Bray & Scarff

High quality products in which you pay more even with their sale prices. Go here to window shop only

i like being a homeowner for the most part. really, i do. it’s MINE (well, mine and the bank’s). i get to paint and plaster, and carpet and tile, and hammer and nail and all that fun stuff. i even bought a tool belt and drill, and do my tim-​the-​tool-​man thing — which i’m told is pretty hot on a girl. (my toolbelt is pretty sexy, if i do say so myself.) but there are a few things i just loathe and would almost rather run back to apartment living than deal with myself. #1 on that list? appliances. ugh. these big ugly monsters are great for heating, chilling, cooking, grilling, washing, drying, frying and so on. but when they break it is a huge inconvenience and cost — whether to repair or replace. i, unfortunately, am in a big replacement phase right now, and i am NOT enjoying the shopping/​selecting process at all. there is something about appliance buying and maintenance that screams ‘horrible adult responsibility’ to me. it makes me nervous and long for the days of being able to just call and say, «oh mr. laaaaaandlord!» good old reliable mr. landlord. i miss him sometimes. *sigh*
but instead of calling on a landlord, i’ve had to put on my big girl panties and deal with the misery that is appliance shopping. for this go-​round (washer/​drying shopping), i thought i’d try a specialty store instead of my usual go-​to big box shops (home depot, sears, etc), and popped in to bray & scarff. i was slightly overwhelemed, and not at all impressed. for starters, the set-​up is very odd. as you walk around the store, displays and machines get closer and closer together until you wonder if a trick is being played on you or you are being checked for claustrophobia. then, when i thought the space couldn’t get any tighter, a big beefcake sales guy approached me. this guy was BIG and TALL and so muscle-​y that i’d worry for his seams if he sneezed. he was sporting some too-​tight slacks and some sort of nylon second-​skin shirt more suitable for a gym and/​or club than customer service/​store associate work. (we’d seen a car in front of the store with a license plate border that read something like, «gym rat & proud!» or «i’d rather be pumping iron» — i’m guessing it was this dude’s ride.) i was slightly scared/​repulsed (what ever happened to the simple uniforms, like the maytag man wore?), but took him up on his offer to show me the washers & dryers that fit what i was looking for. we walked down the aisles [single file, of course] to the front loaders and he proceded to show me only the most expensive models. strike 1.
i repeated what i was looking for, and emphatically mentioned that i’d already done a lot of research (code for «don’t try to play me, muscle-​head»). he caught on and asked me what, if any particular models i was interested in. i replied that i didn’t have model numbers, but wanted X, Y & Z features and had had seen LG come up as tops time and time again, so maybe he could show me some LG models with those features? they don’t carry LG. strike 2. i ask why they don’t carry LG and he completely ignores my question, attempting to redirect me with an asinine, irrelevant question of his own: «is there a particular color you’re looking for?»
are you freaking kidding me?! a particular color of LAUNDRY APPLIANCES? even if i were looking for a particular color, that’s going to be pretty damned low on my list considering it’s, oh, LAUNDRY APPLIANCES. they go in the laundry room, not my living room. and, i asked you question dude. don’t try to redirect me like i’m a 2-​year old who needs distraction b/​c you took away the knife i wanted to play with. and, definitely don’t ignore me. i know it’s hard to see over your pecs, but i’m down here and i have money i could spend in your store, which i’m sure you’d like to see reach that line on your paycheck that reads COMMISSION. but, that was strike 3, so, no $$ for you.
i was very disappointed and totally turned off by my experience @ B&S, especially since i’d had a couple of people i know and trust reccomend them. oh well. i’m not willing to take BS from B&S, and neither should you.