processing rebate claims and issuing mail-in-rebate checks for Canon-brand printer and video products (along with many other products of a number of other companies) filed a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy petition earlier today. The funds provided to them by Canon U.S.A., Inc. (and other companies) apparently are no longer available to satisfy the rebate checks such company issued on behalf of Canon and other companies. Regrettably, as a result, you should not cash the refund check you recently received for such products, as it likely will bounce. We apologize for any inconvenience, delay or confusion this may cause. We are doing everything in our power to promptly rectify the situation. Accordingly, we request that you take the following actions: ÂIf you are holding or receive a rebate check for printer or video products which is dated on or before November 14, 2008, please do not cash the check, as it may bounce. Please look for updated postings on the Canon U.S.A. website on or about November 18, 2008 for further instruction on how to exchange your check for a new check that you will be able to cash. ÂIf you have not yet mailed in your rebate claim materials, please hold such materials until you receive further instruction. We are making new processing arrangements, with a new mail in address. Please look for updated postings on the Canon U.S.A. website on or about November 18, 2008 for further instruction on where to mail your rebate claim material and how to exchange your check for a new check that you will be able to cash. Check our web site early next week for further instructions and contact information for any questions you may have. Again, please do not cash any rebate checks for printer or video products which are dated on or before November 14, 2008, as they may bounce. We are committed to ensuring that you receive your refund as soon as possible and that you will continue to have full confidence in Canon U.S.A., Inc. We apologize again for any inconvenience. Sincerely, Canon U.S.A., Inc.