garden rage

[skalie]

Is it an international thing to make gardening supply shops really difficult to get around and impossible on a Saturday?

Firstly they design the places so it's a two mile walk to get from the entrance to the exit, no shortcuts possible.

But worst of all are the clientele, suburbanites who think that they are in their own fucking garden and act accordingly.

I made the mistake of going to one of these premises yesterday which was one of the first days of summer.

I stood and stared at this middle aged couple who were blocking the path for about three minutes before having to ask them if they could take a second away from inspecting their precious cuttings to move aside.

There noses went even higher in the air and their mouth formed into the granny bum shape.

As I squeezed past I said not unloudly "You pieces of shit".

Fuck that made my day.

[Cruise Director]

This just happens to be my area of expertise. In an ever-growing world of retail competition and enraged customer demand for "better prices, better selection, etc" there is going to be some give and take.

An average Home Depot store is going to service anywhere from 3000 to 7000 customers on a busy Saturday. Keep in mind that's customer transactions and doesn't take into account the so-called lookie-lou's. In order to serve everybodies wants and needs we have to big larger stores. Larger stores bring larger crowds. It's a downward spiral from there. People get pissed that they have to deal with large crowds but shop the larger stores because of a better selection than the less-busy, mom and pop stores. Prices tend to be better also.

Tips for avoiding the shopping mayhem:
1.) Shop off-peak hours. Most stores have extended hours and even 24 hour service. (My HD is open 6 a.m. to 12 a.m.) Try and be in and out by 10 a.m.

2.) Don't shop on Saturday. Every asshole in the world is out in full force with the whole damned family. Weekdays are ideal because most kids are in school.

3.) Monday is best for garden departments because they will be getting fresh product in to resupply from the weekend.

4.) Approach the service desk to be rung up instead of the regular registers. Asking nicely helps.

5.) Have your shit ready to go when you hit the registers. The grocery store won't go get your bread for you, so what makes you think we want to retrieve 6 bags of steer shit for you? Can we put that on the garden, too?

6.) Park in Contractor parking. This section of the lot tends to be less occupied. Especially on the weekends. You may have to go through Contractor checkout but no one will hassle you.

7.) Be nice to the help. That way they are more willing to help you with those ten bags o' steer poop.

All I can say is that we try. If you can't deal with the crowds, your going to have to hit the mom and pop stores. It's a little more money and a little less selection but sometimes it's the best answer.

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We all float down here...

[MAC]

The title of this thread made me laugh.

But CD makes excellent points.

I want to expand.
For instance:

Holidays
It's mother's day.
1)NEVER try to take someone you love out to eat at a restaurant ON a holiday.
2)Never try to sneak to the store to buy a gift the day before a holiday.

Dating
(especially if you're married)
1)Try to go out on tuesday or thursday evening. The later the better.
2)Take a nap (if needs be) and haul the Mrs. to the local restaurant 2 hours before they close. You'll have a better time. Be able to hear each other. Get better service. And it won't take you as long to eat and have a few drinks cause there's no wait to be seated.

All-night grocery stores are the best, too.

Offset your schedule to make your life easier.
Or get in line with the rest of the sheep.

On the topic of gardening....
My Mom grew the best wild herbs. She found them in the fields and around brush piles and transplanted them to a section of her garden.
We always had chickens and we fertilized with chicken poo and trash fish from the creek.
Those were the good old days.


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Don't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.

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