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

[Soundguy]

Lowes nor Home Depot are substandard. They are a big box retail stores. They do not hire specialist to stock the shelves and serve as teachers. People that shop these big box stores should already know what they are doing and know what they are buying before setting foot inside. If you expect the employees there to be your seeing eye dog, boy are you living in a fantasy world. You of all people I would think would understand doing your homework first before going on a quest at a big box store. If you don't have the old part in hand, why would you expect the employee to know what you need. If you want curb service then go to a plumbing supply house. You'll pay more, but they know what they sell. And sell what they know.

i expect a worker to know his job.

if i walk in and ask for a reseal kit for a delta faucet. if there are a possibility of 2 on the shelf. I'd kinda hope that they might have an inkling of which one it is. in the end.. they didn't even know if the small mini seal kit i had in my hand would fit. considering there are only 2 types of them cup seals on those faucetts pre and post 76. that's sad.

again.

sub standard is the new standard. why? because it is accepted. this post proves it. Not only is it condoned. it's expected.

If i did my work to this low a level.. i'd have been fired from every job i ever worked at. for sure!

as i said before. you are entitled to not agree with my opinion.. and likewise.

I can save us both some trouble if you'd like?

 

[Soundguy]

I take pride in my job, and try to stay knowledgeable about my trade beyond what I actually see/do daily, but I see a lot of people who don't "worry above their pay grade"; to which my thought is your not going to move up your pay grade much
....

yep.. hard to excell when not trying to do anything other than sub standard work.

I'm sure a few accidents happen that may elevate somebody.. but in generaly.. thourough work usually wins.

 

[The kid]

i expect a worker to know his job.

if i walk in and ask for a reseal kit for a delta faucet. if there are a possibility of 2 on the shelf. I'd kinda hope that they might have an inkling of which one it is. in the end.. they didn't even know if the small mini seal kit i had in my hand would fit. considering there are only 2 types of them cup seals on those faucetts pre and post 76. that's sad.

again.

sub standard is the new standard. why? because it is accepted. this post proves it. Not only is it condoned. it's expected.

If i did my work to this low a level.. i'd have been fired from every job i ever worked at. for sure!

as i said before. you are entitled to not agree with my opinion.. and likewise.

I can save us both some trouble if you'd like?

It's amusing how easily some people are annoyed. If your arrogance showed on the store floor as shown here your job tenure would be very short no matter how well you did it.

 

[Soundguy]

It's amusing how easily some people are annoyed. If your arrogance showed on the store floor as shown here your job tenure would be very short no matter how well you did it.

I was polite at the store.. though did wonder why they sold parts they didn't know what fit.

if I sold those parts.. I'd hope to know what they fit. In our stockroom at work.. I know where al the shiny cables and boxes and parts go to. and what they won't go to.

As for my disposition vs my skill. Apparently i'm still on the positive side of the scale...

 

[sixdogs]

for sure.

sub standard is the new standard these days

Which leaves lots of great opportunities for people that do a first class job to be fully employed at far above prevailing wage rates. If I was a kid today I would likely skip most of college and enter a trade that thrilled me and learn from people that know and love the job. Do a first class job and be paid well. I know an appliance repair guy that does such beautiful work all the mfgrs want him to do their warranty work. He does what he can and is knocking down $125,000 to $140,000 a year. He works late or early or whatever people want.

These younger--or older--- people not passionate about their work or dressed poorly with anti social skills and maybe 10 piercings fail to grasp they are the working poor and will likely remain that way for the rest of their lives.

 

[Soundguy]

I interviewed over the last 3 days for lighting technicians.

I got 1 candidate that was unqualified, untrained, and unskilled in the field... but otherwise had no issues that would DISQUALIFY him. I had many more that had DISQUALIFYING behavious or characteristics. I hired the untrained guy and he starts next thursday. It will be easier to teach him what to do, than untrain bad habbits out of the other applicants. Out of all the applicants, the person i hired was the only one that 1, appeared to actually WANT a job ( ie.. WANTED to work ), and had a good attitude, and wasn't afraid to ask a question.


I started this thread to voice my opinion . IE.. that a worker should know their trade... IE.. the lowes plumbing specialist that had no clue what kit fit what faucet.. Did i give the worker a hard time in the store? nope. Is it my opinion he probably should know his job / be trianed better. Yep. Am I wright or wrong? doesn't matter.. it's an opinion.

Fromthe responses here.. I don't feel bad. All sides have chimed in. Those that agree.. those that do not agree.. and those that are somewhere in the middle leaning to one side or another.. or even on both sides on certain points.

