Nice/Annoying store workers

Meaningful discussion outside of the potato gun realm. Projects, theories, current events. Non-productive discussion will be locked.
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daberno123
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Thu Jul 31, 2008 9:38 pm

I actually get a lot of my stuff online, even though I hate paying shipping. There's something about being anonymous I like.

Recently I had a nice e-mail conversation with the president of a local machine shop. He gave very reasonable prices and knew what he was talking about. Somehow I think if he knew I was 14, he wouldn't have taken me seriously. Hopefully thats not true, but that seems to happen a lot.

I find that when people know your age, they give you less respect because you are younger. Thats one of the reasons I never talk to the hardware store workers, because they treat me like I'm either not serious or don't know what I'm doing.

Gaa, I wish I was older :D
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pizlo
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Thu Jul 31, 2008 9:45 pm

Rag, who has your favorite doctor been throughout the years?
On topic: The little I buy I get from a local hardware store (never buy enough there for someone to think gun) or homedepot. I remember on my first (shitty) gun an employee decided that he knew what was best and made me get a bunch of parts so I could have a pop-off and a valve and all, Cmon I was only using a bike pump. So he takes half an hour and 15 bucks worth of iron fitings (they didnt have em in pvc) to sell me the parts to a cannon with 2 DWV Bell reducers :wink:
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Atlantis
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Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:19 pm

The only problem I've had was when I was buying some rubber tubing for a pop dispenser for my dorm room, the guy asked me if I was making a beer bong, which is reasonable considering it's Kalamazoo, home city of Wastern Mich Unv. I had an interesting conversation with him about it, he said he's had a number of issues with alcohol poisoning being an ex-fire rescue member. Finally convinced him that I don't even drink, which is true, and I was on my way.

Some other time a teenage employee at Home Depot instantly knew and helped me find my parts.
"There isn't a problem in the world that can't be solved by the proper application of explosives"
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starman
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Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:22 pm

Most all of the big box hardware stores in the US are self serve...Home Depot, Lowes, etc. so age is usually not an issue, unless there's kid type clowning around. Just be mature and deliberate about why you are there...they won't refuse to sell you parts. I usually tell them I'm in "engineering mode" and they leave me alone.

However, the commercial plumbing supply stores are Over The Counter style.
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Ragnarok
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Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:35 am

pizlo wrote:Rag, who has your favorite doctor been throughout the years?
Doctor Jones... :D
Image

Hmm, deliberate misinterpretation... so many uses.
Does that thing kinda look like a big cat to you?
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Coodude26
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Fri Aug 01, 2008 2:57 pm

Ragnarok wrote: Hmm, deliberate misinterpretation... so many uses.
"Yea, I'm using the ball valve as a safety to ensure the pressure rating of the blah blah blah..." That usually gets em. After that they're just like "...OK..." but their face is showing "...what?"

Sometimes it's easier to come clean, I was at a home depot and I was walking out of a aisle with some PVC and a worker, just out of nowhere, said "You making a potato gun?" And I was just like "Umm...yeah, you ever make one?"
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Hotwired
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Fri Aug 01, 2008 3:38 pm

Coodude26 wrote:I was at a home depot and I was walking out of a aisle with some PVC and a worker, just out of nowhere, said "You making a potato gun?"
Busted :D

Young male buying piping and fittings = spudgunner :P
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Wombat
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Fri Aug 01, 2008 3:56 pm

When I go to Ace hardware, the clerks almost always ask me if they can help find something. I usually say 'Thanks, but I know where to find it' and they leave me alone. But the last time I went to Ace, this guy kept on asking me if he could help, giving me "the look" and followed me around everywhere. So just before I went to go the the check out counter, he comes up to me, grabs me, and tells me to empty my pockets. I only had my wallet and sunglasses in them. I really cant stand Ace hardware guys....
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SpudFarm
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Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:10 pm

you guys have bad stores!
i wanted my first spudgun, went to the hardware store and showed them my drawing and they said "you want a spudgun?" i said yes and he said "crap the drawing" and started to make it for me IN THE STORE :D
"Made in France"
- A spud gun insurance.
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Coodude26
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Fri Aug 01, 2008 9:22 pm

Damn wombat, how old are you? My ace hardware guys are very age-ist (as you can tell from my original post) but not that bad.
Last edited by Coodude26 on Fri Aug 01, 2008 11:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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judgment_arms
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Fri Aug 01, 2008 11:06 pm

I have yet to find a REAL hardware store, one's like Ragnarok described earlier, I found a really nice plumbing supply store, the guy went out of business about a month after I found it...

I get lucky if anybody even asks if they can help me find stuff in at the home-cheapo and lowes, at are local ACE people are tolerable...

You know, I take back my earlier statement, I found this place called Agir Supply, it's a farm supply place, they've got danged near everything, and what they ain't got on site they can order (or so I'm told), it's close to a REAL hardware, but it doesn't break the laws of physics to hold it all...:roll:



Usually if I don't feel like explaining I just tell 'em "It's for a weather experiment"... :D



Wombat, if you live in the states you could have that guy arrested; I would of threatened the crap out of the guy, should have been good for at least a discount if not free stuff. :roll: :lol:
Call me "Judge", it's easier to type.

Spud gun safety rules
brogdenlaxmiddie
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Fri Aug 01, 2008 11:35 pm

I have this local plumbing store that I go to all the time. I'm known as the Spud gun guy so I don't get bothered and I get employee discounts :D They truly are a got everything tater gun like store. Its got like a 10,000 sq foot sotre room that has every thing that you could dream of, and yes, its comes pressure rated as well! :wink:
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Wombat
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Fri Aug 01, 2008 11:52 pm

Coodude26 wrote:Damn wombat, how old are you? My ace hardware guys are very age-ist (as you can tell from my original post) but not that bad.
I'm sixteen.
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POLAND_SPUD
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Sat Aug 02, 2008 2:41 am

it's a farm supply place
I like such places
they ussually have lower prices and their stuff is rated for higher pressures and it's more hmmm heavy-duty?


@hotwired
Young male buying piping and fittings = spudgunner
or Young male buying piping and fittings = a penis pump
Children are the future

unless we stop them now
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frankrede
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Sat Aug 02, 2008 3:19 am

POLAND_SPUD wrote:
it's a farm supply place
I like such places
they ussually have lower prices and their stuff is rated for higher pressures and it's more hmmm heavy-duty?


@hotwired
Young male buying piping and fittings = spudgunner
or Young male buying piping and fittings = a penis pump
HAHAHHAA
Current project: Afghanistan deployment
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