LAC Rant

[Lyle]

I've been chided about the language, on and off the list.  Point taken, I
apologize.

I've tried all the autozones, also the advance auto parts (who had the boot,
but thought I was lying to them about a triple-square tool), the carquests,
Pep Boys (who stocks gigantic pedal boats and mini scooters, but not a tiny
17mm allen wrench), home depot AND the local snapon dealer who at least had
the sense not to say "oh, you're not an auto dealership, I won't talk to
you."   Sears is 30 miles away - well beyond walking distance, and it's not
an easy place to get to on a bike, either. I think all the nearby NAPA
stores went under years ago. The local
always-has-everything-some-dusty-corner hardware store didn't have one,
either.

I jammed two nuts on a 10mm bolt, and promptly twisted the head off the
bolt.  That might work for a transmission, or with some nuts on a lug bolt,
but I don't have and can't find nuts that fit the lug bolt threads at any of
the aforementioned businesses.  

Yes, I'm mad at Grainger for doing business in a manner they have always
done.  Just because they've always done it, and just because they're not
alone in doing it, doesn't make it sensible.  Yes, I could "find someone
with an account", or I could have walked another three-mile round trip just
to pick up my business checkbook and business credit card and gone back
there to set up an account.  They didn't mind selling me the tool, just as
long as I had some kind of shell business and *proof*. 
That's bizarre, and bordering on fraud.  If they want to limit transactions
to a certain minimum dollar figure, fine.  If they want to provide
significant discounts to volume purchasers, fine.  Obviously, wholesalers
aren't always prepared to be in the retail business, nor should they be.

But give me one good reason why my software business is a better customer
than my own individual self.  My software business is never going to be a
regular purchaser of industrial supplies.  My self might have been.  

I can walk into any wholesale plumbing supply, masonary supply, lumberyard,
electrical supply or otherwise, and they'll take my pissant business.  Sure,
I may have to wait until they're done with their regular customers.  Sure, I
won't get the best price.  Yes, I may even have to suck up a little bit of
"who are you?", but I have never had anyone insist on TWO forms of id to buy
anything.  Cash is king, isn't it?


PS.  A few people seemed to think that my post regarding FS advertising on
the list was somehow in conflict with my rant, probably because both
advertising and strong language are against the audifans rules.  I think
they misunderstood the nature of my earlier post.  I was merely suggesting
that rather than argue over rules, it might be more useful to sidestep the
issue by creating a new list, for instance "great-deals-on-used-audis" to
which people could either subscribe, or not, as they chose.