Home Depot execs leave headquarters to work in the stores
Oops. Giving customers the wrong shade of paint used to cost Home Depot about $20 million a year.
Cara Kinzey
But what employees call “oops paint” rarely exists any more — thanks to a special program the retailer started last year and continues again this year.
Every quarter, about 170 employees leave Home Depot’s headquarters in Vinings to tie on orange aprons and work in the stores.
Divided into teams of 10, they work one day a week for 13 weeks in different metro stores — one team per store.
The “Summer in the Stores” program is running now, to be followed by “Fall in the Field,” “Winter in the Warehouse” and “Spring in the Stores.” (They need to come up with a better name to distinguish spring from summer.)
One of the goals is for execs like Cara Kinzey, senior VP of Information Technology, to see how decisions made in the office play out in the field. It’s learning by doing, with much of the education provided by the store employees.
“I think it’s very important to talk with the associates on a regular basis,” Kinzey, 44, said during an interview at the Sandy Plains Road store in Marietta, where she was working. “If you listen to them, they tell you what’s wrong. … Our stuff [IT] is a work-in-progress all the time. It’s always going to need improvements.”
Take the paint department. Kinzey learned that the software provided by her department was inadequate when it came to avoiding repeated “oops paint” incidents in which the wrong base paint was used.
So her department came up with two changes that fixed the problem.
First, the software will no longer allow an employee to mix paint without first scanning the bar code of the base paint to make sure it’s the right one. This mandatory control was not in effect previously.
Secondly, Kinzey’s team discovered that scanners were not located beside every computer in the paint department. That added to the problem, because the bar code could be typed incorrectly. So new scanners were bought for nearly 2,000 stores.
The type of immersion execs get from this program goes well beyond the more traditional retail model of walking stores and observing.
“It’s a big investment of time, but it’s worth it,” Kinzey said.
To enhance learning, Kinzey will rotate around the store on Sandy Plains Road this year, as will the other participants in their assigned stores.
In the “special orders” area, she discovered that a black toilet is far more difficult to order, because it’s a relatively rare customer choice. One employee at her store is particularly good at working through all the steps, but what happens when he’s not there? She wants to improve the software, so anyone can do it.
Kinzey also plans to spend time in the self-checkout area to learn why some customers need assistance.
What’s the purpose of a self-checkout area if employees are needed to complete the transaction? How can the IT be improved?
“We’re looking into reducing interruptions [during the process],” she said. “The faster people check out, the happier they are. … In IT, we have three focuses. We either automate, eliminate or simplify.”
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122 comments Add your comment
mike
September 14th, 2010
7:14 am
It is nice to see that the management team at Home Depot are trying to take proactive measures to ensure customer satisfaction, and not wait on thousands of complaints from customers before they take action. Great job Home Depot, makes me want to shop there more.
Chris
September 14th, 2010
7:18 am
I like the idea. i feel their customer service has improved over the last year.
But PLEASE get rid of the self checkout. It is awful for a store that sells the type of items they do. It is a pain in the rear. We should get a discount for using them.
Motocross Survivor
September 14th, 2010
7:18 am
I love the birdbrain comment about “associates.” This has long been a nice, quaint term used
by the folk with the better paying jobs at a company for the floor people. It is phony and condescending, but here’s a hint: These front line people ARE VERY important. These are the people the customers see and interact with. People are turned off when they see poorly trained, surly and uncaring people working for companies. Coincidentally, I was in a H.D. back in 1999, looking to buy a refrigerator. There were some out front, so I inquired with the young woman working at the front counter. She was such an uncouth and rude disaster that I stayed away from H.D. for years, and still only go there when I can’t find something at Lowes.
Mark
September 14th, 2010
7:24 am
This is basically the same process SAM’S Club uses called “Eat What You Cook”, Cara being an ex-Wal-Mart employee along with Matt Carey that works there helped incorporate this methodology from their previous employer.
