Yesterday we decided a new, improved wheelbarrow was something we needed. This decision followed on the heels of having 3 yards of gravel and another yard of Groco dumped in our yard–all of which would need to be toted to other parts of the garden. And then we worked on building a rain garden, using tools donated by Lowe’s hardware, including a wheelbarrow that toted in a more functional and elegant fashion than the dilapidated barrow we already owned.
We headed up to Swanson’s Nursery ostensibly to see if they had something (but really I was aiming to shop the plants aisles) and then since we were so close, we zoomed over to Lowe’s. En route, we called our local hardware stores to see what they might stock–indeed we were comparison shopping. I mean, we already had a wheelbarrow, any addition would have to be a much superior version.
So the guy who answered the phone at Magnolia Ace Hardware was very much on it. He was willing to check out the stock and confirm materials and dimensions, so that was a Good Sign. But when we got to the store and looked through the wheelbarrows on display, nothing seemed superior to what we already had at home, and we began meandering out of the store. (It IS a hardware store after all, and we can never be in such without perusing the aisles for interesting bits and parts.)
As we left, a gentleman approached and asked if we were looking at wheelbarrows. “Yes,” we said, and he explained that his clerk was in the midst of assembling one–which turned out to be the one that he had described when we telephoned, but which wasn’t on display. (Sidenote, the clerk was obviously not happy about being conscripted to do this, which baffles me because I can’t think of a much better job than one that requires opening boxes of parts, and then building things with all the bits and pieces.)
Ace Hardware stores are independently owned “Mom & Pop” kinds of stores, not the gigantic Lowe’s or Home Depot monstrosities. Of course, that’s why I’d rather shop at Ace than Home Depot, even if it means a more limited selection. Oh wait, I LOVE a more limited selection. :)
So anyway, we were impressed that based on our telephone inquiry someone (we assume he’s the owner) got right on top of getting the wheelbarrow assembled, and then he was right on top of what was going on with the customers in his store.
Too often anymore I find myself in a store where none of the staff seem aware of me or seem interested in what I might be there to buy. If I am lucky, there’s someone somewhere sulking behind a counter, sending a text message or yakking with a co-worker, and I can interrupt and perhaps get some assistance. But by then I am annoyed, so perhaps I leave the store with what I came in for but I add it to my sh*tlist and avoid returning ever again.
So kudos to the guy at Magnolia Ace Hardware. And good luck to his clerk who was sullenly assembling the wheelbarrow–I’m guessing your job there won’t last too much longer.
