The Things We Do For... PIZZA!

PIZZA!

So, how far would you drive for pizza? When I finish here, I will twitter that I met a friend for pizza. That's plain enough, but I wouldn't be writing this if there weren't a story behind the story, and there is.

My friend who joined me rode his motorcycle through rain and snow flakes for over four hours to join me for a pizza in Lincoln, NH. He came down from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, to have pizza. That's 233 miles each way (approximately374.977 152 kilometers in Canadian measurement). We spent about an hour and a half eating and talking before he remounted his bike and headed back north as he wanted to be home before 6 PM (that's 6 PM in Canadian time). Fortunately, the weather for him was better on the way back than on the way down. He said he was coming down for pizza, and that's what he did.

One thing I hadn't factored in was the fact that there was foliage, which brought out the leaf peepers from all over - we saw license plates from Texas, Georgia, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and, of course, Massachusetts (many of whom I was glad I saw before they ran into me). Once I saw and approached the exit (maybe 1/3-mile away), it took me longer to get off the highway and to the pizzeria (maybe a mile) than the whole rest of the trip getting there (it's usually about 35 or 40 minutes for me). Cars waiting to exit queued up in the breakdown lane as the stop light on the main street let through five or six cars at a time before changing. It reminded me a lot of heading to the Weirs during Motorcycle Week.

Anyhow, it was great to see him, and we may do it again before year's end. I think next time he'll drive his car and maybe stay a bit longer. Of course, if I ever get my special card that allows me to travel in and out of Canada, maybe one of these months I can try some Canadian food.

So tired, tired of wating...

("Well, there you go again," spoken in a Ronald Reagan voice.)

("You often end up buying the salesperson not just the product!" spoken in a Dave Berman voice.)

So here I am having a house rehabbed, and as we are progressing, it's getting to be time for new appliances for the new kitchen. Whenever I have a sizable expenditure, I shop around a bit. In this case, I was looking for a refrigerator, stove and hood, and small under-counter dishwasher. About a month ago, I asked for and got bids from three area stores: Sears, Home Depot, and a place called Major Brands. All things considered, I decided on the latter. I had shopped there some years ago and vowed I'd never go back because of the amount of time I stood and waited without even being acknowledged, but that was years ago. This time, the store was empty and the saleslady came right over, spent time with me, helped me narrow, printed out spec sheets, etc. She won my business.

Well, when it was time to buy, I called and asked the saleslady if the information was still in the computer (it was) and if the products were readily available (she'd find out), so I said I'd be down in a couple of hours. I eventually got to the store (maybe 40 minutes away) and it was again empty... except for one couple talking to my saleslady, so I waited and looked around. After about five minutes, a man who had been on the phone asked if I needed any help (I am sure my friends will have some comment here). I said I had spoken to the lady before; he told me since I had already spoken to her, I should stick with her - she would just be a few more minutes. She wasn't. When she wasn't talking to the couple, instead of coming over to me to get the ball rolling, she went over to her computer and stood there concentrating on something there (probably was playing a Madden game). The couple kept coming back to her with more and more questions. After about fifteen minutes of standing there, I started getting edgy. When I had been waiting a full half hour, I finally gave up and walked out. I know, I know. She gives her customers (of the moment) her full attention. However, my time (and money) should be worth something. There wasn't even a look or an, "I'm sorry - I'll be with you as soon as I can." That might have tipped the scales and kept me there.)

Anyhow, I ended up checking out Lowe's on a whim. The store and salesman totally clicked with me! It all fell into place - quickly. I was (somewhat) happy to give them my money. They earned it!

Much ado over nothing? I don't know. Maybe. My brother always told me you need three things for a successful business: selection, price, and service but you can only have two of the three. Price is nice (especially these days), but I'll take the other two.

Oh, and by the way, I saved $400! Not too shabby! Not too shabby at all. Maybe I did get all three.