is your local Home Depot severely incompetent?

[Pam]

The one near me has always been great. Lowes on the other hand...

[Onamuji]

BernDog wrote:
From what I've seen, HD doesn't give their employees the tools they need to do their jobs. Any time I've asked an employee where a certain item is or if they have it in back/up stock, they pull out their phone and check the HD app. That phone may or may not be issued by the company for that purpose; I have no idea. But, the fact that they don't have any better tools at their disposal than what I can download myself does not inspire confidence.

Those phones are the better tools. A huge improvement.

They used to have to walk back to the home-appliances section and peck at a terminal to find anything.

[ztirffritz]

If you have a person who knows what all these various things are and how to use them...most likely he/she is out making FAR more money using and doing those things. Home Depot can't possibly afford to have a licensed experienced plumber/painter/carpenter/contractor on staff. Usually, it's whoever fits the vest gets hired. Sometimes you get lucky.

My local Hometown Ace Hardware has about a dozen employees. Between them, they have just about all my bases covered. Not because they're plumbers/carpenters/painters/etc but because they're home owners and they've done it all. I go in there and ask for one simple thing. They ask what I need it for (I suspect that they already know), they then proceed to lump a bunch of other stuff into my arms...tools, tapes, glue, some kind of sponge...and they say "trust me, you'll be glad you have this in about 30 min. If you don't need it, bring it back for a refund." 9 times out of 10, they're right.

[cbelt3]

Speedy wrote:
Too bad the big box stores wiped out the mom and pop hardware stores.

They exist .. Just rare. There's one near work ... Store cats and third generation owner. Wood bins with a ladder, they will fix screens and windows. And a stock of all kinds of bits .. Love it.

[RAMd®d]

Too bad the big box stores wiped out the mom and pop hardware stores.

Agreed.

There are two ACE Hardware stores and to HDs near me. One of the ACE stores is great, the other so-so. Neither of the HDs is great, and both have inventory problems.

I think any and everything bad about HD is because it's a big box store. Staffing and inventory will suffer to some degree, and that usually to a greater degree than the Old Guy running a hardware store.

If I need some small hardware, I'd rather buy three flat washers and some fiber nylon stop nuts for 5¢ each than a bag of ten for 3¢ each.

Mom and Pops can't do what HD does, or the other way 'round. But it's Mom and Pops that are gone.

[SteveG]

Tried to order a sale item on line last week at Home Depot. They listed 17 in stock online. When I got there.....Zero with order cancelled. The manager gave me the same 50% discount on an alternate item of my choice.

[Filliam H. Muffman]

Hit and miss. Online said store had 4" sheet metal dryer duct. I show up and the clerk scanned the shelf with "The Phone." Called the manager and discussed for 3 minutes, then said stock is on the delivery truck that just arrived. Won't be on the shelf for maybe 3 hours (after closing time). I went to another store and got it. I was in the store a week later and they only had 3' lengths, not the 5' that the website said they had.

Still better than HomeBase. IIRC, they stocked items for building codes in their home state that were incompatible with codes in California.

[DinerDave]

jdc wrote:


I supposed there are a few good ones, but like most retail, its few and far between.

Makes me proud that I've been in some form of restaurant or retail customer service my whole life.

Dave

[Bimwad]

I had good service at a (not local to me) Despot once.

A guy actually dragged a ladder over and retrieved an item from the boxed stock on the high shelves, after not being able to find it on display (which the inventory count doesn't indicate). Otherwise, it's SNAFU.

My local decades-old hardware store recently re-did their layout, and expanded their already best-in-area hardware section. Unfortunately, the younger people they're now hiring are little better than those manning Despot.

[mrbigstuff]

I make a game of "how many HD employees will avoid me at all costs rather than ask me if I need some help" every time I enter that place.

I fucking hate Home Depot.