Go See Chuck! by Ray Shay

Go See Chuck!

By Ray Shay 

"Chuck" Your Friendly ACE Hardware Man

Life is full of surprises.  A dozen hours before deadline, I opened my IPad only to find my latest story had disappeared. I can't say it was great, but I spent many hours working on it and I was looking forward to sharing it with each of you.   

I'll see if our company on-call computer technician can recover the story, but maybe it is for the best.  It was an interesting story about a small town named Ferguson, Missouri.  Maybe you have heard of it. 

I purposely, did not write  about it until, Eric Holden, our US Attorney General, ruled there would not be any civil rights violations pursued  against the police officer.

I bit my tongue frequently over the last few months when people in our own master planned communities and even friends and family would complain about actions of police officers in this great country.     

Some people take just a small slice of the information pie and repeat it as the truth. Other people take it a step further and use it to justify looting and violence against innocent people. I wish there was a way for these same people to experience what it is like to run out of options.  Not like you see on television, but really be placed in a position where you are at death's door and it is either you or your aggressor who are about to fall through into the cold darkness.  

 

Maybe, it was a good thing that story disappeared. Let's talk about Chuck.   

 

I think of all the people that have touched my life and believe it or not, Chuck is one of them. First of all, I dream of being a contractor.  In reality I am not very good in home repairs. In fact, I have just enough knowledge to be dangerous.  I may have a measuring tape on my belt and I park in "contractors only" lot at Home Depot, but that is where my expertise ends.

That is where Chuck at our local 4S Ranch Griffin Ace Hardware saves me. He is the man. In years past, I tried replacing my window screens at our home. Now I just go see Chuck

This is how it works.  Take the window screens out of your home and take them to Ace Hardware and they re-screen them. Chuck is the best part of the process. He is very friendly and does most of the repairs.  He obviously takespride in his work.

Chuck was excited about being in the Eweekly.  I asked Chuck for his email and he replied, "I don't have a computer or an email."  He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a flip phone.  Wow, that said it all.

I love the guy. Chuck knows our three sons and many of the kids in the neighborhood. He has exactly the skills Ace Hardware is looking for.  He is the friendly Ace Hardware man!  

Go see Chuck and take him your torn window screens or other home improvement projects.  He will take great care of you. 

 
  

Copyright Shay Realtors 2015 All Rights Reserved

Where is the Popcorn by Ray Shay

Where is the Popcorn?

By Ray Shay

8.19.14

  

I love our local Ace Hardware Store.  Who would not appreciate walking into a business and being greeted with a smile, an offer of help, followed by an experienced salesperson and a fast check out?  That kind of friendliness and great service seems like it is from a forgotten era.

For over fifty years Griffith Ace Hardware has offered

fresh cooked popcorn to their customers.  Locally, they have been providing popcorn for over thirteen years.  As I began to exit Ace Hardware in 4S Commons Shopping Center on Saturday,  I sensed something was missing.  I stopped and looked around for what it was.  I then realized their popcorn machine was missing in action.  

I turned to speak with two salespeople and said "where is it?" They quickly guessed what I was inquiring about and replied, "The popcorn machine? We had to shut it down.  The County of San Diego wanted all of our employees to take a food handler course, the popcorn machine had to be fully cleaned four times a day and citizens could not touch the red scooper or we would have to formally sanitize it and....(blah, blah, blah)."

I probably rolled my eyes and slightly shook my head side to side.  Ace Hardware was already on the hook if somehow someone got sick from tainted popcorn. I think Government is frequently over the top and foolishly over regulates private businesses.

No More Popcorn

I walked out of the store only to return the following day and ask if I could at least visit the popcorn machine.  An employee led me upstairs where I found it sitting quietly and all alone in the break room.

It was unplugged with it's trademark red handle scooper sitting all alone in the empty bin.  Not to be held by a local school kid as they scooped the deliciously salty popcorn into an Ace Hardware paper bag.

Like John Belushi said in the one of the greatest movies ever made, Animal House, "Did we lay down when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor... No we did not!"  I think our thousands of Eweekly readers should speak up like "Bluto" and voice your opinion when you go to Ace Hardware.  Tell the employees, "We miss our popcorn, please bring it back!"  

Our efforts may not be successful, but this is America and we should exercise our rights. We can't let Dean Wormer's of the world take away what we love.   That just wouldn't be right.  

Have a great week.    

   

Copyrighted - All Rights Reserved - Shay Realtors 2014