Home Depot in the news today

jmc · Feb 20, 2007

The Wall Street Journal Online has an article about how bad HD had become under the former CEO. (separately, who walked away with something like $200 million, making their Board of Directors the laughing stock of some of the business community) They attribute the deterioration to:

1) Salary caps that drove off knowledgeable help and replaced them with part timers unfamiliar with the products.

2) Making the employees do mind numbing tasks like tracking how long it takes to unload trucks rather than helping customers.

The article speculates that customers at Walmart will tolerate ignorant help to get better prices on underware but they rely on technical help at HD.

New guy is reportedly reversing these problems. Hope he doesn't invent some new ones.

Podunkadunk · Feb 20, 2007

Maybe they'll organize the store some. I can't find anything in Home Depot. I can find stuff in Lowe's, but the customer service in Lowe's is terrible. At least in Home Depot, I can get someone to help me find stuff...(even if he can't tell me how to install/build/work it)..hehe.

jimmy1 · Feb 20, 2007

Customer service seems to be problem with a lot of places. Our HD is actualy not too bad as of late. We also have the popular Canadian Tire stores that you always seem to end up at for something but the service stinks, you need to be able to figure things out on you own for the most part.
Jim

kossetx · Feb 21, 2007

Remember when you could go into a HD and ask a question and you got more than a blank stare or a BS answer?

Even the local Ace Hardware is starting to stock more and more idiots.

Yeah, I had a tough day at work. I teach future HD employee's.

DieselPower · Feb 21, 2007

Thank god I still have a small home town hardware store near me. Has been run by the same family since I was a little kid and know all 3 employee's on a first name basis.

jmc · Feb 21, 2007

DieselPower said:
Thank god I still have a small home town hardware store near me. Has been run by the same family since I was a little kid and know all 3 employee's on a first name basis.

Did you know HD started a franchise called Villager's Hardware to go after the Mom and Pop hardware stores? It was during the late 1990's. They found out it wasn't such a good idea and dropped it.

John