- Feb 24, 2009
- 352
- 9
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So my daughter and I popped into TSC for some horse feed, and just HAD to check out the peeps. Like many of them, our TSC has a 6 bird minimum, but it can be any combination of chicks and ducks.
So as my daughter picks out a few chicks and ducks (we've already got a bunch brooding, what's a few more?) I see a woman with her grandson and husband arguing with one of the employees about the minimum. She stops when she sees us pick up a box, and asks "Well, how many ducks are YOU getting?"
I tell her we're getting 3 ducks and 6 chicks, and she says "Oh, well I only want ONE duck, not six." I was kind of puzzled, and asked her "What on earth would you want with one duck?" She looks at me, and exasperatedly points her finger at her 4 year old-ish grandson and says (like I'm an idiot) "Um, as a pet, for him." I said, "Well, they're pretty social animals. I don't think a single duck would do well on its own." She says, "Well, okay then, I'd take two ducks, but certainly not six."
At this point I clue in that I think she's trying to piggyback in on my duck order, mumbled some type of apology, and beat a hasty retreat to the check out line.
I felt a bit bad, because I've shared hatchery orders to make the minimums with great success, and ordinarily I'd have been happy to share my TSC order, but I just didn't get a good feeling that this woman was particularly well prepared to take care of a duck, and I just didn't feel like standing in the middle of TSC quizzing her on what facilities she had for a pet duck, and what she knew about duck care. Plus the timing three days before Easter didn't give me much comfort, either.
I don't know, maybe the TSC 6 bird minimum is designed to prevent exactly this type of thing, and it did the trick. It was kind of a strange experience, though, and boy that woman was abrasive. . .
So as my daughter picks out a few chicks and ducks (we've already got a bunch brooding, what's a few more?) I see a woman with her grandson and husband arguing with one of the employees about the minimum. She stops when she sees us pick up a box, and asks "Well, how many ducks are YOU getting?"
I tell her we're getting 3 ducks and 6 chicks, and she says "Oh, well I only want ONE duck, not six." I was kind of puzzled, and asked her "What on earth would you want with one duck?" She looks at me, and exasperatedly points her finger at her 4 year old-ish grandson and says (like I'm an idiot) "Um, as a pet, for him." I said, "Well, they're pretty social animals. I don't think a single duck would do well on its own." She says, "Well, okay then, I'd take two ducks, but certainly not six."
At this point I clue in that I think she's trying to piggyback in on my duck order, mumbled some type of apology, and beat a hasty retreat to the check out line.
I felt a bit bad, because I've shared hatchery orders to make the minimums with great success, and ordinarily I'd have been happy to share my TSC order, but I just didn't get a good feeling that this woman was particularly well prepared to take care of a duck, and I just didn't feel like standing in the middle of TSC quizzing her on what facilities she had for a pet duck, and what she knew about duck care. Plus the timing three days before Easter didn't give me much comfort, either.
I don't know, maybe the TSC 6 bird minimum is designed to prevent exactly this type of thing, and it did the trick. It was kind of a strange experience, though, and boy that woman was abrasive. . .
