When I become an employee, _then_ (and only then) I'll do the
checkout...meanwhile, it's there job.

I don't care whose job it is, I just want in and out expeditiously, and
that occurs when I do stuff for myself. I much prefer pumping my own
gas and serving myself at restaurants so that I don't have to wait on
someone else.

But, I'm pleased that others feel the way you do. That keeps the
self-serve lines short. :-)

Puckdropper wrote in news:44d01763$0$17958$892e7fe2
@authen.yellow.readfreenews.net:

"Geo" wrote in news:1154465237.380188.110050
@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

*snip*

I actually like the
self check but there are times when you need a real person to do the
work.


They're great for prepackaged items with UPCs, but for anything that's no
prepackaged or for big items like 2x4s it's much easier to have a real
person use their portable scanner to check you out.

If I had to guess I would say that HD and Lowes have fewer "Just two
light prepackaged items" customers than department stores like Kmart and
Walmart.

Puckdropper

I was buying some siding that was available at both Lowes and HD. It
seemed that the siding from Lowes was better quality. Same with PT 2x4s.
Lowes tool section is better. Some of th sales droids at HD are real goofs
but you can get that anywhere. The CEO of HD is a real asshole from what I
hear from employess. There is no dedication to the company or the job
either.

Isn't HD what "Handy Andy" and "Handy Dan" evolved into? I expect that HD
is headed to the same demise.

What do you expect from a company that would sponsor a jerk like Tony
Stewart ! ! !




R. Pierce Butler wrote:
Puckdropper wrote in news:44d01763$0$17958$892e7fe2
@authen.yellow.readfreenews.net:

"Geo" wrote in news:1154465237.380188.110050
@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

*snip*

I actually like the
self check but there are times when you need a real person to do the
work.


They're great for prepackaged items with UPCs, but for anything that's no
prepackaged or for big items like 2x4s it's much easier to have a real
person use their portable scanner to check you out.

If I had to guess I would say that HD and Lowes have fewer "Just two
light prepackaged items" customers than department stores like Kmart and
Walmart.

Puckdropper

I was buying some siding that was available at both Lowes and HD. It
seemed that the siding from Lowes was better quality. Same with PT 2x4s.
Lowes tool section is better. Some of th sales droids at HD are real goofs
but you can get that anywhere. The CEO of HD is a real asshole from what I
hear from employess. There is no dedication to the company or the job
either.

Isn't HD what "Handy Andy" and "Handy Dan" evolved into? I expect that HD
is headed to the same demise.

wrote:
automated checkouts

I love those things.


Me too. I use them whenever they are available. Almost always quicker.
Plus I'd much rather do it myself & use a machine than deal with a
moron ;-) Recently bought a bunch of lumber, including 5 2x6's, at the
local Home Depot. Idiot who rang me up charged me for 6. I noticed
this on the receipt out in the parking lot & dragged the whole load back
into the store, where the same cashier was standing by the door.
Naturally he couldn't correct his mistake, I had to go stand in ANOTHER
line at the "service" desk. How hard is it to count to 5, for christ
sake? I recently moved to Seattle from central Ohio (Columbus area). I
also visit family in the Los Angeles area frequently. In central Ohio,
virtually every grocery store has self checkouts, in LA about the ONLY
place I've seen them with any regularity is Home Depot. They're a BIT
more prevalent in WA, but not much, though again the HD's do have them.

Dan

"Charlie" wrote in message
oups.com...
What do you expect from a company that would sponsor a jerk like Tony
Stewart ! ! !


EASY NOW!!!!! He's better than Jeff Gordon. And Robby Gordon for that matter
of fact.

Pass one on the way home from work daily.

"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...

And you go to full-service gas stations too, right?

You mean you can _find_ one?

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

Don't knock Menards. Typically lower prices than the BORG, they hire cute
girls, and there is ALWAYS someone on the floor. Clueless or not, they try
to be helpful.

Menards is privately held, by the way. They may have bean counters, but
those bean counters answer to the owners, not friggin neurotic share
holders. That means a lot. Share holders (the big insuance or pension
managers) can force an ass-rape on a company and then sell when the price
start to go down. Owners are in for the long haul.

