This one is useful for very few persons. The story is this: I wanted to get one of those mats that goes under a treadmill, to protect the floor. So I went to Sears, where I got the treadmill, because I had seen an ad for the mat. Thirty dollars is what they wanted. Seemed overpriced. But that is what they want. Being a tad compulsive, I measured the treadmill’s footprint before I left. The mat would have to be 40 inches wide and 72 inches long.
At the store, the mats — all with the same brand name as the treadmill — were all 36 inches wide. Would not do. So I get one off the shelf, get on my hands and knees, and compare it the the footprint of the floor model. It was just plain not going to work. I was just starting to fume a bit about a wasted trip. Then the lady walks up and asks, “are you OK?” Not “can I help you?” She probably thought I had tried out the treadmill and fallen off, or something like that. Ordinarily, a customer is not found on his hands and knees in the store.
I told her I was checking out the mat, and that it was not going to work. I was perfectly even-tempered, no hint of frustration. She said “No, it won’t. Let me show you what will.”
She walks me over the the hardware section and shows me these “anti-fatigue” mats, the kind that comes in big jigsaw-type sections that fit together into whatever footprint you want. They are on sale for ten dollars, for a pack of six pieces, which happens to be exactly the number of pieces needed for the footprint I want.
So the tip is this: no matter how frustrated you are, don’t cuss at the salespeople until you give them a chance to solve the problem. Sometimes, they actually know what you need, where it is, and sometimes it is even cheaper than what you thought you were going to have to spend.
I have to say, I lost some respect for the NordicTrack brand, and gained a little for Sears. The Nordic Track website lists two mats, both 36×72, and both have negative user reviews. One comment states that the mat is too small for most the the equipment they sell. Overcharging people, for something that isn’t going to work, is not a good business plan.