What were your best and worst consumer experiences this week?

Which consumer happenings cheered you recently and which ones made you want to scream or weep?

Here are my best and worst consumer experiences this week:

My best: A good price on a blazer at an after Christmas sale

When I sent shopping with my daughter, I found a bargain at the Gap.

I need new blazers, so I tried on a navy blue one with white stripes. The price was $42 marked down from $98.

The blazer was on the sale rack, so I was hoping for another mark down. I got lucky. With an additional 40 percent off, the blazer cost $27.

A bargain, even better than another blazer I bought at a Gap store this fall for $45.

My worst: Taking an unnecessary trip to a Target store

Due to the cold weather, we wanted to buy another space heater.

When we got to the nearest Target store, the shelves were empty where the space heaters should have been. The sales associate who showed us where to find the heaters said she’d check on her hand-held computer to find out if another store had any.

She checked four of the models. Three were sold out, but the other Target was supposed to have 19 of the fourth model.

We dashed off to the second Target store. It, too, had no space heaters. The sales associate there said consumers should always call ahead.

Apparently, Target’s computer system doesn’t update quickly enough so that consumers can find out what the stores really have in stock.