Of course there's also the person that resorts to name calling too.. but that's a statistical expectation..

I'm free to have my opinion.. you are free to have yours.

And if the guy from lowes is reading this. the large stem with the threaded central hole is for bathroom fixtures.. and the small diameter stem with the flat spot for a retainer set screw is for long handled sink faucets. And the cup seals? pre 76 and post 76, plus 2 spring lengths. of which they always give you both.. so no issues so now we both kow.

Which leaves lots of great opportunities for people that do a first class job to be fully employed at far above prevailing wage rates. If I was a kid today I would likely skip most of college and enter a trade that thrilled me and learn from people that know and love the job. Do a first class job and be paid well. I know an appliance repair guy that does such beautiful work all the mfgrs want him to do their warranty work. He does what he can and is knocking down $125,000 to $140,000 a year. He works late or early or whatever people want.

These younger--or older--- people not passionate about their work or dressed poorly with anti social skills and maybe 10 piercings fail to grasp they are the working poor and will likely remain that way for the rest of their lives.

 

[deepNdirt]

While still fresh on my mind...... I'll tell my experience I had just yesterday,
I went into the "Helpful Hardware man" business, looking for the things I need to either rebuild a Freezeless Yard Hydrant or adapt it to a standard hose bib, I was pretty-much on my own and walked over to the plumbing dept. I sorta knew what I was looking for when suddenly the "Helpful Hardware man" appears asking could he help me?

So I explain what It was I wanted to do, and that I needed a rebuild kit for a Yard Hydrant, First of all he didn't know what a ( Yard hydrant was) when I explain it to him his reply was He didn't think they were going to have what was needed, or even knew that a yard hydrant could be rebuilt,
Hmmmm! OK lets move on to the backup plan ( adapting to a hose bib ) So he give an effort to help me search, took me over 2 isle and picked up one part, then found another that threaded onto that part, then got the hose bib threaded on, then got me a roll of teflon tape,

Wile he was grabbing for these things I was looking over his shoulder adding up the cost, (18.00 so far), Gulp!
I commented about how I didn't realize would cost so much, meanwhile! another customer on that Isle must have been listening in, Mind you this Is another "Customer" he reached over to the shelf and got 1 part handing it on over to me( 1" to 3/4 ) adapter , said this is all you need, OIC- I replied while looking over at the "Helpful Hardware man" and asking him to hand me the hose bib he had in his hand? sure enough it thread right onto the 1 pc adapter, This adapter cost 2.19 .. but I notice when holding the bib up as it would be when mounted on the pipe the angle would have the water shoot up into the air, So! again I asked the "Helpful Hardware man" if that he may have a hose bib that would shoot straight out the side rather than up in the air? He said "sorry didn't know of one made that way",
Again the other Customer reached over and handed me one of what I just asked for, only it was a labeled a Boiler drain valve, didn't matter to me so as long as it worked, this part was 4.69 .... So! less than 7.00 for what I needed ,
Oh! but the "Helpful Hardware man" wasn't through with me yet, he stated that I'll still need the Teflon-tape, otherwise it would leek, I said No, I think I have some at home,

The moral of this story is-----> I think many of these businesses teach their employees to sale us as much as possible, even if it's things we don't need it order to make a larger sales,

 

[Soundguy]

ha. reminds me of last time i was in tractor supply. I was there getting some stuff and the poor store clerk had no idea what i was going after. another customer came in asking about ford ( thankfully ) stuff. the clerk looked like a deer in headlights.. fortunately the other customer needed basic info.. stuff in my memory.. not stuff at home jotted down in my notes.

we both left with what we needed.. clerk still looked confused.

nice guy though.


at least TSC doesn't claim to be farm specialists.

 

[mjarrels]

My son works at Sherman Williams. New box stores (a hundred miles away) buy paint at Sherman Williams and don't use their own store brand, ie, Walmart, home depot and lowes. He delivers hundreds of gallons at a time when these stores are built.

mark

 

[texasjohn]

We TBN'ers are smart, experienced, observant, older, affluent, mechanically inclined, intellectually curious, tenacious, motivated, self starters...typically multi talented. In other words...well above average in many ways. I'd say maybe 5% of the population fit ALL these criteria.

A few of the folks we run into as box store sales persons will be like us one day...most won't. And how many of YOU would now accept a box store salesperson job at their pay level? I wager none! This is why service we get there is often inaccurate or incomplete.

It's just that simple.

My vision of Heii is where EVERYONE has risen to their level of incompetance. Think about living in such a society where everything everywhere is messed up all the time, every time!