Bering’s Hardware in Houston has a feathered employee near the key counter, and he’s popular.
His name is Chainsaw, and he’s a 27-year-old yellow-naped Amazon parrot. The bird has lived at Bering’s for more than 20 years, and he attracts all kinds of customers, but especially children.
He can say “hello” and imitate a child crying, and watches the shoppers who stop to gawk.
Chainsaw lives at Bering’s Bissonnet Street location, and he has a counterpart named Hacksaw at the business’s Westheimer Road store.
The Bering family still owns the two stores, and the story goes that a family member owned a parrot and didn’t want to keep it at home. That parrot, Hacksaw, ended up taking residence in the store and has been there ever since.
Now, both parrots serve as store attractions and good navigation points for employees who are directing customers around the store.
After all, turning left when you see the green bird is more fun than turning at the key counter.