16 August 2014

People & Shopping

People, I have decided, are nuts. I saw more stupid maneuvers, both on foot and behind the wheel today, than in most weeks.

At the heavily attended farmers' market, there were multiple people with canines. All were well-behaved and under control, save one.

A woman who was, um, vertically-challenged was being pulled around by a brown lab mix which was 100 pounds if he was an ounce. She had him on one of those retractable leads, and apparently didn't know how to retract it.

He was off to the races ... at one point, wrapped around a tent pole upright, two shoppers, through the check-out line, and around another shopper, and then on his way back ... all this before she noticed he wasn't at her side. Sorting that out wasn't pretty, and she wasn't apologizing to anyone for incapacitating them.
Now imagine a LARGE dog on a wire rope, weaving his way through and around people ...


Every pokey driver who has yet to discover the use of an accelerator was idling up and down the streets. You'd have thought the sun was shining. (Anchorage residents tend to be mesmerized by sunshine, because we don't always see of lot of ol' Sol...)

The farmers' market parking area looked like this, except for the palm trees. :)

Pedestrians were walking behind SUVs as those large trucks backed out of parking spaces, or opening their doors as other SUVs pulled in alongside them.

And yes, before you ask, each and every one of them was either talking on a cell phone, or at least lost in conversation and looking the wrong direction. Every. Single. Time.

We finally made it home, and you couldn't pay me to go back out there. We're in for the day!

* * * * *

And now the major complaint: a tale of two big box stores.

Store #1:
The janitorial crew at my building managed to "misplace" the two very large padlocks which we use on the dumpsters at night, so I had to go get more.

Home Depot is the closest place to my office, so I pulled in there. Found what I needed, and went to the checkout. Handed over my VA card & debit card, and the cashier said, "Oh, I can't take this VA card; it doesn't have a picture on it."

I whipped out my driver's license and said, "See my picture? Look, the name matches and everything."

"I'm sorry, sir, but it's the manager's policy. You can't get the veteran discount without a VA card with a photo on it."

Store #2:
Shopping close to home this morning, Lowe's is right up the road. We went in there to get prices on lumber for a project, and picked up a few things.

Again, I presented my VA card, and the clerk said, "Oh, thank you for your service. That's 10% off."


I'll never shop at Home Depot again.

11 comments:

Rob said...

we don't shop at H.D. Or Lowes none in our area. We do have Menard's which is like them. I have found that my silver mini van is invisible to just about everyone.

Folks are surprised to see you anytime walking or driving.

Murphy's Law said...

You should have just said something in Spanish. Here, Home Despot and Lowes both compete for the illegal alien contractor trade and every darn sign in both is printed in both English and Illegal. I've complained to store managers at both and been told that the Latino construction trade is too big not to cater to it.

Chickenmom said...

The only good thing about Home Depot is - there's usually a Lowe's right down the road.

Rev. Paul said...

Rob, we used to shop at Ace Hardware & a local lumberyard, until the Depot & Lowe's put them out of business.

ML, that's not a bad idea, but on the other hand I don't look remotely Hispanic. Oh, well. :)

Chickenmom, you can't take things like that for granted in Alaska. Neither of them was here six years ago. And if you don't live in Anchorage, Wasilla or Fairbanks, you don't have any at all. We frequently get one such store for the whole state, which is ludicrous, of course.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

Which is more annoying, trying to find someone to help you, or a chirpy greeting from every employee you pass? My first stop is the local Habitat for Humanity thrift store, then Lowes. We also have a decent Ace Hardware store. Being farm country, there are the Ag stores, co-ops, and Tractor Supply.

Rob said...

The hardware stores are drying up here. We have to drive 20 mi to one of 3 Walmart's or two Menard's. The only local hardware store 5 mi east is also a gas station, & sport place, but they close at like 5pm daily. If I need something I'm in trouble.

Cathy said...

I know this is going to sound simplistic and naive, but it seems to me that people that make it all the way to Alaska are going to be inherently sharper and on-the-gal than the lower 48er's.

I mean Alaska is 'frontier'. Seems just the idea of it would weed out slouches and dummies. Guess not :(

Cathy said...

P.S. Ahahahahahah!!!
That would be on-the- "ball " !
Shouldn't type whilst getting a foot rub.

Rev. Paul said...

Cathy, that used to be largely true. Sadly, it's not necessarily the case these days.

I guess the foot rub is distracting. :)

Anonymous said...

Home Depot - Attn Staff - Leave your common sense at the door!

gfa

Rev. Paul said...

Guffaw, I can't really blame the staff for obeying the manager's orders. I blame him! :)