MarkKBike
Finally riding a big boys bike
To bad, As a 16 year old child I worked the floor at the local Sears Hardware store. It was a fun job at the time, and I was able to use my employee discount to buy many of the hand and pneumatic tools I still use today.
If the other salesmen in these stores were like me, they were not knowledgeable employees, and just making minimum wage.
One day I remember one older guy was trying to fix his toilet, and asked me if he had the right parts. I responded "I don't know, I'm not a toilet mechanic". I wasn't even trying to be a smasta$$, It just accidentally came off that way. The guy told me off, swore at me and complained to my manager. You can't hire kids, pay them minimum wage and expect them to be experts in hardware they have no experience with. Just about all my co-workers were also high school aged kids.
That store also recently closed, It had a good 30 year run. I did learn a lot there about repairing things that came to be helpful later in life.
People always abused the return policy. At the time it was "No Questions asked", There were guys who would come in every week with loads of tools to return, and walk out with several new tools at a time. The dumpsters in the rear of the store would have to be locked, or people would pick through them and return the tossed tools. There were people who made a living just finding trashed tools and returning them. I think guys would find old tools, break them on purpose, and return them for new ones to sell.
With the growing number of people who lack ethics, stores will have a hard time staying in business with return policy's like Sears had. It just can not be done anymore. It started out as a good idea, and ended up as one I'm sure they regret.
Then later on after college, I went to work at there national headquarters, that was a great job. I spent a lot of time with that company, and even once knew Bob Villa, as I was one of the guys who would provide him computer support when he came into the office.
If the other salesmen in these stores were like me, they were not knowledgeable employees, and just making minimum wage.
One day I remember one older guy was trying to fix his toilet, and asked me if he had the right parts. I responded "I don't know, I'm not a toilet mechanic". I wasn't even trying to be a smasta$$, It just accidentally came off that way. The guy told me off, swore at me and complained to my manager. You can't hire kids, pay them minimum wage and expect them to be experts in hardware they have no experience with. Just about all my co-workers were also high school aged kids.
That store also recently closed, It had a good 30 year run. I did learn a lot there about repairing things that came to be helpful later in life.
People always abused the return policy. At the time it was "No Questions asked", There were guys who would come in every week with loads of tools to return, and walk out with several new tools at a time. The dumpsters in the rear of the store would have to be locked, or people would pick through them and return the tossed tools. There were people who made a living just finding trashed tools and returning them. I think guys would find old tools, break them on purpose, and return them for new ones to sell.
With the growing number of people who lack ethics, stores will have a hard time staying in business with return policy's like Sears had. It just can not be done anymore. It started out as a good idea, and ended up as one I'm sure they regret.
Then later on after college, I went to work at there national headquarters, that was a great job. I spent a lot of time with that company, and even once knew Bob Villa, as I was one of the guys who would provide him computer support when he came into the office.
Last edited:
