Store Clerks "DUMBER THAN HELL"

I went to a big city "big box" home repair store yesterday. I got most of the stuff from my list, into my shopping cart, but I could not find an outdoor thermometer (the old one I had outside my window broke recently). The store is busy but lacks enough staff on duty. I had already wasted a half hour in the electrical dept. trying to locate some special parts, because there was no one there to assist. I finally find a guy in the plumbing dept. and ask him where I can find an outdoor thermometer. He tells me "thats not a plumbing item" [NO SHIT], but says he will get someone to help me. 10 minutes go by, and finaly some young guy arrives. I ask him "where in the store can I find some outdoor thermometers". He replies "WE DONT HAVE THEM THIS TIME OF YEAR, BECAUSE THEY ARE A SEASONAL ITEM". Trying to remain calm, I said "Then find me a seasonal thermometer for the Winter Season". He looks at me with a very puzzled expresion and says "that's a *SUMMER ITEM*", but they might be in the garden center. Being a little annoyed by this time, I say "There's temperature all year long, regardless of season". He tells me to go look in the "garden center". Then walks away.

I go to the garden center (which is unheated), and it's very dark in there. So I go to the nearby lumber desk, and have to wait another 10 minutes to find an employee. After waving my arms and nearly doing a dance to get a guy's attention, he finally comes over. I tell him I was told to go to the garden center to find thermometers and it's too dark in there to see, "could you please turn the lights on". He says "I dont know if we have them this time of year, but I'll look on the computer". He looks them up, even goes on the store's website, and finally finds them, and says "it looks like we have lots of them, which one do you want (showing me the pictures on the screen). I said "can we just go see them on the shelf". He flips on some lights in the garden center and we find a whole shelf full of thermometers. -FINALLY-. I grab the one I want and go back to the last of the shopping.

That's when I went to the "Closeout Lumber" section. I always like to look in there for bargains. In there, I found a piece of metal trim made for metal siding, and it's something I can use. It's marhed 25 cents per foot. I grab it, and it's 10 foot long, and walk with it, back to the lumber desk, knowing they have to print up a "slip" for these items. After another long wait, I finally find someone who works there and it's another young guy. He says "what do you need". I tell him this was in the bargain area and I just need a slip for it.

He goes to the computer, and says "how much is it". I say, "it's a quarter a foot". He says, "but what is the price" I said "I just told you, it's a quarter a foot". He looks very puzzled.... I say, "It's 25 cents per foot, and it's 10 feet long". (He finally seems to understand). Thats when he says, "hold on a minute, while I find a calculator, so I get this right". He grabs a calculator from a desk, and starts to push buttons, a minute later, he says "wow, this cant be right.... lets try this again......". I tell him, "25 cents times 10 is $2.50, simple math, just take the zero from the 10 and put it at the end of the 25". He looks me straight in the eye, and says "are you sure?". About the same moment his calculator says $2.50, and he says "you're right, that will be $2.50. I did not say a word, (and I wont say what I was thinking).....

With that accomplished, he enters the price into the computer, and asks "what is it called". I said "it just says METAL TRIM on the sign. He enters those words. Then I tell him I also need two pieces of vinyl siding trim, from the outside building, it looks like *and I point to a display on the wall*. He looks at the display, and says "I'll have to look up the item number". He goes to the computer, when I tell him to look at the sign on the wall, right next to the display, and it's says the item number and the price right there. He says "Oh wow, it does". Then for the 3rd time he asks me how many of them I want. I said TWO. I did not say another word, because I felt like saying, "Dude, you're "DUMBER THAN HELL".....

Finally I'm done shopping, and proceed to the checkout, hoping the checkout clerk has a brain..... (Thankfully, she checked me out with no problems).

I've come to the conclusion that they only hire 'Kindergarten Dropouts' at that store......

Reply to
Paintedcow
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Alternative is on line shopping. Dumber than dumber. Dummies never go to hell.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Another alternative is a good local hardware store that has knowledgeable staff. Fortunately the big box guys haven't managed to put them all out of business. In fact I'll normally go to the local hardware store first to avoid the kind of scenario painted by the OP.

Reply to
Roger Blake

Online is frequented by full quoters.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

You cant buy lumber, sheets of plywood, concrete blocks, plumbing pipes, or 10 foot long pieces of metal trim online.... -OR- If you can, I would not want to pay the shipping prices.... Nor am I willing to wait for the shipping time to receive common items such as electrical items.

I might buy electronic/computer parts, clothing, movies, music, books and that sort of thing online, but NOT most home repair stuff.

I WILL buy a DAMPER online, for my bathroom exhaust fan, if I can find one (from another thread). The stores dont have them.

