Orange box store, bitter old man, and my future.

Farmwithjunk · Apr 26, 2006

Can't exactly call it an epiphany. Not even a vision of the future. How about a "flash-forward".

My most recent visit to Home Depot has led me to visualize myself as a bitter, crotchety old man. It wasn't a lovely sight. I better not get any older.

I went after 36 landscape timbers saturday. After 20 minutes in line at the contractors desk, I find out that landscape timbers come from "lawn and garden". 20 MORE minutes in line there, just to find out they expected me to go outside and get a "bar-code tag" for them to ring it up. I go outside, find ONE landscape timber laying along the way. I grab the tag, return to line for yet ANOTHER 20 minutes in line. Then they break the news. "We only show 3 in stock, Sir".

And I didn't even give that famous one-finger wave as I strolled out he door WITHOUT buying anything.

SO. Today I return for my 36 timbers. I knew to check and see if they had enough. I knew to grab a bar code tag. I knew I'd be standing in line for 20 minutes. I DIDN'T know they'd expect me to pay for the timbers, THEN load all of 'em by myself, THEN go to CONTRACTORS desk to pay for the 5 lb. box of nails I needed too, for yet another 20 minutes in line.

Out the door, WITHOUT buying a thing AGAIN. And on the way home, I'll check out the new Lowes that just recently opened near here.

Home Depot just moved to the bottom of my list.

Whatever happened to customer service?

Rant over. (for now).

DocHeb · Apr 26, 2006

Why don't you try a real lumberyard rather than a big box store?

EddieWalker · Apr 26, 2006

Lowes seems to have allot better attitude towards customers than home depot. Not sure why that is, but there is a huge difference.

If I'm looking for anything in quantity, I go to my lumber yard and know that I just have to go to the cashier, tell her what I want, pay for it and give the guys out back my tag. They will load it without me having to get out of my truck.

Prices are the same too.

Eddie

mikim · Apr 26, 2006

Lowes vs. HD attitudes ... must depend on where you are .... here the Lowes is worst ....AND I WISH I HAD A LUMBER YARD! We used to have Furrows who were good - large inventory in the yard, good customer service, etc ... then Lowes moved in and priced 'em out. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif I hope the McCoys in Bastrop sticks around --- they'll probably be gone about the time I move up there.

gsganzer · Apr 26, 2006

I can't stand Home Depot. I try to shop at Lowe's whenever I can. Whenever I buy a whole load of things for a project, HD always seems to be missing the one piece I really need. I end up having to go to Lowe's anyway.

_RaT_ · Apr 26, 2006

Hmm, was this your first time purchasing lumber from Home Depot? I can always get someone to help me but frankly, prefer they don't. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I thought your post was going to be about something different. I saw a bunch of old folks at Home Depot today. A couple looked great, but then most of the old men had looks on their faces that could make a train take a dirt road. One old fella was walking around with his mouth open. About five minutes later I see him in landscaping and its still open. I wanted to go shut it. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

dooleysm · Apr 26, 2006

I wouldn't worry too much about Home Depot or Lowes. I'm sure Wal-Mart will run them both out of business within the next 5-10 years.

beenthere · Apr 26, 2006

That is where I shop, at the family owned lumber yard in our small town. Get loaded with yard help who are the same ones who ring up the bill or charge it to my account. 5% off if paid for in 10 days. If too big a load, they'll deliver by truck no charge, even half dozen sheets of plywood and 5 2x10's last month. I buy lumber/plywood probably an average of 6 times a year, other wise just nuts, bolts, and nails. Prices may be a bit higher than HD or Lowes or Menards, but the quality is much better. I hope I and others will keep them in business. Helps that they are 7 miles closer than the box stores too. They will order special items from lumber wholesalers, and even get in orders for long cedar, as when I wanted to build fake cedar beams that required 12 18' - 1x8 clear cedar boards. Shipped from the West (left) Coast.

gsganzer · Apr 26, 2006

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I wouldn't worry too much about Home Depot or Lowes. I'm sure Wal-Mart will run them both out of business within the next 5-10 years. )</font>

I heard on the radio today, that Walmart is looking at getting into the credit card business. All the other players such as Citicorp etc. are crying foul. I think they're afraid of the competition.

ejtaylor822 · Apr 26, 2006

In our old house, I was a regular customer at a nearby HD and really liked the store. As several years past though I noticed how the "old salts", the really helpful and useful folks who knew their products and had actually used them outside of in-store demonstrations, started disappearing. They were replaced by smart-alec (sp?) kids whose idea of good customer service was looking up at you BEFORE they mumbled "two aisles over about half way down, on the right, or left, not sure which side but you can't miss it." (When I worked retail I was always told you GO WITH the customer to where they need to go, not point and mumble map coordinates.)

Anyway, what made me swear off of them was when I went to get some paint supplies and have a couple of cans shook up. I took in three cans and asked the guy to shake them. He said he would do two but wouldn't do the third because it was not an HD brand. ?????????? I would have to take to somewhere else and get shook up. I thought he was kidding, but, he was serious. I politely asked if could just do me the favor as they had done this before with others. He said flat out NO. I told him, "well, if I have to go somewhere else to get my paint shook up, I will by my supplies there as well." His reply? "Well, go on then!"

I was dumbfounded.

Went to Lowe's. they shook without any problems. Got home went to the HD website and registered a complaint. Couple of days later I got like a "form letter" email from them apologizing. For the next two years, I drove past HD to go to the Lowe's 5 miles on down the road.