Connie
September 14th, 2010
7:27 am
Well said, motocross! When I encounter rude and disinterested salespeople at any store I go elsewhere. I think these people forget that without us, their customers, they wouldn’t have a job.
Dave from GT
September 14th, 2010
7:28 am
An IT dept that has not been outsourced? Amazing !!!!!!!!!!!!
A.S.Mathew
September 14th, 2010
7:34 am
It is very important that the employees should be friendly with the customers. When Home Depot
is going to market U.S. made goods in their stores with a friendly face? All these stores are
mega market place for foreign made goods, and when the people don’t have money to buy them,
smiling faces will turn to frown faces.
Juna
September 14th, 2010
7:34 am
wes still most of ours tools there
Not A Fan
September 14th, 2010
7:36 am
Those executives should be in stores earning their pay. After all, Home Depot FIRED, not “laid off”, associates that had been with them for years earning a decent living so they could replace them with associates earning less money – I am assuming so they could give bigger bonuses to the execs who do the least work. Now most of these that were fired are still looking for a job. My newphew is one of these people. He has two small children and things are very, very tough. I WILL NEVER BUY FROM HOME DEPOT AGAIN. Lowe’s has better customer service anyway. Thanks.
JB
September 14th, 2010
7:36 am
I can tell a big difference in Customer service at the store i shop at. The Assoc. seem a little more mature and plentiful…………….But at the end of the day, you get just much out of 8-12 dollar an hour people. You have to know the limits of these folks and temper your expectations. 90% of the time, I just want to know where something is. I don’t expect a 20 year
still fighting pimples to help me with a serious plumbing problem.
X Home Depot
September 14th, 2010
7:39 am
Guess the management forgot about “visiting” the Douglasville store. Those employees are the worst! Ask them a question, they go elsewhere and do other things. It is not a pleasant experience!
tim
September 14th, 2010
7:41 am
Hey Ms. Kinzey……..I’m in the HD Sandy Plains store almost daily. Generally the associates are friendly and knowlegeable but many times when I’d had to load lumber on a cart, the associates disappear. Also, why should anyone wait 30-40 min to have paint mixed because of lack of proper staffing in that dept or you constantly run out of 5 gal buckets of paint. I DON”T want to buy 20 individual gallons!! And I’m also tired of the ole “we don’t stock it here cuz we’re a smaller store” excuse. The store is only 2000 sq ft smaller than a “bigger store” Come on now. Other than those comments, my experience is generally good.
New Lowe's customer
September 14th, 2010
7:41 am
Maybe by putting the execs in the stores they will see just how poor Home Depot’s customer service has become. Then again, maybe the poor attitude comes from the top and they won’t even notice.
hadenough
September 14th, 2010
7:42 am
How about calling the spring session “Spring Cleaning” and get rid of all the cashiers that are too busy talking across the aisles to one another to even say “Hello” or “Thank you”.
Nono
September 14th, 2010
7:50 am
I LOVE the self-checkout. I can run in, grab what I need, and get back to my garden in a flash. Plus Home Depot’s garden center beats the Lowes on my side of town, no contest. I have never had a problem getting good customer service, but that may have something to do with the fact that I am a cute girl who is – ahem – let’s just say “blessed.”
Buzz G
September 14th, 2010
7:56 am
Home Depot grew because it became known as a place where you could talk to someone knowledgeable about your problem or project. Then they decided an easy way to cut expenses and improve the bottom line was to reduce their store payrolls. It became increasingly difficult to find someone with any knowledge to talk to. People started going elsewhere. Management seems now to have figured it out. You can again walk into a Home Depot and find someone (hopefully knowledgeable) to talk to. Welcome back Home Depot.