Online shopping is over rated in my opinion. I like to see and feel what I buy. Plus some stuff just cant be shipped (at least not affordably). I recently bought a computer keyboard online. When I got it, I hated the "feel" of it. So, I'm still using my old keyboard which has most of the letters worn off of it, while that new one sits in my closet....

Then too, last winter I bought a computer monitor online. The shipper refused to deliver it, because my almost one mile long driveway was icy. (I clean it as best I can, and I drive on it daily). After waiting over

2 months, I finally had to go thru a long and difficult process of excessive paperwork to modify the shipping address, so it would be delivered to a friends house (in town). Finally, 3.5 months later it arrived at his house, and then I had to drive there to get it. In the end, I saved about $25 off the shelf price of buying it at a store, but had to spend at least 3 hours of time filling out forms, reading emails about their refusal to deliver it, mailing stuff (which costs postage), and then being without my monitor for 3.5 months. Then finally driving to get it which costs me for gas.

The monitor was fine, but if my time is only worth "minimum wages" plus my other costs incurred, it cost me more than the savings, not to mention the annoyance factor.

Reply to
Paintedcow

Simple solution that I seem to be using more and more. If you enter "outdoor thermometer" in the search box at Amazon you get over 31,000 to choose from. I think I placed 6 orders just this week for both gifts and personal items not easily found elsewhere.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

NOT a "simple solution" at all, when you only have dialup internet.... And I think I was clear when I said I dont care to shop online, because I cant see or feel the items. I've shopped in REAL stores for over 60 years, and dont want or need to change now, to he hassles of online shopping and dealing with the shipping and postage and hassled to return stuff that is not what I wanted, or junk.

I reserve my online shopping to parts and rare items I can get no other way, and that is a LAST RESORT. Something common, like a thermometer is NOT something "Rare". And the store DID have lots of them. Not to mention I bought it yesterday and am already using it. Not waiting a week or more to get it. Additionally, everytime I order something online, I still have to go to a store to buy a prepaid disposible credit card, because i'm not stupid enough to give out my REAL Credit card # over the internet. NOTHING is safe or secure on the internet, even though these companies want you to believe it is.

Reply to
Paintedcow

Credit cards are not safe in stores either. Just look at what hapened at the Target stores last Christmas, or maybe it was the one before. My son for one had his debit card info stolen from them.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

I've shopped in real stores for over 60 years too. Many have gone to crap as you noted, thus my reason to go on line to do a lot of shopping.

As for returning things, Ive never had to. In my entire life I've only ever had to return three or four items as I'm careful with my purchases.

There is no other solution for you, I'm afraid so you can keep complaining and nothing will improve. It will, however, get worse.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

I rarely use credit/debit cards in stores too. I use cash, or if it's a large priced item, I write a check.

I use my credit cards to pay utility bills, and sometimes at the local gas station, because I KNOW them, and I dont always have enough cash in my pocket when I need gas.

I feel much safer using a C.C at a local store than a large chain store like Target, Home Depot, Walmart, or other such places. When I buy farm items from our local Farm Supply, I feel pretty safe using my C.C. They use the same bank I do, and if they were to cheat me, both I and my bank would know right away who did it.

Another thing I wont even consider is online banking. What a stupid idea! I may as well just post my credit card # on this newsgroup along with all my other identity info, and say "Help Yourself".

Reply to
Paintedcow

The store had my needs, but the help was horrible. You're right, there is nothing I can do about it, but I have complained to store management often, and I may have a word with their main office this week. I've had to return lots of stuff both online and at stores. I just returned a shovel to that same store yesterday, because the handle broke off after an hours use. I had no problem with that return.

For me to shop online requires many hours of my time. On dialup it takes a long time to load webpages. Then I get my total and have to go buy a disposible card. Then I place my order and wait. With any luck I wont have hassles getting my item.

How can you say "I'm careful with my purchases", when you buy online? You cant see the stuff or feel if it's durable... My shovel "looked" durable, but it had a hidden defect. I might buy a book or movie or music online. That stuff usually dont have defects, but unless the price is WAY below the store price, I'm spending more online, by the time I pay $5 for my disposible card and S&H and everything else. And I still have to wait for the item. I dont mind waiting for a book or movie, but if I have to wait for a part for my car, I cant drive it until my part arrives..... Or i cant proceed with my home repairs while waiting for online parts.

I could have waited for my thermometer, but I paid $8 for it. Online, I'd already have the $5 fee for the disposible card, so the thermometer would have to cost less than $3 to even justify it. I guess I'd rather waste a half hour in a store, than spend 4 hours waiting for websites to load. Even if I wanted to spend close to $100 a month MORE than I pay now, to get FAST internet, I could not justify that amount on the savings I may get shopping online, since I am not a big consumer.

The stores will continue to have poor workers and I'll continue to call their main offices and complain.... This instance was much worse than most..... Generally I'm fairly satisfied in stores!

