Another BORG employee story - Where's the Logic?

[Mark Patoka]

I know we diss on the logic-challenged BORG employees regularly but I had my own experience last night. I went to my orange BORG and picked up some 3/8" x 4" lag bolts, the same number of 3/8" washers all placed on one of the bolts along with the same number of 3/8" nuts, all threaded on one of the bolts to keep them together.

When I get to the checkout, the 20? year old checker has no problems ringing up the bolts and washers because they have the 3-letter code stamped on them. The nuts don't but I told him what the code was knowing it wasn't on there. He says he has to verify them with what I said, I have no problem there with store policy, and takes one of the nuts off the bolt. He tries to search for that nut on his register but the pictures that come up don't look like mine (all zinc coated and mine is shiny). He pulls out his nice laminated sheet with all the pictures of nuts and washers and tries to match the nut up to the correct size. He says "You sure this isn't a 5/16" because the outline of the 3/8" nut is bigger than this one?".

I'm like, yes, you just took the nut off of the 3/8" bolt so it is a 3/8" nut. We did this exchange twice, he didn't want to believe me but then he finally entered in the 3-letter code I had told him and sure enough, it rang up as 3/8" nuts. He just looked at the register and said, "Huh?, I guess you were right".

I just smiled and shook my head as I walked out.

[Julie Moriarty]

When I was building my house, HD wasn't in the area yet and I was going to Builder's Square to get things. There was this one girl at the register who became my favorite cashier. Prices were on sticky tags as this was before codes and scanners. If something wasn't tagged she'd say, "Hmmm... No price tag. Must be free." and throw it in the bag.

[Don Orr]

I went into a local chain store the other day for a single bolt-nut-washer. Told the cashier what size they were and she said don't need it as she dropped them on a scale together and punched the weight into the computer and said 95 cents please. That's a new one on me. I worked in a hardware/lumber yard and weighed nails and screws but not nuts & bolts.

[Brian Elfert]

Tractor Supply and Mill's Fleet Farm both sell nuts and bolts by the pound. Other chains too I am sure.

[Dave Richards]

Tractor Supply and Mill's Fleet Farm both sell nuts and bolts by the pound. Other chains too I am sure.

Yep. Easier to inventory that way. Which reminds me of a camera store i worked at as a manager years ago. The owner and the head manager would do inventory by smoking cigars in the parking lot while they came up with a number.

[Wade Lippman]

About 20 years ago at a grocery store I bought 10 of something that was 12 for $2.50. She divided $2.50 by 10 and charged me $0.25. I tried to explain it to her, but she just got angry, so I paid $0.25.

I suppose I should be amazed that she could divide $2.50 by 10 properly.

[Jim Koepke]

My father gave me a large Parker vise with holes for 5/8" bolts. None of the Borgs or anyone else local carries that size. Looking on line it wasn't much more to buy packages of 10 for the bolts, washers and acorn nuts I wanted.

Now that I have a few extras I have wanted to put one together and go to one of the Borgs and tell one of the in store help that all I could find was one of these and I need two more. Then just have fun watching them run around trying to find it for me.

Being retired is fun, but I still haven't found the time to be a headache.

jtk

[John A langley]

Jim I love it

[Judson Green]

Jez, you guys got to remember that folks working at the BORG's are working a retail job (other than what's being sold its not any different than any other retailer) not to mention the pay, hours and benifits are lousy.

[Dan Mages]

The fun of buying small hardware parts at the BORG. I needed cotter pins to help hold something together. I asked the guy in hardware where he kept the pins. He stared into oblivion as he had no idea what I was talking about. I tried to explain it and then blurted out "Its the thing you pull out a grenade that keeps it from going boom!" He still had no idea what I needed. Logic!

[Glenn Clabo]

Hhhmmmm....I wonder if there is anyone in this world that can answer every possible question asked about their particular profession. I spent 38 years in mine...and almost every day I learned something.

[Dan Mages]

Good point Glenn. However, when you work in a particular department at a store, you should learn what you are selling.

[Jim Koepke]

Good point Glenn. However, when you work in a particular department at a store, you should learn what you are selling.

Some of the people working at the Borgs are not there long enough to learn their department. Some not even long enough to learn half an aisle.

What drives me nuts is when looking for packages of screws they are not in any order in the local Borgs. One would think all the brass #8 would be together or at least all the screws of the same length could be in a row. No, they are usually kind of random on the shelf. One guy told me it was because they come randomly in the box when they are shipped to be displayed.

jtk

[Steve Kinnaird]

I worked part time for HD for 2 years.
They have an extensive video training program for each department.
But it can't teach common sense. And if common sense was common, more people would have it

And as for the pay scale, I know it was 10 yrs ago, but I was offered $10.50 to be the department head for paint.
So, yes, they along with many others out there and vastly under paid.

[Robert McGowen]

I went to my orange BORG and picked up some 3/8" x 4" lag bolts, the same number of 3/8" washers all placed on one of the bolts along with the same number of 3/8" nuts, all threaded on one of the bolts to keep them together.

I did not know that you could put a nut on a lag bolt and I don't even work at a BORG.