you could feel the relief

[Brojekk]

Personally, I've learned that when Mother sends me to buy something at the store for her that I don't normally buy, if she's got one in the house, such as motor oil or salad dressing or something else I'd never use, it helps greatly to take a photograph of it with the cell phone.

That's one of the times when customers DON'T suck.

[paxillated]

When I was learning how to maintain my dear old slant-six Dart, the guys at the parts store were great. I could say, "it's a little box, right over the wheel well, by the battery over the wire." and they'd figure out what it was.

I miss those days of leaded fuel, carburetors, and adjusting the #3 valve on my old Bug once a month... I look in these new-fangled vee-hickles and just give up. (You kids get off my lawn!)

I've got loads of stories about the fun I had, being an attractive girl wrenching on my car on the street. My favorite: "Are you having a probl.. I can see you know what you're doing!" (Points. I bet you youngsters don't remember those!)

[ladyjaneinmd]

When I was learning how to maintain my dear old slant-six Dart, the guys at the parts store were great. I could say, "it's a little box, right over the wheel well, by the battery over the wire." and they'd figure out what it was.

I miss those days of leaded fuel, carburetors, and adjusting the #3 valve on my old Bug once a month... I look in these new-fangled vee-hickles and just give up. (You kids get off my lawn!)

I've got loads of stories about the fun I had, being an attractive girl wrenching on my car on the street. My favorite: "Are you having a probl.. I can see you know what you're doing!" (Points. I bet you youngsters don't remember those!)

Ah yes....reminds me of the time I had a flat tire on a major (divided, limited access)highway near Washington DC. Of course it was 90 degrees outside, and of course I was wearing white. I was just tightening up the lug nuts on the spare tire, when some guy came pulling up behind me. He got out of the car and looked at me, then looked at the tire, then looked back at me, and said, 'I was coming down the other side of the highway when I saw an attractive woman with a flat tire, so I came racing back up to help....but dayum, you're done!'

[mathnerd]

I sent BF to the store a few days ago to get feminine hygiene products. I not only told him exactly what brand and type to buy, but sent him with the empty packaging from the old package is just run out of. He still came home with the wrong thing. He did say they didn't have what I wanted so he guessed on an alternative. Not sure if I believe him, but as I was in bad enough shape to not go myself, and he went without complaint, I will deal with the not quite right product.

[manybellsdown]

As a woman, I'm totally OK with admitting I'm clueless when it comes to hardware (unless we are talking about jewelry pliers).

I usually know what I want, I just never know where it is. Oh, the heating vent covers are back next to toilets and sinks? Yeah I'd not have thought to look there, sorry. Men's gardening gloves? Not in the "garden" department, they're all the way across the store with dropcloths. The arcane organizational system is beyond me.

[Mytical]

Since I know NOTHING about vehicles would it be Misogynistic to say I find a female who knows vehicles very attractive?? Physically I can't even change a tire any more. I can check the oil, know how to change a tire (even if I can't actually do it), and not much more. A rock sitting on the side of a road knows more about vehicles then I do. Still, if something goes wrong with a part I know enough to take the part with me .. or failing that take the vehicle in so somebody who does know what they are doing can figure it out easier. I feel my job as a customer is to make the people who know what they are doing jobs easier.

[dalesys]

... The arcane organizational system is beyond me.

At my first electronics tech job we always said that all electronics components (resistors, capacitors, transistors, ICs, solder, etc.)were filed under "W" for Wire... because obviously they connected things.

[Ironclad Alibi]

I sent BF to the store a few days ago to get feminine hygiene products. I not only told him exactly what brand and type to buy, but sent him with the empty packaging from the old package is just run out of. He still came home with the wrong thing. He did say they didn't have what I wanted so he guessed on an alternative. Not sure if I believe him, but as I was in bad enough shape to not go myself, and he went without complaint, I will deal with the not quite right product.

One problem with this approach is those companies seem to frequently change the packaging and descriptions on their products. So if you aren't intimately familiar with them, you have no idea what to get when all you have is the outdated packaging. That goes for many products, not just feminine hygiene stuff.

At my first electronics tech job we always said that all electronics components (resistors, capacitors, transistors, ICs, solder, etc.)were filed under "W" for Wire... because obviously they connected things.

