"For want of a nail...."

Well, 2010 is off to an interesting start.
We decided to indulge ourselves and get a new TV for Christmas.  Sony, 32" flat screen, HD 1080/120
at a great price.  But they were sold out.
Not to worry; they can get me one by Jan. 3rd.
Sold!
Best Buy notified me via email my order was in; I drove straight down 114th South and picked it up.
Had it unpacked and set up in record time---ooops,
the four screws that secured the set to the stand were missing.  Lots of searching through boxes, plastic bags, styrofoam forms....no screws.
Drove back to Best Buy, told a salesman my problem.  He questioned that I had really looked through all the the packing, said the screws had to be there.  I assured him I had made a "sorough thearch" (family joke) and there were no screws.
     Then, in all seriousness he said, "Well, you'll have to repack everything and return the set. We will order another  TV for you."  "All that just for four screws?"  "I'm sorry sir, that's all we can do."  I muttered an insincere "Thanks" and walked over to another section of the store.
       Finding another salesman, I explained my problem to him.  He was more helpful--but not much.  He went to the computer and for the better part of twenty minutes searched for the size of screws required.  Frankly, I took perverse pleasure in watching the poor guy get more and more frustrated as everything he tried came up with nothing.  Finally, he said I should try contacting Sony.
      So -- I got on the Sony.com website and searched in vain for anything that looked like replacement screws for mounting a Model KDL-32XBR9 TV to its base.  Then I sent them an email, explaining my problem.  Sometime after that I got an answer, and I quote:
     "Good Day, I apologize for the inconvenience.  I do locate the screws for the stand. It does indicate they are M5X12 if that would be correct for the size of them, that's all I could find."
      My experience over the years in going to various hardware stores to buy a few hundred screws of various sizes  led me to believe that what I had been sent was not a screw size but a part number.  Now what? Order four of that part number and pay minimum shipping charges of a few dollars?
     Then I got an idea.  I went back to Best Buy.  A young woman (at my age any woman under 84 is young) asked if she could help me.  I said "Yes, is the manager in?"  "I'm the manager." "Great; just the person I'm looking for."  I told her of my earlier contacts with the salesmen and then said, "I have a way we might solve this problem.  If you could get a screw driver and remove one screw from the identical set you have on your shelf I could take that screw across the parking lot to Home Depot and buy four of the same size then return the screw I had borrowed."
     With her best smile she said "I'm sure we could do that."  She got a screwdriver and while she was removing the screw from the TV on the shelf she said "Why don't I just go in the back and see if we have any like this. I'll be right back."  In less than ten minutes she was back, with five screws in her hand.  She gave me four of them and said "Is there anything else I can help you with?"  I told her she had made my day and Best Buy should double her salary. 
     It's pretty clear to me how she became manager while the rest will probably remain salesmen.
- - -
     I should probably stop with that happy ending, but there is a postscript.  Our new TV is solidly attached to its base and hooked up to the Dish satellite.  Works beautifully. Great reception.  But it's not High Definition!!! Why?
Because in order to get HD you not only have to have an HD TV, but the satellite dish must be HD and your Dish receiver (or Direct TV, or whatever) must also be HD.  Guess what -- our condo complex converted to HD just two months ago (we are on a commercial account) but Dish wants over $100 to replace the receiver/recorder in our unit, plus about $10 per month in additional fees.  This despite the brochures they left with the management that states "Free update."  I'm still struggling with that one.
Stay tuned.