Heh. Well some people do expect a free consultation with half a dozen different professionals -- architect, plumber, electrician, tiler etc.
I don't expect that from HD or Lowes but I do get mightily pissed when I can't find anyone in the store who can tell me where they've hidden the XYZ widgets. And if I have to wait 15 mins in line at the checkout.
Dumb questions? How about a young person who needs to know how to hang a painting on a masonry wall, and nobody at HD has a clue? These are basic things their employees should know. What's the customer supposed to do? Hire a mason to answer his/her question about the appropriate hardware?
Buy the time-life book over toward the checkout?
Excuse me? Read my headers, asshole
allways a topic sure to take up a page or two of furum.... bash home depot.
Hah, The interior doorknobs and registers I bought from Lowes a little over 3 years ago are losing their brass(?) plating. The chrome light fixture I got at the same time is rusting.
I'm not saying HD's stuff is any better, on the contrary, I've learned to avoid the big box stores when I need "nice looking" stuff now.
I'm sure that there is some happy medium that would maximize profit and long term growth. In other words, keep a few- but not too many.
Good luck with your new boss.
Hint: For all big box stores, Kiosk? with location info need to be installed for the idiot customers who are too lazy to look around for their gadgets.
I didn't know paint cans had stress...who's going to pay for the therapy? Oh man....just another thing....
.....where the handful of screws will be so close in price to HD's that the young person won't even notice. And the project will be done in 1/2 hour, the right way, the first time.
The man's got class.
There's no way I can express how sorry I am for all of the stories you shared. I recognize that many of you were loyal and dedicated shoppers of The Home Depot ... and we let you down. That's unacceptable. Customers are our company's lifeblood - and the sole reason we have been able to build such a successful company is because of your support. The only way we're going to continue to be successful is by regaining your trust and confidence ... and we will do that.
We've already taken steps to cure many of the ills discussed on this message board:
But the real judge of all of these changes we're making is you. All I ask is that you please give us the opportunity to win you back. When you enter our stores, you should receive a personal greeting. After that, you should encounter a helpful associate who will walk you to find the tools, material or service you need. If you don't, please let us know ... just like Scott Burns did.
I'd like to thank Scott - his column about our company was insightful and revealing. You can easily tell that it struck a nerve with me. Scott, we'll do all in our power to again make The Home Depot the store you and your wife, Carolyn, once referred to as "our store." I'd also like to give my thanks to the many people who posted comments on this board. We want them. We need them ... to enable us to keep getting better. We're committed to being the company that helped set the standard for customer service excellence in home improvement. Please continue to hold us accountable.
Finally, message boards of this type do not allow us to respond directly to each poster, so please give us the chance to fix the many issues discussed on this board by writing to snipped-for-privacy@homedepot.com. You have my personal assurance that every effort will be made to address your concerns.
The Home Depot was built on great customer service, and we will rebuild on that tradition - just give us the chance!
Huh? Saying, "I'm sorry you got screwed, but things are different now! From now on, we will use condoms and KY Jelly!"
They blew it big time, and I hope they go down the tube.
I need stuff, and tomorrow, I'm going to Lowe's. Now I don't even consider Home Depot. Hell, Ace is better than Home Depot, and Ace is getting bad, too.
Steve
Hey Frank.
Stop by for a beer sometime.
I was suggesting that a kiosk(sp?) be installed in every store that lists the parts and where or what aisle and section the part is located.
You should be able to do it once and be essentially the same for every store for 95% of the parts.
And if it works, you could sell a little advertising space on it to pay for it.
Deke
Mr Blake might want to try listening to his employees - and not just managers. My son worked in a HD in NJ years ago. He and all the regulars saw what was going on and predict the decline. Many also left for Lowes. Perhaps giving every employee a book or two - Like Good to Great might help.
Lou
Wow, you still get the phone book? ;+}
If I caught my kid looking in that waste of tree's I would be disappointed
Google it.
-jtpr.
Maybe, but you'll probably not see some excellent locally owned stores in your google search. Or, they'll be buried in the middle of 418,000 hits.
Yeah, but around here (New Hampshire), I have yet to see a True Value or other like hardware store go under. When I dtalk to the owner's they say HD and Loews address a different market.
I only go to the big ones on Sunday for wood. No where else to get it.
-Jim
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