"Stove Pipe Idiot" joke

A man walks into a hardware store and approaches the sales clerk.

"Do you carry jointed stove-pipes?" the man asks.

The clerk confirms that they do, and the man responds, "Great -- I would like to purchase half of one."

A bit confused and not sure if he heard correctly, the clerk asks the man to repeat his request.

"I would like to purchase half of a jointed stove pipe!"

At this point the clerk is convinced that the man is not very bright, since one half of a jointed stove-pipe is absolutely useless without the other half. Not wanting to offend the man, the clerk says, "I'll have to go talk to my manager about that. I'll be right back."

The clerk rushes to the back, not realizing that the man follows right behind him. The clerk reaches his manager and blurts out, "Some IDIOT up there wants to buy a HALF of a jointed stove pipe!"

At this point, the clerk turns and sees the man standing right next to him. In an attempt to cover his tracks, the clerk cleverly adds, "And this nice gentleman would like to buy the other half!"