self check fail
September 14th, 2010
7:56 am
Why doesn’t self check work? Really Home Depot? You close every single lane that has an associate, and then I come in to buy lumber from the discount/slightly bent pile, PVC pipe, tubing, anything that is purchased by the foot, or another way that doesn’t have a UPC code. Um, you don’t trust me to do anything at Self Check than scan the barcode so yes, I will need an associate. Then, the stupid machine starts yelling at me to “please place my item in the bag – it’s a 8ft piece of lumber or a 3×4 peg board….etc., I cant. But the machine locks up until I find something to put there so it can get it’s weight sensor happy. Or lets talk about buying 50 kitchen cabinet handles. I can’t type 50 @ 1.49 as an associate would… I have to scan every single freaking one. I hate that. I know it’s saving home depot from paying an associate, but I will cheerfully go pay 1.53 at Lowes for the same thing to save the time of scanning each and every individual little item. I hate self check. It doesn’t work for anything execpt the simplest of purchases. If they want to keep it open for that, then fine, but to close all the “human-lanes” and then expect people to be oh-so-happy to deal with the self check when they come to purchase something other than bar code friendly bug spray or such… ughk. No. Good luck HD.
nativeson71
September 14th, 2010
7:57 am
Home Depot has improved greatly over the past couple of years…Thanks to Frank Blake being a ‘normal’ dude.
Out of stocks are seem rare these days…
Customer Service is friendly the associate ‘know where stuff is’…
Vinings Paint Dept …I give it a 7 our of 10…the weekends it should be ALL HANDS ON DECK at that paint counter…the paint team is working hard but that dept seems understaffed.
I love self-checkout – but it does not like my cash therefore I have to fumble with waiting for an associate to ‘cash me out.’
The Peachtree Industrial store near Tilly Mill Rd – OLD Store/ smaller foot print…that store is ALWAYS TRASHED & and ALWAYS busy…corp need to bulldoze and build a bigger store on the same site.
pwest2986
September 14th, 2010
7:59 am
Lowe’s is better than Home Depot. They actual assist you.
BIG GEORGE
September 14th, 2010
7:59 am
Maybe the exces can teach the floor people how to be polite and helpfull…..oops my bad you can’t teach something you don’t know anything about!! I do not shop at home depot they are rude people!!!
Pigeon
September 14th, 2010
8:00 am
I had completey quit going into Home Depot stores over the last couple of years due to the lack of staff to help you with any customer service needs and also because of the long waits in the check-out line(s) when you could only find one or maybe two clerks to check you out. I find it hard to believe that when customers are lined up to GIVE money to Home Depot that enough of them cannot be hired to collect the money. I hate the self-check out lines and refuse to use them. I would like to know the amount of money that the average clerk can process in an hour at Home Depot when checking out customers. I know it must be several thousand dollars. At that rate, it seems worth about $8.00 or so per hour to pay a clerk to TAKE IN money…….lots of it. This is frustrating at Wal-Mart too. I asked a manager there recently how much in sales that the average clerk takes in per hour and was astounded at how much it is.
I haven’t been in a Home Depot lately……..I do hope their customer service has improved.
JB
September 14th, 2010
8:00 am
I work for a pro dealer, with staff who can do a take off, design and create an engineer floor system to spec, answer any question about millwork. Knows where and how to order thousands of special order items etc. Lowes and Home depot have a grocery store marketing concept. that is, Stack it up, get a shopping cart and come get it. Anything else they say they are is lip service. Full time pro’s in my business have tons of experience, training and certifications and make between 60,000 and 200,000 dollars a year. You won’t find that at HD.
pwest2986
September 14th, 2010
8:01 am
Home Depot credit card program is a scam. They will double your balance after a few short monts. Beware, it happened to me.Don’t fall for the 6/12 months no interest promo.Beware!
Lowe's Employee
September 14th, 2010
8:02 am
I work for Lowe’s and at my store we WISH that the corporate types would come to the front lines! Our computer system is archaic and our store mgt. is inept. We’re going the best we can with what we have and that ain’t sayin’ alot!
No HD 4 me
September 14th, 2010
8:06 am
I use to spend about 30,000 dollars a year at Home Depot. Now my money goes to Lowe’s, even though the nearest store is 10 miles further than HD. Their customer service is a lot better. Also,cashiers will check you quicker.
