Home Depot's Inventory Control Problem

[frank1492]

I used to take great joy in visiting HD, but over the past year it has become a frustrating experience. (I live in MA.) Every time I need something these days, they are out os stock, and I'm not talking slow-moving stuff, I'm talking basics like 3/4" copper elbows! They tell me they can't order when they need something these days, but receive stuff only when the home office tells them they need it! The other day, they only had ONE model of hedge trimmer in stock in the Worcester store, so I went to Lowe's. No problem finding HedgeHogs there. Anybody else seeing this? One other observation: If an item can be found at both Wal*Mart and HD, Walmart usually steps all over HD on price. I'm starting to dread going to HD. Frank

[Kyle Boatright]

HD is based here in Atlanta, so the local media gives them a fair amount of coverage. Some of the things which have come out in the last few years is that the folks at the corporate office have more or less taken the power away from the stores. Once upon a time, the store managers had a lot of latitude on what to stock, how to price it, etc. Today, virtually all of that is controlled at the corporate level. In addition, it has become much easier to get a job in one of the stores because the company has moved away from hiring experts for the respective departments (i.e. someone with plumbing experience in the plumbing dept.). While HD hasn't devolved into

*just another retail store*, it isn't nearly as service and customer oriented as it was a few years back.

The bottom line is that HD isn't what it used to be, although I still prefer it to Lowes and (uggh) Wal-mart.

[frank1492]

That is basically what I have heard. I wonder how many customers, though, have gotten as upset as I have over it. A couple of key questions: (1) Why do you prefer HD to Lowe's? (2) Why does *everybody* hate Wal*Mart?

[Al Bundy]

frank1492 wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I have noticed this over the past couple of years.

And discontnuing items for a higher priced line. Example comes to mind. Went to get a plastic toilet supply line. Empty. Knowledgable employee I know nearby. Says they were discontinued and they will only have the metal braded from now on.

And please, don't someone say how much better they are. They may be but the betterness will never get used. Never had a plastic one explode on me yet!

[bryanska]

I hate Wal-Mart for two reasons:

1) Ever since Sam Walton died, all items are no longer made in USA. Not only is the store depressing prices and local economies, Wal-Mart is contributing to the trade deficit. Whereas before it was a local problem, it's now nationwide.

Sound "liberal"? Listen to #2.

2) I work for a major Fortune 500 company that has a huge packaging department. Our box suppliers (my vendors) are forced to do business with Wal-Mart because they dominate many portions of commercial logistics. If they don't deal with Wal-Mart, they can't compete. However, Wal-mart demands such low prices from these box companies, the margins leave nothing for re-investment. International Paper, for example, owes a portion of its crushing debt to Wal-Mart, and the company may not survive. My company is facing higher prices and worse service because these companies are finding it difficult to grow.

So the bleeding-heart aspects of hating Wal-Mart are beginning to be eclipsed by a growing, similar undercurrent in the business world.

These guys are assholes to deal with, too. Try navigating the Byzantine rules of selling anything in their store.

[frank1492]

I have read that Walmart's presence in the economy in essence raises disposable personal income by .9% due to its low prices relative to other retailers. Aside from the low wages they pay their employees, nobody ever seems to mention the way in which Walmart benefits low income consumers overall. Your comments, however, are most informative and accurate I am sure. Our differences are examples of why there is such heated debate on the relative merits of this company.

[bigjim]

[Tom G]

Worked the retail floor for 25 years. We referred to it as the "bean counters" in the head office controlling the stores, If their computer told them that a certain profit or sales volume wasn't met on a certain item, they no longer allowed the stores to sell it. Sears, a few years ago dropped bicycles from their lineup because as the "bean counters" said, it accounted for only about 1% of their business and wasn't worth the bother. Now, a lot of companies would have killed for a product that accounted for

1% of a 40 billion dollar business. The following Christmas, I can only imagine where people finished up their shopping after coming into the store and were told they couldn't buy the kids Christmas bike, there. I'm seeing the same situation at WalMart right now. I've been restoring an old pontoon boat and I went in to buy a pedestal stand for a seat. Always saw them there before, along with the paddles, trolling motors, etc. None of that was there anymore. The "associate" said that the department had been "downsized". When they stopped selling guns, they said that it was because they didn't sell enough to justify the carrying of them. Sounds like the "bean counters" talking again. I guess, I'll just do my shopping at Gander Mountain from now on. The price difference isn't worth the extra gas spent in driving to WalMart.

Tom G.

[tksirius]

Just my 2 cents here about why I hate lowes MORE than HD.

When in Lowes here in NY I cannot find ANYONE to assist. They call, page and get nothing. Thats bull.

The people who they have working at my local one are locals that dont know ANYTHING about their departments. (I found this out on the rare occasion I found someone in the first place)

The local HD are not much better, but at least they can direct you in the right direction on where to find stuff. I wouldnt never rely on the HD guys opinion on a project. I rather get second and third opinions from people in the newgroups. :)

Tom G wrote:

[mm]

The only thing I noticed was today, at a store that just opened 10 days ago, that they don't have many glues in the 4 oz. toothpaste-style tube. I was in a conversation with a friendly clerk who said they were still stocking the store, that he put out new things several times a day. I said the area was full, but he said that one of the vendors for glue got their first and just filled the area with his stuff, and when the other stuff comes, they'll rearrange things. I should say that this HD store just opened about 10 days ago.

