You Call This A "Parts House"...?? (Part 1)

Yep.
I was so mad Friday afternoon, I could hardly see straight. Aside from common courtesy and initiative being dead, I have to say what I suspected all along. "People are STUPID."
A quick lunchtime trip to Wal*Mart to grab some necessities turned into a frustrating ordeal and lasted for two and a half hours. I had been in need of a battery for my truck for a little while, and decided to run by Auto Zone to nab one pretty quickly.
Of course, with the issues I've had with my back I can't do any lifting, so I informed the manager on duty who was actually taking my sale. Of course, he was courteous and cooperative, but by contrast the little young gook-boy employee was typical 'new-generation': slow-moving, un-motivated, and seemingly inconvenienced by my very existence.
All he had to do was carry a battery outside-- I mean just directly outside the front door, as I had parked as closely as possible, and carry the old one (the core) back in. I was actually gonna 'un-ass' and 're-attach' the batteries myself! Even this was greeted with the same enthusiasm.
Heavy sighs. Foot-dragging. The whole nine yards.
After I finally got my old battery disconnected, I discovered some corrosion & saw that I needed a long battery bolt. THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE ONE IN THE STORE.
Unbelievable. So, there I was, stranded in front of an auto parts store with no battery bolt.
Called Jamey from work to help me out. I THOUGHT this would be a good idea, as I was stuck between his lunch site and our workplace.

TO BE CONTINUED.......

Nice, Accurate Auto Ad

DONE!

That's it. I quit. No longer able to deal with the idiots and jackass 'know-it-all' meth-making motorhead mouth-breathers, I am throwing in the towel. I thought I could handle retail again, but I was mistaken. I can't.
I can't be sympathetic to people (and I use the term loosely) who don't listen. I have over 20 years of automotive parts experience, yet I 'don't know anything'. By the way, regardless of what you may think, I cannot change the way cars, specific auto parts and their availability, have been made by the manufacturers for decades.
I have to interject that the industry (or specifically this company) has created this situation by taking away all customer accountability by not requiring receipts for refunds or exchanges. Allowing morons to return installed electrical parts because they didn't fix the problem is beyond me. (It used to be illegal to sell used parts as 'new'). Most people, and ALL of them in Grand Bay, shouldn't even be allowed to work on vehicles. Logic and demonstrative proof mean nothing to these illiterate bastards. And I have worked in Chickasaw, Crichton and Prichard. I have NEVER seen the amount of lying and thievery as rampant as in Grand Bay.
It in no way benefits ANYONE (you the customer, me, the companies) for me to lie about any of this. I am accepting another position with another company featuring regular daytime hours, much closer to home. The reduction in pay will be offset by the shorter travel distance and useable waking hours, enabling me to take advantage of other pursuits. CREATIVE pursuits. ARTISTIC endeavors.

Not For Long..... Another Retail Story

Well, this job keeps getting better and better. Retail literally sucks. People of all walks of life from Grand Bay are idiots. Spell it with me: "I-D-I-O-T-S"!
And bastards.
For instance, a young democrat comes in with a pygmy on her hip, asking about a battery. After some qualifying questions, I provide her with all of the information about her needs. She just wants a cheap battery that will fit. I go out & look at her battery dimensions and offer her an inexpensive battery.
She asks if I can install it for her. I smile and reluctantly answer "yes". (In reality, I hate this aspect of the job not only for the sheer dislike of getting greasy, but also for liability issues causing me to question the store's reasoning in continuing this practice) After removing the old and installing the new batteries at the expense of other waiting customers at the counter, the door of the Ford Explorer parked in the next space opens, and the 'baby daddy'(who had been watching the entire time) gets out and proceeds to 'supervise' and verify that this was the cheapest battery, if I knew what I was doing, etc.
I don't actually know if my face was as red or if my anger and disgust showed. I don't know how much longer this will last.

Best Halloween Costume

I have to say that this is the best Halloween costume of the year:



I'm just pissed that I didn't think of it first. Katrina 'victims', and especially those from New Orleans, hold a special place in my heart, and this captures the spirit of their 'culture'. Interacting with my current clientele only brings back precious memories of dealing with Louisiana Democrats.
For example: I have about 20 years of automotive parts-related experience, but just this week I was cursed on separate occasions and even called a 'f*#%&+@ liar'. Why would I not want to sell someone a part if I had it in stock or had it available to me for order? For the record, front wheel bearings for late-model full-size GM trucks come as a sealed unit with the hub assembly. I own one.

Do I Speak In a Foreign Language?

People today are basically idiots. Noone listens to anyone else. Nearly everyone assumes they know what I am going to say. Hardly anyone possesses any common courtesy anymore. (Don't even get me started on the piss-poor driving in this town. That's a whole 'nother blog entry!)
For instance, a man comes into the auto parts store the other day and asks for a clutch kit (consisting of pressure plate, disc, and release bearing) for a 1982 truck. These are the parts in a manual transmission that help engage the flywheel and shift gears. Since this is a pretty old vehicle, and for the sake of accuracy, I was obliged to ask if this was the original engine and transmission. The man stated "Yes." I sold him his parts and went on about my business, helping other customers and such.
A few hours later the man returns in a huff, slams the now-grimy new parts on the counter, and begins to rant about how I 'gave him the wrong parts'. I apologized, calmly looked the parts up again, acheving the same results. I asked him again "Are you sure this is the original engine and transmission?"
After a brief pause, he replies "Well, yeah, it's one that I put in there....!"

How was your day.....?
I will have to call Uncle Henry about this one.......