That orange store

I had a strange experience yesterday. I went to Home Depot.

No, not that one. This was an alternate universe Home Depot.

People worked there. They were visible, standing around the store in their little orange aprons. They asked how we were and could they help us? It was weird. I thought we must be in a TV commercial about Home Depot’s great “customer service,” but I couldn’t see any cameras.

I usually go to Lowe’s since they opened, but I found a Home Depot store credit from a long time ago that I needed to use. I was prepared for the worse, considering past experiences there.

Once I bought two toilets from a voice at the top of a stepladder. It assured me that those were “high quality toilets.” And if I “needed help getting them loaded there might be someone in Electric.”

One time I bought a ceiling fan from someone I finally had to bring over from Paint who didn’t understand why I kept asking questions that weren’t on the box.

Once I bought a 2” x 6” x 8’ piece of lumber from someone in Lumber who agreed to cut off 14” but informed me I would still have to pay for the original size. duh.

Then the final insult: getting to the checkout stand to find many stands, one checker, long line. There was another employee standing around whose sole duty was to tell us “there is no waiting in the self-checkout lane.” None of us seemed to want to learn this new skill.

One time I brought my car around to the wrong door and when I went in to pick up my stuff, everyone pointed and laughed. OK, maybe I imagined that last part.

I did learn something though that you might use. If you use store credit to buy something and take it right back with your receipt, they will give you real money back. At least that’s what happened in this alternate universe Home Depot.

Comments

[gus, louie and callie]

Dad spends a lot of time at that place. He is stopping today to get mom some more boards to paint for the trim..

Big Sloppy kisses
Gus, Louie and Callie

[Leslie]

I wont go there anymore because that is the kind of experiences I have there too. When it first opened it was great, but now you can never find anyone to help.

[Khyra]

I'll have a talk with their maskhot!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

[mb.]

funny how these things go. Here it is flipped: Home Depot is not bad & Lowe's is staffed with gap-year students who maybe watched someone wallpaper/paint/pour concrete/install a ceiling fan once ...in a video.

[Jan]

I guess it must be the management. I may go back to HD after this experience if Lowe's doesn't treat me like royalty.

[jackie]

my favorite home depot story is my friend david who does not suffer fools lightly..was in home dept and was going to buy a new washer/dryer..couldnt' find a salesperson to save his soul..so he goes up to the front of the store by the registers where they are checking out a shit load of people..and he calls me..i say whatcha doing?..he says out loud..really loud(im thinking what the fuck?) i'm at home depot..i have $1,500 to spend on a washer and fucking dryer.but I can't get one damn clerk to wait on me and I've been back there for over 30 fucking minutes(I'm starting to get the drift now)..so I says..'so..you going to go to lowes?' he said fuck yes im going to lowes, these sonsofbitches dont seem to care that I have $1,500 cash to spend on a washer and dryer(insert lots of fucks and goddamns here)' and he said bye I'll see you later and walked out the door..never been back since either..hahahahaha

[rosemary]

Home Depotty is the only act in town almost....except for those mom and pop lumber/toilet places that want 30% more. I hate HD....mostly women working there that know NOTHING and you have to wait 4 hours to get "Sid" the only male employee to help with anything heavier than a nail. Lowes is 55 miles way.....

[Sling]

I put in an application at HD a few months ago,when they were hiring in the lumber department.
I gave them a resume of all my experience in the construction and manufacturing trades.
They hired a 20 year old kid.
Paying for actual experience doesn't seem like anything they are anxious to do.

[linda]

i loved your comments about Home Depot... seems in canada.. same ol'same ol'... when home depot came here, they hired all 'older' well experienced folks... all for about 6 months.. then terminated them all after they'd taught all the lesser paid staff... what a racket! our town has just opened a Rona (canadian version of home depot and lowes) down near me... no more driving 50 miles round trip to Home Depot just to get ignored, not find what i want or yes there it is on the top shelf but nobody to help u get it.. at least i only had to drive 10 miles to get a bit better service ;)

[Jimmy]

We have both "Home Depot" & "Lowes" less than a mile apart. I have no preference. Personally, I like to go in to the garden section this time of year just to watch the scantily clad (potted plant buying) babes who like to in their yards.
If ya gotta suffer through those long check out lines, you might as well enjoy the view?

[SmartDogs]

I drive 45 minutes to shop at HD because when I shopt at the two stores in town (Menards and a local builder's supply) I completely understand how a suicide bomber feels.

The HD in Rochester, MN is filled with polite, helpful people who cheerfully answer endless questions and carry things for middle-aged women with cripped arms. They also cut lumber, plywood, siding and rebar to size - a request that just got me blank looks here in town.

[georgie]

I don't like HD at all, poor signage,cluttered, hard to find stuff,even harder to find a knowledgeable employee. Lowes-love Lowes. Easier signage, good customer service, nicer atmosphere, oftentimes better prices. Now, if they would just allow us to bring well mannered dogs in the store again. It used to be really fun to poke around and look at merchandise with a poodle.
A tip, go to their websites to look for items before you go to the store. Print out the info (making sure it says item is available in store). Then when you go in to HD and they say they don't carry something or give you a higher price you can show them proof. This works at Office Max too.

[the 4 Bs]

that's an interesting experience. i shop at Lowe's, just because it's closer. those stores are all frustrating for me - i can't find anything, can't find anyone to help me, and then i don't know how to use whatever it was that i bought. i'm totally lame at home improvement. i guess it's not the store's fault.

[jan's funny farm]

Yeah, sometimes going to HD is like traveling to a lonely new world.