DIY store IDJITS!

[steve]

I gotta ask, do they have a mandatory IQ test to get a job at Lowes or Home Depot?? I]m guessing they do, and if you do not come in , in the bottom 10% no job for you. ( Apologies to DIY store folks reading who actually know what they are doing)

During a big remodel project, I send the wife to Lowes to get either a reducing T (3/4-3/4 to 1/2" CPVC) or a reducing bushing, or a reducing coupling. I need probably 20 of these. Well, the wife who is pretty astute with most aspects of DIY stuff except plumbing............comes back with a bag full of stuff NOT my 1st choice of the reducing T's but stuff that will get me from 3/4 to 1/2".

Being in the middle of anther aspect of the remodel I shelved the bag to use later. Well, last nite is "later" I got the bag out, opened it up.............much to my surprise/dismay.........the bag is full of

1"-3/4 " reducing stuff.

Now, I distinctly remember the wife calling to ask specific sizes when the Lowes idjit was trying to put the needed plumbing bits together, she had specifically asked for 3/4" to 1/2" reducing stuff, had showed the idjit the sizes , and even the drawing in her notebook........and he kept assuring her that what he put together was what she needed.

I just have to wonder........"WHY" ? Why would the idjit do that, unless he was simply.............an Idjit? This wasn't a kid either, it was an adult middle aged man. Of course, I guess I just answered my own question right?? If he is working at Lowes at 45-50 years old............

Ok, sorry to blow off, but this is not the 1st time this has happened at the big 2 DIY stores ( both of which are a 35 mile round trip from me).

I guess my own intelligence should be questioned too, as far as why I keep going there.

Oh well Take care ya'll Steve

[Maker of Rules]

You can thank Mr.Bob Nardelli, HD's current CEO for that. Back when Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus ran it, the aisles were filled with tradespeople who knew their stuff-- plumbers, electricians, carpenters. Since Nardelli took over, he fired all the knowledgeable people to save money and put one former burger flipper in every three aisles.

That's his ideas of how to run a retail business-- I think he knows zip, zero, nada. What can you expect from a guy who came from GE. I guess he knows all about how to manufacture railroad locomotives, jet engines and refrigerators though.

[Harry K]

Well, if you want knowledgeable service, shop at a store that hires them. Clue, it ain't the big box stores...oh, right, everybody shops at the big boxes due to the cheap prices thus running the good shops out of business and then complain about the poor service.

Harry K

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Yes, it is a simple one question test.

Q. Will you work for $7.50 and hour and work nights, holidays and weekends?

If you answer "yes" report to the store manager for your assignment.

Ah, yes. You know the old saying "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice , , , , , ," Real hardware stores may or may not be better, but a plumbing supply house certainly would have been. Time to find better, more reliable sources.

[Dick Adams]

The problem as I see it is that these stores are becoming understaffed and many to most of the staff lack creoo-department knowledge and problem-solving skills. My HD (Ellicott City, MD) has more "know" people than "no clue" people, you just have to keep track of who's who.

Plumbing is the worst area in all stores because you really want someone who is a plumber and they can make a lot more money plumbing than they can make clerking! That is one of the reasons DIY stores are a great workplace for disabled tradesmen - they can really add value to any project.

Dick

[John Grabowski]

As a contractor and an occasional do-it-yourselfer I rarely send someone else for materials. When I do it is only after I have called in the order and verified the availability. Materials are too important for a job and should not be taken lightly. I shop around for the best prices and that usually means going to more than one supply house or home center to complete my list.

Sometimes I have customers offer to go buy materials thinking that they will save money. Although I cringe at the thought, I will give them a detailed written list, tell them where to go, give them a few days to make the purchases, and they always come back with an incomplete package.

When it comes to materials, you need to do it yourself. It is common knowledge that the employees of big chain stores are hit and miss as to their degree of expertise, attitude, and customer service skills. You just cannot count on someone qualified to be there to help you. Unfortunately shopping for materials is time consuming, but I consider it part of the planning process. A great deal of planning that is done at the beginning can be a big timesaver during the progress of the project. It always hurts if you need to stop in the middle of a job to run out and get materials.

[tbasc]

It happens that I spoke with an old friend two days ago. He's an ex rigger, ex construction generalist who I use for small repairs. He works in the lumber department of a Lowes, was "promoted" to manager and asked to be demoted after three months. When he doesn't know the answer to a customer's question, he calls an ex boss for information. His current shift is 3:00 AM to Noon.

