However, It Is My Job To Tell You How To...

A follow up to yesterdays post.

I work for a national home improvement company. I have done the homeowner type employment since the early 1980's. I have managed flooring stores, worked in paint departments, measured floors for high end carpet and wood, problem inspector for things that have gone wrong in the home that we installed, worked with contractors of all kinds, worked as a project supervisor, ( working with the contractor and the customer), for high end installs, worked in fashion plumbing, and currently manage an appliance department where we sell a full range of appliances and cabinets. Added to that, I have now the storage department for closets and such.

I am precise when I do floor measures, square feet, square yards, pattern match, linear feet, what works here, what won't work. I have repaired carpet that seemed ruined with snags or tears. I can tell you if a job was done correctly. I can tell you why a carpet looks damaged but isn't. I can tell you why the wood floor is going bad, and who or what is at fault.

But I am not an installer. I am a homeowner.

I can tell you what parts you need to do repairs or replacement around the house. I will look at your cart of stuff as you go by and tell you what you are missing to finish the job. 

I will tell you where in the store to find what you are looking for, down to the aisle, right or left side, how high up to reach, or I will take you to it. We have over 40,000 items in the store.

I will not however tell you how to beat building codes or shortcuts that may cause damage

to you and your home. Anyone in the store will run into a customer that won't listen to reason. 

Guys in the department will defer to me when a problem comes up for the home because I usually know the answer and am glad to help.

The above is not bragging. It is what I do.   

The list of things I don't know is long too! Mostly it involves stuff I haven't done such as roofing. Different construction applications. Outside pumps and irrigation comes to mind. I can do minor repairs but don't have the patience to learn somethings. Somethings I can learn how to do, but I ask questions too.

My job is to listen to your problem and your needs and advise you how to take care of it. I will hand off to someone with more experience, for example, what wire or breakers to use for electric repairs. Or rough plumbing pipe questions, or septic tanks, or whole house water filtration. We have people in our garden center who are more knowledgeable then me on what to use and where to use it.

I have to visualize what you are talking about and how to solve it. It is expected of me and I do it well. It makes the customer happy and gives me satisfaction in helping.

Outside the work place is another matter.  That was covered in yesterdays post.

Everyone has expertise in something. One is expected to learn something all the time and add to one's knowledge base, not do the same thing for 20 years. 

Life would be boring, yes?

I don't know it all, will never claim to, but I know where to get the help you need.

My job is to give advice.

and now I will take a coffee break

ray