Paul B
NJRC Member
So yesterday I go to that big store where everyone goes for lumber, doors etc. I don't want to mention their name. I bought one of those new LED outside light fixtures for my deck. Very cool looking fixture. The price was listed as $29.00. So I bring it up to the front and the Lady rings it up. Now it is $44.00. OK, not a problem, still reasonable and I am used to this store so I am ready for that. By the way there are at least 5 of these stores with in 5 miles from my house. Maybe 7 stores. Anyway, I bring the thing home and hook it up. Turn on the power, cover the photocell so it thinks it's dark and ,,,,Nothing. 
I take it down, check my wiring, test the power, put it back up, turn it on and ,,,Nothing. So I smack it a few times and it flashes a little. I left it up all night in case it knew it was my hand in front of the photocell and was just messing with me. In the middle of the night I went out there and the thing was still out.
Today I took it down and brought it back for another one. I go to the returns counter and there are 5 people in front of me. There are 4 return counters but they only have one Lady working and I think she was standing in a vat of molasses or maybe in another time zone as I waited almost an hour. Finally, it's my turn. I say, it doesn't work. She asks me if I am sure I hooked it up correctly. I tell her I was a Master Electrician for 40 years. She says, That is not what I asked you. I go to the lighting dept and discover The store doesn't have any more of that light so I do the shuffle and go to 2 more of those stores and none of them have that same fixture so I get another model of LED light. This one is marked $39.00. I bring it up to the counter and now it is $89.00. I say, it is marked $39.99. She says it comes up as $89.00. OK I am not going to another store or picking out another fixture so I say. OK I will take it. Then I say do you do Veterans discounts? She says yes and asks to see my card. I show her my Veterans card and she says, "I am sorry sir but you have to be active service. I say, I am active, yesterday I rode my bicycle and the day before I went swimming. She says you have to be active in the military. Then she asks, "were you injured?" I say, Yes, figuring now they will give me the thing for free. She says, well Sir do you have the original bandages that they dressed your wounds with? I said it was 45 years ago. She says, "Well, It's not like we expect you to be still wearing them, we just want to see them". I said, no, I threw them out last Tuesday.
So I get the new fixture home, take it out of the box and see that someone already bought it and very neatly put it back in the box. I could see that the wires were already connected. No big deal, maybe they just didn't like the look. I get out my ladder, mount it, wire it, turn on the switch and ,,,,It lit. For a second. Then it started blinking and I got flashbacks from when I used to go to disco's in the 70s. But I don't want to dance, I just want to light up my deck.
So it is back to the store. But that will be another day as tomorrow is Mother's day and I will dedicate it to my wife and I doubt she will take down the fixture for me and return it to the store. Oh and I am done with those stores. I will go to a real electrical supply as I should have done in the first place.
I take it down, check my wiring, test the power, put it back up, turn it on and ,,,Nothing. So I smack it a few times and it flashes a little. I left it up all night in case it knew it was my hand in front of the photocell and was just messing with me. In the middle of the night I went out there and the thing was still out. Today I took it down and brought it back for another one. I go to the returns counter and there are 5 people in front of me. There are 4 return counters but they only have one Lady working and I think she was standing in a vat of molasses or maybe in another time zone as I waited almost an hour. Finally, it's my turn. I say, it doesn't work. She asks me if I am sure I hooked it up correctly. I tell her I was a Master Electrician for 40 years. She says, That is not what I asked you. I go to the lighting dept and discover The store doesn't have any more of that light so I do the shuffle and go to 2 more of those stores and none of them have that same fixture so I get another model of LED light. This one is marked $39.00. I bring it up to the counter and now it is $89.00. I say, it is marked $39.99. She says it comes up as $89.00. OK I am not going to another store or picking out another fixture so I say. OK I will take it. Then I say do you do Veterans discounts? She says yes and asks to see my card. I show her my Veterans card and she says, "I am sorry sir but you have to be active service. I say, I am active, yesterday I rode my bicycle and the day before I went swimming. She says you have to be active in the military. Then she asks, "were you injured?" I say, Yes, figuring now they will give me the thing for free. She says, well Sir do you have the original bandages that they dressed your wounds with? I said it was 45 years ago. She says, "Well, It's not like we expect you to be still wearing them, we just want to see them". I said, no, I threw them out last Tuesday.
So I get the new fixture home, take it out of the box and see that someone already bought it and very neatly put it back in the box. I could see that the wires were already connected. No big deal, maybe they just didn't like the look. I get out my ladder, mount it, wire it, turn on the switch and ,,,,It lit. For a second. Then it started blinking and I got flashbacks from when I used to go to disco's in the 70s. But I don't want to dance, I just want to light up my deck.
So it is back to the store. But that will be another day as tomorrow is Mother's day and I will dedicate it to my wife and I doubt she will take down the fixture for me and return it to the store. Oh and I am done with those stores. I will go to a real electrical supply as I should have done in the first place.
