Braids

"Braids" is a nickname I gave to one of our customers......let me paint the picture for you: lady (probably in her early 40s), wore a jean-jumper with a pastel colored turtleneck, colored socks that were visible, outdated shoes (prob Keds) and ALWAYS had two braids like Laura from Little House On The Prairie. *smokin' hot*

Braids came in just about every day for about 2 or 3 months--not once, not twice, but usually about three times a day.....with her dog, Ralphie (poor Ralphie). The thing about Braids that set her apart from all the other jean-jumper-wearing weirdos is that everything she bought HAD to be stainless steel. Not aluminum, not tinned steel, but stainless steeeeeeel.

She'd come in for her first trip of the day and find something that she liked made out of stainless steel. She'd hold it for awhile, think about it, then leave with poor little Ralphie.

Sometimes she'd be back in 20 minutes, sometimes a few hours......needless to say, she'd be back for her second trip of the day. She'd find the stainless steel item she was obsessing over, hold it for awhile, think about it.....sometimes she'd come up to the counter and in her quiet, mousy voice confirm with us that it was, in fact, made out of stainless steel.

One day she was obsessing over a utensil bar, made out of none other than......can you guess, can you guess?! Stainless steel! DING DING DING!!!

She placed the utensil bar on the table, took a few steps back, crossed her arms/hand up to chin, stared at it and pondered.

After staring and pondering for a long time, instead of hanging it back up on the pot rack hook where she got it from she decided to "hide it"---cuz you know, someone might buy it in between her second and third trip to the store!

She proceeded to lay it on the top of the pot rack...not sure whether she thought maybe someone wouldn't be able to see it or reach it, but I watched the entire thing. I saw it! I could reach it! As soon as she left I took it down and hung it back up with a very puzzled look on my face.

Another day...she came in, performed her usual routine and decided to buy a tea bag holder. About an hour later she called and asked if the entire thing was made out of stainless steel. The answer was "no". A little while later she came back for probably the third or fourth time that day and returned it....cuz, you know, it wasn't entirely made out of stainless steeeeeeel!

I came to the conclusion that Braids lived in a stainless steel house where EVERYTHING was stainless steel.....toilet seat, table, chairs, BED. (I bet she's neighbors with the "Made in China" people!) Man, poor Ralphie.....