who wouldn't buy a mower from me?

I really did not like Sears

     I always used to shop there when I was a kid.  Going up to the Sears on Lawrence Avenue in Chicago was  a thrill, even though it was a long walk.   But that changed.
     Growing up, I always mowed the yard using a rotary blade push mower.  I loved the sound it made as you pushed and it cut.
     When Jackie and I moved into our first house in Rochelle, I bought a rotary push mower.  OK, the yard in Chicago was 10 by 15 on the side and 3 by 12 in the front.  Our yard was at least 5 times that size at our first house.
     I got it all cut once with the rotary push mower.  The second time, it got hot and I only got the front cut.  I waited until the next day and started cutting the back.  It took two days to cut the back, and by then the front needed to be cut.
     So we bought a mower from JC Penny (yes, they sold mowers) and used it for a long time.....seven or eight years, at least.  But it died one September, and I bought a mower at Sears.
     I mowed once or twice, then put the mower away.  When I used it in the spring, the handle became loose.  Eventually, the support for the handle broke off.
     The mower at this time was maybe seven months old.  I loaded it in my car and took it back to the store in Rockford where I bought it.  I unloaded the mower and pushed it into the store.
     When the man asked me if he could help, I explained that the mower was coming apart.  He explained that the warranty on the mower was for six months.  I said, yes, but no one mows in December, January, February and not much in March and November, so basically the mower is only three months old.
      I politely, stressing at this point I was being polite, asked to speak to the department manager.  He informed me he was the department manager and there was nothing they would do about it.
     I noted that if I took the mower home now, and used it and somehow cut my foot, I would sue the store for mega bucks.
     He countered that since I knew the handle was broken, I would have to be pretty stupid to use it in a way that would cut my foot.
     They were pretty busy that day and he said he had to go on to other customers.
     So I helped him.
     I rolled my mower to where the other mowers were and waited.  Pretty soon a guy came up.
     "Looking for a good mower?" I asked.
     "Yes," he said.  "What do you recommend?"
      "I recommend you go somewhere else, because the stuff they sell here is crap."  I showed him the handles, explained the warranty, and he left.
      My  third customer were  (or is it was?) a couple.   I said,  "Looking for a mower?  Here's one that Sears says is one of their bests." I showed them the broken handle, explained that my previous mower lasted 8 years and this one barely made it one, and that was counting winter months.
      The manager came over, and asked, "Can I help you?"
      I replied, "No, I've got it taken care of.  I recommended a different brand."
      At that point he asked me to leave, said he was calling security, so I left.
     I don't think Jackie appreciated my voice level as I was leaving.  "Sears sucks," was repeated several times in a shrill scream.
      I ended up having both rear supports welded on by Don, a friend who worked for the city.
     The welds lasted the life of the mower.  He was a better craftsman than Sears.
     Following the mower, and the dresser, it took me several years before I could walk into a Sears store without yelling "Sears sucks."  Buying stuff there took even longer.