So we handed him the glass, which he took back to the kitchen with the rest of the dishes on his tray, and resumed our conversation.  Then a few minutes later, he came back and again interrupted our discussion to do the same thing, this time pointing at some of the other stuff on our table.  We felt like we were getting in the way of him doing his job.  Like he could be doing things much faster if only these pesky customers weren’t around.

We realized that we were there during the all-you-can-eat ribs event, and he must be used to clearing tables quickly.  Also, he wasn’t the same server that brought us our food so I suppose he was just the clean up guy.  Even so, it was not busy in there at all.  Shouldn’t he have had the courtesy not to interrupt a couple on a date, much less in the middle of talking?  Was it so important that he get those dishes to the kitchen at that very moment? 

Is it just me, or is that uncool?  Shouldn’t they ask my permission before using my photo to promote their business?  Yes, they should.

And would this have happened before the days of privacy-killers like Facebook and MySpace? 

On my way to and from work everyday, I walk through a Green P parking lot to get to the subway.  Uncannily often, I see two police cruisers parked in that lot next to one another, facing opposite directions so that the drivers can chat, both with engines idling.  What gives?!  Does the no-idling rule not apply to cops? 

You people are the ones issuing the traffic tickets…Set an example!

Experience #1:

I was walking back from the grocery store and there was a guy sitting on the curb holding out his hat, which is very common because that stretch of sidewalk is between the grocery store and the bank.  Anyway, this particular time, the guy with his hat out happened to be laughing.  As I got closer, I realized he was wearing headphones.  He was obviously laughing at whatever he was listening to.

I too had headphones on, which were connected to my iPod.  I often listen to podcasts like The Ricky Gervais Show and find myself laughing to myself on the subway, probably looking psychotic. So I’m thinking, why is this guy looking for handouts when he can afford an iPod?  No, I can’t be sure it was an iPod. My wife and I were out walking a few days later, and we passed a house that had an old Walkman on the curb that someone had been throwing out.  She suggested that maybe this hat guy had just grabbed something like that from somewhere and didn’t actually buy it.  But he was laughing.  Surely he was listening to a podcast of some kind??  What else could it have been?  Bill Cosby tapes??  Any theories as to what was going on?  Contribute!

Experience #2:

I was at Subway (the sandwich shop, not the transit system) having lunch by myself.  This woman walked in, came up to me and said “Do you have a dollar thirty?”  I said “No, sorry.”  She turned around and walked back out, at which point I noticed that she had a purse hanging off her shoulder.  She also didn’t look particularly downtrodden.

So she had enough money to need a purse, but she wanted another buck thirty?  Even if that is the case - like maybe she juuuust about had enough for Cold Cut Combo but needed that little bit more - since when is it appropriate behaviour to interrupt a total stranger in the middle of a meal and ask for change?  At least if she had opened with “Excuse me?  This is really embarrassing, but…”  Hell in that case, I probably would have hunted in my pockets for something!

Anyway, I’m convinced that there are people in this city who take advantage of the generosity of others, causing people like me to be reluctant to offer it.  What do you think?

Here’s an interesting related survey.

After wandering around the store for a while without finding these books, we decide to ask the staff for help.  There were three aproned employees standing near a display, looking decidedly un-busy.  “Excuse me” I interject.  “Yes?” they all answer in unison…so far, so good.  Here’s the rest of the conversation:

Me:  “Can any of you you tell me where I can find those books that feature blueprints for various types of houses?”

Female employee:  “No, we don’t have those.” 
*resumes conversation with Male employee #1*

Me, to my wife:  “Oh.  Okay, well, there’s our answer then.”

Male employee #2, brow furrowed:  “You want to build a house?!”

Me:  “Yeah.”

Male employee #2, brow raised:  “Nice little weekend project!” 
*All three employees laugh in unison*

My wife and I exchange confused glances.

“Do you know where we might find books like that?” asks my wife, expecting directions to another Home Depot location.

Male employee #2:  “I’d just check online.”

Wife:  “We did that and learned from your website that The Home Depot carries these books.”

Female employee:  “Oh, we do?!  If we do, I’m not aware of it.”

Male employee #2:  “All the books we have are over there.” 
*points to the far end of the store*

So we wander over to the far end of the store.  Sure enough, there books at each checkout, including several home plan catalogs.  We grab one and proceed to the checkout.  As we’re going down that corridor between the checkout and the exit, we pass many large racks of books, including several shelves full of home plan catalogs of all types:  Cottages, large homes, small homes…  We consider returning the smallish one we bought, but the frustration of the whole experience makes me suggest instead that we “just get the fuck out of here.”

I’m used to people in Toronto’s service industry being somewhat unhelpful and at times impolite relative to their counterparts in Atlantic Canada, but this was ridiculous.

Why did three employees of The Home Depot find the idea of building a house amusing?

And why didn’t at least one of them know that their store carries this product?  It’s not like I asked for a specific title of a catalog.  Could they not look it up in their little computer kiosk just to ensure that they don’t in fact carry them?  Male employee #2 knew that they carried books, so how certain could he have been that they didn’t have the ones I was looking for?

“Check online”?!  I know I can check online, but I’m giving you the opportunity to sell something to me.  Is The Home Depot in the habit of sending people away from their stores now?

For a business that prides itself on having a knowledgeable staff, even to the point of trumpeting that claim as their slogan, The Home Depot seems to have dropped the ball, at least at this location.

By the way, this statement is printed on the back cover of the catalog we bought:

The Men and women in the orange aprons at The Home Depot know what they’re talking about when it comes to home improvement.  They offer advice that can be trusted.  Their indispensable and well-earned “wisdom of the aisles” is reflected on every page of this book.  Let the experts at The Home Depot provide the know-how you need for any home improvement project.