Retail Surprises

I went to the “big box” home store and bought 6 bolts, 6 nuts, 6 flat washers, and 6 lock washers for a home repair project. The clerk put them in a plastic bag and I brought them home. But when I started working on the project, I realized that the bag contained 6 bolts, 6 nuts, 5 flat washers, and 4 lock washers. Where did the rest go? Did the clerk drop them on the floor?

I went to the store and bought groceries, including a frozen lasagna entrée. Looking at the receipt after I got home, I saw I was charged twice for the lasagna. It’s a marvel I don’t get charged 2 or 3 times for everything, the way those checkout people handle the items they’re scanning. The lasagna wasn’t even appetizing.

I bought a frozen meat loaf and mashed potatoes entrée. The picture on the box showed a delicious-looking meatloaf glazed with ketchup and gravy and accompanied by fluffy mashed potatoes. What actually came out of the microwave was soupy mashed potatoes and a couple of little brown dominos without spots. There was no hint of ketchup.

I bought a box of nitrile gloves to use around the house. The box stated “one size fits all.” The gloves were so small and tight-fitting, I couldn’t put them on without using talcum powder, and even then they were difficult to put on.

Store-bought bread isn’t bread, it’s a doughy confection of chemicals. Have you ever eaten real bread? It’s nothing like what comes in that plastic bag with the twist tie.

What is wrong with retail in this country? Too many things are made by people who don’t care about what they make and are sold by other people who don’t care about their jobs. Taking pride in what you make, taking pride in what you do — those things are old fashioned. It’s modern times now.