how come staff at box stores know nothing baout their products?!?!?!

[Travelover]

Since I can't change the rest of the world, what I do is buy one of everything that I think that I might possibly need, put it on my credit card and return the excess on the next visit. No out of pocket expense, no multiple trips and minimum grief.

 

[MoKelly]

I find it pretty much hit and miss as to ability for people at Lowes to actually help. However, it is almost 100% miss if I go there late. Seems like the folks who probably know stuff work a more normal shift and the folks who are new or just don't know stuff work the later shifts.

I can be frustrating when you need help and they just look at you like "oh well".

MoKelly

 

[jveretto]

Interesting thoughts. I have been on both sides. Have worked for large box stores and other retailers. Just because it says Lowes does not mean you get full service, no matter what they say!
You most likely went there because it was close by and cheaper. That makes it a box store like Wal-Mart Inc. You get what you pay for. Don't expect a Rolls at a Ford price.

 

[Bird]

I find it pretty much hit and miss as to ability for people at Lowes to actually help.

And I think it's much the same most places; not just Lowe's. A few years ago, I was in a new Lowe's in Waco and got so disgusted, I walked out leaving a shopping cart full of stuff I had intended to buy. But then when I got home, I felt obligated to call and tell the store manager, just in case he didn't know what his employees were doing. But a couple of months later, I went there with a brother-in-law who had gotten, from the electric co-op, a list of the material needed for them to provide new service. The pole we got elsewhere, but we needed a specific kind, size, length of conduit, wire, weather head, etc. I swear it looked like just a kid who asked if he could help and when I told him what we were doing, he barely glanced at the sheet the electric co-op had given my brother-in-law, said "Oh yeah" and went to gathering up stuff and putting it in the cart. And he got it all and got it right. Naturally, when I got home that day, I had to call the manager again (different manager) and tell him about that, too. I later happened to meet the second manager in person and learned he was sent there to make some improvements. So, as with any company, the management makes a huge difference.

 

[DFB]

I actually got all my house electrical...wiring boxes, outlets, switches, plates, wire, connectors, lamp bases, etc. and outdoor fixtures at an HD store. Plus all the kraft faced fiberglass insulation for walls and ceiling. Had a $100 off coupon on $500 purchase went across the border to NH and paid no sales tax too. At that time their Romex was the cheapest anywhere plus they had the widest selection of styles and colors and grades in outlets plates and switches.

Never said I wouldn't buy from them

And sometimes it really works out good too

One time there was a girl working the checkout on the night shift I think she was looking to meet guys. For every taped together 2 pc sheetrock she was only charging for one.


Power tools can usually be a good deal with box stores. We got our Ryobi table saw for the orchard from HD couldn't get a better table at a better price anywhere I shopped all over

Last year at Christmas time :santahat: they had a great price on an 18V Bosch cordless impact driver. I missed the sale by like one day :hissyfit:

I hope they do it again this year :begging:

 

[wrooster]

I had not disassembled mine yet in case no parts were available.

Ok.

i see where this thread is going.

there's apparently a whole lot of people out there with real low expectations and real low job qualification and work ethic.

bundle all that up.. and no wonder we import everything and the staus quoe is so low.

thread's been an eye opener.

people are very tolerant of substandard service.....

First -- Lowes/Home Depot are "parts stores" not "parts and service" stores. And, no matter how competent the person in the plumbing aisle is, he/she has not seen everything. Some plumbers have spent their life in an industrial setting and can tell you exactly what fittings to use on 6" diameter commercial steam pipe. But they have no idea what size O-rings/cartridges fit into your Delta faucet of unknown vintage and origin. Expecting that Lowes has a 24x7 "faucet rebuild kit expert" on site with unerring product knowledge across a wide variety of fixture manufacturers is tad unrealistic.

Second -- Moen, Delta, and so on sell different types/styles/grades of faucets via different channels -- big box stores versus general plumbing supply versus fixture specialty stores. Do the various parts interchange? In some cases yes, in some cases no. My brother-in-law is a master plumber and has story after story of this. Although they look similar, the AO Smith brand water heaters which Lowes sells are NOT the same as the AO Smith models you get from a plumbing supply house. Do the thermocouples interchange?