That said, I do try to go to the BORG when I can to support the local tax
base. Menards is "just a bit outside" my village's boundaries, but they
still get a substantial percentage of my money.




"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
Brian Elfert wrote:

jj writes:

Well, from the responses. It is not just my imagination or the local
area stores but every where Home Depot has gone down hill. I too, to the
tune of several thousand dollars a year (remodeling projects) was spent
at Home Depot but have since been purchasing mostly from Lowes. Lowes
here in the PNW have 4 times as many clerks about twice as many people
on the floor as Home Depot. BTW, I did send corporate a letter. Usually,

Lowes may have more floor employees, but they charge a LOT more to pay
for
them. A 2x4 8 foot usually costs around $2.69 at Home Depot, but will
cost genrally around $3.69 at Lowes. I've found just about everything to
be more at Lowes. I only go to Lowes if nobody else has an item. Also,
the nearest Lowes is a 15 mile trip each way.

Is that a wet fir 2x4 with mold on it or a dry pine 2x4 sans mold?

I've been doing most of my shopping at Menards recently even though HD is
only about a mile or two further. Menards prices are always the same or
less than HD these days. Home Depot was the cheapest three or four years
ago, but HD prices have gone way up.

Brian Elfert

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

pe wrote:

On Wed, 02 Aug 2006 08:24:42 -0400, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

wrote:

On Tue, 1 Aug 2006 20:12:50 -0500, "todd" wrote:

"dpb" wrote in message
egroups.com...

wrote:
automated checkouts

I love those things.

When I become an employee, _then_ (and only then) I'll do the
checkout...meanwhile, it's there job.

And you go to full-service gas stations too, right?

I certainly do. They create more jobs and cost the same.

You mean you can _find_ one?

We actually have quite a few, even big name one's like ESSO.
There are 4 in a one mile stretch alone.

Where would that be? Didn't realize that ESSO was still being used as a
brand name.

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

Hedley wrote:

Don't knock Menards. Typically lower prices than the BORG, they hire cute
girls, and there is ALWAYS someone on the floor. Clueless or not, they
try to be helpful.

Menards is privately held, by the way. They may have bean counters, but
those bean counters answer to the owners, not friggin neurotic share
holders. That means a lot. Share holders (the big insuance or pension
managers) can force an ass-rape on a company and then sell when the price
start to go down. Owners are in for the long haul.

That said, I do try to go to the BORG when I can to support the local tax
base. Menards is "just a bit outside" my village's boundaries, but they
still get a substantial percentage of my money.

I'm sorry, but I have no idea what "Menards" might be.




"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
Brian Elfert wrote:

jj writes:

Well, from the responses. It is not just my imagination or the local
area stores but every where Home Depot has gone down hill. I too, to the
tune of several thousand dollars a year (remodeling projects) was spent
at Home Depot but have since been purchasing mostly from Lowes. Lowes
here in the PNW have 4 times as many clerks about twice as many people
on the floor as Home Depot. BTW, I did send corporate a letter. Usually,

Lowes may have more floor employees, but they charge a LOT more to pay
for
them. A 2x4 8 foot usually costs around $2.69 at Home Depot, but will
cost genrally around $3.69 at Lowes. I've found just about everything
to
be more at Lowes. I only go to Lowes if nobody else has an item. Also,
the nearest Lowes is a 15 mile trip each way.

Is that a wet fir 2x4 with mold on it or a dry pine 2x4 sans mold?

I've been doing most of my shopping at Menards recently even though HD
is
only about a mile or two further. Menards prices are always the same or
less than HD these days. Home Depot was the cheapest three or four
years ago, but HD prices have gone way up.

Brian Elfert

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

"J. Clarke" wrote in
:


I'm sorry, but I have no idea what "Menards" might be.

You might want to do a quick search for their website and have a look.
(I think it's www.menards.com but don't quote me on that.) Most stores
have about everything you'll need to build and maintain a house and then
some.

Given the choice between Menards and Home Depot/Lowes, I usually go
Menards. (We live about halfway between Menards and HD.)