HD Fan - NOT
September 14th, 2010
8:12 am
“self check fail” stole my comments almost word for word. I hate the “serve your own darned self” pods for all the reasons mentioned above. I refuse to shop at any store that is too cheap to pay someone to stand at the door and take my money.
tommy
September 14th, 2010
8:18 am
I hate the self check out at any store. If it saves you money for me to use it so should save me money to use the darn thing. Over 90% of the time it does not work correctly and it cost me time. It cost me two ways the bar codes are missings, scratched then I have to wait on someone to wonde over to fix the problem. Forget going thru there with loose nuts and bolts. You are a hardware store for goodness sake …. not WALLY WORLD I expect better people and service.
Sally
September 14th, 2010
8:20 am
I have noticed a more helpful attitude in Home Depot in the past few months. Hopefully that will continue.
shadow7071
September 14th, 2010
8:22 am
The HD business is selling hardware and home improvement stuff to consumers and home repair/construction customers. The store is where competitive advantage is gained and money is made. Blank and Marcus instinctively knew this and that’s why they were so successful in starting and growing HD. Bob Nardelli came in (fresh from Jack Welch’s staff at GE) and thought he was running another corporate headquarters. He never understood the business and how it operated. He never really understood how HD made money but that’s typical of corporate headquarter types.
It’s refreshing to read that HD has this program to put headquarter types with titles on the retail floor. This is another right step in recovering from the Nardelli era.
GRS
September 14th, 2010
8:22 am
I think all retail execs should adopt this “Store Visit” approach. Store planning and future initiatives would benefit from these interactive real “Day in the Life” exec experiences.
Darkhorse
September 14th, 2010
8:29 am
I’ve been shopping at the same 7-8 HD’s around the Cobb, Bartow, Paulding, Cherokee, and North Fulton areas consistantly over the past two years. I have noticed the customer service overall has improved, but the associates knowledge has decreased. That’s great they put someone as a greeter at the front door smiling like a moron when you come in, but ask them or the dept associate they take you to talk with anything other than where an in-stock item is and it’s basic purpose, the deer in headlights act comes out.
Occasionally, I will run across a veteran associate that is very helpful, but as others above have mentioned, as soon as HD corporate needs to trim the bottom line again, that person will get the boot in favor of a rude, 9.00hr, do as little as possible clock puncher.
Lowes is slightly better w/employee knowledge, but they have their issues too.
joeeebiden
September 14th, 2010
8:29 am
Home Depot “Executives”, two questions:
1. Why is your signage in two languages, English and Spanish?
2. Why do you have numerous “greetors” welcoming you to Home Depot yet a minimal number of employees in the various sections of your store?
(I think we all know the answer to number one…so one attaboy to another American company who panders to the illegals). Keep up the great work. You’re helping to change the U.S.
jim w
September 14th, 2010
8:33 am
Has anyone tried to contact someone at the Home Depot headquarters? Impossible to do unless you know the persons name. Home Depot, hire someone to assist customers calling your hqs. (and like the previous comment, only have them answer in English)
exGD
September 14th, 2010
8:34 am
Yeah, execs in the stores … whatever. They might see something, but more than not, they are following workers (not “associates” as HD loves to call the hourly employees) around, asking questions and slowing down the work.
When I worked at the SSC (Headquarters), they always pushed salaried employees to “HELP” stock the stores in advance of Memorial Day and Labor Day. The corporate-speak types said it showed solidarity and support of the front-line workers. HELLOO … hell, no, what it did was lower the number of overtime hours that the front-line workers could put in. It was TOTALLY about saving costs in the Sourthern Region stores. I always wondered how they managed to avoid a Dept. of Labor investigation.
greg
September 14th, 2010
8:36 am
Oh and also pay the phony exec the same pay as the people who work the floor and see if her oh so positive attitude still exist when she cannot afford to get her car fixed or buy a decent cut of steak for her family, these phonies make me want to puke. Home depot made all of their workers at the home office reapply for their positions and then hired all new younger college grads as much lower pay. This company is rotten to the core and is going downhill just like Walmart.
