Buying O2

Having never bought oxygen before I stumbled around Home Depot looking for it. Finally I had to flag down an employee (I was in plumbing in front of soldering tools). I asked for an oxygen tank, he asked “What you use that for?” I said, “breathing, welding, or possibly climbing Everest.” He said all they had in tank gases was the soldering sets. I asked where welding equipment was (seemed more logical than sporting goods). He said “I’ll show you”. Off we set, he asked every employee along the way, “Do we sell bottled oxygen?” Every time the answer was no. About halfway he stopped “we don’t sell it.” I pressed on asking for the welding equipment. Finally we got to the tool crib, I was looking at welding, it was all arc, so I thought, “crud they don’t sell O, where am I going to get that reasonably priced?” The doubtful employee who was at my side said, “Yeah I didn’t think we sold oxygen” as if he was spiking the ball after a touchdown.Luckily their was an employee in tools. He came over reached way under the shelf on the bottom below dremels next to welding, and pulled out a small red oxygen tank. And said “We don’t sell any oxygen except for this one.” Laughed and continued “Frank don’t have a heart attack from shock, ‘cause if you need mouth to mouth you will die”. Playing along I added “If you do, too bad you don’t have any oxygen!”

As I checked out, the lovely cashier, Queen, held up the compact red tank and said, “what’s this?” I said, “oxygen.” Queen replied, “I didn’t know we sold that, what you use it for?” I said, “breathing, mountain climbing, I hear oxygen is vey useful.” Queen said, “I certainly seem to need it, what are YOU using it for?” I replied, “making beer”. She said, “light beer?” I looked at her, not sure what to say, I said “no that’s helium, you don’t sell that here.” She looked at me and we both broke out laughing. 

I liked Queen, she made my day