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

"Ed Walsh" edwalsh@dev_null wrote:

BTW - I have sent at least 4 complaints about poor service to HD
corporate. I got back a form letter about how sorry they were and 4
gift cards in varying amounts up to $20. Don't know what ****ed me
off more, the measly attempt of appeasement with the gift cards or the
form letters.

So you got at least $24 from them and maybe more like $35. I'm thinking you
need to keep the cards and letters coming until you save up enough cards
for something you want but don't need. :-)

Puckdropper wrote:

"J. Clarke" wrote in
:


I'm sorry, but I have no idea what "Menards" might be.

You might want to do a quick search for their website and have a look.
(I think it's www.menards.com but don't quote me on that.) Most stores
have about everything you'll need to build and maintain a house and then
some.

Given the choice between Menards and Home Depot/Lowes, I usually go
Menards. (We live about halfway between Menards and HD.)

I was being facetious. The closest Menards to me is several hundred miles
away and across a national border.

Puckdropper

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

"J. Clarke" writes:

I'm sorry, but I have no idea what "Menards" might be.

Menards is the third largest "Home Improvement" chain based in Eau Claire,
Wisconsin. Stores are located mainly in the midwest in Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Michigan, Nebraska, North/South
Dakota.

Some of their old stores are poorly laid out, but the new stores are
really nice. They are much closer to a lumberyard than HD or Lowes. They
actually have a outdoor lumberyard at the stores so stuff can be put
directly into a vehicle instead of loaded in a cart and hauled outside.

The Menard family is also big into racing. Various Menard family members
have been on the Indy and Nascar racing circuits.

Brian Elfert

On Wed, 2 Aug 2006 20:42:49 -0400, "Tim Taylor"
wrote:


"Charlie" wrote in message
roups.com...
What do you expect from a company that would sponsor a jerk like Tony
Stewart ! ! !


EASY NOW!!!!! He's better than Jeff Gordon. And Robby Gordon for that matter
of fact.

And everybody else too.

On Thu, 03 Aug 2006 06:46:47 GMT, Lobby Dosser
wrote:

"Ed Walsh" edwalsh@dev_null wrote:

BTW - I have sent at least 4 complaints about poor service to HD
corporate. I got back a form letter about how sorry they were and 4
gift cards in varying amounts up to $20. Don't know what ****ed me
off more, the measly attempt of appeasement with the gift cards or the
form letters.

So you got at least $24 from them and maybe more like $35. I'm thinking you
need to keep the cards and letters coming until you save up enough cards
for something you want but don't need. :-)

Hmmm. They sent me a no-limit 10% off coupon.

The local HD here(central Texas) went to the single checkout and
computer self check and my experiences were all negative. Each time I
got a receipt there was a suggestion to take a survey about my
experience that trip so I went home and chimed in with my 2 cents worth.
But a year later nothing has changed much.

For all lumber and other long or heavy items I go to a lumber yard here
just to keep from handling the stock so much and also to avoid the HD
checkouts. Luckly we have two lumberyards that do a pretty good job on
most items.

Ron T

On Wed, 02 Aug 2006 17:34:37 -0700, Dan wrote:

wrote:
automated checkouts

I love those things.


Me too.

Recently bought a bunch of lumber, including 5 2x6's, at the
local Home Depot. Idiot who rang me up charged me for 6.
How hard is it to count to 5, for christ sake?
Dan

I once had to tell a cashier at a McDonald's how much change to give
me. She couldn't figure it out so asked me how much she had to give
me. I told her (honestly), but also feel sad at having to do that.

George Max wrote:

I once had to tell a cashier at a McDonald's how much change to give
me. She couldn't figure it out so asked me how much she had to give
me. I told her (honestly), but also feel sad at having to do that.

Recently bought some wine at a local QFC grocery. If you buy more than
6, they give you 10% off. For some goofy reason, if they don't ring the
wine up 1st, the register can't just figure the 10% off the wine only,
so they had to enter the discount separately. Wine total was something
like $79.85, the cashier actually had to go get a calculator to figure
the 10% discount. I know what you mean, I felt sorry for her.