L Hayes
September 14th, 2010
8:46 am
I walked out of a 16-year job at Home Depot’s corporate office because Nardelli’s “management” philosophy had destroyed a company that I had hoped to retire from. Blake seems to be slowly turning the big boat around; I hope having the home office people out in the stores will demonstrate the need to have store employees who are knowledgeable in actually doings jobs with store products. Just knowing where merchandise is located is not enough to rebuild the business. Hiring experienced trades people and paying them what they’re worth is an investment; staffing up with uncommitted part timers is false savings.
Tina
September 14th, 2010
8:47 am
The Home Depot in Roswell on Hwy 92 has a guy named James, who works at the Pro desk. He is AMAZING. They should have other employees follow his example. He is very customer focused. This seems to be in spite of HDs best efforts to make every employee unhappy. Until HD comes to understand that happy employees equal good customer service, they will never be able to beat their competitors.
Do it yourself
September 14th, 2010
8:48 am
True story here, I was in the Home Depot in Vinings this past weekend ( yes the one directly across from the corporate headquarters). Anyway, my friend was looking for a medicine cabinet, and thought she saw the one she wanted, it was 3 shelves up and out of reach. One associate that was helping a customer next to us, finished up and walked away, another saw that we were browsing on her way through the aisle, and never stopped to ask if we needed assistance. After that, it was a ghost town for 3 more aisles. So I grabbed the big HD portable stairs and started dragging it from one end of the aisle to the other in order to climb up and get the box we needed. Apparently it wasn’t until someone heard the scraping of the metal and the concrete that anybody took an interest in us. Even then some kid with a mohawk came over and explained to me that it is against HD policy to have customers helping themselves. I then explained to him, that i wouldn’t have to help myself had the associates been focusing on their jobs. Yeah, you’ve come a long way HD!
Barnesy
September 14th, 2010
8:49 am
No where to go but up.
JP
September 14th, 2010
8:50 am
I think it would be great if ALL companies would do this type of thing with their higher-ups. I am quite sure that a lot of the useless, backward ideas that come out of meetings about meetings would stop if the folks who came up with the stupid ideas in the first place had to deal with the fallout from their own decisions. If you come up with a great idea on how to “improve the workflow” then YOU need to show us how YOUR idea works. Or doesn’t. Don’t tell the folks in the trenches you did their job so you know how it is because the workplace has changed in the last 10-15 years since you did that job. Learn it again, then make better decisions. Or listen when employees explain why your grand idea will make things worse, not better.
Do it yourself
September 14th, 2010
8:54 am
Hey don’t forget, it only cost $430,000,000 to get Nardelli out of there. Of course he HAD to be paid at least $36,000,000 a year for 5 years with a severance package of $250,000,000 just to leave. Anybody want to guess as to how many skilled, knowledgable and customer friendly employees that type of money could have provided? Oh wait, it’s not the floor people that make the company great, it’s the geniuses in the C-Suite. What was I thinking?
Self Checkout
September 14th, 2010
8:57 am
Why doesn’t self checkout work? SERIOUSLY???? You HAVE to ask? Here are a few suggestions:
1. Get rid of them – the novelty of checking out yourself has worn off
2. At one time you could look things up – Look up item and point to the picture – put it back
3. Allow customers to do 50 @ 1.39 rather than scan each and every one. Put all 50 on the scale and the machine should be able to figure it out.
4. Get rid of the self checkout – I’d rather have a person – even a rude, grumpy one is better than the self checkout
5. Skip bagging – for large items that won’t fit on the scale
6. Trust us to put the right number of feet in on items sold by the foot.
7. Get rid of the self checkout – or stop asking us to “please wait for assistance”
8. Allow us to enter our own BD for items like glue, spray paint or whatever you must be 18 or older to purchase. Anyone who enters a BD that makes them less than 18, then fine – “Please wait for assistance” but over.
