Rant - I'm trying to spend money, and getting little/no help.......:)

[FinanceDude]

I am remodeling my basement, so I am spending money. I keep going into stores and every employee is standing around talking and not helping anyone.

Last Friday I got fed up. I found a reciprocating saw I wanted after finding it buried in some aisle. NO employee helped me or even acknowledged me. When I got to the checkout I asked to speak to the manager on duty.

He came over and asked what was the problem. I told him I wanted 20% off the price on the recip. saw. He said he couldn't do that. I told him that was fine, I would go somewhere else and buy it. I threw in the fact that the store was dead and I STILL couldn't get anyone to help me, and was that the business model he was trying to run?

We struck a deal.........

I found it amazing that in a bad economy customer service seems at an all-time low........

I had 3 employees watch me load 50 2X4's on a cart......that's pretty funny.......

 

[REWahoo]

I'm seeing just the reverse here. My last two trips to Home Despot I was swarmed with folks asking if they could help. Never seen anything near that level of CS prior to the last couple of months.

 

[calmloki]

I'm seeing just the reverse here. My last two trips to Home Despot I was swarmed with folks asking if they could help. Never seen anything near that level of CS prior to the last couple of months.

Ditto - getting lots of people asking if they can help - darn few of them are capable of helping, but they have the asking part down pat. FD - shop Costco - the help doesn't swarm you, but they seem genuinely desirous of helping and give it a darn good try if you ask! Kinda the way i like it...

 

[Moemg]

I went into local furniture store .Granted I had just come from the gym so I had my gym clothes on but no one would help me . I was seriously interested in some furniture . I even went to where the owner was sitting and she still ignored me . They now have huge sale signs in their window maybe I'll stop in again and see what happens . Usually I would not return to a store that would ignore me but they have some really unique items.

 

[Telly]

FD, I'm seeing similar effects. Except for Home Depot on a Saturday or Sunday, which I try to avoid, I don't like the weekend crowds and traffic.

People standing around, or totally clueless. Have had people come up to "help me", then want to start arguing with me if I don't take their "advice" as fact.

I got really fed-up with a Lowes store. The parking lot is empty during any weekday any time of day when I'd go there, it is an under-performing store, it's screamingly obvious. Yet when I go there, I have to find everything myself, I won't work myself up here recounting the unbelievably stupid responses I have gotten there, and rudeness too, when I have been nice but knowledgeable.

And almost every time I buy stuff, there is always a problem at the register. And other people get called over, things get deleted, and I end up waiting 10 to 30 minutes more, just to pay them $ for the stuff!!!!
The last time was with a Lowes Gift Card I received as a present. After all the hassle, there were some $ of value left on the card. I wanted them to issue me a NEW card for the remaining $ on it, so I wouln't have to go through all the crap again at another Lowes, or with a different person a different day. "NO No, we just wrote the PIN number on the back with a marker". So it will be okay now? "Yes" I don't think so, I said I wanted a new card. Over and over. Finally talked to some "manager" (I think they are as common as Bank V-P's were) who said they really wanted my business and blaa blaa blaa... but didn't offer to re-issue the Gift Card! and they were made aware of all the details. I was adamant, and finally got a re-issued Gift Card for the remaining amount. Never did they offer me anything to try to make up for the hassle.

So not only did they not try to keep me as a customer by making it up to me, but I had to come up with the solutions!

At any business, now is a great time to get rid of poor-performing personnel. There are plenty of capable people out there who want to work. I just don't think that many of these businesses have any idea which of their employees are good, and which need to be booted out the loading dock door.

 

[dex]

FD,
You live up north in Wis.; did they ever act as you are expecting?
People are always helpful where I live in the south.
Ask them where something is and they will walk you to it.

 

[ziggy29]

At any business, now is a great time to get rid of poor-performing personnel. There are plenty of capable people out there who want to work. I just don't think that many of these businesses have any idea which of their employees are good, and which need to be booted out the loading dock door.

You would think so. This is a time when it's easier to get rid of dead weight and find plenty of good people to replace them. Why any business would settle for mediocre employee performance is a little odd while the employers hold the upper hand; that it would tolerate less-than-mediocre performance is truly perplexing. You could dismiss the dead weight, put a "help wanted" sign out and have dozens of applicants in one day -- some of which are sure to be worth hiring.

 

[OAG]

I have be subjected to pretty good service lately. For instance I went into a store today to purchase a item on sale, purchased it, then wandered around the store and a total of 3 workers wanted to help me at different points. Just said I was just "looking" and they even left me alone from that point (which was nice to my way of thinking).

BTW the thing I was looking for was a flash card for my Camera (4 GB, LEXAR, card) regular price was $29.99 but had a advertised $22.00 discount so, with tax, the out the door price was $8.53. Big spender......

 

[Westernskies]

I am remodeling my basement, so I am spending money. I keep going into stores and every employee is standing around talking and not helping anyone.

Last Friday I got fed up. I found a reciprocating saw I wanted after finding it buried in some aisle. NO employee helped me or even acknowledged me. When I got to the checkout I asked to speak to the manager on duty.

He came over and asked what was the problem. I told him I wanted 20% off the price on the recip. saw. He said he couldn't do that. I told him that was fine, I would go somewhere else and buy it. I threw in the fact that the store was dead and I STILL couldn't get anyone to help me, and was that the business model he was trying to run?

We struck a deal.........

I found it amazing that in a bad economy customer service seems at an all-time low........

I had 3 employees watch me load 50 2X4's on a cart......that's pretty funny.......

Hint: Don't wear your FIRE Forum Tee-shirt next time...

 

[FinanceDude]

FD,
You live up north in Wis.; did they ever act as you are expecting?
People are always helpful where I live in the south.
Ask them where something is and they will walk you to it.