Dan

In article ,
says...
On Thu, 03 Aug 2006 06:46:47 GMT, Lobby Dosser
wrote:

"Ed Walsh" edwalsh@dev_null wrote:

BTW - I have sent at least 4 complaints about poor service to HD
corporate. I got back a form letter about how sorry they were and 4
gift cards in varying amounts up to $20. Don't know what ****ed me
off more, the measly attempt of appeasement with the gift cards or the
form letters.

So you got at least $24 from them and maybe more like $35. I'm thinking you
need to keep the cards and letters coming until you save up enough cards
for something you want but don't need. :-)

Hmmm. They sent me a no-limit 10% off coupon.


I've followed this thread pretty closely and I'm puzzled. Aren't there
ANY Home Depot employees and or members of their management reading this
that can refute even SOME of the negative comments that have been
posted? Or, do they all agree with the general conclusions espressed
that HD's product selection, overall performance, etc. has really
degraded. Hmmm?

On Thu, 03 Aug 2006 14:24:45 -0700, Dan wrote:

George Max wrote:

I once had to tell a cashier at a McDonald's how much change to give
me. She couldn't figure it out so asked me how much she had to give
me. I told her (honestly), but also feel sad at having to do that.

Recently bought some wine at a local QFC grocery. If you buy more than
6, they give you 10% off. For some goofy reason, if they don't ring the
wine up 1st, the register can't just figure the 10% off the wine only,
so they had to enter the discount separately. Wine total was something
like $79.85, the cashier actually had to go get a calculator to figure
the 10% discount. I know what you mean, I felt sorry for her.

Dan

Some folks just don't have any math ability. I've been truly blessed,
perhaps gifted. I can do 3 figure multiply problems, calculate 9.75%
sales tax and add that to the total in my head. In college I aced
every math course I took and sometimes never bought the textbook. I
took accelerated math courses too--an entire course squeezed into 5
days. My grandfather was the same way. The math ability comes in
handy with woodworking. BTW, my history and reading skills suck.

wrote:
When I become an employee, _then_ (and only then) I'll do the
checkout...meanwhile, it's there job.

I don't care whose job it is, I just want in and out expeditiously, and
that occurs when I do stuff for myself. I much prefer pumping my own
gas and serving myself at restaurants so that I don't have to wait on
someone else.

But, I'm pleased that others feel the way you do. That keeps the
self-serve lines short. :-)

You can be assured I won't be in either the self-serve or the manned
checkout line at a BORG often enough to be an issue in their traffic
count!

Of course, it's easier since there isn't one within 60 miles but I
wouldn't go if it were as long as the _real_ lumberyard that we've
dealt with for 60+ years is still here--and hopefully it can make it
another 10 or so and I'll no longer care much in all likelihood.
There, there are no such things as "check out lines" and such so there
are no moronic checkers. A good ol' order form is written out that has
whatcha' took on it, and the end of the month a copy of them shows up
in the mail--a check goes back next time go to town.

Those who feel that Home Depot needs to improve their customer service
should do something I've done a few times at one of their local outlets.

Call the store while waiting in line, ask to speak to the manager on duty,
when they come on the line ask them why they aren't monitoring the cashiers
and helping to move the lines along.

Embarass them into better service.

It's resulted in better service each time I've done it, also got the guy who
was demanding to see every shoppers reciept before allowing them to leave
the building assigned to a different job as he was actively ****ing off
customers with his in your face attitude.

It may not solve the corporate problems that exist at a higher level but it
helps pass the time while waiting in line and it reminds the manager that
there are actual people in their store.

John E.

"Tex" wrote in message
m...
In article ,
says...
On Thu, 03 Aug 2006 06:46:47 GMT, Lobby Dosser
wrote:

"Ed Walsh" edwalsh@dev_null wrote:

BTW - I have sent at least 4 complaints about poor service to HD
corporate. I got back a form letter about how sorry they were and 4
gift cards in varying amounts up to $20. Don't know what ****ed me
off more, the measly attempt of appeasement with the gift cards or
the
form letters.

So you got at least $24 from them and maybe more like $35. I'm thinking
you
need to keep the cards and letters coming until you save up enough
cards
for something you want but don't need. :-)

Hmmm. They sent me a no-limit 10% off coupon.


