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.

[gracex7]

hahaha

What I've never understood is how little brother Jeff can speak so clearly!

[smith288]

Why dont they have hand held scanners at HD? That way you can scan big products in the cart like they do at manned counters?

[lewislynn]

Local hardware stores are now for the idle rich.

One of our locally owned TrueValue hardware stores has great service, well stocked, AND beats HD prices on many items.

[varina davis]

No it isn't nice when the gov. subsidizes your preferences. But I remember that customers received SERVICE when they went to a gas station and the gov. had nothing to do with it.

[truthandlife]

Home Depot Scorns Christian Groups

Home Depot promotes the homosexual agenda

Home Depot Denies Promotion With Pro-Homosexual Group (After 600 Freeper Protesting Emails)

Home Depot Gives To Liberal Group, Denies Conservative Group

[T Minus Four]

Oh I agree! I loathe the one at Smith's grocery, who cheerily and perkily reminds me please to place every single stinkin' item I scan "..in the bag!". I find myself muttering to it to please STFU!!!!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Not such good publicity.

[Blue Collar Christian]

Any inconveniences you encounter at a large chain store are just payback for turning your back on the Mom and Pop retailers of a once great America.

[cupcakes]

That is simply not true. I've had bad service in small "mom and pop" shops and in larger stores and vica versa. There is no rule that you will get better service in a small store or terrible service in a large chain. Chances are, yes, the large chain will have more employees who could give a flip and your assurance of service is not always known due to the anonymity of the environment, but I can think of one store in my area that sells scrapbook supplies(no two stores of that persuasion) who have LOST business due to how poorly they were managed or the employees who worked there. I can think of one other store(not those other two) who changed managment to improve things and this is just among small, privately owned hobby shops in my area so very small cross section! I know I get more livid when I walk out of the mom and pop shop with little or no help because they are SPECIALIZING in certain types of items or services--if they don't know or don't care to answer, I can assure you I will never walk in that store again, where the larger shops there is this 'forgiveness factor' because you don't expect every employee there to be a specialist in the lumber or masonry dept.

[yankeedame]

Very good point. My mother (RIP) owned two (really)small businesses -- a fabric store and a beauty parlor. And her stick rule was, if it was at all humanly possible, to never let a person walk out of the store angry.

"Every costumer that walks out that door angry," she used to say, "takes 8 others with her."

Which ties in with her second favorite adage: "You only make money off your friends. You're enemies will not do business with you."

[chemicalman]

This thought just popped into my head: What about a liquor or cigarette purchase? How will they "card" the customer? A gong probably goes off, and then you get to enjoy waiting for a humanoid to show up...

I saw one last night purchasing alcohol. The light starts flashing and a clerk has to come verify before completing the purchase.

Now I wonder how many act like they scan something or "missed" scanning something when someone isn't watching?

[andy58-in-nh]

We're watching you.

[wjcsux]

Home Depot and Lowes are like discount auto parts stores. You have to really know what you are buying. Many items should be bought at a good quality building materials store.

[wingster]

I gotta stop using this store.

As an expert in customer service, you are truly correct. HD is going down the tubes in spades and in the way of Hechingers.

One word: LOWE'S

[longtermmemmory]

It is very true, the employees actually direct people to the self check out. It is a royal pain because the scanners' glass surface is scratched up, there is only one person there to help and they are usually running between the sections dealing with defective machines.

Lowes has not installed these machines, yet. (better stock performer too.)

The problem is they count each individual self checkout as a single open register, they should be considerd 1/2 or 1/4 of an open station.

Customers should get a 1% -5% discount for doint the job of home depot staff.

[george wythe]

In Home Depot Hollywood, L.A., they had no adapter for the continental European plug system

You have to come to Home Depot Hollywood, Florida, where half of their customers are German expats.

Maybe they know where to find the plug adapters :-)

[Michael81Dus]

LOL, Thanks, finally I found one to run my laptop - in the very last shop at the Airport, few yards away from the gate.

Because of so many German tourists and expats, Florida is at the bottom of my list "where to travel next". ;)

[george wythe]

Because of so many German tourists and expats, Florida is at the bottom of my list "where to travel next". ;)

If you like gray skies, constant rain, cold weather, and freezing oceans, Florida is not for you.

I go sailing and underwater fishing all year around on the warm ocean, and I spend long hours outdoors, especially on weekends.

I lived in California, but I had to wear a wetsuit to go surfing, since the water was too cold for me. I still think that southern California has great weather near the coast. I hope you enjoyed California.

[BlazingArizona]

The rule of thumb with HD is (1) go early and (2) don't ask any questions and/or ask for any service.

You're not asking in the right way, that's all.

?Por favor, donde estas las mangueras?

[discostu]

This is why I went back to Ace. I only go to Home Depot (or it's blue twin Lowes) in cases of dire emergency. The stores suck, the employees suck, the selection is suprisingly thin given the size of the building, forget Home Depot go someplace that's nice.