SideQuest 12: Tales from the Field: Home Depot Audacity & 911 Calls
Oh my goodness, you are so right! Thank you for catching that mix-up. Let's get Arly and Samantha's stories straight!
Here is the corrected, SEO-optimized blog post with the right names attached to those wild hardware store encounters, plus the clean transcript at the bottom.
Sidequest 12: Tales from the Field – Home Depot Audacity & Calling 911
Welcome back to another Sidequest, besties! This is the part of the podcast where we let ourselves off the leash a little bit and bring you another round of "Tales from the Field". If you've ever dealt with unhelpful hardware store advice or a totally chaotic day on the job, this one is for you.
Here is a quick recap of our wildest stories from this week!
The Home Depot Audacity (Arly's Story)
As female contractors, we never know what to expect when we walk into a hardware store or a client's house. But this interaction takes the cake for sheer audacity:
Arly was at Home Depot picking out some prizes for a game of Family Feud we were playing.
A guy walked past her with a piece of lumber on his shoulder, looked at her, and said, "You don't know what to do with those".
Arly was understandably confused until she looked down at her hand... she was holding a pack of pens.
She was also standing right in front of the measuring tapes.
So, either this man thinks women are completely incapable of using basic office supplies, or he thinks we are literal infants.
The Concrete Bag Dilemma (Samantha's Pro-Tip)
Arly's story reminded us of another classic hardware store interaction involving some heavy lifting:
Samantha was at the store with a cart completely loaded down with 50-pound bags of concrete.
A builder we knew walked by, confidently stated, "Women shouldn't be carrying those things," and then just walked away without offering to help.
Samantha's Hot Take: If you are ever in a situation where a man is using misogyny to tell you that you shouldn't be lifting heavy things, absolutely use it to your advantage! Just smile and say, "You're right, why don't you come help me load this into my pickup?"
The Tumultuous Tuesday 911 Call (Emily's Story)
Emily had an appointment that quickly spiraled into a true-crime-level event:
Emily was 40 minutes away from our workshop for an appointment to install a grab bar. This is part of a great community program we work with to help seniors stay safely in their homes.
While walking up to the house with her contact from the organization, they heard neighbors down the street screaming and threatening to kill each other.
Because Emily listens to true crime podcasts that preach "if you hear something, say something," she decided to call 911.
While on the phone with dispatch answering questions about the suspect (who was running into the woods in dark clothes), her contact got her car completely stuck in an un-shoveled driveway.
Emily, being the strong contractor she is, pushed the car out single-handedly, but completely face-planted into the snow in the process!
As she was finally trying to pull out of the dead-end street in her branded vehicle, three cop cars pulled up right behind her.
The police rolled down the window and asked if she was the one who called 911—which she admitted to, while internally panicking that the fighting neighbors would hear and know it was her!
Naturally, she immediately called her mom to tell her all about the chaotic morning.
We love collecting these chaotic stories! If you have a wild "Tale from the Field" or just want to ask us a DIY question, send us an email at hthm@myhandymaam.com! You can also find us on social media @HowToHandymaam.
