06/17/2026
I blew out one of my routers, and had to get a new one. Like anyone who works with wood, I have several different ones. And being my table router, it ended up messing up a $150 piece of wood when it happened, which really pi**ed me off. So I go to Lowe’s, which has the widest selection of higher end ones. I walk up to that section, and there’s two employees standing there, both older than I am. So I say, “Which one of you guys knows your routers the best?” One guy says “Me,” and we walk over to them.
The first thing he says is, “I’m sorry, we just really don’t have a good selection.” I said, “Are you sold out, a seasonal run or something?” He says, “No! Nobody knows how to use them anymore. We used to carry 12 kinds. Power tools just don’t sell anymore. Here’s what I got.”
If you ever go anywhere these days, there’s zero customer service, people are dicks, and no one cares. This guy was so cool, took pride in his knowledge, advised me, knew all the terms I used - it was great. I left thinking about the state of skilled labor in this country. It’s really bad.
Then this other photo came up in my memories today. Makes you wonder how many people are left who can make something like this? I love skilled labor. Kiss a plumber or electrician today. Tell em you care! lol.
