On Tue, 6 Oct 2009 10:12:06 -0700 (PDT), Red
wrote:

Bought some construction material from HD yesterday. The receipt
shows the cost of each item and the refund value of each item. The
refund value is 10% less than the purchase price. Guess they're now
charging a 10% restocking fee on returned items. They've now lost my
business.

Red


Others will follow. Too many customers buy a tool, use it, then
return to the store for a full cash refund. I returned a part to HD
in exchange for another (of different size) and there was no 10% fee,
else I'd be upset too.

wrote in message
...
On Tue, 6 Oct 2009 20:54:19 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

My typical trips into the store average 3 or 4 MIHU
contacts. Many of the workers look like retirement age, and
actually know their trade.

The closest HD to my home seems to be staffed by folks who know their
stuff, and act as if they own the place. If they spot you scanning
shelves, they stop and ask if they can help you find something. If you
turn them down, they don't hover, but wait somewhere down the isle in
case you change your mind. I have often been literally chased across
the parking lot by employees who insist on helping me load stuff on
the roof of my SUV.

I never have to go looking for assistance, they come looking for me.


Pretty much the same at the Homedepot I go to......I have found the guy in
the plumbing dept especially helpfull to me several times....Being open when
I need something is one of the best things I like about HD....

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 6 Oct 2009 10:12:06 -0700 (PDT), Red
wrote:

Bought some construction material from HD yesterday. The receipt
shows the cost of each item and the refund value of each item. The
refund value is 10% less than the purchase price. Guess they're now
charging a 10% restocking fee on returned items. They've now lost my
business.

Red


Others will follow. Too many customers buy a tool, use it, then
return to the store for a full cash refund. I returned a part to HD
in exchange for another (of different size) and there was no 10% fee,
else I'd be upset too.

Walmart , Target and pretty much all the big chains do this now....Another
reason they do it is thieves steal stuff then return it for cash...They
steal it at one Walmart and return it to another...Before they started
keeping track of returns some were making a living stealing and returning
stuff....

On Oct 6, 1:12*pm, Red wrote:
Bought some construction material from HD yesterday. *The receipt
shows the cost of each item and the refund value of each item. *The
refund value is 10% less than the purchase price. *Guess they're now
charging a 10% restocking fee on returned items. *They've now lost my
business.

Red

With the abusive returns I've seen they obviously have to do something
to slow those down. Maybe you got caught up in some return tracking
scheme. I have seen completely unusable items presented for return
with parts missing. My favorite is the electrical boxes with half of
the knock outs missing. No one is going to buy those.

--
Tom Horne

dpb writes:
Nothing about 10%; I'd suggest asking local store management about
what the deal is specifically if it's that bothersome but my real
suggestion is as above--you buy it; it's yours unless there is an
actual defect. Don't buy stuff if the intent is to return it; what's
the point anyway???

I disagree - I always buy a little more than I need for a project or
multiple sizes so that I can see which fits best on the job. This
saves me making multiple trips (I already seem to go to HD about once
a day as it is). I once asked the regular guy at the returns desk and
he said they ENCOURAGE customers to err on the side of buying too much
and returning it. After all, it makes for more sales for them. And if
it is in resellable condition, they are only out the extra labor for
returns & reshelving while at the same time increasing customer
satisfaction and maximizing purchases.

In fact, even though I can often get better quality and cheaper
pricing at some of the pro supply houses that I have an account with,
I often will go to Home Depot because I can browse the shelves and
return the excess. The pro supply houses frown on too many returns and
I don't want to look to "lay" to them

Also, I end up going to HD over Lowes even though the local Lowes is
bigger and has a nicer atmosphere specifically because HD has an easy
return policy without a receipt as long as you have your credit card.

So, as someone who spends several thousand dollars a year at HD, I
would say that there flexible return policy is a good investment for
them in customer satisfaction and increased purchases.

"blueman" wrote in message

In fact, even though I can often get better quality and cheaper
pricing at some of the pro supply houses that I have an account with,
I often will go to Home Depot

It would make a catchy line on your advertising. "Inferior material, but a
nice selection of it"

On Oct 6, 12:12*pm, Red wrote:
Bought some construction material from HD yesterday. *The receipt
shows the cost of each item and the refund value of each item. *The
refund value is 10% less than the purchase price. *Guess they're now
charging a 10% restocking fee on returned items. *They've now lost my
business.

Red


HD takes returns probably easier than any store I've ever dealt with.
On commodity items I can see the justification for a re-stocking fee.
On special order, I definitely think its justified. On manufactured
items HD just goes back to the manufacturer for return adjustments if
the item is not re-shelvable.

On Oct 7, 11:07*pm, blueman wrote:
dpb writes:
Nothing about 10%; I'd suggest asking local store management about
what the deal is specifically if it's that bothersome but my real
suggestion is as above--you buy it; it's yours unless there is an
actual defect. Don't buy stuff if the intent is to return it; what's
the point anyway???

I disagree - I always buy a little more than I need for a project or
multiple sizes so that I can see which fits best on the job. This
saves me making multiple trips (I already seem to go to HD about once
a day as it is). I once asked the regular guy at the returns desk and
he said they ENCOURAGE customers to err on the side of buying too much
and returning it. After all, it makes for more sales for them. And if
it is in resellable condition, they are only out the extra labor for
returns & reshelving while at the same time increasing customer
satisfaction and maximizing purchases.

