Funny experience at Menards

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Funny experience at Menards

Post by Scoutmaster »

I was putting out hanging baskets on my day off when I realized that I was short some flowers and needed to replace several baskets. I had been working outside for several hours wearing shorts, an Open Carry t-shirt (thanks Jenni) and a OTW retention holstered Glock 19.

At Menards while searching for the flowers I wanted. I heard a women ask where she could find a certain plant. I assumed that she was talking to an employee that I had not seen. But when I turned to look she was looking at me and no one else was near. I told her I was not an employee. To which she responded that she had seen the thing on my hip and assumed that I worked there. My first thought was that I put off a retail vib as I have been a retail Manager for over 25 years. But no, she thought the gun was a Telxon PDT device. I did not tell her what it really was.

As I have stated many times most people do not see the OCed gun or do not recognize it for what it is.
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Re: Funny experience at Menards

Post by wkdravenna »

When ever I go to the grocery store with shirt and tie. Everyone asks me where stuff is. . .

I haven't a clue, but I always give them an answer with a smile. If I don't know I just tell em' its on isle five. :lol:
Tell em its on isle 26 in a 25 isle store that's a great one too.
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Re: Funny experience at Menards

Post by TunnelRat »

Yup, the employees at the Anderson's stores of Toledo wear blue dress shirts and khaki pants. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked for help by a customer. I confess that I often use the formula suggested by wkdravenna and send them to the other end of the store.

For the OP, often the best place to hide something is in plain sight... 8)
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Re: Funny experience at Menards

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TunnelRat wrote:...I confess that I often use the formula suggested by wkdravenna and send them to the other end of the store...
How nice of you! :roll: :roll:

I'm of the opinion that how one conducts oneself with small things says a lot about how one conducts oneself with bigger things.

You two are great ambassadors for gun owners/open carriers. :roll: :roll:
Yes, I do believe in open carry. An openly armed man is clear in his intentions. Concealed carriers are sneaks and skulkers and elitist, boot licking, political contribution making, running dog lackies of The Man. <wink> (thx grumpycoconut - OpenCarry.org)

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Re: Funny experience at Menards

Post by BlueMR2 »

TunnelRat wrote:Yup, the employees at the Anderson's stores of Toledo wear blue dress shirts and khaki pants.
I used to get that all the time at Best Buy... People can tell I'm a nerd and just assume I work at a nerd store. :-)
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Re: Funny experience at Menards

Post by MyWifeSaidYes »

BlueMR2 wrote:
TunnelRat wrote:Yup, the employees at the Anderson's stores of Toledo wear blue dress shirts and khaki pants.
I used to get that all the time at Best Buy... People can tell I'm a nerd and just assume I work at a nerd store. :-)
I get that a lot at Micro Center. Sadly, I often know more than the sales associates. :?
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Re: Funny experience at Menards

Post by MyWifeSaidYes »

BB62 wrote:
TunnelRat wrote:...I confess that I often use the formula suggested by wkdravenna and send them to the other end of the store...
How nice of you! :roll: :roll:

I'm of the opinion that how one conducts oneself with small things says a lot about how one conducts oneself with bigger things.

You two are great ambassadors for gun owners/open carriers. :roll: :roll:

When I worked at a fast food restaurant in my teens, we would send new people to get things from the outside freezer. We'd give them a large set of keys from the lost & found box and point them to the little building around the Columbia Gas shut-off valve for the neighborhood. They would be out of our hair for at least 15 minutes so we could get things done.

If they were ...very naïve... we would have them fill the water fountain on the condiment stand. The water spigot was a gooseneck attached to the building water supply and sat over a small drain with a REALLY small drain hole, not even 3/8". We would give them a 1 gallon pitcher full of water and tell them to just pour the water down the hole. A few would ask if it was sanitary, but we would tell them about all the filters it had (not). It takes many, many minutes to pour a gallon of water down a hole not much bigger than a straw.

As I got older and went to work for an airline, I sent the new guys and gals to retrieve spools of flight line and bottles of prop wash. If we really wanted to be cruel, we would send them to other airlines to ask. If the other folks weren't busy, they would be "out of stock" and send our folks to yet another airline. They could be gone for an hour.

