With only a high of 91 expected today, and the morning temperature at just about 70 I decided to get a few things accomplished. I tucked my t-shirt into my shorts, checked that I was modestly zipped and buttoned as befits an old granny, and set off for Home Depot. I need to buy several bags of small rock to cover some bare patches in my yard. What I need is to have a large load delivered, but then I'd have to buy a wheelbarrow, shovel, and rake to deal with it! Plus have all the mess on my driveway and park my car over in the laundry room lot.
Home depot had a few bags each of red and black lava rock and that was it, so I drove to Lowe's. The bagged rock is way in the very back of the outdoor garden center, where of course there is no one to help you. There were two sizes of rock that I could use, but the way they were stacked I couldn't even lift one bag off the pile to see if I could manage carrying it. Why they stack them overhead I'll never know. Being frustrated I decided to walk through the indoor part of the garden store to look at rakes and such. Went back to the rock supply and decided to just leave without it.
Both Home Depot and Lowe's have employees who seem to walk the store to ask "Did you find everything you were looking for, Ma'am?", but they only appear when I'm on my way to the door. If you ask me, self service is highly over-rated, and the self checkout lanes are the worst part of it. Soon there won't be anyone offering service for anything, and a machine will take your money. There is a real old-fashioned hardware store over in Fair Oaks, the kind where you can buy three nails if you like rather than have to purchase a package of 100, but I'm sure they don't carry rock.
Yesterday was just about unbearable at 108, so when Joe called me and wondered if I'd like to come over for hamburgers cooked on the grill, I decided to go. I came home before dark and heard the noise of the fireworks being set off all around. What really caught my eye was a planet or probably at least two close together in the sky - I couldn't really tell much looking through binoculars, but I believe it was Venus and maybe something else. I hope a reader can enlighten me as to what's up. This mobile home park is extremely difficult to determine directions because of the diagonal pattern of the streets, and the fact that the lots run diagonally off the streets. I think Venus? was in the west. I have a backpacking compass somewhere but can't remember where I put it.
I'm still enjoying the Patrick McManus book, and still laugh out loud at all his stories. Now should I read for a while or should I go back out looking for rock?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
I am with you on hating the automated tellers and such. I like real live warm bodies to help me find what I want and check me out. I guess humans are becoming a thing of the past.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure glad to hear you zipped your shorts before you went out in public! :O
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm in either of those stores, the first thing I do is find a mature employee and tell them I need help. Works every time. They have been more that willing to put everything into my car too. Chat them up a little to get great service.
The white hair and slight hitch in my get along seem to help too. ;)
If it was a Planet you saw it would be Venus in the West. No other Planets near it at this time. New Moon in a couple days will appear in the West as well but that's not for a couple days. Keep looking up:))
ReplyDeleteLowe's and Home Depot are so frustrating for just the very reasons you have pointed out. But I agree with Judy. Find a mature employee and ask for help. Now that you have your britches zipped I'm sure they will oblige. LOL
ReplyDeleteI sure hope you get some cooler weather or some way to cool off.
I was about to suggest the same as Judy, if I know there is something I have trouble lifting to get, the first thing I do is ask for help. Since rock should be in the garden center I would immediately ask the cashier to call for someone to help as I entered. It works for me.
ReplyDeleteIf there are no cashiers available just self checkouts I have been known to just leave my purchases and walk out. One of our local groceries often has NO cashier just self checks and one time I just left an entire grocery order including frozen food at the service desk telling them the reason why, they were upset that I wouldn't put everything back! I handed them their customer card and haven't been back since. I now drive an extra 15 miles to another store where they appreciate their customers and are always helpful with cheerful employees.
Needless to say the first is a big 'chain' store the second a locally owned smaller chain.
I just hunt down the so called help and drag them where I need them:) They even smile once in awhile!
ReplyDeleteI like Chuck and Anneke's solution. I must admit though, I can really play the poor helpless little woman if I need to. And I do it without shame.
ReplyDeleteIf there is a customer service desk, you can go there to ask for help. They usually have access to their PA (or, more likely these days, an intercom/cell phone) system. They will ask an "associate" to go to a certain department to help you.
ReplyDeleteAs for home improvement establishments, my first stop is always ACE Hardware because there is always someone available to help. If I can't get what I want there, I go to Lowe's; then, as a last resort, Home Depot. The choice between Lowe's and Home Depot is merely logistics, not preference.