I've followed this thread pretty closely and I'm puzzled. Aren't there
ANY Home Depot employees and or members of their management reading this
that can refute even SOME of the negative comments that have been
posted? Or, do they all agree with the general conclusions espressed
that HD's product selection, overall performance, etc. has really
degraded. Hmmm?

George Max wrote:

I once had to tell a cashier at a McDonald's how much change to give
me. She couldn't figure it out so asked me how much she had to give
me. I told her (honestly), but also feel sad at having to do that.

My guess is that anybody under the age of 40, never learned how to
"make change" when they were in grade school.

Ain't calculators grand?

Lew

Patriarch wrote:
"Ed Walsh" edwalsh@dev_null wrote in
:

BTW - I have sent at least 4 complaints about poor service to HD
corporate. I got back a form letter about how sorry they were and 4
gift cards in varying amounts up to $20. Don't know what ****ed me
off more, the measly attempt of appeasement with the gift cards or the
form letters.

The solution, as someone already said, if for lots of people to send
them complaint letters (emails)

The solution is to buy from somebody else. Anybody else, but preferably
someone local, who knows your name when you come in. Even if you're 'just
a homeowner'.

Patriarch

Agreed. Recently moved about 25 miles and am re-skinning an old 63x48
pole building of which about a third will become woodshop. Wasn't
happy with the old (pre-move) local lumber yard -- pricy and marginal
service. Soon after the move one of the yards from a third community
moved out of that town to a location with better interstate access.
Their new location, by geographic accident, made them my closest source
for lumber. Having previously been to the various BORG's looking for a
12x12 overhead door as part of the re-skinning project I wondered into
the new yard. Turns out they actually have pole building crews -- so
spec-ing the door was easy. Me: "I'm looking for an overhead door to
replace a slider on a pole building." Guy behind counter: "You'll
probably need to build a header. Here's how we generally frame the
headers ... " Price was competitive, standards and practices knowledge
save me atleast an hour or two of figuring out. No way I would have
gotten that from a BORG where the kid who sells doors wouldn't
recognize a framing hammer if it left a waffle pattern between his
eyes.

An additional bonus, my move upgraded the quality of the nearest
hardware store -- nails in bins!

hex
-30-

On Fri, 04 Aug 2006 03:29:38 GMT, Lew Hodgett
wrote:

George Max wrote:

I once had to tell a cashier at a McDonald's how much change to give
me. She couldn't figure it out so asked me how much she had to give
me. I told her (honestly), but also feel sad at having to do that.

My guess is that anybody under the age of 40, never learned how to
"make change" when they were in grade school.

Ain't calculators grand?

Lew

Calculators are nice, but they are the death of actual math skills.
My own math skills are not what they once were thanks to the crutch
that they are.

Lew Hodgett wrote in news:CazAg.4372$0e5.2886
@newsread4.news.pas.earthlink.net:


My guess is that anybody under the age of 40, never learned how to
"make change" when they were in grade school.

Ain't calculators grand?

Lew

I have a computer program that will do it for me. It gives you the
fewest number of coins possible, too. (It was one of the first things I
wrote in my CS classes, but that's beside the point.)

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

John Emmons wrote:

It's resulted in better service each time I've done it, also got the guy who
was demanding to see every shoppers reciept before allowing them to leave
the building assigned to a different job as he was actively ****ing off
customers with his in your face attitude.

AFAIK, there's no regulation requiring you to show them your purchases. My
response has always been if they think I'm shoplifting, call the cops. Then
I mention false arrest. Always worked so far. I've noted that most of the
stores in my area (WA state) don't even do this anymore.

--
It's turtles, all the way down

Larry Blanchard said:

John Emmons wrote:

It's resulted in better service each time I've done it, also got the guy who
was demanding to see every shoppers reciept before allowing them to leave
the building assigned to a different job as he was actively ****ing off
customers with his in your face attitude.

AFAIK, there's no regulation requiring you to show them your purchases. My
response has always been if they think I'm shoplifting, call the cops. Then
I mention false arrest. Always worked so far. I've noted that most of the
stores in my area (WA state) don't even do this anymore.

They don't do "exit interviews" at the HD's here, but at the local
SAM's Club, the line for the "door attendant" can get longer than
those at the registers.

