If I understand the situation correctly, the Loctite product line is small enough that it makes more sense to put them all in the same general location in the store than to spread them out by function.
This is a no-win argument because there are two sides to it and we’ve all seen them both. There’s no doubt that the general public can be a rude bunch of thoughtless jerks – just ask any waiter or, even better, a flight attendant, who all have to suffer the ignominy of putting up with a constant string of abuse from doofuses. OTOH we’ve all seen members of these very same occupations being rude and condescending to the people they are paid to serve. Very few of us are saints, on either side of the server-client relationship.
So what I say about the OP is that I wasn’t there, so I don’t know all the details and nuances of the circumstances. I can say that I myself generally try to be civil to sales staff, and in fact generally appreciative of their efforts, and in general circumstances if a salesperson were to say that they didn’t know what an incandescent light bulb was, I would probably have explained it. I know this because in other circumstances I have, in fact, explained things – about various items of technical merchandise – to sales staff who really should have known this stuff. In general, at worst I might be politely adamant when returning or exchanging something and getting a run-around.
But those are “in general circumstances”. As said, I don’t know what all the circumstances were in the OP case. I do know that sometimes I lose it. We all do, so I don’t rush to judgment. For instance I was at a checkout once with some small item and was in a hurry. The checkout clerk was engaged in what appeared to be a lengthy chat on various world affairs with the customer in front of me who had already bought whatever she was buying, but was really enjoying the afternoon chit-chat. The only thing missing was some tea and crumpets. After a while of this I said, excuse me, I just have this one item and I’m kind of in a hurry. I noticed now that the checkout clerk was some sort of wizened crone who looked like she had just emerged from a witch’s coven, and gave me a withering evil look while enunciating “I’m. Not. Finished.” which was more or less spat out one word at a time for best effect.
I probably had a witty reply but I honestly don’t remember what it was. I do remember walking briskly out, tossing the item on the counter but being tempted to throw it at her. We all have our moments. Neither the “working poor” in retail nor the customer is always automatically blameless.
They only have those at Ikea! 
I hope the OP is just trying to get a rise out of us. If not, I hope he remembers that no one says they want to be a clerk at Home Depot when they grow up, not that there is anything wrong with working there. I’m just happy I don’t get a “go fuck yourself” from the employees when I ask where the charcoal is… I know that’s probably what they are thinking.
Wow! Reading for comprehension really is difficult isn’t it?
It was not a “Can I help you”.
It was moving into my face and demanding my attention.
Pushy and ignorant do not go together.
It’s like arrogance and skill level - only if you are very, very good do you get to be arrogant.
Morons to not get to be arrogant.
In the case of “helpful” clerks and demands for attention - if you demand my attention, you had better know what you are talking about.
16 year old kid at a sub shop didn’t know what vinegar was, he was like what?! We don’t have that, I told him yes you do. He had to call another worker to show him what vinegar was, I know people don’t cook much at home anymore but really?
You keep saying ‘demand’. It makes you seem ridiculous. How can you not hear it?
She wasn’t ‘in your face’, drill instructors are in your face.
And calling her arrogant, implies you felt slighted, and reflects only on you, in my opinion.
Give it up. The word “arrogant” was not used to describe her.
Try reading it again.
Can I get snarky about the guy at a big pet store that, when I asked where the live food for fish was, showed me to a freezer, then insisted the frozen fish food was live…?
I mean, I don’t expect a whole lot, but I can’t help thinking that the difference between ‘alive’ and ‘not alive’ should be one of the basics for a pet shop employee.
“Incandescent? Oh, yeah; my uncle was incandescent. Used to spend hours in the mens’ room.”
The person had no help she was able to give and the OP did not need or request any help. Offering “help” when you have no useful knowledge or abilities is annoying, not helpful. He’d have found what he was looking for and been on his way had this ignorant pest not insisted on interrupting him.
Had she approached and asked for HIS help in understanding the different types of light bulbs, perhaps she’d have learned something, though obviously whether he wanted to take the time to explain would be up to him. If she had spent her life with any curiosity, she’d already know such basics and probably would be working a job she actually had some interest in.
On the plus side, you obviously live a charmed life if “woman tried to help me at a store” qualifies in your experience as “Clerk from Hell”.
She wouldn’t really know this until she asked the question, would she? As for the OP asking for help, it’s pretty standard operating procedure for staff to ask if you need assistance. Back in the day we’d call that “customer service” instead of pitching a hissy fit about it.
Back in the day there was the idea that one ought to have some degree of competence at one’s job.
How can something be “customer service” when it serves no purpose to the customer beyond wasting their time? If she didn’t know something so basic, there is no reason to believe she knew anything else relevant to that department either.
