Home Depot

Got a call today from my friend Tommy who runs the Farmer's Game. Seems like they want me to build them another poker table for their ever expanding poker game. Nice. Keeps me busy. So I get Thomas in the truck and we head to Home Depot in Victoria (25 miles). When I get there I ask one of the guys working in lumber where I can find the folding picnic table legs. I've made several of these poker tables and each time i've gotten the materials at this location. He gets this glassy-eyed look and tells me to look in Hardware and only points the way. A bit miffed, I head over to Hardware to search for these legs and couldn't find em. So I find the guy again and ask him if he could help me. So we look around and finally he says "oh yeah, there in Flooring" and points the way. Not so fast buddy, you're going with me. So now i'm walking with this guy and i'm thinking to myself 'why in the hell would they be in Flooring?'. We get to Flooring and the original guy says "ok, what is it you're looking for again?" I look at the Flooring guy, who is just some 21 yr old kid who is sitting around talking with other 21 yr old kids who work there. And so the following conversation goes down:

247: I'm looking for folding picnic table legs.
kid: why?
247: huh. (this caught me way off guard and now i'm getting pissed)
247: cause i wanna build a space shuttle. why else would i want picnic table legs.
kid: sorry, i was just fooling around.
247: well, i'm not. (now i'm pissed)
kid: we don't have picnic table legs.
247: i bought them 4 separate times last year.
kid: from this Home Depot?
247: no, from the one across the street.
kid: and you don't remember where in the store you got them?

I walked away at this point. Went to another area and found the box of legs I was looking for. So I take the box and walk back to Flooring and the kids are still sitting around. One of em points out that I'm coming back and the kid turns around...

247: See these? These are called picnic table legs. Can you say it with me?
kid: Sorry sir. I didn't know we carried them.
247: When you don't know something ask someone. Its your job to know where these are not mine.
kid: sorry.
247: Can I talk to you for a second. (now i take him by himself)
kid: yessir.
247: If you ever try and talk shit to me again in front of those guys I will forget where I am and beat your ass. Do you understand me?
kid: yes
247: Yes sir. I'm older than you.
kid: yes sir.

So now i'm still pissed and I ask him to call the manager over. He calls the Flooring manager but I want the damn Director of the store. The guy shows up right away and I tell him the whole thing. He asks the kid if this was the truth and the kid answers that it was. The manager then tells him to go clock out and go home. Now I tell the manager I didn't want that to happen and he says that he had no business talking to someone like that and apologizes to me again. I think about it for a second or so and agree.

Eff that kid. Don't mess with old people who wanna spend money. They're the ones putting spinner hubcaps on your truck and buying your Milwaukee's Best.

Where the eff did customer service go????

EDIT:
Virge told me that i went over the top by telling the guy i was gonna beat his ass. Telling him i'm gonna do it is different than actually doing it. I'm a 5'7 mexican guy and he was like a 6' country boy. So the odds were pry in my favor.

You're right, it was over the top. But i meant it.

-247