Third -- you didn't bring anything for the person in the plumbing aisle to work with, and you expected through some kind of remote telepathy that he/she would know what type, style, grade, etc of faucet you had and what rebuild kit was needed? Really? If your description was errant or omitted just one aspect you'd be complaining right now about how the person at Lowes handed you the wrong rebuild kit.

Finally and probably most importantly -- the Delta website (and other self-help/DIY websites) have tons of cross-reference tables and what-not that document which rebuild kit is suitable for which faucet. In the time it took you to write the rant in your top post you could have found out EXACTLY what kit was needed (including the OEM Delta P/N) and been standing in the Lowes aisle holding one with complete confidence that it would fit. For that matter you could have been having a beer on your deck at home, and UPS would have delivered one to you in short order for less than you could have bought it at Lowes plus the cost of the gas to drive there.

Summary: you ***** about sub-standard service in big box stores but in my eyes you have to realize first off that you have to help yourself. A trivial amount of effort up front (90 seconds in Google) and you would be enjoying a non-leaky faucet right now instead of being all frothed up that Lowes -- it turns out -- is operating in the same capitalistic model you do: minimize costs and maximize revenue.

Consistent with the other responses, this thread did not go the direction you intended.

Wrooster

 

[Gator6x4]

I have a friend who owns a large plumbing business. He advised he no longer attempts to carry repair parts for all the different brands and makes of faucets on his repair trucks. He advised me to go walk through the faucet section at any store that sells plumbing supply's and what you see is the new stuff. Now think of all the old stuff that is out in consumer land.

I usually know the model number of the faucet I need parts for. Upon being provided this information a parts person can usually provide the parts. I made the mistake one time of walking into a large plumbing supply dealer (Nolands) and asking for the parts to fix a bathroom sink. I will not make that mistake again. The gentleman behind the counter who had been in the plumbing business for years was kind to me. I think he felt sorry for me. He told me what and where to look so he could help me, which he did.

 

[creekbend]

When we lived in Florida, I mostly shopped at Home Depot. This was because the Staff was very attentive and knowledgable. Here in North Carolina, I shop at Lowes, because the Employees are more attentative and knowledgable. At the Lowes in Danville where I shop, if you ask an employee for help, and they aren't that faniliar with my questions, they will always find someone who is better informed. Although I wear my Prothesis most times, I sometimes use the wheelchair. The staff always offers to take the items to my truck. Even when they offer to help, I normally carry them out myselves, but the offer is appreciated.

 

[troutsqueezer]

I never, ever, go into a store to buy something and expect the sales person to know what they are talking about. Knowledgeable sales people are so rare it comes as a complete surprise when you run across one. I cannot tell you how many times I ask a simple question of a salesperson and they are so far off the mark it's laughable.

Google and the Internet in general are my friends. Before I call the HVAC, refrigerator repair people or a mechanic, I do some research on the Internet to ensure I am not completely taken for a fool. In my opinion, 99% of any information passed to the consumer by a sales person should be taken as completely false. In fact, if you do the opposite of what is recommended by a salesperson, you will usually be closer to the mark.

The only question I will ask in a store is where something might be located on the shelves, and even then the accuracy is about 50%.

 

[geko]

This is an interesting thread!

In the UK we have a large chain if DIY stores called B&Q.

They actively employ older or retired staff, sometimes with specific backgrounds - plumbing, carpentry etc for each section of the store.

The staff are often useless and have no knowledge of what they're selling but sometimes, you'll speak to the right person & they're a wealth of ideas, knowledge and want to help you.

We also have builders merchants, more focused on trade business than homeowners.

Their knowledge can be very poor - often not knowing simple product types/variations for everyday stuff that they sell.
I understand that people take work because they need it, rather than being passionate about it...however, if you have to work somewhere, I believe you should make darn sure you know what you're doing or, if not, be interested in helping the customer as much as possible - suggesting, looking, calling their suppliers etc.

That's what makes me feel valued as a client, and keeps me coming back.