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March, 2024

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Shop Employees: Stupid things customers have asked/said to you

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JayDope
Posts: 6842 - Karma: 408
I searched barred there is a similar thread about ppl who work in retail, here is one for ski shop employees. Here is my story from this past week:

So im renting this kid some skis, i ask him to take off his shoes to measure his foot, the first thing that comes out of his mouth is "Hey do u guys sell lawnmowers here?" I looked at him stunned and said "are u serious?" he replied with "yeah, outdoor store" I looked at him again, and said "No, we just sell ski and snowboard gear" And i continued on with my routine. WHAT An idiot!

Today i was hanging out in the Snowboard section and this woman was looking to buy her daughter some boots, so she asks my co-worker about boots, and he explained to her there are different types for entry level riders etc, she looks on the wall and noticed the snowboard bindings, and she said "Oh, are those like snowboard sandals instead of boots?" we just explained to her that those are the snowboard bindings that the boots go into that connect to the snowboard....i really was in disbelief

alright shop employees, share ur stores here
Oct 11 2009 12:22AM
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JZ
Posts: 577 - Karma: 15
my favorite from working in a ski shop was when people would rent equipment, walk out with it, then come back in half an hour complaining their feet hurt...

I suggest that the right boot goes on the right foot and not the other way around like they have it.

this seriously happened probably 15-20 times in the few years I worked there...and with adults too, not little kids.

fun stuff
Oct 13 2009 5:38PM
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Merrrick
Posts: 529 - Karma: 717
i work at a bike shop and a lady came in asking if we sold bikes
Oct 13 2009 5:43PM
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Balto
Posts: 25985 - Karma: 4,398
was helping out at my local shop during their "snow days sale", just helping people pick out skis and stuff. a guy picks up a pair of bacons and asks me "do you guys sell bindings that will work in the summer and winter", i look at him and say something like season doesnt matter its all snow and he says back to me "no i mean like water ski bindings, thats what these type of skis are for, snow and water". i just said no and walked away to help a kid with picking out park skis
Oct 13 2009 5:46PM
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grams.
Posts: 7406 - Karma: 186
Oh man...where do I start. My threads cause it's the prime time right now at my shop when n00bs come in.
Oct 13 2009 6:10PM
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B-runge
Posts: 16558 - Karma: 360
lol
i have bacons
:)
Oct 13 2009 6:16PM
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207
Posts: 8969 - Karma: 3,846
I was in a skate/snowboard shop getting some Nike SB's. The owner of the shop is fitting my foot when some lady comes in with her 8 year old 200 pound son. They're strolling around when the lady says to her son, oh these look nice as she is pointing to the snowboard boots. She then asked the owner if those are shoes and if they are the new style. I facepalmed.
Oct 13 2009 6:27PM
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JayDope
Posts: 6842 - Karma: 408
so ive had some really rich ppl come into our shop before, ive had a couple parents hand me their american express black card, and yes they are real, and some are made of titanium anyways, this one guy who handed me is has 3 boys, 1 who was extremely overweight. He was renting them skis for the season and asked for all new equipment. SO i fit the fat kid, hes only 8 years old, and weight 111 pounds and he was probably 4'2. His ankles were the size of my thighs. Needless to say when i tried putting him in a JR boot that wasnt happening, so i put him in an adult boot and let his parents know i wasnt even able to close the top of the JR boot on him. They understood, so as im putting the adult boot on the kid, he says to me RANDOMLY, "I live in a really big house with a pool and a tennis court" i was just like "oh must be nice" thinking to myself, i bet u got a HUGEE fridge too with lots of food.......fuckin put the kid on a diet, hes gunna die when hes like 35
Oct 13 2009 6:40PM
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ski_ENDUB
Posts: 2535 - Karma: 86
One time this guy came in wanting to rent car roof racks, which we used to rent but stopped because they were ruining peoples cars. instead we now rent rocket boxes. so after explaining to him that we don't rent ski racks anymore the guy gets pissed and says that we're going to loose business doing stuff like that, the rental line was probably 15 people long which I would say we're doing alright.