But I"m going to check out other stores and another HD to see if HD rreally sells things like 4 oz. tubes of GE silicone, and DURO rubber, etc. I know if it's sold in a caulking tube, you get 6? times as much

150% of the price, but otoh, if I have no other uses, it will dry in the tube.

[mm]

Even so, with computerized inventory, they should always have almost full inventory

(unless something unusual happens. I met a guy today who wanted 40 of the all rubber elastic cords. He had about 20 in his cart, and he was looking up at the big boxes 8 feet up to see if there were more. But there weren't, it seemed, so he was going to another store to buy another 20. He said he had a long truck, and he needed 40!

I never noticed that they had that to begin with. Except one guy.

I agree with your uggh. The HD guy I talked to today confirmed that Walmart is really opening a store only a block from the new HD, both only a mile from where I live. I was able to boycott Walborg when they were not nearby, but boy was it nice to be able to go to HD twice in one day today, because I found something else I needed and it was no effort to get there.

BTW, I don't prefer HD to Lowes, but there are a lot more HD's. I only know of 3 or 4 Lowes in extended metropolitan Baltimore, but I know of 4 HD's within 6 miles of me, and more farther.

I don't like Walmart because I think they abuse their employees, and lie about it, and intimidate them so few complain.

When did Sam Walton die? They have been selling Chinese stuff for a long time, I thought.

I used to work for International Paper by the way, but only for 2 months or so on one computer project.

[mm]

You obviously need a pressure booster.

[Steve B]

Funny you should mention that.

I went to HD for copper sweat on fittings. They had contractor packs for let's say, $2.50 for ten fittings. I bought all they had. When I got to the cashier, she could not ring up the loose ones because they did not have individual SKUs on them.

Call the manager.

Stand around.

Line behind me gets longer.

Repeat the last three steps about three times.

Meanwhile, I say, "Look. $2.50 divided by ten equals a quarter apiece. Charge me that."

"Oh, I can't do that. I'll lose my job," was the response from the oblivious nineteen year old clerk.

Finally, after about ten minutes, I walked out, leaving about $300 worth of merchandise sitting there.

Steve

[cornytheclown]

Home depot moves in with decent prices and a half way knowledgeable staff...one person in each department who knows somewhat something about the items in his department. I noticed when they first got here they had some pretty decent prices...

Okay...home depot gets established and then puts all local small time hardware and building supply businesses out of business....home depot prices then start rising and now I have noticed that their staff is getting dumber....

I find myself going to lowes more now because of the better selection and the brighter cleaner store..... also our local Lowes has 2 midgets working in the store...not one...but TWO midgets...a man and a woman...... I have not dealt with the woman much but the man hangs out around the tool area and he knows exactly where everything on his end of the store is...tools, plumbing, electrical..hardware.....

What are the odds of having two midgets working in one Lowes ???

Not making fun of them...dont know any other word than midget to describe to them and I dont mean it in an offensive way.

Home depot is dark and dank.....poor selection of goods..... Lowes clean and bright store...better selection of goods...tremendously better selection of tools.

I do miss my old local ace hardware....I knew exactly where everything in that store was...knew the people by name...could hang out in there and chat about things...Lowes and home depot employees seem cold....all business....but its not their fault...Id say they got the secret HD or Lowes police in there ready to pounce upon any employee wasting time by striking up a convo with a customer.

[R & S]

[Tom G]

Sister in law works at a WalMart. The "associates" were just told that all wages are frozen as the company is opening two new stores in the area. What's this, they can't tap their investors or profits for the money to do that; they have to get the money off the backs of their present employees. When she was off work because of cancer surgery, the store told her she had to come back before the doctor recommended or they were going to give her job to someone else. She begged the doctor for an early release. Then when she couldn't handle carrying tires and batteries from the back room for the mechanics to install, she asked her supervisor for a transfer to a position that didn't require the heavy lifting. He told her he had an opening unloading trucks....when she broke down in tears, he said "I was just kidding". Insensitive clod or maybe typical of management at WalMart. A fellow employee asked her once where her husband was at the moment and she said that he was at a union meeting (works somewhere else). Her supervisor overheard and called her into his office and told her that she couldn't use that word (union) in the store and that he was supposed to write her up for doing so but wasn't going to "this" time. What a place to work....I can't believe the job market is so bad that people feel they have to put up with that kind of crap.

Tom G.

[bigjim]

[Doug Miller]

So don't go there. Visit one of their competitors instead.

See? That wasn't so hard, was it?

[Jim Elbrecht]

I prefer Lowe's-- but I suspect that is because they are the 'New Guy' in our town. The gap is narrowing as Lowe's sinks lower and lower in the customer service, quality, and 'have it onhand' departments.

I don't. I suspect that about 1/2 of the Walmart haters also hate Microsoft, IBM, Disney, Toyota, and any other company that has found a successful business model and made a crapload of money. [is Google soon to be on that list?] Another large segment might hate them for their treatment of their employees.

If I have a choice I prefer to shop at my locally owned grocer- my local hardware store, and my local electronics place. But sometimes it just makes sense to go to Walmart and save myself a bunch of $ and a lot of time.

Jim

[frank1492]

Although I do still like Wal*Mart, there was an article in the paper that said they were going to carry fewer brands. I have already noticed that- no more Jubilee sheets for example. Also, numerous other items. Not a good sign.