Camping World, Pumpkin Center, Hammond, LA

This was our 4th year parking our travel trailer out at the New Orleans Voodoo Music Experience. We work for the fest, so it's very convenient to have our own office space here with all the comforts of home - so we don't have to go home often at all. Once this was over, it was time to put the trailer away till our next trip.

Yesterday Tom and I took our travel trailer up to Pumpkin Center, Hammond, LA - Camping World/Dixie RV. It's in the sticks on the side of I-12. This is the closest mega RV store-service combo to NOLA. We are "President's Club" members, so we get discounts as well. Tom dropped me off in front of the mega store to begin inquiring about the annual 'diagnostic & tune-up' packages.

Since it's like the Wal-Mart of RV stores plus a service center, there's a row of 3 cashier aisles and one long service counter with many packages described at length on the wall above the counter.

I smiled at the older grumpy-looking man behind the counter who silently cradled a phone on his neck. He glanced at me but said nothing. Sure he's just busy ordering a part or something. There are about 2 other customers in the store. A minute later, a nice woman approached me from behind the counter. Told her what I was looking for. She filled out a form, wrote in $229 and explained in detail that this is the fee for my trailer to be examined -- then I would be told what type of work may need to be done, if any. Told her I'd discuss it with my partner, but we also just returned from a camping trip and I asked if there is a dump station on site and if so, what is the fee. Said she just began working here and would have to check with someone else. She looks over at the tight-lipped old man still quietly holding on to the phone. He looks down at my blue-gray Obama '08 T shirt, skips looking at my face, looks back at the woman and standing only 5' away from me he said "Tell her she might have to check across the street at Punkin' Center Berryland Campers, see if they have a dump station. She might have to check campgrounds around here, I don't know if we have one she can use."

Smiling the whole time, trying to convince myself not to ask "HOW can you work at Camping World and NOT know if you have a dump station for RVs?" I am also wondering 'what in the world is taking Tom so long to get in here?'

I look at them like they are a little nuts, walk out of the store & find Tom in the middle of the parking lot at their dump station, emptying and cleaning our tanks.

Didn't realize that Tom had googled the place before we left and already knew there was a dump station.

Later when we were checking out of Camping World with our $80+ of winterizing products, the man was speaking to a customer next to me saying "Never know who you're going to offend these days. I asked my boss if he was Catholic just the other day..."

It is a shame when level of service is affected by a simple shirt, though perhaps he just had something against gingers.