Episode Transcript:
Welcome back. This time welcome. To the side. So this is our like the Mariah Carey hand remedy left. Yeah, I don't think that's it, folks, where we let ourselves off the leash a little more than we do in our normal episode. And we're bringing to you today another episode of Tales from the Field. Yes, and we teased it last time with a what? What was your teaser? You did the teaser. I said that you said you called 911 and I said I was verbally assaulted in Home Depot. OK, let's start. Gross. Exaggeration, but it felt very similar. Tell your big fish story. Big fish. That's why you call a story where you're going to. Exaggerate. Oh, this is my ginormous fish. Separate shark. I am not going to exaggerate this, just the preamble was exaggerating. OK, this is exactly what happened, word for word. I'm just kidding anyway. She's like, I have receipt, here's the recording. We're like. Sorry, Alan. I like videotape the whole thing, Alan. Ellen is the new 4 letter word. It's already caring. Oh my. Gosh, we need. T-shirts say Alan is the new four letter. Word. My gosh. All right, sorry. OK, so I'm in Home Depot and I'm standing there and I'm getting prizes, OK. And. For what? For us, for us, for us, we had. Our game, yeah. Which we didn't air it, but maybe we'll do some clips or something. He did Family Feud. Yeah, yeah. Because it was kind of a lot. Anyway, so I'm standing there, describe everything, and I'm in Home Depot looking for prizes to win. And then this guy with like, with like lumber, like a piece of lumber on his shoulder walks past and he's like, you don't know what to do with those. Pull holding. And I was like, huh? And he said, you don't know what to do with those. Like, he doubled down. And I was like, yes, I do. And I look in my hand and what do I have pens? And I was like, the beep. I was like, are you kidding me? I was like, I'm not younger than an infant. I understand how to use martyrs. And then I was, like, trying to understand, OK. And I was like, maybe he was referring to what I was standing in front of in the aisle. And it was measuring tapes. So either he thinks that women are incapable of using the brain at all, or he thinks that are a baby. Is right or dot dot dot? Yeah, I I have no idea. Anyway, so that's my appalling story. Tell us you're appalling. Wait, can I? Sell a quick sidetrack because it's also an in the store. So I, we, I used to know this builder and I happened to see him in the store when I had like an entire cart full of 50 LB bags of concrete. And he's like, women shouldn't be carrying those things. And then he walked away. I'm sorry listeners, you couldn't just hear my eyes rolling but they legit hit my frontal wall. Wait, no, I'll do a, I'll do a a sound while you do it. No, but here's the thing. He's walking away. I'm looking at him back, his back and I'm like, you could help me carry. Them. Yeah, I. Censor what I would have done but. The, the younger generation and especially Emily is like, I can't do it myself. And I I. Can't. I have lived through some shit and I'm just like, you know what? If I can use misogyny to get heavy things carried, I will absolutely do it. Yeah, it hinders my life in a lot of ways, so the least I can do is. Fill in the blank name. Hey, why don't you come back and help me load this into my pickup cuz it's. So heavy for me. Nope, nobody. Nope. Nope. Also like why should I use all my extra energy to do that if a man could use half the amount of energy or three quarters the amount of energy to do? Even in the ancestors in the back of my brain like. Wait, do. It yeah, but like this? In the Irish non sarcastic way. If people are generally want to be helpful that's fine. I try and get in. Health care. I don't Emily like the person. Yeah, Emily's like don't talk to me in the store. Well, you get that for me sometime. That is not the side quest. I will tell you the story of furniture moving when I was 8 1/2 months pregnant, but not this one. All right, Emily, tell us your. Story So I'm 40 minutes away from our workshop because we work with a community program that gives grab bar installs to people for free and I'm meeting. It helps seniors stay at home. It's, it's great. We love working with them. It's a great program. But we're at this house. And so I just needed to say that to establish that I had technically another like not estimator, but like another person with me at this appointment. So we're walking to this house and screaming from the house down the street and I was like, interesting morning, whatever going come back out. They're threatening to kill each other and screeching. As you do on a Wednesday. And I listened. Tuesday. I guess it was a lot it. Was a Tuesday. It was still a big. They should have been chilled out by Tuesday, but they weren't. Yeah, they weren't, but it's Weed Wednesday. So like, it's like, Oh yeah, one more day to like. Chill, you're almost there. Like you should be calmed by them. Like Monday night I get. Everyone knows I don't. None of us participate in Weed Wednesday, but those. Just murderous Mondays. Take it easy Tuesday. Weed. Wednesday it's. Tumultuous Tuesday, apparently. Oh yeah, yes. So all my true crime podcasts are like, if you hear something, say something. So I called 911, which I've only done a few times in my life, and it was spooky, scary. They were like, what are these people wearing? What exactly were they screaming at each other? Do you know this call is being recorded? And I'm like, I'm just there. I'm