Guy works at Lowe’s and can’t read a tape measure? WTF?

[69porsche]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Back in the "good old days" before the big box stores, a local lumber yard and hardware store was my go to place. They had a group of old greys in the lounge area drinking free coffee and eating donuts that their wife's would never let them have. They were all retired tradesmen. Every skill was there. It was great to go advice for a young first home owner like I was. The big box stores soon put that place out of business after 60 years right on Rt66.

+1 absolutely right--these guys knew their s**t! it's a tragedy that there are a few and far places, you tell them what's wrong, they knew the issue or how to work around it ....you go to the big box stores and they know the aisle location and that's it. Sorry but youtube and DIY so called shows have nothing on those guys that were drinking coffee, telling jokes about their wives and best they always had a scantily bikini clad gal calendar hid out of customer sight -courtesy of the local tradesman that was selling his products

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by SCadaddle

Here is a metric tape measure that I own. It is graduated in millimeters. Total length is 5 Meters.








However, someone in the production department dropped the ball when they didn't change "3 inches" notation on the side of the tape measure case (front to back dimension) to (most nearly) 75mm.

I see the humor in the 3 inch impression.

Would it have made you feel better if they put 7.62 CM there instead? OK, they could make the case 8 CM but that means more plastic, and the parts inside the plastic case need a re-design. So they have to make a entire new tape measure just to change that one measurement. It was far cheaper and easier to just leave the case alone. I am sure the bean counters figured out the sales number for the metric version as not high enough to warrant a total re-design and different production line.

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by Rtrorkt

I still miss this hardware store having moved away 15 year ago. Owned a '20's house and they had stuff in the basement that had been there for years (with help that knew what was there and how to find it) that fit my house perfectly.

hardware store, Cherrydale Hardware ARLINGTON, VA Home

That is a cool place. We have one here near Mt. Vernon. Right now they have seasonal bulbs out front in boxes for planting. Its the kind of place with sporting goods, oil, nails by the pound, plumbing, grass seed, and on and on. The entire basement is grills and green eggs.

Their only flaw is when you ask for a specific thing and they don't have it they try to sell you something similar or ask you what it is for, like I don't know what I'm looking for. A couple of weeks ago I was looking for a gasket for a secondary air injector for our Audi. I thought that maybe a gasket for a lawnmower would fit. The guy proceeded to ask me what it was for. Wrong thing to do that day with me. I told him it was for a secondary air injector from a three litre audi v6 mounted right behind the heads. I left when his eyes were spinning in opposite directions...

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by FPB111

We had a large hardware store like that. Our house was built in the 20’s with reclaimed wood and hardware.
I had a worn out bronze interior door latch. No big box store had anything close. Got talking to another customer who suggested “Smith’s” Hardware “ bin there 100 years. It was the first time I heard about this store.

When I walked in all I could were isles of shelves packed with tons of stuff.
The folks that ran it were a 3rd? generation older couple.
After wandering around exploring for awhile I went to the lady at the front counter and showed my worn out lockset and asked if she might have something I could use to save it.
She said we have a couple of those in the back stockroom. My feet hurt so I’m not going back there you will have to go.
Go through the employee only door, turn left, down 3 isles, turn right and about 1/2 way down in the middle of the 4th shelf there are a couple of those in green boxes.
To top it off after I blew the dust off the box you could see $4.50 written on it. And that is what she charged me.

For the next 20 years or so I went to that store first for anything remotely related to hardware, until it sold out, the kids did not want to run it. It was turned into a patio furniture/appliance store. Then the building was razed and now there is a strip mall there.
I was sorry to see that store go. It was a throw back to an earlier time when General stores had everything from horseshoes to tools to dress cloth.

I really don’t have room to complain in the 40 years Since we moved into this house we have expanded/remodeled and changed out all of the old hardware and doors.

Yes, but now we have eBay and the rest of the Net and for all of it's nastiness, there are people who list old parts that are useful. You make a few connections and then start asking about this and that. I've seem them come and go.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

Guy: It that close to 54-1/2”? Can you show me?

Jeebus, it was a rough start for me that day. All those little lines and shiet.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

We are in trouble....

Why are we in trouble ?
Do you expect brilliant Quants to be working in minimum wage retail jobs?
The clueless kid is earning commensurate to his ability.

When Home Depot pays $180k to their cashiers,
you can be sure they will do all the calculations in their heads.

You get what you pay for.