Blueskies wrote:
"VideoFlyer" wrote in message ...

Lowes and Home Dee-pot are *not* hardware stores. . . ;-)


That's true.....but they're the closest thing to a hardware store that I have
seen for many years. Where did all the GOOD hardware stores go.

I went into Menards a few weeks ago looking for a 3 inch V-belt pulley for an
air compressor. The person who waited on me had no idea what a pulley was.
He started showing me ratchet cable "pullers"....like a "come-along." Last
month I went into the same store and asked if they carried tap and die sets.
Again...the person who waited on me didn't have a clue as to what I was talking
about.
snip
I must sound like an old f*rt reminiscing about the good old days. I am a
YOUNG 47 year old male.

We have a really good Ace Hardware store here. I know they are struggling with Menards, The Home Depot, and Lowes within
4 miles. I use them every chance I get...

Ace is pretty good, for example they carry number and letter size
drill bits. I've never found that at Home Depot or Lowes, just the
fraction sizes from about 1/16 to 1".

The help you get from staff depends. At a Lowe's once I got good
help from an older guy, who seemed to have actually made stuff with
his hands and knew what I was talking about for moderately obscure
tools (hand chuck).

Not knowing what a tap and die set is? That's pretty bad, hopefully
you caught one dumb guy on a bad day with that one.

While we're ranting, I went to school for mechanical engineering. A
lot of the people seemed to be in it because their high school
guidance counselors told them they were good at math and science.
Smart people, just a different kind of smart. I got into it because
I thought it was neat the way stuff worked, but I had that in common
with less than half of the guys. I don't work in that field now
though, so it's just a pet theory of mine. Maybe Ron W. could weigh
in on this one?

[PS I'm a young 30, right now is the good old days]