1. Home
  2. Woodworking Forum
  3. Lumber Yard trip

Lumber Yard trip

Went to the lumber yard today to pick up some lumber for shelves in a storage closet. I wanted 1 sheet of 3/4 ply either a-b or b-c or something similar no real requirements. 2 2"x6"x8' in "wood". Got to counter ordered wood, griped about how plywood is always going up, got ticket and went to the yard to get lumber. Kid working in yard first brought out a sheet of very poor 3/8" chip board, I refused it and told him 3/4 ply, he told me the

3/8 was good enough and he told me that they didn't carry 3/4. Had him call the desk and ask where it was, he did and couldn't find the rack ( My fault I was standing next to it). when I pointed it out he couldn't figure what the b-c meant and refused to get it off the rack, told me to get it myself. He then went to get the 2 by 6 s and came back with out them, couldn't find them, I was looking at them at the time. I dumped the 3/4 ply in the yard and went back to the desk and complained, they gave me my money back and told me that they couldn't get good help, No Sorry or anything. Now a 60 mile trip to Lowe's for the wood, where is the Mexican labor when you need it. Just gripping
Reply to
sweet sawdust
Loading thread data ...

Went to Lowes on Friday to buy a few sheets of Birch ply. It went up $11/sheet between Thursday 5:00 and Friday 5:00. I ended up with two sheets of BC ply for about what the Birch ply was the day before. The housing recession must be over.

Reply to
keithw86

IF I got that much crap from the kid, I would have told him I would get it myself and found the A-A ply then found some really nice sticks. There is a place in West Los Angeles that specializes in plywood - if it exists, they have it - might cost you though. The place is called Anderson's Plywood on Sepuleveda Blvd. Haven't been to Lows for wood, but my son told me that they have some real crap - not much better is Home Depot.

Reply to
Seen

Did worse then that. Later yesterday I went to the Library and met the owner of the lumberyard. He wanted to know if I knew of anyone who does embroidery on shirts. Told him sure I had a list and would bring it to him as soon as I got back from Lowe's getting a sheet of b-c plywood and a couple of 2 bys. He wanted to know why I didn't get them from him? Told him I tried but they couldn't find the ply or 2 bys when I went there. I thought he was going to blow a gasket, red face, white Knuckles the whole works. He told me to go home, no please, when you get ready or anything else just go home. He left without even checking out his books. 30 minutes later lumber was delivered to my house at a hefty discount. Driver had several other pieces of lumber on truck and was laughing his head off. Told me that kid had loaded truck with 3 orders that he couldn't find material for and he was delivering all of them. Small towns can be strange.

Around here Lowe's has good plywood and lousy everything else, HD has crap the local yards have a mixed bag.

Reply to
sweet sawdust

If the kid wasn't such an idiot to start with, the owner should have made him deliver the stuff personally on his own time and apologize personally. If he refused, I'm sure in this economy and with his lumberyard skillz he'd be free to enjoy the summer.

You do have to wonder - if the owner looked like he was going to pop just talking to you in a library, what do you think he looked like to the terrified kid? :)

R
Reply to
RicodJour

I love a story with a happy ending. This is better than Cinderella.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

I do too. If this hadn't happened to me I wouldn't have believed it either (that's the fairy tale part right). This lumber yard just about went under

10 yrs ago and then for some unknown reason brought in some new sales staff who started working customer service hard. I think he might remember when he went from the biggest yard in the area to almost bankrupt to the biggist yard in the area and what made a difference. I do know they work hard to keep me out of Lowe's and for the most part it works. >
Reply to
sweet sawdust

They may be strange, but screwing up by lackadaisical attitude when everybody knows everyone else is a really bad idea. Can't imagine the carnage back at the yard and the "discussion" the kid had with his boss. Hopefully the lesson will stick with the kid and he'll straighten up.

Reply to
Mark & Juanita

would

anything

Sounds like maybe the kid is a relative. Otherwise I don't understand how he could have still been working at the lumber yard after his first day.

Len

Reply to
Len

Small town, limited labor pool?

R
Reply to
RicodJour

Good story - I like how the owner resolved one part of it.

The "kid" on the other hand .... we don't know enough of the situation.

it could be his first few hours on his first job, it could be the new (kid) employee's attitude, it could be a result of the on the job training he has got to date and a culture of don't ask Or it could be something completely different.

Lets hope that this kid gets a good education in Retail and Customer Service

Matt

Small town, limited labor pool?

R
Reply to
Matt

And is able to get the Vibram imprint out of his ass!

R
Reply to
RicodJour

Worked retail while in high school more than 50 years ago.

If I would had tried that crap back then, I'd still be trying to get the owner's boot out of my hind end.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.