On egos and builder’s yards

Men are funny creatures.

This afternoon I stood at the service desk with a trolley load of wood panels, waiting for someone to get back from their break and cut them to size.

A man dressed in a smart shirt and shiny shoes stopped his trolley neatly behind mine, and started heaving a packet of roofing felt off a shoulder high pile. The packet was a good metre long and about 30 pieces thick. It turns out roofing felt is heavy…and flexible (;)) He tugged at one end and was surprised when it bent in the middle. Puffing something that sounded like criticism of the “idiots who pack roofing felt” he tugged again.

After watching him for a while, I offered to take hold of the other end and help him heave it down together.

He declined politely and continued to struggle and puff and pant until there were 4 packages more or less neatly arranged on his trolley. Then he pushed his trolley away without a word.

Is there a man-rule against accepting help from women when picking up unwieldy things in building centres?

10 thoughts on “On egos and builder’s yards

    1. I have, but I don’t think it’s ever been so obviously stupid, although I do tend to be good at forgetting things like that

    1. Um. Not sure about that one. They probably do so more often, but I don’t know why. And I don’t know why it’s so hard for a man.

        1. Appearances are important 🙂 no worries about what’s going on behind them…

          I really don’t mind about not helping him, I just wonder what part of trying to appear confident was worth actually looking incapable and wrenching his back/shoulders and breaking his perfect nails.. you know what I mean?

        2. I think looking ‘in charge’ could be better accomplished by asking for a hand in a confident manner.. than by faffing about and struggling alone

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