9. Get rid of self checkout – and then you won’t have to worry about people scamming the system
10. Just get rid of the self checkout and hire more people – with the economy the way it is – more people need jobs.
5.
Lake Guy
September 14th, 2010
8:59 am
I was a very loyal Home depot shopper for years in Atlanta. Always got friendly helpful service and good selection. Then moved to Gainesville 8 years ago.. most unknowledgeable, unfriendly, unhelpful, bunch of employees. I have to drive past the home depot to get to Lowes to make my purchases or go another HD close to work. Complaints to the maager just gets you stared at and a “sorry it happened again”.
sh
September 14th, 2010
8:59 am
I think I saw a comment about getting rid of the self-check out. Whatever changes you make don’t do that . If people cant figure out a simple slide the barcode and scan they need to go to a regular line and leave the self-check out alone
Shopper?
September 14th, 2010
9:01 am
This is a good start but my advice to top management in all retail businesses is to go shopping (incognito) in a different one of your own stores at least once a week. SEE WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE A CUSTOMER.
Honeydew
September 14th, 2010
9:11 am
My husband worked for HD for 7 years. Top associate, received many awards and bonuses. He asked another co-worked about a food item in his native country, the co-worked said he was offended, my husband was fired. I will never shop at HD ever…everytime we pass by a store, we are reminded of the discharge. This happened in Jan 2010, and my husband is still unemployed. He was the BEST associate in Lithonia.
Dash Rip Rock
September 14th, 2010
9:12 am
The self checkout is a joke! If you are going to keep them, you have to have scan guns available for the customer. I was actually told by a butt-wipe employee that, “we might break them”. I should’ve broke my foot off in her butt! Also, I spent $5000.00 on a water softener from Home Depot.However, I have to buy the block salt (that the manufacturer Rainsoft recommends, not bag salt) from Lowes. You see, Home Depot refuses to carry block salt in any of their stores. Strange? Oh wait, they did try to accommodate me….they said they could order an entire pallet, JUST FOR ME TO PAY FOR, NOT FOR THE ENTIRE STORE. EVEN SAID THEY COULD HAVE IT SHIPPED TO ME. I use four blocks a month…what the hell would I do with an entire pallet? By the way, Lowe’s orders their block salt by the pallet and I can buy as little as one block. What a novel concept. HD, get your head out of your butt and and start thinking outside the box.
Bob
September 14th, 2010
9:13 am
I love self check out.
Vee
September 14th, 2010
9:19 am
Any effort is better than none; however, the executives probably won’t encounter the rudeness that some the Associates exhibit simply because the Associates will clean up their act while they are working the stores. HD is understaffed in various departments and they tend to have younger inexperienced workers that are limited in what they are able to help with. As far as the self checkout, if you don’t need or like it, then go to a cashier. A lot of time people just fail to follow the screen prompts, I do agree that they can create back-up sometimes, but they are good and shouldn’t be totally removed.
Don't Get Your Apron Dirty
September 14th, 2010
9:20 am
Gosh, who would’ve ever thought it would be a good idea for executives to gain some firsthand knowledge of customers and store operations?
And then they likely purloin ideas store employees have had for years (but were ignored) and claim victory when the executives came up with the solution on their own after having worked one day a week in a store for a short while.
I, too, think HD customer service has improved significantly but am amazed when executives (in all companies) suddenly discover the virtues of going out into the field. I’ll bet if execs in general watched more customers and fewer PowerPoint presentations everyone would be better off.
DebDoes
September 14th, 2010
9:24 am
Dear JoeeBiden….have you been to a HD early in the morning? More than half of the patrons are Hispanic…the day laborers. That is why their signs are in Spanish. HD recognizes that their customers are Hispanic. I agree with the comment: get rid of the Self Checkouts…PITA…’pain in the arse’! A couple of years ago customer service went down the toilet (no pun intended) at HD. It may have coincided with certain individuals at the top being less involved. There is a lack of professionalism there now and it is due to them getting rid of their long time ‘associates’ and hiring ‘cheaper labor’. You DO get what you pay for! ‘Bernie Marcus….you might want to take a look at your ’store’!