Then do as I do. Walk around the line and out the door. Easy eh?

"Tom Veatch" . wrote in message
...
They don't do "exit interviews" at the HD's here, but at the local
SAM's Club, the line for the "door attendant" can get longer than
those at the registers.

"CW" wrote in message
Then do as I do. Walk around the line and out the door. Easy eh?

Only works up to a point. If you need something, then you need it. Leaving,
and driving somewhere else will inconvenience you a great deal longer than
being given the once-over by an attendant.

I don't know where you get that from. Simply buy the thing and leave. Skip
the twit at the door. He is no more than an annoyance.

"Upscale" wrote in message
...
"CW" wrote in message
Then do as I do. Walk around the line and out the door. Easy eh?

Only works up to a point. If you need something, then you need it.
Leaving,
and driving somewhere else will inconvenience you a great deal longer than
being given the once-over by an attendant.

J. Clarke wrote:
pe wrote:

On Wed, 02 Aug 2006 08:24:42 -0400, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

wrote:

On Tue, 1 Aug 2006 20:12:50 -0500, "todd" wrote:

"dpb" wrote in message
egroups.com...

wrote:
automated checkouts

I love those things.

When I become an employee, _then_ (and only then) I'll do the
checkout...meanwhile, it's there job.

And you go to full-service gas stations too, right?

I certainly do. They create more jobs and cost the same.

You mean you can _find_ one?

We actually have quite a few, even big name one's like ESSO.
There are 4 in a one mile stretch alone.

Where would that be? Didn't realize that ESSO was still being used as a
brand name.


Exxon is Esso in Canada and England. They are one of the older Oil
Companies around
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

In article et, CW
wrote:

I don't know where you get that from. Simply buy the thing and leave. Skip
the twit at the door. He is no more than an annoyance.

Exactly so. If he wants to follow me out to my car he's welcome to, but
I'm under no obligation to stop for him, show him my receipt, or queue
to leave the store.

bdeditch wrote:


J. Clarke wrote:
pe wrote:

On Wed, 02 Aug 2006 08:24:42 -0400, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

wrote:

On Tue, 1 Aug 2006 20:12:50 -0500, "todd" wrote:

"dpb" wrote in message
egroups.com...

wrote:
automated checkouts

I love those things.

When I become an employee, _then_ (and only then) I'll do the
checkout...meanwhile, it's there job.

And you go to full-service gas stations too, right?

I certainly do. They create more jobs and cost the same.

You mean you can _find_ one?

We actually have quite a few, even big name one's like ESSO.
There are 4 in a one mile stretch alone.

Where would that be? Didn't realize that ESSO was still being used as a
brand name.


Exxon is Esso in Canada and England. They are one of the older Oil
Companies around

I know who ESSO is, they were ESSO when I was a kid, but haven't seen that
named used in decades.

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

On Fri, 04 Aug 2006 19:48:13 -0400, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

.... snip


I know who ESSO is, they were ESSO when I was a kid, but haven't seen that
named used in decades.


Where I grew up they were ENCO stations --- likewise haven't seen that
name in decades either.


--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)


+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 13:29:36 -0700, jj wrote:

I used to shop a lot at HOME DEPOT around these parts, because it was
the closet to me. But a while back they eliminated all of the checkers
except for one and have those stupid automated checkouts that are a pain
in the @#$!$. There is no such thing as a quick trip to HD any more. The
lines are often 10 or 12 deep. Now I just avoid HD and go to Lowes. A
couple of miles farther away but a damn site faster than going to HD.

Also, I have noticed a lot less employees on the floor in HD than Lowes.

The last time I was in HD (months ago) I mentioned to an employee how I
thought the store was going down the tubes. They replied I don't know
the half of it. They mentioned something about a new CEO. Sigh, probably
another example of a CEO ruining a company while at the same time
getting rewarded with hugh bonuses.

How's HD in your area?

It isn't at all... We've got Menard's, and he leans on the local
government to keep everyone else out. But, they're the same story as
the rest of them.

