It's positively alarming!

So Darrin's faithful alarm clock has beeped its final beep. It's time to get a new one. He much prefers a small travel alarm that is quieter than a "regular" clock, and the old one had lasted a good dozen years. (I must say I like the softer alarm, too. I sleep right through it!)
So off he goes to Wal-Mart to get another one. The first one he brought home had faded numbers on the display when he took it out of the package and took off the little sticker with fake numbers. Thinking the display battery must be dying, he replaced it, but it didn't help. He took it back and got another of the same model.
The next one had a similar problem, only Darrin couldn't even get the battery compartment open. It goes back as well, and this time he picks a different model.
Darrin's next choice had the annoying feature of making a loud beep every time you pressed a button to set the alarm or clock. OK, we can deal with it. But then it was a three step process to shut off the beeping on that one, and who has the mental ability to get that first off in the morning? The final straw was when the stupid thing somehow messed up something with the time zone and woke us up an hour early on Sunday morning. Back it went.
The fourth clock seemed to be much better as Darrin was playing with it. Easy to read screen, nice beep sound to wake you up, one touch shut-off, quiet buttons. Until the first morning it went off, when the annoying feature of this alarm clock was revealed. It lights up. Brightly. Like a flash going off in your face, only BLUE - as blue as a KMart special. It wasn't so obvious when he was playing with it when it was light, but it sure is OBNOXIOUS in the dark.
Tonight were' going to try making it face the wall and see if that helps. If not, off to try model #5.......