Hell froze over?

kaiser715

kaiser715

Doing hard time
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Location
7, Pocket, NC
Went to Lowes to get a few sheets of 3/4 plywood sheathing. Just as I rolled my cart up to the stack and started to slide the first sheet, a hispanic guy (non-employee) walks up and asks if I need a hand. That doesn't happen often. When I was checking out, there was a Lowes employee just standing there at the door. When I got to the truck and put the tailgate down, I turned around, and he was right there behind me. Yep, a real Lowes employee followed me all the way out to the truck to help me load. Never seen that happen.

Guess I'm looking old?
 
I’ve started to get that recently when parking in the lumber and pro area. Kind of a pleasant surprise. I usually toss them a couple $ as a tip when I actually have cash with me.
 
We have a couple here in Pinehurst too couple are worthless but the one dude (big ole boy too) he will put in work. He has been there for the couple years I’ve been going there. Summer I’ll grab a water from the checkout counter for him and a couple weeks ago when it was freezing I had a new beanie hat and tossed it to him. He is always pleasant with a smile I can appreciate that.
 
The wife tends to (want to) see the good in people. Of course she's spent most of her life in corporate headquarters, flying to meetings held in 5 star hotels adjacent to the airports, and/or in Zoom meetings with professionals. I won't say she's sheltered....I'll just say she walks a different path.

I'm a realist with many more years of experience with the REST of the world. So I expect very little out of people and they never seem to disappoint.

She still smiles and waves to everyone we pass in the car. And when we've been in DC or other urban areas walking on the sidewalks, she will smile, make eye contact and ask people how they are doing. Of course she's a tall pretty blonde so she can get away with it. But even then....people look at her like she has 4 heads for acknowledging their existence.

Me? I'm genuinely surprised when someone wants to offer help with nothing in return. I mean...I will do it, just because it's the right thing to do...but I certainly don't ever EXPECT anyone else to do it. So I can see where it would catch you completely off guard DP. As it totally would me as well.

Glad there are still good people out there that pay it forward.
 
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Actual photo of me at lowes


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When I built my shed 2-4 yrs ago, I made MANY trips to Lowes and Home Depot buying large amounts of wood. I think only once did someone offer to help me load.
 
shawn said:
My favorite is where they ask if you need any help, you tell them what you're looking for, then they stand awkwardly next to you while you both stare at the shelves.
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Or when you're in the plumbing section making up adaptors on the fly and they can't figure out why or how you're trying to connect 3 different pipe sizes and 3 different pipe materials
 
awheelterd said:
Or when you're in the plumbing section making up adaptors on the fly and they can't figure out why or how you're trying to connect 3 different pipe sizes and 3 different pipe materials
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The guys in plumbing are either useless or invaluable. No middle ground.
 
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked out of Lowe’s or Home Depot with a stack of wood for concrete forms and those dudes just stand there. They actually stood 10 feet away from me once on the lumber aisle talking about vacation days while I was stacking 16’ 2x10’s by myself along with a shit ton of concrete bags. I told them I appreciated the help and they just looked at me like I did something wrong. Then put it all on my ladder racks by myself while two more clowns stood there watching. I can only remember one time a couple of guys helping at Lowe’s.
 
shawn said:
My favorite is where they ask if you need any help, you tell them what you're looking for, then they stand awkwardly next to you while you both stare at the shelves.
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Or they look up the item location on their little phone tablet thingy just as you could have via the website. :lol:
 
kaiser715 said:
Heck, I could afford a stack of plywood...they ought to have given me an armed escort home with it.
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Yeah to keep some asshole like me from running you off the road to get it.
 
Futbalfantic said:
It doesn’t help they change the layout of the store every 3 days.
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They just did the apple-cart-turnover in the Sanford store. I was in there a couple days ago and they said they were half done with the rearranging.

I figure it's to make room for all the crap they are getting in to be more like Walmart and less like a lumberyard. Small appliances, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, etc.
 
Does anybody else remember when Lowe's sold tvs?
 
tknopp said:
The summer of 1986 I did a college internship at Lowe's manufacturing plant in Thomasville. I was responsible for putting together the deck kits, picnic table kits and clothes line kits that you could buy in the stores.
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So YOU are the bastard that left one screw or nut out of every kit?
 
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