The Warning

My mouth sometimes gets me in trouble. I try to temper my speech with grace, but when I'm really irritated I tend to ignore the warning bells and red flags.

Tonight I went to HEB for my late night grocery run, and there was an SUV parked in the oncoming driving lane. Slow drivers in the passing lane is one of my pet peeves--especially when I'm running late. Parking in any travel lane, whether I'm traveling in it or not, is kind of high on my  irritation list as well.  They pose a huge safety hazard. But tonight, since it was just the two of us in the parking lot, I could have overlooked this flagrant disrespect of safety.

Except, he had extra lights on his rooftop. And all of his lights were a blindingly brilliant bright white. Most of the time that signifies one of three classifications of people:  Cop, Hunter, or Red Neck Good Ole Country Boy.

On occassion, they are one and the same.

His blindingly bright lights put me over the edge, and I decided I was going to chat him up and explain a few things. As I pulled along side him I rolled down my window and slowed to a stop. He rolled down his window about the same time I noticed the BPD logo on the trunk portion of his vehicle.

Warning Bells chimmed and Red Flags waved at me as he asked if there was a problem.

Cop.

"Why yes there is Officer," I said in a respectful  albeit stern tone of voice, ignoring the flags and bells, "Do you realize how bright the lights on the top of your SUV are to oncoming traffic?"

He quickly flipped them off, apologized, and explained he had just come from "out back" and had forgotten to turn them off.

Cop + Hunter (two out of  three so far, just maybe not the kind of hunter I was thinking).

I can only assume the "out back" reference meant the loading dock behind the store and not Australia.  Because if his SUV is capable of multiple modes of transportation (e.g. sailing and/or flying) in addition to the traditional driving, I need whatever he's driving.

The jury is still out on whether or not he's also a Red Neck Good Ole Country Boy, but since I usually like them (except when they act like 2 year old jerks), I'm leaning toward this Police Officer being the trifecta.

And more importantly, since I like Trifectas,  and since he quickly corrected the lighting, I let him off with a warning.

The Difference

I went doggie door shopping last night, and the difference in Home Improvement store Employees was like night and day.

At the first store an employee, who was assisting another customer (a doctor I know from the VA), asked if I needed assistance and offered to come back after the doctor had been helped. I agreed and browsed while I waited.

Finally, it was my turn.  As I was being helped a third customer interrupted to ask where the lock boxes were located. Three times the employee patiently pointed him in the direction and told the customer the location:  "Isle 3 with the dead bolt locks." I thought that was the perfect place for them, but the customer wasn't having it.

"No," he said  condesendingly, "You don't understand, it's a box like Realators put on the door of a house, and the house key is locked inside the box."

I'm thinking to myself, duh...with the deadbolts is the perfect place for it--they essentually serve the same purpose:  keeping the home secured, while allowing access to those with the right to gain access.
 
After the third attempt to convince the customer the lock boxes were in fact displayed with the deadbolts on isle 3,  the employee left me to assist the dense brainiac (I wanted so badly to go watch).

The employee returned,  completed my education on measuring for a new steel door with a doggie door,  gave me a handout with the information, as well as an estimate of the cost, and a verbal on how long it would take them to order what I wanted--because, of course, I didn't want anything they had in stock.

Then I went to the other store.

Where I was ignored.

At least until I cornered an employee assisting someone else--who it turned out was another employee--either that or they don't have an issue with customers moving and using those tall staircase ladders with safety railings on both sides of the staircase. Since that would be a huge safety or liability issue, I'm sticking with my guess that the customer was in fact an off duty, apronless employee. Not only did the on duty employee wearing an apron not show me any doggie doors,  he refused to quote me any prices--because I didn't have exact measurements.

"So you can't even give me a ballpark estimate?" I even showed him the paper from the other store, thinking he could at least say something like: Our basic steel doors start at $250. Plus $60 for the doggie door flap.  Plus incidentals. We can also install for another $200.  So maybe $600. Depending on the door you choose.  Or he could have said, we have a door like this, but our door is priced at...and then tell me the reasons their door is better than the first store.

But that's not what he said.

"No. I can't give you any prices without the exact measurements."  (even though the first store could at least guess)  He didn't even point me in the direction of the outside doors, so I could  see if I liked any of them. And he sure didn't fire up the computer to show me the ordering options.

So I guess every person who shops at the second store is a contractor, with exact measurements in hand, who also knows the store inventory, and exactly what door they want, and  that it is within their price range.

Well, I'm different.  

I'm an information gatherer. I research options. I read reviews to see problems others have experienced and how they dealt with those problems. Then, when I'm reasonably sure of what I want, and know I can afford it, I make my purchase.

I only have one more local place to check out before I decide, but I can already tell you I won't be purchasing anything from the second place.

The difference: the attitude and helpfulness--or  lack-thereof, of the two employees.

The second employee was a most unhelpful guy.

The first employee was a helpful and knowledgeable blonde.  She was awesome!

#GirlPower