What is up with Home Depot

scottmandue · 08-03-2011, 02:15 PM

Shower had a leaky faucet so last Saturday turned off the water, pulled the valve, and headed to Home Depot expecting to spend hours digging through parts. Met at the door by a guy in an orange apron "can I help you?" hmmmm I know where the plumbing section is I can find the part... get to plumbing and met by another orange apron "can I help you?" well, he is standing in the plumbing section... what the heck... I hold up the valve "I need one of these". He takes me to the wall O' valves and we start looking (it is a MOAN so I have high hopes). All the little pegs are hung with happy little valves... except one... you guessed it... mine. I'm thinking, well, they have a peg for the valve maybe I'll just drive down to the next Home Depot and see if they have it. While I'm contemplating the closest HD the guy is looking up at the the boxes on the top shelf... "oh, there are some, I'll get a ladder." He disappears, shows up with a giant ladder in a few minutes, pulls down the box, hands me one and puts a couple on the peg, then asks me "can I help you with anything else?"

I was flabbergasted... I haven't got that much help at a HD since... well... ever!

It this a new corporate policy? Or maybe because an Ace hardware is opening down the street?

JJ 911SC · JJ 911SC's Garage

Pretty well the same story here as a Lowes open a couple miles away...

KevinP73 · 08-03-2011, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I was flabbergasted... I haven't got that much help at a HD since... well... ever!

That usually only happens if you have big boobs and a low cut blouse. HD in San Fernando usually only has two employees on schedule and one is in the john.

madmmac · madmmac's Garage

I always get great help at Home Depot.

You go to Lowes and you see the help poking their heads out down the aisles and then hiding out someplace when you go to look for them. They seem to be trying to avoid people...or it could just be me.

I always try to go to HD.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

Around here, that is the normal way Home Depot works. I do prefer ACE, as I can get in and out about 3 times as fast. They also have a better selection on many things.

scottmandue · 08-03-2011, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madmmac

I always get great help at Home Depot.

You go to Lowes and you see the help poking their heads out down the aisles and then hiding out someplace when you go to look for them. They seem to be trying to avoid people...or it could just be me.

I always try to go to HD.

I remodeled my bathroom a couple months ago, couldn't find a vanity we liked at HD so went to Lowes in Gardena. It was like a ghost town... if you had a heart attack there the rats would pick your bones dry before they found the body.

The Ace hasn't opened and is much closer to my house.

BeyGon · 08-03-2011, 03:26 PM

We used to have a Home Depot Design Center close by, it was great, stuff just a step above the normal HD selection. But it closed down, something about the economy.

Zeke · 08-03-2011, 03:50 PM

I go to the Home Defect only because it is close and there are no lumber yards left in this city of 460,000. Yesterday there were 3 orange bibs standing at the door. Two talking very intently which is the norm. The 3rd was off in space somewhere. The 1st 2 never saw me and the 3rd said hello or something after I had passed, I guess thinking I was going to stop and turn around.

Not a chance. These minimum wagers piss me off. I'd rather they not have the Wally World greater and lower the prices accordingly. American corporate has got their head so far up their ass that I'm pretty sure if someone actually got it right, they would take over.

But for now, not one chain of stores is even close.

I did start to look for some help as I could not find a casement latch, or what a lot of people call a meter box latch. I spy a guy that came into the hardware isle and started working off a cart with... hardware on it.

I ask about the latch using both terms and describing its function. He has not a clue. But, he looks along with me, the blind leading the blind. He found one. The packaging was turned backwards and I had passed over it.

You should have seen his face as he examined his new find. Well, I guess he's that much better now.

vonsmog · 08-03-2011, 03:52 PM

Must be a west coast thing, as that is how HD has been ever since it opened here. Always helpful and nice. A loews opened up about a 1 1/2 years ago, but you get treated like crap, and they seem to always be out of or don't carry what I am looking for. So I gave up on them. Even though they are closer to me than HD, it is worth the extra drive.

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by vonsmog

Must be a west coast thing,

Here in NJ, finding a living person in a HD is nearly impossible...