Oct 13 2009 9:00PM
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Dr.Barq
Posts: 720 - Karma: 15
you would be my hero if you said that hahahah
Oct 13 2009 9:27PM
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regobounce
Posts: 64 - Karma: 10
kid and dad pull up in a porsche. Guy walks in and goes "what's the most expensive ski you have in this shack I need some new skis, and Bill needs some too." So I showed him the most expensive skis and after trying to convince him out of it for like 15 minutes he just insists and I give up. Guy buys the skis and gets some for his kid and I asked if he needed bindings. The kid goes " bindings are for pussies. The proceeds to agree and they go out to the car were he cant fit the skis in his porsche so he says he doesn't want the skis, returns them and leaves. I have it all on tape to from the security cameras to it's fucking hilarious
Oct 13 2009 9:45PM
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selkirks
Posts: 1978 - Karma: 59
sig'ed. haha
Oct 13 2009 10:02PM
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Malcolm
Posts: 15949 - Karma: 9,431
hahaha i want to see that vid. and these are all hilarious i wish i worked in a ski shop
Oct 13 2009 10:27PM
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_CC_
Posts: 3890 - Karma: 747
hahaha post that shit up.
Oct 13 2009 10:42PM
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JayDope
Posts: 6842 - Karma: 408
the best is when im renting or selling skis to a middle aged woman, and i tell her she needs to fill out a mounting, and i will need her height weight and age, and they just laugh and are like haha, my weight, and i just look at them like well yeah i really need it, and then they realize im serious and get all embaressed, i think its funny
Oct 14 2009 9:45PM
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armada1652
Posts: 65 - Karma: 66
I work at a shop in Wisconsin and you could only imagine the things I here daily:

-210 question ALL the time
-Do you carry snowblades (last week)
-Scratches on the top sheet after being used a few times (that god on no return policy)
-ppl coming in and getting new skis saying they have their boots that are "fine" in the car for the mount. They go get them and they are 1980 rear-entry boots that there are no toe and heel plates left and the plastic on the boot in general is falling apart and then they freak out when i tell them i cannot mount the bindings with those boots b/c they dangerous.
-People wearing the ankle socks in and refusing to believe me that they cause pressure points and that is prob why their old boots are hurting.
-Boot sizing as im sure everyone that has ever worked at a shop has had to deal with
-when putting a new boot on someone them tucking their jeans in the boot when buckling their boots up and then them asking me "how am i suppose to stay warm them when skiing" Answer: "your snow pants" Their answer: "I dont believe in snow pants they just do the same thing as jeans"

-Worst ever tho is when this young hot shot father came in with his 3 yr old wanting to get him on some skis. I show him what we would have for the kid and dont get into much details other than it being a foam ski as all JRs that small are and we only had one pair that would fit the kid b/c he was sooo young. Father's answer after my little intro: "Is there someone more qualified to help us out?" Felt like a literal slap in the face. So i just get diareaha mouth and start spitting all this BS about the jr ski and ends up getting them and then when we are filling out the mount card he throws a fit over the $35 mount charge and says he is goin to get it done somewhere else (fine with me). Guy comes back a week later after trying to do it himself and putting about 12 holes in the ski 2 of which went completely thru the base. And wants me to do them now but my manager wont let us do it b/c he distroyed the ski so bad and then when the father was told this freaks out again. The guy never once acted like he was even close to being at fault for the situation.
Oct 15 2009 6:42PM
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switchieski
Posts: 575 - Karma: 15
you have entertained me for hours, i thank you although my grades in anatomy may suffer, as i need to study for a test
Oct 15 2009 6:51PM
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JayDope
Posts: 6842 - Karma: 408
alright so at our shop, when we service skis, people have 30 days to come pick them up, after that we charge a 1$ a day storage fee charge. So i was bored at work yesterday, and went through some of the skis, this one pair has been sitting in the slots since 2001, i calculated up the storage fee somewheres over 3g's, and the guy still owed us 21.20 for the service on the skis. So i called the guy, and sad hi is so and so there, im jay i work at ski barn." he said right away "no, you have the wrong number" then said again"wait where did u say u were from?" I told him again ski barn, and we have a pair of ur skis here from 2001, and he said "What i have a pair of skis there? i thought u guys sold those things?" I told him no, and then he asked what was done to the skis, and if he owes money on them, i told him we will discuss that if he comes to pick them up, so i gave him our new address, and i cant wait to fuck with this guy when he comes to pick his skis up....if he ever shows up
Oct 20 2009 12:02PM
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J.Braun
Posts: 585 - Karma: 20
some people ha ha
Oct 20 2009 12:57PM
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b-ladd
Posts: 2300 - Karma: 48
I was in the base lodge at my home hill when this lady comes up to me and asks where the base lodge is at. It took me a sec to figure out just what she was asking, then another to put the words together. "You're, um, in the base lodge."
Oct 20 2009 3:29PM
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BackRoad
Posts: 299 - Karma: 46

haha sig'd

I don't work in a shop but one time i saw a guy walk in and ask someone to fix the clicky on his binding. He waked around asking people that didn't even work at the shop to fix his clicky, and when he finally found soneone that worked there, it turned out his buckle was stuck shut cuz he was too weak to pop it open

