adding text to the specials page

i am using Zen Cart v1.50 with the Apparel Boutique template.

i need to edit the specials page to say "There are currently no specials. Please check back soon".

Probably me but i could not get the code implemented as per the http://www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?111983-Adding-text-to-specials-page.

no success at all - as a matter of fact the tpl_specials_default.php can not be found where they say it is

Thank you in advance for any help.

The /YOUR_TEMPLATE/ is a guide that you should copy the file into a folder named for your template before editing it. In the case shown in that thread, you would find
/includes/templates/template_default/templates/tpl_specials_default.php

and save it as:
/includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/templates/tpl_specials_none_default.php

wow i feel really stupid

sorry i went to the actual 'Your Template' directory copied the tpl_specials_default.php to my apparel_boutique/templates/ directory then i editied as per their instructions and saved in my apparel_boutique/templates/ directory as /includes/templates/Apparel/templates/tpl_specials_none_default.php
but still no success

perhaps i am unclear as what they mean when they say end replaced with this:
What does that mean replace the code or add it in and if so where?

Code:
require($template->get_template_dir('tpl_columnar_display.php',DIR_WS_TEMPLATE, $current_page_base,'common'). '/tpl_columnar_display.php');

end replaced with this:

Code:
echo '<p>There are currently no specials. Please check back soon.</p>';Then I uploaded the new file to the respective template directory.

saved in my apparel_boutique/templates/ directory as /includes/templates/Apparel/templates/tpl_specials_none_default.php You didn't actually make a new folder named "Apparel", did you? If you are using the apparel_boutique template, you would put that file in
/includes/templates/apparel_boutique/templates/tpl_specials_none_default.php .

"Replace" here does mean remove the first bit and add the second bit in the same place.

No i did not make a new directory and yes i did go to my /includes/templates/apparel_boutique/templates/tpl_specials_none_default.php
exists which i found
require($template->get_template_dir('tpl_columnar_display.php',DIR_WS_TEMPLATE, $current_page_base,'common'). '/tpl_columnar_display.php');

and replaced it with
echo '<p>There are currently no specials. Please check back soon.</p>';

but i do not get any message on my specials page??

Did you change /includes/modules/pages/specials/main_template_vars.php as described in post 8 of that thread? (There is no override capability for the /modules/pages/ folders, so you have to edit the original.)