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| - Let me preface this by saying that I've almost always used Blaskin & Lane for my tire needs. I've always said "go to Blaskin & Lane -- they'll take care of you." I'll be hard-pressed to think this way again.
One wintery Saturday, I needed to fulfill a routine rite of passage as a Calgarian and purchase new winter tires. (You're welcome, fellow drivers!)
We walked in off Macleod trail to an almost empty store and an empty front desk. There was another couple browsing on their own but staff was nowhere to be found. We could hear the general sounds of uh, work* happening in the body shop which was the only indication that they were opened. Apparently, the gentleman manning the store was watching a golf game in the waiting lounge. Listen, it's not my idea of a great Saturday to be spent schlepping around looking at tires either... And that's probably why I don't work at a tire shop. But anyway.
We proceeded to look around until we grew tired of passive aggressively throwing questions pointedly in the direction of the lounge. I called over to the gentleman (we would later learn from his business card that his name was Bo) to ask if they carried Continental tires.
*Now, I don't profess to be any sort of expert on automobiles or tires or even driving (ovaries) but I had done a bit of research and had narrowed down my desired tires to 3 different brands and models. Bo's response immediately was a dismissive remark that they were the worst tires on the market. Really. I'm not a tire expert (established) and I'm sure Continental probably doesn't have the best tires out there but they certainly cannot be considered the WORST tires ever produced just because Bo does not stock them.
Besides not answering my question, Bo also directed every answer to my male counterpart, despite us both repeatedly establishing the fact that the tires were for me and my car. Either Bo had a giant hard-on for my dude or misogyny had just manifested in an ugly way.
Undeterred, we asked Bo what he recommended as a winter tire. Blizzak LM-25s. And did he have those in stock? Why, he certainly did. The last 4 in the city in fact. He then said, rather condescendingly, if I was serious about this and not "jerking around" and ready to buy, he could get them from a warehouse in the next few days. Those of us not too busy thinking that you need a penis to buy tires, may remember that I needed the tires installed today (or at least as soon as possible) since snow was already on the ground and rapidly building up. (Sorry, fellow drivers.)
I pretty much had enough at this point but not wanting to be RUDE, we asked a few more questions to break this bromance gently. Nokian's Hakkapeliitta tires happened to come up in conversation. Knowing full well that Kal-Tire is an exclusive dealer of Nokian tires, I was curious how he would respond. Bo did not disappoint and said that every single tire he had blew the Hakkapeliitta's out of the water. Every. Single. Tire!!! Wow, this is quite the tire shop, folks! Alas, something else blows here.
Thirty minutes after my visit with Bo at Blaskin & Lane, we dropped $2200 on brand new winter tires and rims at one of their competitors. Seriously, jerk, I was ready to buy.
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