The Home Despot takes a turn for the worse.

I've got one up the street, closer than any other lumber/tool source. That means they have to be pretty bad to not be the place I go to get something. If I am driving the gas gulping van, any other store starts serious gas dollars evaporating. I've got a friend whose son works in a remodeling center, and he's talked about "it" a lot. "It" is the tremendous slowdown in real estate. Home Depot (and every other "home" related industry) followed the real estate market into the crapper. People are terrified of losing their job, and the best way to do that is to have no negative customer interactions, or at least that's what some workers believe. So they hide from customers. There's also no advancement except through attrition and no one's retiring the way they used to. HD has always had lower margins than Lowe's, so they probably have less money lying around to weather the storm.

I'll ask my friend. Policies are not nationwide or even statewide, IIRC.

Since my nearest Lowe's is 15 miles away through nasty traffic and the HD three block and next to the pharmacy AND the grocery store, it's still going to be where I do most shopping for home stuff. I agree wholeheartedly about the look and feel, though.

In Lowe's, I can get a handicapped scooter almost every visit, without question. When my foot was in a cast, it was a big deal for them to find the scooter and deploy it, and it was never fully charged. The last time I used a scooter in HD, it only worked in reverse! So yes, there's been so obvious and distressing deterioration. I think they've also been giving away

In HD, I bring my own small scooter (much more of a hassle and far less load capacity both on the scooter and in the van). When I have a big list, a scooter is a godsend and HD loses out on those $400-600 trips where I get all the things I need before a major project starts. Plus the items that I really didn't need that were on sale and I could stock up on. It's HD's loss. Even WallyWorld's got a fleet of scooters and mostly no waiting for mostly functioning units. Mostly. Great fun can be had by asking a greeter to find one. "I can't leave my post!!!!!" Wally's like the Army. They offer employment for people with certain distinct characteristics who might not find jobs elsewhere in the economy.

The counterbalance is that HD's sale price on the refrigerator I just bought was lower than Lowe's non-sale price. I tend to shop HD when I am looking to save a buck on big ticket items but it's very likely I just think HD is better because they are closer and I can get to their sales incidentally, not via special trip.

I did have to ask 4 associates to find someone to *sell* me the refrigerator, but I didn't mind because it gave me more time to look over the unit before I bought. The Internet had the box even cheaper, but I've been (badly) surprised by a big ticket net item so I'm back to insisting on touching and feeling what I buy. Sure, I could go *back* to the internet and buy it after kicking the tires at HD, but the person who sold the unit really looked like she needed that job.

-- Bobby G.

Home Depot, and other retailers, would do a great service for their customers if they simply were able to stop their employees chatting with one another causing them to ignore the customer.

Nope, quite the opposite, actually. I was looking at light bulbs last week, and I got accosted by no less than three orange vests trying to interact with me. Such a monumental purchasing decision, looking at light bulbs, I'm surprised they didn't have to call up Bob Vila himself to come and give me a helping hand.

Now I know I'm an incredibly good-looking guy, and people tend to always want to bask in the glow of my beauty, but sheesh, *light bulbs*?

Jon

I was complaining last year. It cost them a lawn mower sale as I could not find help.

Is that why you Europeons are such an ugly lot these days?

Reality is that big box employees that make $8/hr with crappy benefits are only going to deliver a baseline amount of service no matter how often they sing the company song in the training room.

harry wrote in news:e0fa9442-b0d9-46ab-b13f- snipped-for-privacy@l6g2000yqb.googlegroups.com:

aka virtually any business these days.

Jeff Thies wrote the following:

Unlike you, who apparently has shopped at 'most' HD stores in the US and therefore can make an informed assessment of the quality of service, I only shop at 2 in my area. I also shop at 2 Lowes in my area. I find the quality of service to be basically the same at all 4.

Maybe you 'felt better' because the AC was set a little cooler at Lowes?

