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

I had to pick up some lumber at Lowe’s the other day for Mrs Rocket. Got the material and asked the young guy to cut it down to size for me.

Me: Cut it at 54-5/8”

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

Me: Yes. Takes the tape and pencil to show him.

We are in trouble....

I picked up some trim, it was sold by the foot, I told the cashier I had fourteen 10 foot pieces, she had to find the calculator.
I said "You're kidding right?"

I won't order anything from Lowe's that takes any calculations on their part. Been that way for quite a while.

"It's 2 and a third millimeters past the 1/2"mark" would have been my answer.

Like when I warrantee returned a 60 month battery and the clerk pulled a 48 month pro-rata sheet out? I had to do the math.

Be scared.

Just cut it to 54-20/32 then.
No?
54-10/16?
No?
How about 54.625 inches?
No?
Tell you what, 1.387 meters and let's call it a day.

(I hope I got those right):D

edit- with my skills, I'd sit there and complain only to get home and realize I had mis- measured it originally and it really did need to be 54-1/2.

If they are hiring the handicapped I'll give them credit but.........

Not likely.

Probably got terminated from Home Depot.....couldn't find aisle 12 without taking a off a shoe ;).

I needed 15ft of heavy gauge battery cable and went to the local auto parts store.
I asked the clerk- young female- how they measured it. She pointed at the floor and said those are 1 foot square tiles and we just lay it out. I actually thought it was a good idea.
She proceeded to lay it out diagonally across the tiles and count. I tried to explain to her that the distance across a diagonal tile was different than across the straight edge. She insisted, so I left with about 21 feet of cable. I did take a piece of string and showed her how the straight edge and the diagonal was different. She stood there trying it again and again- like it was some type of magic trick.
We are doomed.
Gary

Gary the magnifico...can make basic math appear out of thin air ;)

But he can't speel...

We are domed....DOMED I tell ya :)!

It makes me appreciate that the cost of housing is low enough around here that people with real skills can afford to take jobs with hardware stores. Half the staffs at our local Menard's, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Ace are people that are semi-retired tradesmen. I think many of them just want to be in a place where their knowledge is appreciated and useful.

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.

Similar issues around here. Whats gets me is I know people that listen to the flakes at Lowes/HD. The ms says, but the guy at HD said.... Sure, sometimes they are right but sadly its not very frequently. Its just a retail job for most now, last week could be a mall store, next week a clothing store.

It is the same at Best Buy or office supply places that sell computers. I was in a big box office supply place to buy a ream of quality laser printer paper and being a geek I wanted to see the prices on hard drives. As I was looking I heard a salesman spouting techno babble, just pure BS.

You don't have to be right to fool most folks, you just have to present your BS confidently. Then most folks will believe you.

Domed. All of us.

so true

I'm the family/friends IT guy ( http://forums.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/wat5.gif ) and got a great call the other day. A friend bought a new monitor from best buy. The guy also sold him an external video card/usb adapter for ~$75. Why not just use the vga cable? Simple salesmanship. Ask a few questions, solve the customers needs.

Sometimes you come across full grown adults who can't deal with fractions. We should've adopted the metric system long ago.. like in '75, but that is beside the point.
I hired a college student who couldn't read a tape measure. I gave him a three minute lesson. Obviously he was the product of a sub-par education, but I didn't hire someone who needs be trained at stuff like that, well in this case I did, honestly, I felt bad for him.
It just makes sense that kids would be taught basic math skills and have writing / spelling capabilities. This country just doesn't value education enough.

I think I could pull off working at lowes.
I really think I could.
At the end of the first day, my supervisor would say "That guy- he's got potential. He's going to climb high on the Lowes ladder of success!!!"

God knows I shop there enough and have travelled down every isle 1000 times. My only complaint are how some big box stores will flip their layout so building supplies are on the left vs. the right side of the store. That gets me all dyslexic.

I've also learned that when a salesperson tells you they are out of a certain nut or bolt, to ignore them and root around in the bins close by and on the floor. So often something is not restocked right by a customer or dropped.

Electrical advice is also something I generally don't ask for help on when shopping there.

The "assistance needed in plumbing... assistance needed in plumbing...plumbing..." call outs would get me though. I would go bonkers.

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