The cheery Ace Hardware lady on the phone directed me to park close to their propane tank refill station. When I got there, the refill station was fenced in and the gates were locked.
Sooo...I carried the tank into the store and headed for the door that led to the propane refill station. I was closer to that door than the front door when a brusque young employee called out, "Sir, I can't have that tank in the store!"
When I asked how I was supposed to get it to the refill station, he directed me to go back out the front door, back around where I was parked, and push an unmarked button somewhere there and somebody would come let me it.
He noted that there was a sign on the front door saying they didn't allow propane tanks in the store. (He was right. As I left, I checked, and among a number of different signs on the front door was the one that he mentioned. Like many former customers, I cannot tell you what any of the signs said.)
Wondering why he hadn't just accompanied me to the closest door (the one out to the refill station, not the front door) and offered to help me, I went out the front door like he insisted.
I then took the tank to another propane dealer. read more