I have a pink bathroom. The toilet, the bathtub, & the tiles all exude a sense of quiet femininity. Unfortunately, I?m a straight white guy, so everything I buy for the bathroom HAS to be blue. And I?m to interior decorating what Rod Stewart is to fashion. So, I?ve been looking for a blue wall clock (I have I.B.S. and I spend more time in the john than any two people should). I?ve visited every Closeout Connection, mom & pop hardware/electronics store, K-Mart, and 99 cents & Up store that I can find and... nothing. Finally, I decide to give these folks a try. The only seemingly blue clocks are on the top shelf of their cabinet which contain the broken, discontinued and display models. So Chris, a friendly salesman, proceeds to get up on a ladder & show me every dark looking clock up there until we find one that is Navy blue & works. He then stays up on the ladder for another five minutes while I go through all the shower curtains asking his opinion on every one and having him check the price and availability. He never even looks at me sideways & evens points me towards a cool rubber bathmat that matches my new curtains. Then, John, the cashier, informs me of & signs me up for the store card, which saves me a few bucks on the spot (and doesn?t cost me a thing), and he even laughs at my corny jokes. The next day, I put up the clock, lay down the bathmat, and realize the curtain doesn?t go with anything. So I returned it today and John gave me a full refund, without any hassles. These guys should get hazard pay for this kind of thing, or at least time and half. And yes, the store prices may not be the cheapest in Brooklyn, but the wide selection, friendly, helpful and above all patient staff make you feel like a valued customer regardless of how much you spend or how nutty you are. And in this day and age of soulless and disinterested Home Depot style superstores, I?ll take great customer service over a little bit of savings any day of the week.
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