Oct 20 2009 4:02PM
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sconniestyle
Posts: 3945 - Karma: 26

this is the situation that pissed me off the most when i worked in rentals. it wasn't always the boyfriend, a lot of times it was the dad or the brother, but the member of the group that had their own gear, and knew "exactly what to get so those rental punks dont mess up and give you the wrong skis/boots/board/etc..."

people would make up ski lengths, try to buddy up and talk shop by asking me how big are your skis? are they parabolic? things like that, which is fine because it doesn't cause any harm.

the problem came when they would go too far, try to tell me boot sizes are wrong, skis are too short, dins are too low, things that can give a beginner serious trouble even on a hill as small as the one i worked at.

i would try to be polite and explain things to the "expert", but that never worked, so i would tell the gf/wife/kid that their bf/husband/dad was probably trying to help, but in my professional opinion, if they listened to him they could get seriously injured. they almost always told the guy to shut up and wait in the sitting area while they got the rest of their gear.

Oct 20 2009 4:28PM
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deleted5
Posts: 14507 - Karma: 13,500
these are great
Oct 20 2009 4:33PM
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grown-ninja
Posts: 3031 - Karma: 175

ive worked rentals maintaince and tech at a hill questions are usually

210's,

have had to crank somany people dins to 12 on 200+ cm skis (having them sign again making sure they know there gona get hurt and were not liable)

no one speaks english

why wont my ski click in... you have to push that thing down (when im refering to the heal piece on the bindings) aftert being accused of doing there skis wrong

so many people put there skis on in the shop and try to walk out the doors with em on to the snow which is mabe 100-200 feet away

do these skis have leases

i need some of those sticks....skis?... no the things your push with...ooo poles?

so many helmets on backwords

so many people instead of using wikits just stick the ticket to their jacket or helmet

Oct 20 2009 4:37PM
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TimmyK
Posts: 779 - Karma: 15
I have too many of these stories having worked as a ski instructor, race coach, boot fitter, and service manager.

Favorite was working at the mountain once and an entire family came out of rentals just bitching bout how bad the ski boots fitted, i took one quick look to notice that they shoved their feet with their shoes still on into the boot.

One time a smoking hot girl comes into my shop and the other boot fitter asks her to take her shoes off so he can measure her.  So he grabs the brannock, puts it right up to her tits and goes "yea that's a 9, be right back"  we all lost it.

Might i add i love it when girls come in for a boot fitting wearing short skirts.
Oct 20 2009 5:20PM
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Skittle.
Posts: 2537 - Karma: 718
lol my threads
Oct 20 2009 6:39PM
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PaleCelery
Posts: 7228 - Karma: 608
By far my favorite thread
Oct 20 2009 6:49PM
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jibjunkie
Posts: 3807 - Karma: 191
lol timmy was it mike who dealt with the hot chick?
Oct 20 2009 6:59PM
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*TURBONERD*
Posts: 15078 - Karma: 9,132
i work as an instructor at a mountain that gets a shitload of asian tourist even though it's in nh. they always have trouble understanding the most basic instructions "triangle... no, like this... no, that's not a triangle, you can't have your skis straight..." for 5 mins. it's pretty funny
Oct 20 2009 7:21PM
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*TURBONERD*
Posts: 15078 - Karma: 9,132

How can I help you?”

Customer: “You shut me off!”

Me: “I’m sorry to hear you’re having problems. Let me pull up your account.”

Customer: “I ain’t got no d*** account with you, you rip people off so I figure I’ll rip you off, and then you go and shut me off again!”

Me: “I’m sorry sir, what address is this for?”

(Customer gives his address and is documented for repeated cable theft.)

Me: “I’m sorry sir, but this account needs to be paid for if you want to have cable service.”

Customer: “No it don’t. I’ll just go on back there and hook up my wires and it’ll come in fine.”

Me: “Yes sir, that is possible, but it’s against the law to tap into lines without a paid account.”

Customer: “Well you better make it harder because I’m just gonna go hook it up again, and you better stop unhooking my lines.”

Me: “I do apologize, but I’m afraid we’ll continue to take down any unauthorized hook ups, sir.”

Customer: “Yeah? Well, I’ll be waiting with a shotgun next time!”

