# Incredibly common products which the store clerk never heard of **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 23, 2021, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225 "2021-09-23T21:29:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 28
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/543 "2022-07-11T14:48:47Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > > [@Mk\_VII](#): > > > > Asked for pipe cleaners. Got offered drain cleaner. > > Kinda close, just the wrong kind of pipe :). As they used to say on _Laugh-In_: “Put that in your pipe and smoke it!” Maybe not a good idea; I bet the fumes are toxic. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/544 "2022-07-11T16:07:06Z")
They are called “chenille stems” or “craft stems” now. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/545 "2022-07-11T16:14:47Z")
I’m no store clerk, but _those_ are two products I’ve never heard of. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/546 "2022-07-11T16:27:41Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > Kinda close, just the wrong kind of pipe :). [Ceci n’est pas une pipe.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/MagrittePipe.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/547 "2022-07-11T16:38:57Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I would have thought the AAA clubs were organized on a state-by-state basis but it’s weirder than that. Way weirder. The Automobile Club of Southern California covers (wait for it) Southern California. [![](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1269262796/acsc_spot_400x400.jpg) ](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1269262796/acsc_spot_400x400.jpg) The California State Automobile Association covers Northern California but also has extended its tentacles to Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/1907_logo_-_California_State_Automobile_Association.jpg/1280px-1907_logo_-_California_State_Automobile_Association.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/1907_logo_-_California_State_Automobile_Association.jpg/1280px-1907_logo_-_California_State_Automobile_Association.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/548 "2022-07-11T17:57:27Z")
Since I’m like a 48 year member of the Auto Club of So Cal, I’d never thought of there being separate “clubs” in different regions. Everywhere I went locally was pretty much the same. _Westways_, our auto club magazine, always has an historial picture on the last page. There have been some pretty interesting ones. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/549 "2022-07-12T12:48:38Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > They are called “chenille stems” or “craft stems” now. The ones they sell on fleabay for that purpose are useless for cleaning pipes, soft things with feebly bendable wire. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/550 "2022-07-12T14:10:02Z")
> [@Stana\_Claus](#): > > Growing up in the deep south, that’s what we always called a sling blade or swing blade. In fact, there’s a Billy Bob Thornton movie from 1996 by that very name. That’s a sling blade? I’ve never seen the movie and I always thought a sling blade was another name for a switchblade knife. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/551 "2022-07-12T14:13:50Z")
Some folks call it a Sling Blade I call it a Kaiser Blade. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/552 "2022-07-12T14:16:23Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I would have thought the AAA clubs were organized on a state-by-state basis but it’s weirder than that. Wikipedia has a [list](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Automobile_Association#List_of_regional_clubs) of the regional clubs, and which areas they represent. The part of Connecticut where I grew up, for instance, is represented by a AAA club out of Rhode Island, and also represents parts of New York and New Jersey. The real weird one is AAA Club Alliance, which according to that article provides coverage in all or part of Connecticut, Ohio, West Virginia, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/553 "2022-07-12T15:12:35Z")
> [@Mk\_VII](#): > > Asked for pipe cleaners. Got offered drain cleaner. What kind of craft store sells drain cleaner? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/554 "2022-07-12T16:59:00Z")
Yeah. I’m struggling to imagine what kind of store nowadays might be expected to sell both (smoking) pipe cleaners and drain cleaner? For sure a 1960s/1970s drugstore / five and dime would have. (For younger folks, think of a proto-CVS or Walgreens). That class of store sold all sorts of tobacco-related products and all sorts of household chemicals. Nowadays finding anything related to smoking pipes means visiting a head shop or a tobacconist. At least that’s my last 15-20 years’ experience. Neither of which are likely to stock drain cleaner. It’d be fun for @Mk_VII to tell us where they were shopping when this happened. Not disputing them, just curious to know. Then again, I know realize I’m coming at this from an urban / suburban perspective. It might be that Tractor Supply or Walmart in a small town would be the “everything store” with tobacco, drain cleaner, goat feed, _and_ groceries. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/555 "2022-07-12T17:01:45Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’m struggling to imagine what kind of store nowadays might be expected to sell both (smoking) pipe cleaners and drain cleaner? The local grocery stores here carry both. The pipe cleaners are in a locked case with all of the other tobacco products, while the drain cleaner is located with toilet bowl cleaners and other such stuff. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/556 "2022-07-12T17:06:50Z")
Thanks. I used to smoke a pipe and still occasionally enjoy a cigar which I get from a local tobacconist. I’ve never smoked cigs. I just realized I have no mental picture of where the cigs are kept at either of my regular supermarkets! Totally out-of-mind = out-of-sight! I CVS pulled all tobacco related products a few years ago and I believe Walgreens followed suit. The only related things they sell now are the quitting smoking nicotine patch kits & such. Next time I hit the supermarket I’ll have to find the cigs and see what other smoking supplies they have. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/557 "2022-07-12T17:58:52Z")
It sold cigarettes, and probably pipe tobacco, and rolling papers, and newspapers, but also household items and food. Most high street stores here that sell cigarettes do, they cant survive on tobacco alone anymore. Edit: we have a ‘Smokers Paradise’ chain here, but little of what they sell is smoking materials. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/558 "2022-07-12T18:09:54Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > For sure a 1960s/1970s drugstore / five and dime would have. (For younger folks, think of a proto-CVS or Walgreens). That class of store sold all sorts of tobacco-related products and all sorts of household chemicals. Nostalgia hit. I’m remembering the smell of tobacco and paper from the magazines. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2022, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/559 "2022-07-13T01:26:51Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’m struggling to imagine what kind of store nowadays might be expected to sell both (smoking) pipe cleaners and drain cleaner? Any general store with a crafts section will have pipe cleaners and drain cleaners. Wal-Mart, Target, Fred Meyer, etc. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2022, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/560 "2022-07-13T02:13:28Z")
A ha! Category error on my part. “Pipe cleaners” are sold with tobacco. And pipes. The things that look like pipe cleaners sold for crafts aren’t “pipe cleaners”. Even if they really are. D’oh! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2022, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/561 "2022-07-13T02:58:30Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I just realized I have no mental picture of where the cigs are kept at either of my regular supermarkets! At the store where I work there are no longer any tobacco products or accessories in the main store. They are now found only at the gas station outbuilding. Where, in fact, you can find both actual pipe cleaners and drain cleaner. At the main store you can find drain cleaner and “pipe cleaners” in the our craft department, although I suspect the highly colorful/sparkly chenille covered wire there may not really be suitable for cleaning pipes. Of any sort. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2022, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/562 "2022-07-13T06:08:25Z")
Holy shit. TIL that the “pipe” in “pipe cleaner” refers to a smoking pipe. I’m 47 and it never occurred to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225.md?page=29)