4:45pm 2/24/2012...
I arrived at Capitol Ace Hardware by bicycle so I could do some surprise home repair for some friends before they returned from their anniversary trip. ANYWAY... I attended CSUS over two decades ago, and I remember Capitol Ace.. I remember it as a hardware store in the middle of a place that likely needs hardware past 5:00PM... and that those folks in need of any hardware were Shit Outta Luck!
Now.... fast forward to today.....
Knowing the above info to be at least a possibility, I rode there on purpose anyway. I decided that I would ask the nice gentleman who pointed things out to me... to give me basic locations of everything I needed right off the bat, then I would gather my stuff... you know, not waste time, and utilize his store knowledge so I didn't hunt things down - thereby spending more money - the portly gentleman actually guided me to another store.... not mentioning I could not POSSIBLY make it back before they closed if I failed to get the item I held in my hand inside of ACE hardware (bird in the hand Vs. Portly dude in front of me).... uhhh JERK! But I knew this trick... they used it 20 years ago too.
I heard an announcement ... 'store closing in 5 minutes'
AND SO IT BEGINS
Less than a minute later I was approached by Harley Davidson dude (see photo...) and offered assistance in the form of impatience.
Not one minute after that, a rather portly gentleman approached - informing me the store was about to close. Now keep in mind, I was still shopping, and unaware they had locked the fire exit.... so I told him I was not finished shopping, but was going to finish since I got there before they closed... and I was not planning on dragging it out anyway.
So, I made my purchase because I had little choice, but I will go back.... I want my reward points. While making my purchase, Portly dude could not be bothered to help, and Harley Davidson dud was a jerk.
This was NOT poor customer service... I was HELPED promptly, courteously, and accurately - by the first gentleman I encountered.
THIS is not about closing at 5:00PM...
THIS is about being rushed out the door 6 times in 3 minutes by two employees who were rude, and smug enough to be blatant about it.
One too lazy to sell an item I held in my hand - and ultimately purchased... because the repairs... needed to be done, wild goose chase notwithstanding.
The other... not the sharpest tool in the hardware store, but a tool nonetheless!
My apologies to the elderly gentleman I first encountered... not because our encounter was memorable (unless you count the shock of what came next), but because that poor man will be stuck having to retrain Harley Davidson and Portly dude everyday Monday morning through Thursday evening - week after week after week after week after week after week... again!
And the receipt... says I completed my transaction at 4:52pm read more