A Day In The Life - 7/21: Home Depot Hell

I thought that this was going to be a simple purchase. I needed another sander and a grinder for a Scouting activity (see the next post for more information about that.) There is a Home Depot just around the corner about a mile and a half away. So off I went.
At my friendly neighborhood HD they didn't have a bench sander like I was looking for. They sent me to the next closest one which was 8 miles
away at Val Vista and Broadway.
When I arrived, they had but one sander - but that is all that I need. I get it and the cutter with some supplies and it is back home. At home I begin to unpack the sander and find that part of the housing has been broken. Also, the grinder is missing a piece - the wrench. So it is back to HD to return them.
I have no problem getting my money back and then I am off to the next closest Home Depot which is at Val Vista and Warner. They have several in stock and so I get the sander and grinder there. I head home again to unpack a second time.
At home I find that the wrench is included this time but the housing on this second sander is cracked. It must be a bad packing point. Back I go again.
This time, after returning the sander, I open the next one while still at the store and check it to be sure that I am not going to need to make another trip.
Finally, after about 60 miles of travel and 4 hours I got the tools that should have been a simple 15 minute purchase.