Ask the old guy at the hardware store. He’s been waiting thirty years for someone to ask.

Expertise that nobody asks about gets lonely. Somebody who has spent decades knowing which screw goes where rarely gets the chance to say so, and the question you think is bothering them is often the best part of their shift. Age gaps tend to make us polite in exactly the wrong direction.

Next time you need something practical, ask instead of searching on your phone in the aisle. Describe what you are trying to do rather than what you think you need. You will usually leave with the answer and something extra.