But I keep wondering when I see these threads about the HD and Lowes-
Where I'm at, there are Farm and Fleet stores peppered around, and in
other areas, there is Fleet Farm, which I'm led to understand is
almost the same store. Now, they don't stock lumber, so I can't get
that there, but for general hardware and tools, they've got people who
stay right in their areas and know where things are at, and will order
anything they don't have on hand for you. They carry Delta,
Porter-Cable, DeWalt, Milwalkee, etc.- and tend to have a better
selection than the smaller tool stores, even up to some fairly big
iron. They still sell fasteners out of bins so you don't need to buy
400 screws when you only need two, and there are always at least 8
checkout lanes open. Prices usually match or beat Amazon, and they do
warranty work in the store's shop if they can, and exchange things
without much hassle if they can't.

Now, I don't know if that's just a local chain- but I wonder if a lot
of people are just missing it because it has "Farm" in the name.
Really a good place to get your woodworking stuff, and decent service-
as well as an excellent paint department. Might be worth a look if
they're around and you're just choosing between Home Depot and Lowes.

I try to support the local guys as much as possible, but the Do It
Best in town is never open, and the local lumberyard kind of went to
hell when they moved to a new bigger location and started selling
everything they could think of, so the Farm and Fleet is where it's
at. At least it's supporting people who seem to care about what
they're doing- unlike the big box stores (which I have frequented in
the past, and now know they aren't worth a two-hour drive)

On Thu, 03 Aug 2006 02:49:00 GMT, "Hedley"
wrote:

Don't knock Menards. Typically lower prices than the BORG, they hire cute
girls, and there is ALWAYS someone on the floor. Clueless or not, they try
to be helpful.

Menards is privately held, by the way. They may have bean counters, but
those bean counters answer to the owners, not friggin neurotic share
holders. That means a lot. Share holders (the big insuance or pension
managers) can force an ass-rape on a company and then sell when the price
start to go down. Owners are in for the long haul.

That said, I do try to go to the BORG when I can to support the local tax
base. Menards is "just a bit outside" my village's boundaries, but they
still get a substantial percentage of my money.

Here's the problem with Menards, though- they'd be all right if John
Menard had the slightest concern about his business practices, but
he's a rotten neighbor. The distribution and manufacturing centers
are local to my area, and he's constantly in trouble for dumping toxic
waste into the local ecology, from burning huge piles of PT lumber to
pouring tens of thousands of gallons of paint where they ended up in
the river. The employes in that manufacturing compound are (on
average) paid less than the average late-night stocker at WalMart and
work in unheated/uncooled buildings with uncountable OSHA violations.
The guy just finds it cheaper to keep paying the fines than to fix the
problems, and does whatever he can to make sure he can keep raping the
area.

Now I'll grant you that all that is pretty much SOP for any large
company I'm familiar with, and I'm sure HD and Lowes are guilty of
many of the same things, though they may be doing them in other
countries- but it's still really tough to support that kind of
behavior, especially when the guy keeps doing it in his own home town.

That, and they're forgetting who they are- I went there today to get a
couple of things and walked into a coffee shop, and then passed a huge
section that looked like a Pier One store before I even found any
tools or building materials. Not what I like in a hardware store-
especially one that fights like the devil to keep any and all
competition out of 100 mile radius of headquarters.

The last time I was in HD (months ago) I mentioned to an employee how I
thought the store was going down the tubes. They replied I don't know
the half of it. They mentioned something about a new CEO. Sigh, probably
another example of a CEO ruining a company while at the same time
getting rewarded with hugh bonuses.


Yep, numbers driven short term profit fixation, at the expense of long term
health of HD and long term profits. After this CEO gets short term profits
way up, he will make 20 million or so for himself after many employees are
laid off, then sales will start falling off after customers grow tired of
HD's crappy customer service, then the CEO will leave with his golden
parachute, stores will close. Then Home Depot will have an epithany: "hey
let's hire more employees to better serve our customers! Let's be customer
service focused!" (gee, like you USED to be) So then they'll start hiring
more people again, customer service will get better, customers will come
back. Then after everyone is happy, another CEO will come along to slash
the number of employees, to raise short term profits, etc........so on and
so forth..............corporate bull**** 101.........pencil necked geeks
with their excel spreadsheets.