Me: “I’m pretty sure that’s illegal too, sir.”

Customer: “No it ain’t! I got the right to bear arms and if you come out here, I’m gonna BEAR ARMS ON YOU!”


Oct 20 2009 7:42PM
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JayDope
Posts: 6842 - Karma: 408
wat i hate the most is when ppl come in to ask me about skis, and i give them all the info in the world and then they call up there friend and ask their opinion on them. So he asked me about boots, and he skis 14 days out west every year, and he is a bigger guy, and he wnated to look at the nordica supercharger blower boot from last year, he would not let me measure him, he just told me to get him the 320-326 shell size in the and pointed on the boot where i could find the shell size (like i didnt know what the fuck a shell size is) so i go get him the correct boot for him, and he is still on the phone, so for 20 min im waiting while he is on the phone. Finally he gets off the phone, i put him in the boot, and he asks me what the last is in the boot, and i said "i a believe it is a 98mm last" and he said "I dont tihnk it is, could u get a brochure and double check and show it to me" i said "sure ok, we dont have the brochures from last year, ill check on teh internet" i went on the internet, and couldnt find shit, so i asked our certified boot fitter at our shop, and he said yeah its most likely a 98mm last, and if he doesnt believe u tell him to go fuck himself (guy is funny as shit), so i go back to talk to the customer, and he pulls up the nordica page on his iphone showing me the jah love boot for this year which is a 130 flex, and a 98mm last, and he says well this one is probably a 98mm last too, and i said yep, that is what i said before, so he is like ok its too narrow for me, takes off the boot and leaves.

What pisses me off is that i spent close to an hour with this guy looking at skis, trying on boots, and he just gives me the attitude like i dont know what the fuck im talking about. Granted he is probably in his mid 50's im turning 20 next week, so im tihnking he doesnt trust a younger person, but i fuckin hate it when they judge me because im young and dont trust the info i give them. im just ranting right now sorry
Oct 28 2009 10:30PM
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Squid.
Posts: 1904 - Karma: 23
my threads for asshole customers

i used to work at dunkin donuts... talk about a job where you get no respect
Oct 28 2009 11:02PM
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Slinger1x1
Posts: 8853 - Karma: 65
So i work in a shop with a bunch of hot rich MILFs that come in often
so this bangin one came in, and the kid helping her goes over and says "hey, im greg, you can go take a seat and take your pants off"
He meant take your shoes off... he was sooo embarrassed

Then another one of the manager guys at the store goes over to talk to this lady about about a Thule, so he goes over and says "alright, lets talk about your box..."


ahhhh, funny shit
Oct 28 2009 11:08PM
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treebeard
Posts: 3589 - Karma: 1,065
my shop was never too bad. none of the customers really knew anything about skiing, but really stupid questions were a rarity. the only thing that was ever a point of hilarity for me was one of my fellow employees, jim.
now, jim is your typical park gaper. knows how to do a few things, but has no idea what any trick names are, and thinks backflips are the coolest thing since the Fonz. i fucked with him. a lot. example:

(talking about water ramps):
me: i spent most of the day working on rodeo 5's and cork 7's
jim: yeah, rodeos are pretty cool. that's like the backflip/spin thing, right?
me: more or less, yeah. rodeo 5's are one of my favorite tricks
jim: i mean, 5's are ok. but i can do, like, rodeo 8's

great times with this kid. i told him about NS, but he "prefers to just ski, and not really worry about knowing anything"
Oct 28 2009 11:14PM
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Bean_Slc
Posts: 514 - Karma: 25
Haha perfect. A guy once asked my boss if you wax both the bottoms and tops of your skis
Oct 28 2009 11:20PM
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Slinger1x1
Posts: 8853 - Karma: 65
only if you want them to shine ;)
Oct 28 2009 11:22PM
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washbaugh
Posts: 307 - Karma: 26
hahah i had shit like this all the time happen when I used to instruct. another good one was when kids would show up for their lesson which was on hills that only use tow-ropes and they wouldnt have gloves...at all. whatthefuck
Oct 28 2009 11:26PM
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mothaeast
Posts: 2923 - Karma: 13
At a deli selling sandwiches:
Them: "How big is your foot-long?"
Me: "12 inches."