Reply to
Paintedcow

One thing worth knowing, the HD, which used to have a computer that was only good for applying for a job, I think, and another that only the staff could use, now has a computer, at least the one near me does, that has the HD webpage. You can search for what you want and once it finds it it shows the aisle and the bay. The bays are maked on the posts, even if one doesn't normally notice that. It works pretty well. And you can do this before you leave home, but many times you don't know there's a problem until you're there.

OTOH Microcenter near me used to have computers for customers to check their stock, but they took them out The helpful employee didnt' know why. And it's a computer store.

Reply to
Micky

I don't think I started shopping in stores until I was 5, and that was only Bush's, a corner grocery. They had two-for-a-penny candy, but I didn't like it. I woudl get one-for-a-penny candy which truly was twice as good. For one thing, it might be made of chocolate, which the other stuff never was. When there was a premium in a box of cereal, but the supermarket didnt' have any more, we'd go to Bush's.

It was only about 300 feet from my back yard. It's changed and it sells medical supplies now.

There was also a toy store on the far corner away from the JHS. The JHS was a long block and a half from the front yard, to their property and another 800 feet across their lot to the school, but I only went in when I was taking swimming. I would look in the toy store, but even though my family had enough money, I had none, so I never bought anything. It's changed and it sells medical supplies now.

Populatoin of the town has gone from 50,000 in 1955 to 22,000 now. No new people moving in, no need for toys, much need for medical supplies.

The high school is now a combination JHS/HS and the JHS is now 3 to 6, the only school in the whole town for those grades. If I were 8 again, it would still be in easy walking distance, though my girlfriend thinks no one would let his little kid walk their alone. She doesn't know what small towns are like.

Though now she lives ina new expensive development in a rural county and one mother drives her 10 year old 300 feet and then waits with him until the school bus comes, even in warm weather. Meets him the afternoon too. The county is the next one from me. If there were child abductions I'd hear about it, and there aren't. It's pitiful.

I've never returned anything online. I had something fail in 88 days, but by tthe time I determined it had failed, it was 92 days and they wouldnt' warrant it. Later I found out it hadn't failed. I'd rushed because I knew the 90 days was close to expiring.

In person I've returned 30 or 40 or more things, just aboutr all of them y hardware.

Reply to
Micky

I forgot. Last week I returned a newspaper, at the supermarekt. I bought it Wednesay and it was Tuesday's paper. That would be okay, but I'd also bought Tuesday's paper, the previous day.

I told them I donn't mind you selling old papers but you've never done it before, so I ddin't check. I had no problem with the return.

Reply to
Micky

Exactly! Folks are shy about using their credit cards on a commercial site with SSL security and the "blessing" from MOST credit card issuers that they will NOT be held liable for any unauthorized charges. Yet, these same individuals will hand their credit card over to some kid working for minimum wage and tips at a restaurant or bar, leaving the card out of sight for several minutes not knowing that the waiter could either copy down the information off the card or scan it and clone it.

Reply to
Unquestionably Confused

you've noticed that, too, huh? I see a trend........

Reply to
ChairMan

Today's kids are so lazy. They don't work hard to go ahead of pack. I spent more than 25 years at university. About 85% kids should nt be there. I don't know what they're learning or taught. They better go to tech school to make a decent living. Son teaches guitar and drum for kids part time on week end. He says some of them never practice. Quite a few doesn't even have drum set or guitar to practice at home. What their parents thinking? Music studio as a baby sitting place? No practice no progress. Best students are pre-teens under 10 years old. Older kids are mostly no good.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

On Sun, 20 Dec 2015 16:25:00 -0800, Oren wrote in

+1
Reply to
CRNG

Long too. He likes to write.

Reply to
dadiOH

When I was 16 I worked at McDonald's. When they found out that I knew how to figure out sales tax and make change (no computerized cash registers then), I was always put up front to take orders.

When I was 17 I worked at a department store. We had to take a math test to get the job.

Many years later I was at K Mart, and was talking to the cashier, telling her that I was going to Long's (a drug store chain later purchased by CVS) and she said "oh, it's my dream to work at Long's." I said "so why don't you apply there?" She said "I did, but I could not pass their math test." Aha! Long's always had very competent cashiers, but apparently that went away when they were bought out by CVS.

One day I was at CVS and they had 40% off all remaining summer merchandise. I bought something marked at $10. They had not programmed the new price into the system so the cashiers had to take 40% off.

The cashier took out a little pad of paper. She wrote $10 on it. Then she took out a calculator and multiplied 10 by 0.4. She wrote down 4 on the pad. Then she did 10-4=6. I told her to just multiply by 0.6, but she helpfully informed me that it was 40% off, not 60% off. I really wanted to come back the next week when everything was 50% off to see if she went through the same procedure.

Reply to
sms

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