Jester
08-10-2008, 04:49 PM
Today my friend Little Red gave me a ride downtown on her way to work so I could get the Jestermobile, which I left downtown last night. On the way in, we caught some rain, and when Red turned on her wipers, I saw that she REALLY needed new wiper blades. She agreed, and being the nice considerate friend that I am (and it being the wetter season down here), I offered to pick her up some new blades while she is at work.
Thus the saga began.
Since it was a Sunday, and I had no idea what time National Car Parts Chain Store opened, I called them. Yes, I have them programmed into my phone. Some numbers are useful.
When I called, someone picked up and was speaking in Spanish....and I don't know enough Spanish to know what the hell they were saying. And since NCPCS has been there a while, with the same number, I doubt they changed their number. I figured maybe the store wasn't open yet, and that was just the cleaning crew.
I called back a while later, and got (I think) the same guy, who basically said one word to me in Spanish, and then I got silence. :wtf: Whatever. Figured I'd get breakfast downtown, then drive home and stop by NCPCS, seeing as they were on my route.
Luckily, when I got there they were open. But my conversation with the clerk was, to say the least, bizarre.
JESTER: "Yes, I need wiper blades for a '95 Ford Windstar."
CLERK: "That's a Chevy, right?"
JESTER: "Ummm.....no. A Ford Windstar."
CLERK: "'92?"
JESTER: "Nooo......'95."
While he is looking this up in his computer, some friend or associate of his comes into the store, and without bothering to excuse himself, just starts talking to the clerk in Spanish. The clerk had a nice long conversation with him, in Spanish, while either attempting to find my part or merely going through the motions of pretending to push buttons on his computer. Either way, it was somewhat rude, and very annoying.
Finally his little social time ends, and he tells me the pair will be about $35.
Say.....WHAT? For freakin' wiper blades? Are you serious?
I couldn't believe it. He even showed me the listing in the computer. I was stunned to see what I figured would cost about twelve bucks was that expensive.
But you see, it wasn't. Because then I noticed that the listing was for the wipers themselves, as in the whole bloody unit, not the replacement blades.
FINALLY Senor Genius looks up the blades, gets them for me, and for fifteen bucks, I am out the door.
With far less hair on my head, as I was pulling it all out. :hairpull:
Seriously, all that idiocy for fucking wiper blades? I swear, if that had been my first visit to that auto parts store (and if they weren't one of only two options for such things on the island, and if the other option wasn't much of one), I doubt I would go back.
Thus the saga began.
Since it was a Sunday, and I had no idea what time National Car Parts Chain Store opened, I called them. Yes, I have them programmed into my phone. Some numbers are useful.
When I called, someone picked up and was speaking in Spanish....and I don't know enough Spanish to know what the hell they were saying. And since NCPCS has been there a while, with the same number, I doubt they changed their number. I figured maybe the store wasn't open yet, and that was just the cleaning crew.
I called back a while later, and got (I think) the same guy, who basically said one word to me in Spanish, and then I got silence. :wtf: Whatever. Figured I'd get breakfast downtown, then drive home and stop by NCPCS, seeing as they were on my route.
Luckily, when I got there they were open. But my conversation with the clerk was, to say the least, bizarre.
JESTER: "Yes, I need wiper blades for a '95 Ford Windstar."
CLERK: "That's a Chevy, right?"
JESTER: "Ummm.....no. A Ford Windstar."
CLERK: "'92?"
JESTER: "Nooo......'95."
While he is looking this up in his computer, some friend or associate of his comes into the store, and without bothering to excuse himself, just starts talking to the clerk in Spanish. The clerk had a nice long conversation with him, in Spanish, while either attempting to find my part or merely going through the motions of pretending to push buttons on his computer. Either way, it was somewhat rude, and very annoying.
Finally his little social time ends, and he tells me the pair will be about $35.
Say.....WHAT? For freakin' wiper blades? Are you serious?
I couldn't believe it. He even showed me the listing in the computer. I was stunned to see what I figured would cost about twelve bucks was that expensive.
But you see, it wasn't. Because then I noticed that the listing was for the wipers themselves, as in the whole bloody unit, not the replacement blades.
FINALLY Senor Genius looks up the blades, gets them for me, and for fifteen bucks, I am out the door.
With far less hair on my head, as I was pulling it all out. :hairpull:
Seriously, all that idiocy for fucking wiper blades? I swear, if that had been my first visit to that auto parts store (and if they weren't one of only two options for such things on the island, and if the other option wasn't much of one), I doubt I would go back.