Harbor Freight Expansion

[SMS]

I've had to go to a HF about 30 minutes away (with no traffic) but yesterday I saw the HF sign up in a shopping center about two miles away. I also saw employment ads for several new HF stores in the Bay Area. Redwood City, Santa Clara (San Jose), and Dublin, are getting new stores.

Their store in Newark (CA) that I've been going to is very poorly managed, so hopefully the one near me will be better. Last time I was in the Newark store, there was one cashier open, with a long line, and five employees (including two cashiers and an assistant manager) having a gab fest behind another register. When it was my turn, the cashier said, sorry I'm closed, and another cashier opened and immediately had a long line. I gave up and told the cashier, "you can have someone put all this stuff back, I'm not waiting a second time in a line that long."

[hallerb]

If I see people standing around I ask to see the manager. If he was part of the laziness I ask him to write his name down and the name of his district manager and phone number.

This leads to FAST service and retrains the idiots.

If you ever have a complaint with anyone tell them to write their name down 50% refuse, and thats a second complaint.:)

if more people complained service would be better.

In a long slow moving line yell if this line moved any slower it would be going in reverse....

[Ed Pawlowski]

I would have had the manager there real quick. No way that is acceptable once you are in line. The twit behind the counter was not trained well, nor was a manager that would let that happen.

[WW]

Nearest HF is 45 miles away. Employees there are very helpful and friendly. Lucky for me. I won't trade at stores that are nasty to the customers. WW

[DerbyDad03]

My local HF has 2 cashiers by the front door and kind of a manager's counter, with a register, tucked into a corner a little way's away.

Most times, as soon as one of the 2 main lines gets a little long, they call someone to open the other.

Last weekend I was 3rd in line at the one cashier that was open. The other cashier was on the phone. Just as the first customer finished up, making me 2nd on line, a manager went behind her counter and said "I can help whoever is next over here". As I started to walk over there, passing the cashier that had been on the phone, she said "I can help you right here."

I stopped at her register and then glanced over towards the manager's counter to say thanks. She had a genuinely hurt looked on her face. We all got a big laugh as barbs were tossed back and forth about "stealing customers".

I've never had need to complain about the customer service at my local HF.

[ng_reader]

World's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, has crappy service. Only worsted by their Sam's Club. Pitiful and shameful. Here in the northeast, that's expected though.

[DT]

I dunno, the WalMart near me has excellent service with lots of cashiers open at any time. Compare that with the local Super K, which has pitiful service. I can't believe how long it takes to ring up a few items at K Mart.

Then if you pay by debit, the freakin' machine runs a damn survey. What is your zip code? Did the cashier mention the discount cards? How did you hear about K Mart, etc. Each question has to be answered before you can go to the next screen. And then it prints a receipt that is a yard long.

[Caesar Romano]

Good one!

[zek]

That's really funny. My Walmart with many cashiers, and very long lines. I absolutely hate the thought of going there.

My grocery, the Giant Eagle near my house, has the greatest line service. Its very rare that I have a person in front of me. Other branches are not the same.

[DerbyDad03]

Ever been to a store where this happens:

You: Do you take debit cards?

Them: No, but there's an ATM right over there.

You: Push the beep buttons and find out there's a $2.50 charge to withdraw cash.

Them: Smiling behind the counter 'cuz they just made some extra money on the sale.

I left my stuff on the counter and bid them "Farewell" the last time that happened.

[hallerb]

I avoid K Mart for that reason......

[aemeijers]

I tease the clerks at mine about running out of the flashlights. They post signs on the door when they are out. When I was down south over Xmas, I stopped at the HF there to get some stuff to work on the house, and I noticed a big box of the colored flashlights, off the hang-cards. Asked the clerk about it, and he said the clerk that did it caught hell from the manager, since they weren't allowed to substitute the colored ones any more.

[Ed Pawlowski]

? "zek" wrote

That varies and can change in an instant. I've gone into our 'WalMart and there would be 2 or 3 cashiers looking for customers to check out. I'd walk past them to get what I wanted and return in just a couple of minutes and they would be inundated. Each lane would have four customers waiting in line with full carts. They also eliminated the self checkout lanes. I hate them and refuse to use them in any store.

[DT]

I almost mentioned Giant Eagle as the high water mark in checkout service. At least my local store (and yours).