You wouldn't believe how many of these I got.
Oct 28 2009 11:35PM
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treebeard
Posts: 3589 - Karma: 1,065
hahahaha please tell me a woman asked that
Oct 28 2009 11:38PM
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NilsJ
Posts: 102 - Karma: 15
This one time, I went into the mac store to ask about the snow leopard upgrade. When I asked a little about it, the guy says something like, "well, I like to think of it as an oil change...you wont really notice much of a differnce, but its important in order to keep your computer running smoothly." I then say, "ohh, its like an oil change, I see...then you mean it's a hardware update? It lubricates the moving parts in your computer?" The guy looks at me, and has no idea what to say. it was super.
Oct 28 2009 11:48PM
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PatSul
Posts: 109 - Karma: 16
i did my co-op at a rental shop last year and i was always there when the school groups from the city came. One guy came up and i was setting his skis up for him and i asked for his height and weight and he says would you like it in metric or imperial.
another guys come up with massive boots on, he had his shoes inside. i got many people with there boot on the wrong feet and a lot had know clue how to put them on.
it is ridicules how these kids have no common sense cuz i also taught them some day and is is crazy how stupid they are.
Oct 29 2009 12:58AM
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PaleCelery
Posts: 7228 - Karma: 608
And the grammar award goes to.....
Oct 29 2009 2:36AM
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Austeeze
Posts: 807 - Karma: 18
lol at some of these stories classic, can relate to alot of em working in a snow store this past (Aussie) season
Oct 29 2009 6:21AM
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KTskis
Posts: 9 - Karma: 16
i work in the rental shop at my home mountain. and we having thousands of boots and skis on display when you walk into the  shop.  i just love when people come up to me and ask where are equipment is.
Oct 29 2009 9:00AM
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0123456789
Posts: 9226 - Karma: 148
haha that guy sounds like a dope dude, thats how skiers should be, just skiing to ski.
Oct 29 2009 1:29PM
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Aaaron.
Posts: 11817 - Karma: 903

(A customer and his wife come in to find an outfit for her to wear. He seems particularly interested in one that’s being worn by a mannequin.)

Me: “Can I help you, sir?”

Customer: “I was wondering if you have the outfit on the mannequin?”

Me: “Unfortunately, I sold the last one earlier today. The one the mannequin is wearing is the only one I have.”

Customer: “Well, why can’t you just give me that one then?”

Me: “I can, but I do have another almost identical outfit in stock.”

Customer: “No, I want that one!”

Me: “Okay, sir.”

(I start dragging the mannequin to the back.)

Customer: “Where are you going?”

Me: “City law says I can’t undress her in front of the windows, sir.”

Customer: “Well, why can’t I have that one?”

Me: “Sir?”

Customer: “I want the one on the mannequin!”

Me: “That’s what I’m doing sir.”

Customer: “I WANT THE ONE ON THE MANNEQUIN!”

(His wife suddenly appears from another part of the store.)

Customer’s wife: “He just wants to see the mannequin naked.”

Oct 29 2009 1:41PM
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IRockLizzys
Posts: 391 - Karma: 11
Not a ski shop, but I work at OfficeMax. My manager asked a guy who didn't have his right hand if he "needed a hand." The guy just laughed and waved his stump in my managers face.

A guy comes in to buy a new computer with Windows 7 and asks if he was going to be able to copy and paste. I lol'd...
Oct 29 2009 2:01PM
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0123456789
Posts: 9226 - Karma: 148
i woulda told him, no its an extra $100 upgrade, cash only, my pocket is the register.
Oct 29 2009 2:16PM
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Rachy
Posts: 4355 - Karma: 2,761
Just happened:

Whats the weather there right now?

In the 20's, sunny.

How can it be sunny and that cold?

Sometimes the temperature is just low.

So is there snow in town right now?

No, it has since melted since the last storm.

How did it melt if its that cold?

It was warmer last week.



I love people from SoCal.... wow.
Oct 29 2009 2:21PM
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marinejonny19
Posts: 221 - Karma: 11
I work in Home Depot,

Lady: are these onions for cooking or for planting? (she was standing next to the bags of daffodill bulbs)
Me: Ma'am those arent onions, they are daffodil bulbs
Lady: Oh,.... well are they for cooking or planting?
Me: Um,... planting.
Lady: ok, well can you point me to your onions and vegatables that are for eating?
Me: yea sure right this way, (i take her to our display of vegatable seeds and plants)
Lady: No no no, I want frozen vegatables or ones that come in cans.
Me: This is Home depot, we dont sell groceries
Lady: why not!?!?

I stared blankly at her.



Oct 29 2009 2:37PM
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Lemuel
Posts: 14477 - Karma: 10,515
my threads for later.  Damn these are funny.
Oct 29 2009 2:51PM
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