Posted on June 5, 2001 - by deCadmus

What’s in your shopping cart?

Jessie, the abominable golden retriever, is a fertilizer factory.

Of course she produces the usual carpet bombs that any large dog is terrifically equipped to manufacture. She appears also to have an unlimited capacity to produce nitrogen, that elemental stuff that makes lawns and flowers happy. Happy that is, so long as there isn’t too much of a good thing. And, if you’ll recall from previous episodes, to Jessie there’s never too much of a good thing.

So I’m browsing the Drs. Foster & Smith web site for a nitro neutralizer. If you’re not familiar with the good doctors and have a critter in your house, you might want to visit. They have the stuff you’ll find at your local pet superstore, and some products you’ll probably find only at your vet… at prices that are usually below what your vet would charge.

Anyway, I discover G-Whiz [for dogs only it says... don't feed this to house guests, I guess] and put a couple bottles in my basket, fill in shipping and payment details, and submit my order… and get a page that says “Your shopping cart is empty.”

Not “Thank-you,” or “And that completes your order,” or even “Done!” It says, “Your shopping cart is empty.”

Well, yeah, I guess it’s empty if my order is complete, but… why not just say so? Tell me I succeeded. Tell me when you’ll charge my card. Tell me when you’ll ship it! Even better, tell me all of the above… but don’t make me wonder if you actually received my order, or whether some glitch emptied my shopping cart.

Usability matters. Really.