He notes that of all the local Lowes, his is the only one that passed a recent inspection. Folks from his store were sent to other stores to work with staff. The staff who were supposed to be learning from him actually walked away when they saw a customer coming. TB

[Eric in North TX]

"Real hardware stores may or may not be better, but a plumbing supply house certainly would have been."

Maybe, but they often have a 2 tiered pricing scheme, one for contractors and one for DIYers. If they can sell a contractor a hand full of tees for $XX, why charge me $XX + 40%? I don't go there except to fill large orders, and when I do I am treated like a second classed citizen. From my viewpoint, their business model is out dated, and they deserve to go out of business to someone who gives contractor prices to anyone who walks in. I'd rather get raped by bad service than overcharging, it is just sad that I must make a choice.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Then don't complain about hte 35 mile trip to Lowes to get the wrong parts. Add 40% to what you paid, plus the time and inconvenience and see just how far ahead you are. There are a few supply houses that treat the DIY second class, but there are a lot of DIY that treat the counter help the same way.

[Jim McLaughlin]

"Maker of Rules" wrote:

And you must be one of the burger flippers, right? Botttom 10 %

The OP specified Loews, not HD in his post.

Try to apply a little reading comprehension before unleashing your ignorance here. Or, being in the bottom 10% are you incapable of reading?

[Steve B]

At least I won't be insulted by someone whose skill level is so high that he is working as a parts counter man. You know, the one who thinks I can't buy a gallon of sealant, self tapping screws, or a R&R sensor without being a contractor or "industry certified." And then being so stupid that I don't know the same items are half that price anywhere else.

Steve

[Maker of Rules]

Re-read the OP Jimmie boy-- it starts out talking about both Lowes and HD while the particular incident the OP related happened at Lowes. It is clear that his comment applies to both.

Are you so literal minded with so little ability to exercise critical thinking, generalize and abstract that you missed his original point-- and my response?

What percentile does that put you at my lad?

[Stormin Mormon]

Yep, I know what you mean about customer supplied parts. They think they can save two dollars, or they think they are "helping". And the part is wrong, or whatever. Very often they want you to share all your years of exprience to tell them what to look for, or what to avoid. And then at the end they want a discount cause they "helped". And if you give em enough wisdom and pointers, they just get the holesaw, or whatever, at the big box store, and do the job themselves. Which is what they planned, all along.

[Stormin Mormon]

And, so, you just took their word (wife, and the store guy) that they got the right parts. Didn't check until the exact instant you wanted to start work.

I'd like to nominate Steve for the Idjit award. Ladies and gentlemen of the news group, do I have a second for my nomination?

[JimL]

I agree that it is you with the problem, not the store.

Why in the world would you even entertain the idea that these guys are anything but untrained sales clerks?

They did their job perfectly - they sold an idiot a part, just like they were supposed to.

If you want expert advice, call the experts. Licensed journeyment are trained.

[Eric in North TX]

"Then don't complain about hte 35 mile trip to Lowes to get the wrong parts."

I don't; a: usually get the wrong parts b: travel more than 5 miles c: need that much help in the first place.

[Steve B]

I needed some sweat on copper fittings, so went to HD. I found them, and got a "contractor pack" of ten or so in a sealed plastic bag. But I needed

15, so I got five loose ones.

I got up to the checkout lane, and there weren't any bar codes on the individuals. I said just to figure out how much they were by the price for the bag and dividing by ten. She looked as if I had asked her to perform oral sex or a complicated calculus operation.

She called for the manager. The line piled up. She called for the manager. The line got longer. People were starting to talk. I said, for Chrissake, charge me for a bag. Said she couldn't scan an item twice. Against company policy and she would lose her job.

We waited longer.

After about ten minutes, I walked out, leaving about $250 in merchandise sitting there.

Steve

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, We don't have Lowes here but HD and Rona(Canadian). All the fittings I saw has little sticker attached to it with description and UPC code. And all the boxes on the shelf holding them are clearly marked what it contains.

[Craven Morehead]

time to visit

[Noozer]

Bahahaha... Have you ever actually checked the contents of these well marked bins? More often than not they contain a mix of all the stuff found in that aisle. The smaller the part, the more mixed up it is.