Overheard at Chipperfield's ... Part XXXI ...

The other evening, Ross was sitting at the tables in the corner of the shop, before him were spread a variety of glossy catalogues and pamphlets. The jukebox behind him was playing some 60's rock music.

"What are doing?" asked one of the regulars as he sat down with a cup of coffee. He picked up one of the pamphlets and looked at it. "Playground equipment?" he enquired.

"It's for my grandchildren," offered Ross, "you know we have new twin Grandsons don't you?"

"Yeah," offered the regular hesitantly, "aren't they a wee bit young for this kind of stuff," he was holding up a pamphlet on wooden play houses with swings and slides.

"It's never too early to plan," said Ross hopefully, "besides there are the older grandkids to think about too ..."

"You planning on building a play ground in your back yard?" asked the regular as he set down the pamphlet and sipped his coffee.

"Well, getting it built ..." said Ross as he looked around nervously, his voice lowered to a whisper as he continued, "Bonnie doesn't like me messing with power tools, especially after the incident last summer."

The eyebrows of the regular arched in wonder. He wanted to ask about the incident, but thought better of it. Instead he changed tack slightly, "Did I ever tell you about the time we built the swing set in our yard?"

"No?" Ross' eyebrows arched, "what happened?"

"Oh nothing happened," said the regular, "I'm just really proud of the good deal I got on the slide I put on the play structure."

"Really?" said Ross, not intrigued.

"Well, I went looking for one of those fancy twirly slides," said the regular, "and at the big retail outlets down in Brandon they wanted 5 and 6 hundred bucks for the stupid things. I looked at them and thought 'they're nice and all, but I'm not paying 6 hundred dollars plus tax for a slide.' So I gave up."

"Then what?" asked Ross, eagerly.

"Well, I needed to pick up a couple of things, so I went to that little out of the way lumber place out in the south end -----&------." said the regular.

"I've been there," interjected Ross.

"So anyway, I'm in there picking up some other stuff," the regular continued, "and I see a pamphlet lying on the counter with pictures of playground equipment. I ask the guy serving me if they carry any of it. He says they do. So I ask about slides. He punches in some stuff on the computer and says 'the slides are regular $375, plus tax.' I do a quick calculation in my head and think - 'forget it'. Then before I can answer he says, 'you need it in a box?'"

"A box?" asked Ross.

"A box," answered the regular, "the guy asked me if I need it in a box. 'What do you mean?' I asked. And so the guy answers me saying, 'Well, the boxed one we have in stock is $375, but we have one that was on display out in the entrance way for $250 tax included.' I was shocked. I asked him, 'what's wrong with it?' The guy answers, 'Nothing, it just was out and assembled and we lost the box, so we can't sell it as new.' I asked if it had the manual, all the parts and so forth. The guy says it does, so I said 'sure I'll take it' and in blink of an eye the deal was done. I drove around to the back of the store and three guys loaded all the pieces in my van one at a time, and when they finished the first guy handed me the bag of nuts and bolts and things, and I drove home to put it all together."

"So?" Ross asked as the regular sipped his coffee.

"So, nothing," replied the regular, "I got a good twirly slide for real cheap."

"That's it??" asked Ross exasperated.

"That's it." said the regular smiling, "isn't saving money enough?"

"Hmmm," replied Ross looking at all the pamphlets before him ... "I guess it is ..."