SS
Shannon in Charleston, SC
Apr 14, 2026
We're traveling home from Arkansas to South Carolina and of course, passing through Mississippi along the way. It's imperative that we have USB capability in our truck to keep our phones charged for this 16 hour trip, or even the almost 10 hour trip we're taking before stopping to lodge tonight. Since I'm a Type 1 diabetic, I need my phone to stay charged for my G7 sensor and its dependent Omnipod insulin pump to function and keep my glucose under control. I also need to keep it charged to run Maps for our route and any stops we need to find or make along the way. My phone's battery seems to deplete quickly these days, so keeping it plugged in is really important. I'm the navigator here, finding food, lodging, stores, gas, rest areas, and so on. When you get older, you need more stops - and more phone life.
We had to stop at Walmart just across the interstate to get a couple of things and while I was in the store, I noticed my phone battery was at 45%, despite the fact that I had it plugged in all day of our traveling. I came back out to the truck to check the charger and found it wasn't working. I tried it on another charger, another USB outlet, and then tried another phone in the same ways, all of which showed no charging ability. I determined it was likely a blown fuse so I went back into Walmart to get a box of fuses and ask for a little help. I couldn't find anyone to help anywhere in automotive or tools.. in the middle of Tuesday afternoon. They didn't have what I thought I needed, and nobody anywhere could tell me if what I picked would work. I (hesitantly) bought it anyway since it was a variety pack and took it to the truck. I couldn't figure out the new type diagrams on the fuse box covers and wasted almost 2 hours on this. Nobody there cared.
We decided to drive across the bridge over the interstate to Autozone where I went in to explain my problem and ask for some help. It was there where I met up with Blaine at the cash register. Without skipping a beat, he promptly came out to our truck to help us. He looked at the diagram and showed us how GM does theirs differently, at an angle, these days. He looked at the fuses we had and told us we had the wrong thing. Then he pulled the #27 fuse (that I had already researched and found to be what we needed) and said, "Yep, that's burned up, alright." BUT... he wasn't trying to snooker us and sell us something bigger. Instead, he went inside, grabbed a fuse that he thought would work, brought it out, and plugged it into the slot and by George, it worked. He fixed our problem on a complimentary basis to get us back on the road within minutes. He wished us well, gave us solid handshakes, and waved goodbye. You know, like the old days when people looked out for each other. Took care of their neighbors. Did things because it was the right thing to do.
I can't tell you how much we older people appreciated being treated that way. Integrity is hard to find these days, but it's alive and well at Autozone in Tupelo. If you need honest, caring help with anything for your car or truck this is THE place to go.
Thanks, Blaine, and God bless you.
