HOME DEPOT HELL

National Review Online - The Corner ^ | April 20, 2004 | John Derbyshire

[Cincinatus' Wife]

This darn place is going to the dogs. As if the aisle-closing business wasn't bad enough, I have now encountered a new annoyance.

The Home Depot has introduced self-check-out stations. Fair enough, and a convenience, if you have just small items & no complications. However, there are now situations -- I just encountered my second -- where Home Depot employees apparently feel that the self-check-out business relieves them of the need to man check-out stations altogether. If for some reason you can't check yourself out, there may be no regular check-out stations manned. (Personned, whatever.)

I gotta stop using this store.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

A lot of people love their system. I don't know how much clout or oversight they have over their stores but a few bad experiences at one or two HD stores can turn away a lot of business. Someone needs to pay attention.

I heard an employee in Houston say, they run the air conditioning settings from corporate headquarters in Atlanta and that it must still be cold in GA. Now if that is true, they better come out of their offices and take a look at what's going on locally.

[BlazingArizona]

When I've asked for help and the individual didn't know the answer they have helped me to find the right employee to ask.

Your HD has employees who speak English?

[oceanperch]

My best girlfriend is from Montana from a little place where her Mom delivers the mail, cooks at the school ect and I don't believe they have but one little hotel.

It is real close to the Border. She misses home, but she is married going on 13yrs with two kids.

Her husband finally convinced her that moving home to be near mom and dad is not an option and they are finally buying their first home. BTW she comes out to the house to cut/color the family hair. Our hairdresser. LOL
But we put KV down after his shower and go out for a swim if I am on a nom color night. Girls night out.

Yeah it is a real hassle to be on the road for a 17hr day for medical care but we don't have to do it that often.

We each have a local family Dr. and they just say what ever I want is fine with them. It pays to eat healthy and be responsible for your own heath.

And KV is his own case history unknown to the health care professionals, he has out lived their doomsday by 25yrs.

It is round the clock care which is why I don't have time to do the home do it yourself and up keep jobs. Just enough extra time for the labs and myself. Thank God for respite the CNA that comes in has been freinds with KV since jr. high and she is a good girl, I am convincing her that she is really a conservative pointing out her moral beliefs, working ethic ect...she came to me last week after I have been showing her all the stuff on Kerry vs. Bush and she is for the first time going to vote Republican. She like allot of us were Dems cause mom and dad were Dems. Actually she says she is getting a political education around here despite lack of interest.
HEH HEH I will turn them to reality one at a time.

[Aquinasfan]

And never buy paint there--it is crap. Although Benjamin Moore costs almost twice as much (indoor flat latex) it's worth it!

A professional painter told me the same thing.

[AnAmericanMother]

. . . they're everywhere . . . :-D

[oceanperch]

OMG LMAO and my low back hurts from crapping er cracking up. STOP IT YOUR KILLING ME.

[hopespringseternal]

Our local HD is mecca for all the idiots in the area. All the stupid people go there to worship their god.

The local Lowes is managed by a guy who can't stand the thought of paying someone who doesn't spend every moment doing something. He never has more than two cashiers at a time, and none of the people who are supposed to be helping can ever be found. I think they are in back digging trenches and filling them back up.

The local walmart has gone to self-check. Any fool knows that walmart shoppers are way to stupid to check themselves out. The rule is no matter how long the line is for the single checker, it is faster than the one moron at the self-check station.

[mhking]

The county I live in, Montgomery County, MD, is filled with citizens (at least the noisy ones) who don't want the discount stores.

I lived there about fifteen years ago (my brother in law & family live there now), so you need not say more. I know what that's like.

[MissAmericanPie]

You're right about paying attention, especially with Lowes breathing down their necks. It may be a situation in which the available customer support base has halved between the two stores causing both to starve.

The one that can hold out the longest wins.

[familyofman]

Everyone should be happy that all stores are going the 'techie' way with self-checkout via scanners. This improvement reduces the costs of the store by eliminating employees & their associated costs. This of course has/and will lead to much lower costs to us - the consummer. All it takes is your performing a task for HD...that used to be done by one of their employees. We all share in the greatly reduced prices - hooray.

[bk1000]

My HD is great. Never had to wait for more than two in line ahead of me, not very crowded, nice folks, usually have what I need. I don't even think twice about going in there just for a few nails. The only bad thing is, its only about one mile from my house. Too tempting. Great store.

[oceanperch]

That's it CHina Mart. I cringe when I go for my monthly run for paper plates, forks, TP, computer(good thick stuff)paper but I got to save somewhere.

Don't by anything series there though.

Soda for the employees. Make that employee just let the other CNA go as he fell in the ocean and was out for six hours before he was rescued and just not the same guy. Real paranoid, not showing up on time, job performance went from great to the pits so after a month post fishing boat accident he could not get in the swing of things to the point of not giving KV routine am/pm meds and real aggitated so had to let him go.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Or the one who listens to its customers.

[TXBSAFH]

A mile and a half from my my house there is a HD and a Lowes acroos the street from each other. The Lowes is the Lowes is the hands down best. I hate and will not use self check out. Give me service or watch me leave.

[love n hate tattoo]

don't get so worked up, just go shop at lowes!

[BigSkyFreeper]

Or the one who listens to its customers.

This always hurts a large nationwide chain. Gateway Computers fell into that trap many years ago, and are still trying to recover. I wouldn't step into a Gateway Store or buy a Gateway computer online even if they are trying to correct their poor customer service response rating.

[humblegunner]

You call it Krogers here in the PNW we call it Freddies. Your Kroger bought out our Freddies.

Freddy Krogers? ;-)

[PJ-Comix]

My experiences with Home Depot has been all good. And when I buy something that is faulty, they exchange it no problem. Overall I rate Home Depot VERY HIGHLY.

[cupcakes]

Where do some of you folks live? I have never had a problem in the Ohio are, in fact the clerks/floor people have always been more than generous with their time.

[cupcakes]

I worked at Lowe's for a while. I think it is an interesting tidbit to know that Lowe's caters specifically to women. It is why they have the aisles set up how they are, the selection(which is great if you are designing a room, but poor, imo, if you need to find something kind of obscure--have better success at home depot with that kind of stuff), etc. They even stated this in training that their target was female customers. I am female and I can tell the difference based on where I want to go. If we are building something, I want to go to the non-frilly, nuts and bolts Home Depot, but if I just want to shop around for ideas or look at the nice things I can order, I will go to Lowe's. They both have their niche and actually the service, in this area--Ohio--has been better at HD in the past--don't know why.