Help Me Hank: Help Me Hank! Holiday hassle

‘Twas some weeks after Christmas,
and you know what comes next.
Bev was fighting a battle.
She was mad. She was vexed.

She nestled the trinkets all snug in their space.
She printed the photos and swept up the place.
But still in her brain burned a constant crusade,
‘bout the Christmas disaster where she overpaid.

Beverly
"It was kinda like, ‘Wow, what's going on?’"

At the store she'd found sweaters,
one black and one white.
Her sons wives would love them,
She’d thought with delight.

Beverly
"I knew whatever I got there, they would like."

When up at the checkout there arose such a clatter,
the manager came to see what was the matter.
Bev had seen her receipt. She was mad to the max.
Though she'd purchased just clothes, she was still charged sales tax.

Beverly
"So I said to the girl, ‘Why is there sales tax on that?’ And she said, ‘Oh, it's a luxury item?’"

She complained for a moment,
but being polite,
she just paid the six bucks,
and drove home for the night.

Beverly
"So driving home, I said, ‘I'm going to ask Hank Phillippi Ryan.’"

We looked at the sweater.
We looked at the tax.
This shouldn't wreck Christmas,
‘cause we knew the facts.

The state's Web site was handy.
Our goal easy to spot.
Most clothes are exempted,
if they don't cost a lot.

So, we dialed up some big shots and let them in on Bev's plight.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, 7News
"I have the receipt."

I said, do make this right.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, 7News
"She should not have been charged."

I said, nor anyone more.
Pay Bev back I said, could you?
and the rest in your store.

Did the gals like the sweaters?
You don't have to guess.
Will Hank soon stop rhyming?
The answer is yes.

But now back at Bev's house,
just good memories all right.
She's got her big refund,
and to all a good night.

No more rhymes, I promise. The store is now checking to see why their computer was incorrectly adding tax on clothing. They promised they'd fix it and try to track down anyone else who was overcharged.

(Copyright (c) 2007 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)