In fact, even though I can often get better quality and cheaper
pricing at some of the pro supply houses that I have an account with,
I often will go to Home Depot because I can browse the shelves and
return the excess. The pro supply houses frown on too many returns and
I don't want to look to "lay" to them

Also, I end up going to HD over Lowes even though the local Lowes is
bigger and has a nicer atmosphere specifically because HD has an easy
return policy without a receipt as long as you have your credit card.

So, as someone who spends several thousand dollars a year at HD, I
would say that there flexible return policy is a good investment for
them in customer satisfaction and increased purchases.

"they ENCOURAGE customers to err on the side of buying too much
and returning it. After all, it makes for more sales for them"

What kind of accounting process do they use where returns don't offset
sales?

If they sell a million bucks worth of wood in a week and $500K worth
gets returned, do their records still show $1MM in sales?

I want a job like that, especially if it's commissioned!

On Wed, 7 Oct 2009 06:56:39 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

mm wrote:

Computers have substantially lessened the bookkeeping costs of
returns. I don't know what the restocking actually costs them (about
the same for a 1 dollar item as for a 100 dollar item I think)


Sometimes not.

I returned two sets of hinges to Lowes and they gave me back more than I
spent!

Seems the price went up during the week I was warehousing their
merchandise...

Interesting. AIUI some places' policy, HD's? policey is whatever the
receipt says and if no reecipt, the lowest price it has sold for in
the last 90? days, or 360? This is supposed to, if anything, work
to the disadvantage of someone without a receipt.

On Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:07:03 -0400, blueman wrote:


In fact, even though I can often get better quality and cheaper
pricing at some of the pro supply houses that I have an account with,
I often will go to Home Depot because I can browse the shelves and
return the excess. The pro supply houses frown on too many returns and
I don't want to look to "lay" to them

Exactly. I don't think I've ever returned something to a contractor's
supply store, because afaik, they don't want it back. Maybe I
misjudge them, but I get this impression somewhere.

Also, I end up going to HD over Lowes even though the local Lowes is
bigger and has a nicer atmosphere specifically because HD has an easy
return policy without a receipt as long as you have your credit card.

And LOwe's doesn't have the same poliicy. I though they did.

HD here doesn't require a credit card. If you have no receipt, they
note your drivers license number, I assume to keep track conceivably
if someone is returning too much stuff he bought, but more likely if
one person is shoplifting and returning for cash. I can certainly see
that. But I return two or three things, maybe 30 dollars worth a
year without a receipt and they say nothing. I don't think the cashier
or anyone thinks I've stolen anything, and I haven't. (although once
I may have unintentionally returned something from Lowes at HD. A few
things have the same wrapper and bar code.)

So, as someone who spends several thousand dollars a year at HD, I
would say that there flexible return policy is a good investment for
them in customer satisfaction and increased purchases.

Absolutely.

On Thu, 8 Oct 2009 09:59:54 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Oct 7, 11:07*pm, blueman wrote:
dpb writes:
Nothing about 10%; I'd suggest asking local store management about
what the deal is specifically if it's that bothersome but my real
suggestion is as above--you buy it; it's yours unless there is an
actual defect. Don't buy stuff if the intent is to return it; what's
the point anyway???

I disagree - I always buy a little more than I need for a project or
multiple sizes so that I can see which fits best on the job. This
saves me making multiple trips (I already seem to go to HD about once
a day as it is). I once asked the regular guy at the returns desk and
he said they ENCOURAGE customers to err on the side of buying too much
and returning it. After all, it makes for more sales for them. And if
it is in resellable condition, they are only out the extra labor for
returns & reshelving while at the same time increasing customer
satisfaction and maximizing purchases.

In fact, even though I can often get better quality and cheaper
pricing at some of the pro supply houses that I have an account with,
I often will go to Home Depot because I can browse the shelves and
return the excess. The pro supply houses frown on too many returns and
I don't want to look to "lay" to them

Also, I end up going to HD over Lowes even though the local Lowes is
bigger and has a nicer atmosphere specifically because HD has an easy
return policy without a receipt as long as you have your credit card.

So, as someone who spends several thousand dollars a year at HD, I
would say that there flexible return policy is a good investment for
them in customer satisfaction and increased purchases.

"they ENCOURAGE customers to err on the side of buying too much
and returning it. After all, it makes for more sales for them"

What kind of accounting process do they use where returns don't offset
sales?

Maybe his example of, so to speak, buying an extra box or two of
ceramic tile, wasn't the best one, but it makes more sales, because
people buy things they aren't sure they want, and usually decide to
keep what they've bought. Even if it's not usually, even if it's only
a quarter of the time, that's still more stuff they've bought and
kept.

If they sell a million bucks worth of wood in a week and $500K worth
gets returned, do their records still show $1MM in sales?

I want a job like that, especially if it's commissioned!

At least at some companies, salemen lose their commission for things
that are returned, but if the policy causes greater total non-returned
purchases, they are ahead of the game.

On Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:43:21 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 6 Oct 2009 20:54:19 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

My typical trips into the store average 3 or 4 MIHU
contacts. Many of the workers look like retirement age, and
actually know their trade.

The closest HD to my home seems to be staffed by folks who know their
stuff, and act as if they own the place. If they spot you scanning
shelves, they stop and ask if they can help you find something. If you
turn them down, they don't hover, but wait somewhere down the isle in
case you change your mind. I have often been literally chased across
the parking lot by employees who insist on helping me load stuff on
the roof of my SUV.

I never have to go looking for assistance, they come looking for me.

Wow. I"m not complaining about the ones here, but they aren't like
that. Where are you? Which store?