Around here, the problem is even worse at the local Ace. The store is small, maybe 1500 square feet, but there are never fewer than eight employees circling around like sharks waiting to pounce the second a would-be customer walks in the door. They practically shove each other out of the way to get to be the first to ask you the question you will hear twice a minute until you leave. If you foolishly decide to play along, you’d better have a lot of time to kill as they lead you on a wild goose chase from one unlikely location to another. They know nothing about the products themselves–cannot advise you on the best glue to choose for a particular purpose, the best tool to extract a stubborn tub drain, or the expected coverage from a can of paint. At best, they will pick up a package and try to read it. But they are oh-so-eager to “help” and ask question after question about your project, though these questions lead nowhere and are just time-wasters.
Since I am female, they also make sure to congratulate me for doing whatever “myself” and sometimes even ask if I have anyone at home to “help” me, because they could come over to my house and do it after work!
If you won’t divulge your shopping list as soon as you enter and permit an escort, a fresh worker will pounce the moment you pause in an aisle to examine the products. Like Pac-man ghosts, they move up and down the aisles and you must act quickly to avoid them and get what you came for into your basket and get into the extremely long line, as they never have more than one check stand open.
My SO gets freaked out by the unwanted attention and leaves the store without buying what he came for half the time.
That’s ridiculous. Making the leap from her not knowing what an incandescent lamp to her not knowing anything, is just crazy talk. There’s no reason for me to believe that she wouldn’t be able to direct me to extension cords, or like a hundred other items in the store.
Or ya’ know, maybe get the manager if the customer is talking above their head. All very useful customer assistance.
Never mind the fact that her boss probably gave her direction to be proactive and ask people if they need assistance. She’s just doing her job as directed.
I HATE, HATE, HATE this idea.
If I need help I’ll ask, you’re never more than five damn feet away so you don’t need to ask me twice if I need help! Leave me alone!
I had a whole thread here on my hatred of Ace Hardware and this customer wingman bullshit they had a Houston store, like I’m supposed to be handed off to an employee in each department wearing earphones and mic. Fuck them, leave me alone!
The customer did not need any help and she had none to give, which ought to be a perfect combination. Still, she had to open her mouth and uselessly interject herself into his shopping to provide a few unpleasant moments of annoyance to him. It’s easy to say he was wrong to be annoyed and also to not better hide his annoyance because you weren’t the one treated to her attention-grabbing display.
If you work at Home Depot and don’t know the basics of the light bulb department and can’t be bothered to learn, that’s bad enough, but your hypothesis that she might have thought he was looking for an extension cord while standing in the light bulb aisle and looking at light bulbs assumes that she might have thought he was even dumber than she was, which is indeed arrogant.
The excuse that she was acting on orders is also irrelevant. The customer did not threaten her, kick her, or call her names, he simply walked away. When someone commits an egregious faux pas, it is perfectly polite to decline further engagement.
Proactively asking whether you need help is more for theft deterrence than for customer service.
I feel the same way, HOWEVER, not everyone does. Back when I was a retail manager I often got complaints from customers along the lines of “I want you to know I’m leaving to go to your competitor. I was back in your TV department for 10 minutes and not a single employee asked me if I needed help. That’s simply unacceptable!”
That’s why it’s so important for the rest of us to speak up as well. Those of us who don’t want to be bothered count too.
And that’s why usedtobe just had to say, “No thank you” when asked if he needed assistance. As for her getting in his face, it sounds like he didn’t respond to her inquiry so she entered his line of sight so he understood she was addressing him.
I didn’t really care where the Loctite was, all that mattered to me was that the employee knew to ask someone where it was. He didn’t DEMAND that I explain it to him, he asked politely. I know things that other people don’t know and other people know things that I don’t know. A polite exchange of information costs nothing and usually makes both people feel good.
But, everyone is different. I don’t usually go to HD because I like our local ACE better. I have a general idea as to where things are, but there is always an employee close if I can’t find what I want.
One of our cats kept pulling out the cord to my comp and shutting things down. I went to the local ACE and explained my problem to the first employee who approached me. He didn’t really have any ideas, so he flagged down someone else. The second employee took me and the 1st employee to the child-proofing area and pointed out a “child safe” plug and outlet cover. I looked it over and thought that it would work and he reminded me to keep my receipt so I could bring it back if it didn’t work*. The 1st employee also looked one over for future reference. I thought that was great customer service and sent an email to the store manager and to corp mentioning them by name and complimenting them.
Now all of you folks who don’t like helpful employees at stores can feel free to hate me, because I’m sure that my happy email just reinforced their attitude about customer service.
Now, OTOH, it always slightly offends me when I’m at the feed and grain store and its assumed that because I’m a small, middle-aged female that I can’t load 40 lb bags of kibble into the truck. I never say anything mean or snarky, loading feed into trucks is why those guys get paid, but it still bothers me. I’ll probably be happy for the help in 20 years.
*It works great.