Just A Little Knowledge, Please?

After working at Home Depot for over a year now I am truly scared for humanity.
While working in the lumber department I encountered people that had no clue as to why a 2x4 was called a 2x4. Or why any other board was named after their dimension. I can understand not knowing how to do something but not understanding something as simple as that? I then moved to the electric department. WOW! I am shocked that more houses have not burned down due to homeowner electrical work. I have refused to provide knowledge to folks that seemed like they were gearing up to do a job for someone but had no clue as to what the parts were called, how to install them or any knowledge of electricity and to top it off they were wayyyy stoned and a few were really drunk. Yes, I reserve the right to protect my self from a lawsuit because you are a stoned dumbass. I feel as though I have saved countless lives by denying service to some folks, getting some "contractors" fired and imparting knowledge to good honest folks trying make there homes better.
   I then moved to the plumbing department, much less dangerous but evidently controlling water is a genuine mystery for many people.  I have spent many hours explaining, drawing pictures, looking a stupid cell phone pictures and trying to decipher what the fuck some of these morons are talking about. I had one such dumbass ask what a gas valve did. Uh huh, he did. And no he had no idea what a gas valve did. One customer asked how he was supposed to know how many fitting his new self installed gas line would need. Dumbassery even extends to some of my co-workers. I had a cashier who has worked there for many years call for an SKU number for 1/2 inch PVC. I asked was it pipe or fittings? Her answer? What's the difference? Right, what's the difference. A pipe is like a cock, long, hollow and carries liquid of some sort and fittings are like little condoms that fit on the pipe and control the flow of liquid. Sheesh!

All that brings me to my point. If the shit ever hits the fan a whole bunch of people are going to die just cause they cannot figure anything out. Things like how to heat their house when the electricity goes out, how to fix anything so it will continue to function, how to raise a garden, plan for their families defense, harden their house, procure food, heal the sick, dress a deer, run a trot line, build a shelter or any of the myriad things a person should know. Not strictly for a societal break down but just for every day living. Not having the luxuries of electricity, running water, flowing gas will require brains, know how and determination. And I sse a whole bunch of folks that just won't cut it in a disaster. If you cannot figure out how to put a supply line on your sink, how are you going to know how to drill a well?
After more than a year of interacting with the general populace, I am scared for mankind.

The Next Whammy

So the love of my life walked out on me, my Father died, the ex got my house, I'm paying for things that she has and I don't, a tree banged up my truck, now the bastion if home improvement, my employer is cutting my hours. What a year this has been. I work part time for Home Depot. I have been getting 24-27 hours a week which lets me pay my bills. I printed off my schedule last night and this coming week I am scheduled for 20 hours and the next week I'm scheduled for 15 freaking hours of work. What is their saying? More savings, more doing, that's the power of home depot. Well if you work for them there isn't any saving. In addition to short hours, the hours you do get jump around all over the place, mornings, mid-day, closing. That in itself makes it very hard to get another part time job. And I don't care what BHO says, jobs in this area are very hard to find and get. Especially if you are graying and limping.
   The situation at work is very irritating, I have more accumulated knowledge than 99 percent of the folks at this store. You pull me out of my department and plunk me into any other except for paint(color blindness) and appliances and I can do the job. Co-workers and customers are amazed at the depth of my knowledge. HD keeps teasing me with lines like, "if full time was offered to you would you take it?" Yet the actual offer has never been made. I have outstanding customer service and will do what ever is asked of me and then some. I am usually a see it do it kind of guy but at this place that will get you in trouble. We are left with a weekly work list and will get in a crack if it is not done, yet we are only allowed to do any of the work list or shelf maintenance the first and last two hours of the day. Needless to say, I stayed up late last night scouring the job boards for gainful employment. I am racking my brain for a home based business I can do to earn some cash. I do have a few ideas but they all require a varying amounts of start up funds. And there are no start up funds in my budget. This is getting very wearisome.

WTF?

My shift a work this evening started with my boss telling that the HR lady had to speak with me yesterday about WORKING during the all day sales event. What all day sales event, I've never even heard that phrase, I said and then told him that story was very interesting as I did not work yesterday! He stammered and said well it might have been another day. In my days of management you had to have you ducks in a row when you counseled someone and that included having the date correct for the supposed infraction. Huh, the infraction of working! Needless to say, My pressure vent was close to popping and he knew it. He suggested I take few minutes in the break room. So believe it or not I got in trouble for doing what I was supposed to be doing. That's two times in one week. In the other instance I had to catch up on a shit load of online training. Bossman ordered me to have it done by a certain day. So I bust my hump and get it done, then he tells me another manager complained that I was disappearing from my department! This is what life is like at Home Depot. Thankfully, I had two customers that made my a day quite a bit better and one outstanding coworker that really brightened my evening, Thanks Fabi! The job search is going into high gear.