I have spent a lot of time recently at several Home Depot stores in the area and my experience has been very similar to yours. It seems that the moment I walk in the door they are like a swarm of ants, crawling all over me. While I appreciate the service I am very concerned that it stems from a fear that each of them have over loosing their job and they are trying to make sure they are not the next on the chopping block. From what I could see, their fears my very well be justified by the small number of customers compared to employees at any given time. I sometimes take my lunch hour to pickup supplies from a Home Depot near my office, other times I stop at one on the way home and on weekends alternate between two Home Depot stores almost equal distance from my house. I frequent a fifth store next door to the nearest Rockler woodworkers store. All of the stores seem to be in the same situation, more employees than customers at any given time and that includes during the week and on weekends.

On the opposite end of the scale, the local Lowes's stores seem to operate at times without any employees and getting help with anything can seem almost impossible. They didn't have any more customers than the Home Depot stores with very few employees and those employees didn't seem to care if they helped you or not...if you could find one.

Small town here. Maybe that makes a difference. Local employees. Meet you at the entrance and ask if they can help. All very pleasent to talk to. When I buy 4x8 sheets of plywood they cut to size no charge. Totally different that when I go to a large town and happened to buy and item there. But I do most of my buying at the local Ace Hardware (for past 30 years) WW

I live in Utah.

The ones here are very helpful, have plenty of help, they know where stuff is at least, and some are very knowledgeable, or will radio to get someone over there who has the answers. I think it has a lot to do where you live. The ones I go to in Las Vegas are entirely different. Fewer staff that seem to always be doing circles with you staying on the other side of the display, know nothing people, empty bins, that kind of stuff. Steve

Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend.

Not true. Those on the main land look OK.

I've used both lowes and hd for many years. They are what they are. I did notice that hd was doing a bit more of that "greeter" strategy for a while and that seems to have dropped off a bit. I'm in Raleigh NC and we have not been hit real hard by the house market collapse. Ours didn't go up like crazy before it either. So that might be why I have not noticed much different.

As to the 4x8 verses 2x2 drywall you need to keep in mind that drywall prices are practically all material handling costs. The raw components probably don't add up to 50c a sheet. If you are an infrequent diy'r and need a small piece of drywall then paying $6 for a 2x2 instead of $8 for a 4x8 that you will have to fool around with to get home and then throw most of it away anyway looks pretty attractive. Bottom line prices are market driven.

Yeah, I think it's a regional thing. Small town here too, and the staff are polite and helpful. I don't like the greeters on the door - they just exist to get in the way, but it's easy to find someone to help if needed once inside. No charge for them cutting lumber either (do other HD's really charge for that??).

We've got a big Menards being built in town at the moment, too - it'll be interesting to see what happens to HD prices after that opens (and whether HD will stick around at all).

Personally I fear for the local farm supply place, though. They supply a little bit of everything, usually cheaper than HD, with nicer staff and a more trusting attitude toward customers; I'm worried that they might disappear once there's another big competitor in the area. Plus they sell chickens, which keeps the kids amused while I'm looking around :-)

cheers

Jules

If you think money will buy service I think you're mistaken. Throwing money at a problem rarely solves anything.

Jim

lol, "swarm of ants" describes exactly what happens sometimes. Personally, I am of the opinion that customers should be left to their own devices unless and until they actually ask for help. Tidy the shelves, look busy, but stay out of people's business unless they need you.

This was the way a trip to the hardware store has always been, and while I do realize that bored housewives/househusbands might appreciate the handholding, it shouldn't be all that hard to train the help to recognize the difference.

Jon

Money may not buy service, directly, but it can buy a better class of employee.

What I love is the place that mobs you at the door when you come in but can't be found anywhere when you really need something.

Most of the time I go into a store, I'm either just looking around or can find what I want easier than I can explain it. In either of those cases, I'd rather not be bothered with "can I help you?". Of course, it's nice to have someone you can ask when you need to.

BTW, that's even you know just what you want but don't know what to CALL it, such as "where are those bent metal things with screws you can use to stop hose leaks?" (hose clamps).