That reminds my of the file clerk in one office that flied everything under "M" because they were "memos."

[notalwaysright]

Recently people have been making me a happy by taking photos of the bar code. Previously people had been taking pictures of the fabric/item, pictures of the description, or a screen cap of the preview of the product from the website (not the whole page, just that little preview picture).

Now, I can generally work with those things. At least it's something more than a vague description, right? But the bar code is perfect. Sometimes my handheld even scans the bar code off their phone, and it's just so awesome. Then my handheld shows me a picture of the item and all the other information like if we have any in stock. Or a location, if it's not fabric. It's especially helpful for fabrics which aren't big obvious patterns. Like one guy came in for some gray suiting fabric. If he hadn't had the picture of the end of the bolt, it's very unlikely he would have left with the correct gray suiting, as we had at least a dozen very similar bolts. So it's one of those time when I'm like "yay technology, it does make things easier if you know how to use it, stop whining CWs." Sorry. Although our computer system does suck, it does NOT suck nearly as much as you'd think by listening to my CWs.

[Seshat]

Give her the ISBN numbers and you'll really make her day, as it tells them exactly which edition you want.

I rarely care about the edition, but I have found that if I have an ISBN the computer systems often offer the alternate editions as well. Even an ISBN from another book in the same series (but clarifying that you want book 3) can be helpful.

It's also a good way to be certain to differentiate between two similar titles.

[Teskeria]

I once (pver 2 decades ago) went into a home depot, found an older guy working when the younger guy couldn't understand what I needed. Because I couldn't really tell him. But I basically said to the older guy "I have a <model> washing machine and I need the piece that goes <exact location> and connects to the piece that looks kinda like <description>. Older guy paused a moment, walked over to the shelves holding the hundreds of small parts and picked up one. As I walked away with it I heard the young guy ask how he knew what i wanted by that. Older guy say, "well boy, I learned to understand womanspeech and I look at the machines"
BTW it was exactly the right part.

[Racket_Man]

I sent BF to the store a few days ago to get feminine hygiene products. I not only told him exactly what brand and type to buy, but sent him with the empty packaging from the old package is just run out of. He still came home with the wrong thing. He did say they didn't have what I wanted so he guessed on an alternative. Not sure if I believe him, but as I was in bad enough shape to not go myself, and he went without complaint, I will deal with the not quite right product.

I had NO problem doing that for my Ex after the early part of our marriage. I think I was in the minority at the time 30 years ago. I knew what product she wanted, the particular "style" (mild medium or HOLY SHIT its flowin heavy this month I had better look out for the next 5 days ) and the exact brand.

[ladyjaneinmd]

I once (pver 2 decades ago) went into a home depot, found an older guy working when the younger guy couldn't understand what I needed. Because I couldn't really tell him. But I basically said to the older guy "I have a <model> washing machine and I need the piece that goes <exact location> and connects to the piece that looks kinda like <description>. Older guy paused a moment, walked over to the shelves holding the hundreds of small parts and picked up one. As I walked away with it I heard the young guy ask how he knew what i wanted by that. Older guy say, "well boy, I learned to understand womanspeech and I look at the machines"
BTW it was exactly the right part.

When a lamp broke (a table lamp), I brought the entire lamp to the store and asked the guy 'I need one of these', and showed him the broken part. Then I asked if I could get a push switch instead of a turn switch, and he was a great help. I still have that lamp.
Of course, finding someone to ask for help is always a chore.

[Seanette]

I had NO problem doing that for my Ex after the early part of our marriage. I think I was in the minority at the time 30 years ago. I knew what product she wanted, the particular "style" (mild medium or HOLY SHIT its flowin heavy this month I had better look out for the next 5 days ) and the exact brand.

I've been married for over 20 years, and my husband still WON'T pick up such supplies for me.

I do not understand why a lot of men are so reluctant to pick up a clean package. It's not as if the cashier is going to wonder about their masculinity or something, is it?

[Lovecats]

I've been married for over 20 years, and my husband still WON'T pick up such supplies for me.

I do not understand why a lot of men are so reluctant to pick up a clean package. It's not as if the cashier is going to wonder about their masculinity or something, is it?

It's 44 yrs (this coming May 20th) for us and husband still absolutely refuses to pick up those things for me.