I'm a long time (old) tile contractor. Often I pop into a local box
store, whether
HD or Lowes to get a little something in the tile dept. Generally I
buy
all serious purchaces from real tile distributors.

I'm amazed at the apathy in these box stores. If they would turn me
loose in there I could make them a fortune. Customers are always
wandering around aimlessly, hoping for some help while an employee
or two ignore them, or poke around endlessly at their computer without
ever looking up. Sometimes 4 or 5 employees are around, yet completely
ignoring the customers.

In my experience of working for over a thousand people, I know that
people
usually are starving for help and ideas when I first meet them. Rarely
do
they fully know what they want. They need help with the rapidly
changing
trends and products, and help in selecting colors, styles, sizes,
textures,
setting materials etc etc. I love to help people, and in doing so
they want
to do business with me.

I have no idea why these large stores don't put at least one
experienced
old-timer in these departments to be a help to people. It seems to me
they
could make a fortune selling to customers who are so willing to buy
there.

Even as I am just 'popping in' to make a quick purchace at these box
stores,
I always scout around to see if I can be of help to a person who looks
like
they really need it. I guess as a little one-man business, I care
more about
my trade and customers than these mamouth businesses.

Today I was at the business service desk at Lowes, trying to order for
the
3rd time some metal roofing for my garage. The first time the order
came in and
was run over with a forklift, second time the re-order never got placed
even though
the clerk said he placed it, and now am waiting for the third order.
As I waited there for service a woman came over and complained the she
was trying to buy kitchen cabinets in the cabinet dept, but nobody was
available
to help her. She was pleading with them to have someone meet her there

to help her.
This was right after I was in the tile dept. where a customer asked
"are those
25 pound bags of grout the smallest you have"? The clerk answered,
"yes,
and we have 10 pound bags too."

Oh well.

thetiler