Shopping for music accessories at Sears: Funny!...you have any funny experiences?

blue_knight_usa

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Last weekend I was in the tools section as Sears looking for a socket to fit over my finger to use as a slide on a uke and CBG. The guy in the department was retired and working at Sears on the weekend to keep himself busy (found that out after). He definitely wasn't a retired rocket scientist.

So.. he is watching me go to every socket on the wall and stick my finger in it, and working my way down the socket wall one by one. He has no clue what I am doing so he walks over after about 2 minutes of watching me and says "Can I help you" and I said "Yeah, I need a slide".

He stares at me and says "I think you want to go to the outdoor section". I looked at him and said "Can't I get a slide for indoors?" He said "I am not sure it will fit inside". I then asked, "Is the outdoor section where I'll find a slide that fits my finger?" He got totally confused and said, "Well, I am not sure about your finger but your butt will fit in it just fine".

I busted up laughing, and explained to him what a "slide" was. He clearly didn't know anything about music as he was intrigued that a socket makes a great instrument accessory.

Funniest shopping experience in a long time!
 
I think I remember hearing Lowell George talking on an old Little Feat recording about using a 9/16" Craftsman deep well socket as a slide.
 
you're antagonizing Oldepharts?!?!?! SHAME on you!
 
Some years ago I went to Sears looking for a large,flat mill file to help me with fret dressing. They had about a dozen of them, each it a cardboard box. I sat on the floor, took each file out and checked it's flatness with the precision straight edge I brought with me. I never did find a flat file but I did cause a bit of a stir with the help who stayed with me until I put them all back. Which seemed funny to me because I can never find a clerk at Sears to help me when I want one! I ended up buying a better file online. And it's flat!
 
Some years ago I went to Sears looking for a large,flat mill file to help me with fret dressing. They had about a dozen of them, each it a cardboard box. I sat on the floor, took each file out and checked it's flatness with the precision straight edge I brought with me. I never did find a flat file but I did cause a bit of a stir with the help who stayed with me until I put them all back. Which seemed funny to me because I can never find a clerk at Sears to help me when I want one! I ended up buying a better file online. And it's flat!

That is funny Chuck because I actually looked for someone to find out where the sockets were as this was a huge Sears section with probably 30 rows of tools, and I could not find anyone, but when I found the sockets and started messing around, it was like I rubbed a Genie socket and POOF! There he was.
 
I live in a rural area and even in those shops where you might expect that salespersons would be knowledgeable, they are frequently pretty unsophisticated. I raised some eyebrows at a local hardware store when I asked for a reamer. I had to go find it myself, but you can bet I showed it to the clerk when I found it, "This is a reamer." "Oh, sorry, I didn't know what that thing is." But the worst look I got came when I asked for cous cous in the grocery store. "Okay, where do you keep the rice?"
 
I live in a rural area and even in those shops where you might expect that salespersons would be knowledgeable, they are frequently pretty unsophisticated. I raised some eyebrows at a local hardware store when I asked for a reamer. I had to go find it myself, but you can bet I showed it to the clerk when I found it, "This is a reamer." "Oh, sorry, I didn't know what that thing is." But the worst look I got came when I asked for cous cous in the grocery store. "Okay, where do you keep the rice?"

Don't even ask for Quinoa! My wife told me it's pronounced KeenWah and I tell her no it is Queennoah!
 
Hilarious!

And I frequently stump the checkout people at the grocery store with my odd vegetable purchases. Listen, when you are a vegetarian, carrots and celery don't cut it after a while...you have to get weird...but they don't know what a jicama is or a dragonfruit, and I have to patiently wait for them to flip in their book or ask three managers what to sell it under...and they always sell it under something like a carrot, or celery.
 
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Wouldn't a socket big enough to fit your finger be kinda heavy for the job as a slide?
 
Wouldn't a socket big enough to fit your finger be kinda heavy for the job as a slide?

My thoughts exactly. Of course having a ukulele equipped with friction tuners as opposed to those god awful heavy geared tuners that strain undeveloped arm muscles so much would lessen the discomfort of the set up. Somewhat. I'll bet that Sears guy had quite a story to relate as well.
 
Wouldn't a socket big enough to fit your finger be kinda heavy for the job as a slide?

True, but on the plus side, if it's a Craftsman brand, it has a lifetime warranty. You crack it--for instance playing some live, uptempo blues and, because of the heaviness, you fling it off your finger and it hits someone in the front row in the forehead, cracking the socket--you just mosey on down to any Sears store and they will exchange it, no receipt necessary.

I still have an old harmonica from Woolworths, and a transistor radio from Zayres, both of which I paid extra for store warranties. So, I'll always have the peace of mind that, anything goes wrong, bada bing, back they go for exchange right at the store.

I'm one of those that sleep better at night with this reassurance.
 
I still have an old harmonica from Woolworths, and a transistor radio from Zayres, both of which I paid extra for store warranties. So, I'll always have the peace of mind that, anything goes wrong, bada bing, back they go for exchange right at the store.

I'm one of those that sleep better at night with this reassurance.
I'm not sure those if those warranties are still valid.
FYI...F.W. Woolworth closed 17 years ago and Zayres closed - wait for it...
24 years ago!!
Man I'm getting old!!
 
there was a mall antique show today and one of the vendors was using Woolworth's plastic bags for customer purchases. They've been gone 17 years and now they pop up twice in one day for me.
 
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