Of course, when I got into computers and discovered I could cause little alerts to pop up on other people's screens... I remember well the great 'Monitor Radiation Shield Failure' alert of '98. Got that one from a web comic.

On topic, at least the OP didn't try to scan the ladies purchases with the device on his hip.

:shock: :mrgreen:
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Re: Funny experience at Menards

Post by BB62 »

MyWifeSaidYes wrote:
BB62 wrote:
TunnelRat wrote:...I confess that I often use the formula suggested by wkdravenna and send them to the other end of the store...
How nice of you! :roll: :roll:

I'm of the opinion that how one conducts oneself with small things says a lot about how one conducts oneself with bigger things.

You two are great ambassadors for gun owners/open carriers. :roll: :roll:

When I worked at a fast food restaurant in my teens, we would send new people to get things from the outside freezer. We'd give them a large set of keys from the lost & found box and point them to the little building around the Columbia Gas shut-off valve for the neighborhood. They would be out of our hair for at least 15 minutes so we could get things done...
LOL. Funny stuff.

However, pranks on co-workers is one thing, pranks on members of the public is another.
Yes, I do believe in open carry. An openly armed man is clear in his intentions. Concealed carriers are sneaks and skulkers and elitist, boot licking, political contribution making, running dog lackies of The Man. <wink> (thx grumpycoconut - OpenCarry.org)

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Re: Funny experience at Menards

Post by JohnD. »

BB62 wrote:LOL. Funny stuff.

However, pranks on co-workers is one thing, pranks on members of the public is another.
I disagree, both are equally funny.
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Re: Funny experience at Menards

Post by painiac »

Good stuff.

Whether I'd help or hinder somebody depends on how they approach me. Most people are polite, and if they ask politely thinking I'm an employee I will give them a helpful answer, or tell them I don't know and I don't actually work here. If they're condescending because they think employees are there only to serve them, I'd politely send them on a fruitless hike to the other side of the store.
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Re: Funny experience at Menards

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Back a few years, when Nardelli (sp?) took over Home Depot and fired all the old tradesmen who actually knew anything, you never saw help in the store. I was in the electrical aisle, grabbing some stuff for a major DIY project. Another customer looked at me and said "I know you don't work here, but you seem to know what you are doing. I can't find any employees, .can you tell me x? "

I helped him, then an immigrant couple with broken English and then another person. There was a little line in the aisle.

In all that was 15 minutes, but for that and the other half hour I was there, no employee actually showed up anywhere near the electrical aisle.

That is what used to make Home Depot different, back 15 years...the floor staff were all retired tradesmen.
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Re: Funny experience at Menards

Post by MyWifeSaidYes »

Mr. Glock wrote:...That is what used to make Home Depot different, back 15 years...the floor staff were all retired tradesmen.
It's starting to come back at some stores.
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Re: Funny experience at Menards

Post by dcludwig »

Mr. Glock wrote:Back a few years, when Nardelli (sp?) took over Home Depot and fired all the old tradesmen who actually knew anything, you never saw help in the store. I was in the electrical aisle, grabbing some stuff for a major DIY project. Another customer looked at me and said "I know you don't work here, but you seem to know what you are doing. I can't find any employees, .can you tell me x? "

I helped him, then an immigrant couple with broken English and then another person. There was a little line in the aisle.

In all that was 15 minutes, but for that and the other half hour I was there, no employee actually showed up anywhere near the electrical aisle.

That is what used to make Home Depot different, back 15 years...the floor staff were all retired tradesmen.
That's exactly right. My brother commented back then: "Gosh, you walk in the door and it seems like 10 people come right over to help you out and most of them seem to know what they are talking about!" I tend to shop at Lowe's more even though they are only about a mile apart. Customer service trumps a small difference in price. In all fairness, I've had good and bad experiences at both stores, but when HD opened, they seemed to hit the floor running in the CS respect.
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Re: Funny experience at Menards

Post by NavyChief »

TunnelRat wrote:. . . the employees at the Anderson's stores of Toledo wear blue dress shirts and khaki pants.
Reminds me of what I consider to be the best ever flash mob . . .

Best Buy Flash Mob!
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