Tales from Aisle 9

Yinzers,

Today's tale is not a tale, but a lesson. The lesson is that you never, under any circumstances, accuse your clerk of trying to pull a fast one on you because you are too ignorant to realize that they are helping you. Here's the story:

An older gentleman-probably in his late 60s-comes into the store today and hands me a handful of hardware. One 1/4" lag screw, one 10-24x2" machine screw, one 10-24 hex nut and one #8x1/2" self-drilling screw. "I need all of these in stainless, by the box if you got 'em." So I take the man back to the nuts and bolts aisles, directly to the section devoted entirely to stainless steel and begin pulling product. I hand him a box of machine screws, a box of nuts, a box of lag screws and a box of self-drilling screws. He opens each one as if I were lying to him and puts his key chain magnet in each box (stainless steel is only mildly magnetic). When he places the magnet into the self-drilling screws, a few of them stick to it. "These aren't stainless," he says.
"Yes they are sir, what's wrong?"
"They stick to the magnet, they can't possibly be stainless."
"Yes they are sir, I can guarantee you that."
"I don't think so son, they stick to the magnet, they aren't stainless."
"I realize they stick to the magnet, but they are stainless. I am 100% positive and that's because they just came off the truck on Tuesday. They are brand new, stainless screws."
After about five or six volleys of him essentially calling me a liar, he put the screws back and refused to buy them and then left abruptly in what I could only describe as ignorant frustration.

So the lesson is, if someone who knows their stuff helps you, be grateful. Do not treat them like they are inferior to yourself. That also goes for those younger than you. I am tired of getting treated like a child by customers. If you have that much of a superiority complex, don't ask me for help.

B Brog