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On Fri, 04 Aug 2006 23:39:44 -0500, Prometheus
wrote:

On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 13:29:36 -0700, jj wrote:

....snip
How's HD in your area?

It isn't at all... We've got Menard's, and he leans on the local
government to keep everyone else out. But, they're the same story as
the rest of them.

But I keep wondering when I see these threads about the HD and Lowes-
Where I'm at, there are Farm and Fleet stores peppered around, and in
other areas, there is Fleet Farm, which I'm led to understand is
almost the same store. Now, they don't stock lumber, so I can't get
that there, but for general hardware and tools, they've got people who
stay right in their areas and know where things are at, and will order
anything they don't have on hand for you. They carry Delta,
Porter-Cable, DeWalt, Milwalkee, etc.- and tend to have a better
selection than the smaller tool stores, even up to some fairly big
iron. They still sell fasteners out of bins so you don't need to buy
400 screws when you only need two, and there are always at least 8
checkout lanes open. Prices usually match or beat Amazon, and they do
warranty work in the store's shop if they can, and exchange things
without much hassle if they can't.

Now, I don't know if that's just a local chain- but I wonder if a lot
of people are just missing it because it has "Farm" in the name.
Really a good place to get your woodworking stuff, and decent service-
as well as an excellent paint department. Might be worth a look if
they're around and you're just choosing between Home Depot and Lowes.


Not a whole lot of places with the name "Farm" in them here in Tucson (at
least that I know of, would love to be told differently.

Where I grew up in Colorado we had something called Ranch Wholesale that
was an excellent source for tools and hardware at reasonable prices. The
local COOP was always pretty expensive but well-stocked. The local small
lumber yard is still in business (I went to school with the owner's son,
who, with his brother, now runs the place). Good service, good
conversation, as Dad says, "their prices are a little higher, but they know
what they are selling, will listen to what I need it for and make sure I
get the right thing" Beats the heck out of the Borgs' business models.

My Lowe's story for the day: went to get some stuff I needed for the yard
today; took along a $10 off for purchases over $50. When I got to the
register, I had 4 things in my hand: the $10 off card and 3 gift
certificates (they are sold by our school through a fund-raising program in
which the merchants who participate donate a percentage of the purchase
price to the selling organization). Cashier rang up the purchase and
applied the three gift cards, *then* saw the coupon (I did mention it was
on top of my stack of cards, didn't I?). At this time, there was $19.95
left: "sorry, I can't ring up the discount now because the amount has to be
over $50 for the system to accept the discount and I've already applied
gift cards, so I can't take them off. Let me find a supervisor" Turns out
I had to go to the service desk, have one of the items be "returned", then
have the card applied to that amount. Now, it seems to me that an
intelligently written POS (that's Point of Sale) system would look at the
*purchase* total when applying discounts for which conditions apply, not at
the current remaining amount. But then, that's just me. As I expected, I
spent about 15 minutes in the return line (I was first in line) waiting for
the right manager with the right override card to be able to apply the
right amounts. Once that nonsense was sorted out, the girl with the shiny
stone stuck in the side of her nose pulled the cash for the whole refund,
then applied the amount to the new purchase with the $10 discount applied
and handed me $10.78 in change. I tried to tell her that I should only
receive $10 if this was properly applied, but she insisted that the change
was correct, "it must be due to the tax". At that point, I gave up and
left.

Now, in their defense, a month ago, they did replace some mini-blinds we
bought from them over 1 1/2 years ago that had broken their retraction
cords and went out of their way to interface between us and the supplier,
so sometimes they do get it right.



+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Dave Balderstone wrote in
news:040820061610387086%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderst one.ca:

In article et, CW
wrote:

I don't know where you get that from. Simply buy the thing and leave.
Skip the twit at the door. He is no more than an annoyance.

Exactly so. If he wants to follow me out to my car he's welcome to,
but I'm under no obligation to stop for him, show him my receipt, or
queue to leave the store.

I tried that with no luck at the Best Buy on 23rd and 6th Ave in Manhattan.
They got a bit nasty and referred to a notice on the door that warned about
the right to inspect bags upon leaving. What do you do in that case?


--
Best regards
Han
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