Man, I've been there. @sethfoster hit it right about hands knowing things, my dad taught me to judge doneness of steak by poking it with my finger and he was never wrong. I use a manual scale now for pour-overs too, lets me feel the weight change instead of staring at numbers bouncing around.

...and that's exactly what I get for trusting a guy on the internet who probably lives in Arizona where the humidity is basically zero. I swear, every time someone posts a "life hack" for flooring it's just a way to get free entertainment watching your floor turn into a wave pool later. I bet that "trick" came with a free side of "just use water instead of glue" too, right? Honestly, if you skip the expansion gap in a place like Des Moines you might as well just throw your planks on the lawn and let nature take its course. It's cheaper and less frustrating that way. Take my advice with a grain of salt, but I'd rather measure twice and leave a big dumb gap than redo a whole hallway in July.

Man I read something similar on a mechanics forum a while back, someone tested different greases in a freezer and the marine stuff turned into basically candle wax while the bike specific stuff stayed smooth. Same guy said the marine grease attracts more grit too because it stays tacky on the outside even when the inside dries out. Did you ever test yours side by side just to see what happens?

Honestly, I've seen this pattern everywhere, not just with businesses. It's like when someone tries to start a new hobby, goes all in on buying gear, then drops it after a week. That big promotion thing you mentioned, it's usually a desperate last attempt, not a solid plan. But sometimes the idea is actually decent, just the timing or the location was terrible, or they didn't have enough cash to keep it going long enough. Tbh, most things that vanish fast are more about poor planning than the idea itself being completely worthless.

Did you catch that video going around about the guy who fixed his car's bumper with zip ties and a heat gun? Stuff like that and patching clothes with denim proves you don't always need new gear. I swear, half the time a patch like yours holds up better than the original fabric because the denim is already broken in. My buddy fixed a tear in his work pants with a similar scrap and it's been three winters and still going strong. People sleep on how much a little hand stitching can save you.