It is quite interesting. After 9/11, a LOT of folks in my area spent a lot of money on their homes and yards. The local Home Depot and Menards were swamped, and there were helpful folks everywhere.....

The nearest COSTCO is 45 minutes away, so I don't go there. There is a new Lowes near work (1/2 mile away) store is always dead and full of folks with no clue and unhelpful.

I found a retired guy from the trades at my local Home Depot. I started asking for him because he was the one EVERYONE called when they needed a question answered. I finally found out the days he works and only go when he's there.........

There is a local family-run store where the contractors go. However, their retail prices are about 10-15% above the big boxes. I buy some stuff there, mostl the stuff I can't find at the big boxes.........

Maybe I am expecting too much. When I worked in retail parttime as a college kid, I was the number one salesperson in my store, mostly because I helped folks.......

 

[FinanceDude]

Hint: Don't wear your FIRE Forum Tee-shirt next time...

Maybe it was the T-shirt with the Home Depot logo with a big red "X" through it.......

 

[Westernskies]

Maybe it was the T-shirt with the Home Depot logo with a big red "X" through it.......

I lovingly refer to them as AGENT ORANGE.

 

[HFWR]

The trick is to scout out the old guy who looks like he did construction for 40 years, then got a job at a big-box so he wouldn't have to crawl around under houses any more.

 

[W2R]

FD, I would be posting a rant if that had happened to me, too!! Glad you got a good deal on the saw.

 

[Westernskies]

Glad you got a good deal on the saw.

..they cut the price.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Ran into something similar doing some work for the in laws. Went to the local large chain (home depot) got the run around and very little help to get what I needed. My FIL is a saint. Maybe when I get to be his age Ill have the same patience No, doubt I wont make it that long..

 

[Koolau]

Customer Service can be hit or miss. I've had the best and most consistent at the smaller (but not small) stores e.g., City Mill, Ace.

Of the larger stores, Lowes seems the most consistently bad and HD is usually acceptable. I've found a consistently lower standard of service here on Oahu than I did in the midwest. Don't know if it's lack of training or just the culture. No one is unfriendly, but few are particularly interested in doing an outstanding job. I know I'm old, but I can gauge the help I'll receive by the age of the employee (yes, I know it's a generalization! I admitted I'm old, didn't I?)

 

[FinanceDude]

..they cut the price.

There is more ranting in the future, after I shop for cabinets, carpeting, countertops, and electrical.........

Our local codes don't allow anyone other than an electrician to do the electrical work. Kinda a shame, since my buddy helping me is an electrical engineer........

 

[calmloki]

There is more ranting in the future, after I shop for cabinets, carpeting, countertops, and electrical.........

Our local codes don't allow anyone other than an electrician to do the electrical work. Kinda a shame, since my buddy helping me is an electrical engineer........

owner can't wire his own home? not rental, but personal residence?

 

[KB]

I went to Home Depot this weekend and they had an employee staged by the front door asking people if they needed help finding anything. This is new and I appreciated the help.

 

[FinanceDude]

owner can't wire his own home? not rental, but personal residence?

Yeah, some stupid code from 30 years ago. All I would be doing is recessed can lights (12), outlets, a few 3-way switches, some dimmers, and a couple extra outlets for a microwave and a fridge. Elementary stuff, but the city obviously is supporting the local electricians.......

 

[bbbamI]

I had 3 employees watch me load 50 2X4's on a cart......that's pretty funny.......

They must have been marveling at the way you were handling the task. Perhaps they were taking notes....

I do believe you need to move to the south where you'll get a warmer reception.

 

[Westernskies]

Yeah, some stupid code from 30 years ago. All I would be doing is recessed can lights (12), outlets, a few 3-way switches, some dimmers, and a couple extra outlets for a microwave and a fridge. Elementary stuff, but the city obviously is supporting the local electricians.......

Elementary electrician:

 

[ERD50]

Our local codes don't allow anyone other than an electrician to do the electrical work. Kinda a shame, since my buddy helping me is an electrical engineer........

I would not assume that an electrical engineer would be qualified to do house wiring. Thought your guy may be.

While a EE will (should!) undertand all the concepts, 90% of wiring is mechanical. Some (not all) EEs are awful when it comes to mechanical stuff. I'm pretty good with mechanical stuff, but I had to do some research to understand just what some of those codes were about. You could violate tons of 'em, and the electrons would flow just fine and obey all the laws of physics, and even be perfectly safe. But.... you might make it really hard for the next guy coming along to know what you did, if he had to change something, or you might make a minor repair big hassle (bury a junction box behind a wall, for example).

Some of the codes are designed to protect you if X *and* Y both fail, and someone does some certain action, all at the same time. Even though any two of those may never create a problem. So those are actually kind of hard to visualize. But the codes have evolved over time, and that is one of the reasons that there are as few electrical injuries as there are, especially when you consider how may times a day people are coming into contact with it.

-ERD50

 

[travelover]

I have two Home Depots equidistant from my house. What I noticed right away was that one was staffed with people that sought you out to ask if you need help and one has employees that have that 100 mile stare (as in "I can't see you"). I also noted the bins were kept straight at the store with the helpful employees, the other HD's bins are a hodgepodge of mixed products, returns or just empty. I'm sure the difference is that one has a real manager and the other an empty suit.

On a similar vein, I'm trying to buy a new furnace and I'm amazed at the variety of attitudes out there. I don't expect special treatment, but when the economy is dead, you'd think they'd spend more that 15 minutes doing an estimate, and maybe even follow up with a phone call to see if you have questions. Oh well, I'm in no hurry and I'm sure prices are not going up any time soon.