So with the thousand projects I've done over the years, I often find myself walking into hardware stores and shoving my phone in someone's face. I've tried describing what I want, but that often gets blank looks as what I call it is different than what they call it. Sometimes I explain what I need it for, and still I get blank stares. I've found showing pictures on my phone to be most effective. Often I still get stares that say you are crazy, so it's actually not something I enjoy. I've even asked for.things, described them, shown pictures, and been told no only to find it myself in that store (hardware stores here are typically not self serve - you tell the guy at the counter what you want and he goes and gets it). This is only because the hardware stores now know me very well.
The other day I wanted a cam lock for the preschool project. I was ready to order.it from China, something I now do often because I can get what I want and it takes only a week or.two, but I decided to try my luck locally - almost sure I'd be wasting my time. I walked in, showed one person, got blank stares, showed another guy who said, yes, of course we have those. Several sizes even. Then he said "This is a normal hardware item." I almost.laughed. Normal? Who defines normal in a country where I can't find so many simple things (knee pads, tile spacers, T nuts, to name a few things stores just don't sell). Someday it'll all make.sense (well, probably not).