A930Rocket · 08-03-2011, 04:22 PM

It seemed to be that the Lowes employees were doing search and avoid all customers when I went there. HD was much better, but there isn't one near me.

After the economy tanked, I noticed that Lowes employees are a little more motivated.

Oh Haha · 08-03-2011, 04:35 PM

Do you all have Menards on the west coast?

They seem to have have more than HD or Lowes and they train their employees in every dept so they can help no matter your needs..

We were shopping for new paint a few years ago and recieved help that was beyond excellent.
The employee's name is Kim. HE is a middle aged guy that got laid off froom manufacturing but found that he really enjoys his job at Menards.

I went so far as sending a letter to the corporate office about him.

jyl · jyl's Garage

My local HD is uneven. The folks are helpful, when you can get one. Remember the original concept was a self-service "warehouse", it's not really designed to have employees waiting in every aisle, the store is too big for that. I go to a little True Value too, great service, but higher prices and limited selection.

R K T · 08-03-2011, 05:05 PM

I quit working at HD in Feb after 13 years. A new corporate mandate started last year....if you fail to at least greet and acknowledge EVERY customer you can be fired. It's up to the store manager to carry out the mandate, most are doing a three strikes your out deal. Of course there are some bad managers just like bad associates that will do nothing and poor customer service will continue as usual. Some care....Some don't. I was lucky to work at three stores that had great managers that cared about the workers and rewarded them with incredible raises and RESPECT. My fourth (and last) store was the opposite. The manager was a stupidiot that screwed everyone he could in any way he could.

944Larry · 944Larry's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by red-beard

Around here, that is the normal way Home Depot works. I do prefer ACE, as I can get in and out about 3 times as fast. They also have a better selection on many things.

I'm with you on this one 100%!!! ACE is the place.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

The HD's and Lowe's around here are so overstaffed, I get a little annoyed at everyone asking if I need help on every aisle.

sc_rufctr · 08-03-2011, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milt

I go to the Home Defect only because it is close and there are no lumber yards left in this city of 460,000. Yesterday there were 3 orange bibs standing at the door. Two talking very intently which is the norm. The 3rd was off in space somewhere. The 1st 2 never saw me and the 3rd said hello or something after I had passed, I guess thinking I was going to stop and turn around.

Not a chance. These minimum wagers piss me off. I'd rather they not have the Wally World greater and lower the prices accordingly. American corporate has got their head so far up their ass that I'm pretty sure if someone actually got it right, they would take over.

But for now, not one chain of stores is even close.

I did start to look for some help as I could not find a casement latch, or what a lot of people call a meter box latch. I spy a guy that came into the hardware isle and started working off a cart with... hardware on it.

I ask about the latch using both terms and describing its function. He has not a clue. But, he looks along with me, the blind leading the blind. He found one. The packaging was turned backwards and I had passed over it.

You should have seen his face as he examined his new find. Well, I guess he's that much better now.

I'm guessing he was a young guy and you taught him something. That's a good thing.

TimT · 08-03-2011, 05:22 PM

I got a $200 Home Depot gift card as part of my Holiday package from my job..

I can hardly stand to set foot in the Home Depots near me..... I will eventually get in and use the card.. but the HDs on Long Island are the epitome of suck... Lowes is no better

I grew up in an age where my dad would drag me along to the lumberyard, If he needed some nails, you scooped them out of a bin and weighed them, then dumped from the scale into a brown paper bag....took the marker and marked the bag with something like 1# 16p.

I know those days are long gone... I still try and shop in the few independently owned home center.... there are a few in my area, but they are destined to go the way of dinosaurs.

widebody911 · widebody911's Garage

The local HD seems to be hit or miss. Some days they avoid me like a leper, other days they glom onto me like zombies.

Scuba Steve · 08-03-2011, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

It seemed to be that the Lowes employees were doing search and avoid all customers when I went there. HD was much better, but there isn't one near me.

After the economy tanked, I noticed that Lowes employees are a little more motivated.

Dont' bother with the Lowes in West Ashley... you won't get any help there at all, and the stuff they carry isn't as good as the HD across the street.