I double-check the hours online and arrive early on Saturday afternoon. The first thing I notice is that I'm the only car in the lot. I look around before heading to the plants and notice music playing, greenhouses accessible, and the "open" sign hanging out front. But it's freakishly quiet.
I contemplate grabbing a cart, but I am a little creeped out by the silence around the place. My eyes see many colorful plants, but I am concentrating on prices. Not bad, not bad. Plus, they're offering the "buy two, get one free" option. I'm easily leaving here with six plants.But, as I walk further and further through, the place is a wasteland. No one is around.
Finally, I get to the back edge of the nursery. I see the owner and someone else (his wife?) planting small grasses into little pots. They look up, see me, and ignore me. I start thinking, I wonder if the place isn't really open. But, truly, they should at least acknowledge my presence, perhaps even ask me if I need any help.
I wander around a few more minutes and start crisscrossing the plants, trying to decide if I will bring my choice of six plants to the owner and ask if he wants my money or not. This is when I take a closer look at the plants and notice that almost every one is withered, dried out, and abused. Plant after plant after plant lies drying up and cringing from lack of water. This seems crazy to me, especially since there is a hose at my feet. I am tempted to pick it up, turn it on, and water the poor, dying greenery (brownery). Instead, I continue walking slowly to my car (still no one approaches me), sit in the lot for a few minutes (still no one approaches me), then take off, shaking my head with disbelief.
What the hell is happening to this place? What the hell is happening to customer service? How did this wonderful business pinwheel into the chasm of crap? If they treat everyone they way they treat me (or ignore me) and they way they treat (or ignore) their own plants, they're going to go out of business -- as well they should, and good riddance.