just, I was like I. Was doing a hit and run call. Instead of saying like I'm just a girl, I literally was like I'm just a contractor. Like I was in another person's house. I just heard this. I want to make sure everyone's OK like. Maybe I shouldn't? Have called and I'm sure we can find the record of my call or something and they're like, how old is the man? I'm like. You're like middle, hey. How old are you over there? How? Old are you 911 wants to know you're like. What's your Social Security number? I said middle-aged question mark, and he was like, that, that means a lot to different people. And I was like. You're all like 45, like a lot of different goals. Yeah, I know. They're like, what are they wearing? And I'm like, well, I'm watching him run into the woods right now. So he's in all dark clothes and a hat. And so I'm like, well, shit, I'm the one who called 911. I'm in a vehicle branded my handyman. And I'm like, I want to get out of here. And the person I'm at this Usman appointment with is trying to turn around in a driveway that has not been shoveled all winter and her little car gets stuck. So I'm not kissed it out. No, I could have gotten no. But I'm not. I'm not I know this lady like I'm not going to let her suffer. And for those of you who only listen, I'm a beefy gal. Like I'm strong enough to like push this car out, which I did. But as I'm pushing it out, I freaking face plant as these people are starting to scream at each other next door. And I know my voice is like getting really like hyper because this is how the situation felt. But, and I'm like, shit, the first thought I have is I feel the commercial in three hours and now I just face planted in the snow. And then so I call and I'm like, shit, OK, I got her unstuck. I pushed her car out single handedly by myself. And then did she take off and leave? You. Yeah, but then I'm like, shit, I need to leave before the cops get here because it's a dead end street. I'm like, I need to turn around. I'm about to turn around and put my blinker on three cop cars right behind me, and the one guy rolls his window down. He's like, are you the one who calls 911? I know I'm not supposed to lie to cops. I didn't lie. I was like, yes. I just wanted to make sure people were OK. Like, we're good. And he's like, OK. Did you leave your number with dispatch? I'm like, can we stop yelling? Yeah, I'm in a. Branded vehicle like maybe don't like the people over there who are the problem. Don't be like. Hey. Look at this girl over here. She's the one who called. Everyone knows. How to find her I? Was like, yeah, I just like, I don't know what's going on. I just wanted to like make sure everyone was OK. And I'm like, I was, I didn't say this, but in my head I'm like, oh, listen to true crime. And they're always like, and this person died because no one called 911. And I was everybody. Everybody. In the apartment that I heard, it thought it was nobody. Called, I know. And I was like, I literally heard one of them say they were going to kill each other. So I hope everyone's OK in that situation. But that was one of my craziest days from the field. And I immediately called her and I was like, hey mom, do you wanna hear about my morning? You know, I feel like the three of us have in common what, you know, how people like, collect things we collect. Stories, I know I'm just like and they're like. You're like. Look at this one. Yeah, do. You bring it. Out. IPhone. Let me tell. I'm like, look at this chaos morning. So. If I fall and I get hurt and like I don't get a bruise, I'm annoyed because I'm like, I can't even be like, look at this awesome. Bruise it. Hurts like a bruise it. Does, but it's like there's. No any deep bruise Deep. I know, but you can't show those off. Yeah, no, you. OK. So I want to ask you guys, would you have called 911? Oh, for sure. Yeah, I think so. I was going to call my non-emergency, non-emergency line, but then I was like, they literally sat there and killed each other. So and he was like, did you see a physical altercation? I was like, I don't know. I can hear them screaming. I didn't see hands being thrown. It was they ask you a lot of questions. Well, I mean, I'm like. I get it, they need. To do something about. It Yeah, you just wanna. Come see for yourself. Yeah. And I just like wanna paint the picture like I'm, I guess now an iPhone, your hand is straight. That's a classic phone. But I'm on the phone watching my contact from this organization getting stuck in the snow. And I'm like I need to wrap up this call to help her get out cuz she like got her carpet out of her car, the back seats and like put them under the wheel to try to like. Get out. And that. Is pretty. Smart. It didn't work cuz then I was like I'm gonna push and all of a sudden one of them just flew out and hit me. Oh my God, it was bad but. It's less smart. It turns out if you get low like a football player and then you like like I was like I got the car out so. All right. Well, this is a short side quest. We promised you a short one, or maybe we didn't promise you, but we gave you one. Yeah. So there it is. So. Places to be. People to see, yeah, but we will see you again real soon. I'm fine. Wait, wait, wait, wait what? What? If you want to find us anywhere, we can follow us at How to Handy ma'am on all platforms minus a few that we don't like. And then and then you can e-mail us your questions or if you just want to say hi and be our bestieh.thm@myhandyman.com. And with that, we love you. Yeah.
