Home Depot S**K$

[ka5txl]

I'm building a new house as a result I'm been spending more time at Home Depot and Lowes than I care to. I'm in there the other day to buy a bathtub and shower valve. But I'm at that Icon of Customer Service, Home Depot I had to wait inline I'm #4 followed quickly by 5 and 6 at the only open full service checkstand. They had self check out that has a customer at each of the 4 stations and 1 clerk helping them. I made the observation that maybe, just maybe if there were 10 people in line then they might consider opening a second checkstand. A cleck standing there at the paint dept (not doing anything) told me "You can go to self checkout!" I quickly informed that since I didn't work there I didn't feel the need that I should perform Home Depot's work. I guess having some to ring up my order , take my money, hand me my change, and thank me for my patronage is asking too much.

[srwatters]

Perhaps you might consider the option of paying a little more at a full service type establishment. Or even order off the Internet if the lowest price is your objective.

Just playing devil's advocate. The move from experienced service oriented to low price instant gratification style businesses creates a difficult situation. IMHO and YMMV of course.

[PhotoByLeal]

The only time I shop @ Home Depot is if I know what I need or its time for Home Depot POWER HOUR from 2-5....
Those hours all employees need to be on the floor helping customers! and all the other times the customers can get screwed, because you can't find a single person to help customers!

[kenw]

personally, I like HD and much prefer them over any other place. Just a view from the otehr side....

[andyz]

There may not have been anyone scheduled or able to open a register. And if they have self checkouts (I haven't seen that at our HD) they factor that use into scheduling. I'm sorry, but if you had a choice of waiting to be served or using self checkout, you made a choice.

I hate it when the shortest line is the shortest because someone is buying a LOT of stuff and you know you'll be there awhile. But that is life.

[CaptainTom]

I find the OP unbelievable.

There was actually a clerk in the paint department? Never seen that one before, except on Saturday.

[photobonez]

Yes Lowe's does have a lot of "vacume". They treat there people like crap so it fillters down. I go to buzbee's (it is our local ace true value). The owner checks you out helps you to your car if you bought to much to carry. we have a local lumber yard, and I buy my plants and that stuff from the feed store. Havn't been to walmart in months.

[toverman]

I've found that at either of the big-box hardware stores, if you don't have at least a faint idea of what you're looking for you'll never get help to find it. Service seems to be good for about two months right after a new one opens. Then you're out of luck, except sometimes in the garden section ... somebody's got to be there to water the plants at least on occasion.

As for the checkout situation, I've gotten adept at doing self checkouts at most stores and actually prefer it.

The time is coming when that will be the only way to pay for something, kind of like a full-service gas station is so rare that one opening would make the news. The technology has been worked on for many years to make "instant checkout" possible, where you roll your cart through some field of multi-directional scanners so that everything is scanned quickly at once. The radio-tag technology would then do instant inventory on the shelves, etc.

Didn't realize I had so much to say about this!

[BrandonH]

After working several years in retail I came to the conclusion that they are all about the bottom line. They will cut hours back as far as they possibly can which in the end does nothing other than ruin customer service.

BTW, I refuse to use the "self checkout"...it's just another way for the big business to take jobs away from actual people.

-Brandon

[photobonez]

My wife forces me to use the self check out at kroger to get bread because she doesn't like it smooshed.

photobonez added 1 Minutes and 20 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

If I was a hermit self check out would be perfect noone to talk to.

[L Stegall]

Larry, since you are in Dallas, have you tried Elliots (on Maple Avenue) instead? I've never gotten past the door without employees asking me if I need help and people really seem to know their store and their products.

[TBoat]

Lowest price and good customer service do not go together. Its that way everywhere and in everything.... You make the choice on where you shop!!

[ka5txl]

Originally Posted by srwatters

Perhaps you might consider the option of paying a little more at a full service type establishment. Or even order off the Internet if the lowest price is your objective.

Just playing devil's advocate. The move from experienced service oriented to low price instant gratification style businesses creates a difficult situation. IMHO and YMMV of course.

Scott I understand what your saying. Price is a consideration as the overall project came back higher than I wanted, but the actual expenses so far are coming in below budget, I sent a online comlpaint to HD and pointed out that I spent $420 in HD and then next day spent$1200 in a plumbing supply house that I could have spent at HD

ka5txl added 8 Minutes and 39 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Originally Posted by andyz

There may not have been anyone scheduled or able to open a register. And if they have self checkouts (I haven't seen that at our HD) they factor that use into scheduling. I'm sorry, but if you had a choice of waiting to be served or using self checkout, you made a choice.

I hate it when the shortest line is the shortest because someone is buying a LOT of stuff and you know you'll be there awhile. But that is life.

Andy your right I made a choice. The choice I made was to be served, not to perform labor that they pay employees for. They don't offer a discount for using self checkout. But they pocket the savings. For those of us who are old enough to remeber full service gas stations there was a price break for using self service.

Leslie,

I guess I might start using Elliots again maybe I'll run into W while I'm there

[Jeff_Green]

Don't blame the paint guy who "wasn't doing anything". I'm sure he isn't allowed to ring people up. I think you probably wasted more energy being upset about this than you would have by checking yourself out. Btw, if they closed the self checkouts and hired enough people to run the registers, I bet you would see a jump in prices.

[ka5txl]

Originally Posted by Jeff_Green

Don't blame the paint guy who "wasn't doing anything". I'm sure he isn't allowed to ring people up. I think you probably wasted more energy being upset about this than you would have by checking yourself out. Btw, if they closed the self checkouts and hired enough people to run the registers, I bet you would see a jump in prices.

So it's better to be treated like sheep? There used to be a saying at HD (at least before they started paying stupid money to people like Bob Nardelli) "all register trained personel to the front. " You don't here that anymore.