I love harware stores

[phickle]

I managed to lose the rubber gasket that seals the bottom of my blender jar and the base with the blades. Searched high and low, inside the dishwasher. Nada. Nowhere to be found. Will I be forced to buy a brand new blender jar? Maybe not. Let's stop in at the hardware store! Now, I need to be clear on something. The store I went to has been in business for roughly 70 years. Owned by the same family. If there is anything, let me emphasize *anything*, no matter how obscure, that you could possibly need to fix an item on or in the home, this store has it. Lighting, electrical, plumbing, garden, kitchen. If you needed a 3/4" ribblegreeber with left handed threads, they would carry it. The key, of course, is finding it. Now, you could say this same thing about many hardware type stores like Home Depot or Orchard. But the real difference between those stores and a *real* hardware store is in the actual finding of the thing your looking for. You can wander for hours in the large chain stores looking for what you want, take a shot at asking a clerk, who most likely was hired just last week and can only direct you, with any accuracy, to the bathroom or garden section. Or you can get the real hardware store experience! Here's a quick description of my trip:

Enter the store
Encounter a clerk within seconds of entering the store.
Ask, "Where can I find blender jar gaskets?"
She says, "Kitchen Aid or Oster?"
I say, "Oster."
She says, "Aisle 16a, in the middle on the right hand side. They come 2 per pack"
Find them, exactly where she said they'd be.
Hit the register (still cash registers here, not the generic "checkout")
Paid $4.69
Walked out.

Total time in the store: 4 minutes.

I love real hardware stores!