What is the old saying?

Never such a thing as a dumb question. Well, yesterday I stopped by a Wal*Mart store in SW Florida to pickup a sand bucket and toys for my two girls. I am working here on a project, and decided to have my family come down for a visit. Being from Minneapolis, MN a couple days in the sun will be great...

So, I wanted to get some toys for the beach. Well, the extremely unhelpful associate responded to my question with "why would we have those? That would be stupid. It’s out of season". Thus rejecting the old saying about a dumb question...

Now how did that change my shopping experience? Well, besides being belittled by this associate who probably thought he was just speaking common sense, it reminded me again about how far the big boxes have to go. With smiling greeters at the entry and exit doors, the associate who actually impacted my experience never bothered to learn anything about me - he was too engulfed in his point of view. By the way - he didn't smile, say hello, or goodbye.

So, where did I go? Well, I stopped at the Home Depot down the rode. Did they have the toys? No, but a helpful and creative associate suggested some paint buckets, garden tools, and even some kitchen utensils. And by the way, she smiled, said hello, wished us fun in the sun, and said goodbye. She got it... she cared about what my needs were - not what their wares were... A huge difference in the age of experience!

Anyone else had a remarkable experience in an un-expected venue?