Mishap
September 14th, 2010
9:32 am
exGD,
It doesn’t make sense to cut overtime by bringing in salaried workers. My salary isn’t particularly high for the area I work in but having me sit at the paint desk during the Friday before MLK is still 2-3X the cost of a store associate since my salary + benefits is north or $50/hr. Even as a guy who has done his fair share of mid-advanced home improvement projects, I’m likely barely as helpful as the college kid who is there 4 days a week b/c I don’t know the intricacies of the store. The benefit is from me learning how a store operates and customer pain points vs. replacing hourly staff w/ salaried labor. Besides corporate employees would only help out the two dozen or so stores located within commuting distance of the HQ since they are all centrally based there.
As for the self-checkout…if you don’t like it, stick w/ the regular lines. As a customer, we don’t need you clogging up the lines trying to scan a lawnmower when the rest of us have a gallon of paint and a few rolls of tape. It’s the same everywhere…I’ve been able to scan through $200 at Walmart’s atrocious self-checkout (they wrote their own code on top of NCR’s) , faster than the 10 items or less line (so many smokers at Walmart who think 10 items means 125). If you don’t know how to use it, stick w/ the regular aisle so the rest of us can get in and out.
As long as 4-6 self checkout machines + 1 cashier is cheaper than 2-3 cashiers, then self-checkout is here to stay. Look what kiosks did to the airport…place looks like the world’s largest ATM vestibule now. Unlike airlines, most retailers redeployed the employees elsewhere in the store (though it can still be rough to find one).
Additional tips for self checkout:
-Once the item has been weighed, you can remove it from the scale. You don’t have to pile everything onto there until the transaction’s done
-You can enter an item by SKU (it’s faster than the pictures, but dicey on Walmart’s and I’ve had to reboot one before)
-High traffic/low theft Walmarts and other stores have disabled their bag scales for speed so you don’t have to be so careful w/ the scale.
-Stick w/ credit/debit transactions (cash is slow and more complex). Don’t do 4 gift cards and six coupons and expect to get out w/o cashier help
d
September 14th, 2010
9:40 am
I was a Front End Supervisor at a Home Depot when they first installed the self checkouts. I heard the complaints until our sales increased due to customers having a choice and we actually hired 3 new cashiers. I had a customer complain to me but immediatley changed her mind when I introduced her to one of my new cashiers and explained how we were able to hire him.
Thomas
September 14th, 2010
9:44 am
I find it funny how the head of the IT dept is basically responsible for 20 million worth of oops paint, yet she doesn’t even get disciplined , if i made a mistake that big in my job i would be fired so fast my head would spin
Sometimes HD Customer
September 14th, 2010
9:52 am
While they have the Walmart greeter now, an associate on the floor is still hard to find.
I needed to get an item that was blocked by an order picker parked in the aisle. Looked around and nobody, sort of like a ghost town. Now the HD powered equipment units need a key, which had been handily left, and they have a switch to operate.
If you want to see some associates show up, start moving their order pickers around. They came a running. I explained I needed something and nobody was around.
Got my item and left
SlaveGirl
September 14th, 2010
10:01 am
The Marietta Providence Square store (we still call it the Merchant’s Walk store) needs to get someone in to retrain the people who cut KEYS. After multiple mistakes costing me time I didn’t have to spare, I finally gave up this summer and started getting keys made at Sandy Springs HD.
Angela
September 14th, 2010
10:04 am
people would complain if they were hung with a new rope. GEEEZZZ
At least there is a corporation that is ATTEMPTING to improve things on the lower level.
Self checkout takes a bit of common sense to use, so don’t expect to run through there without employee assistance if your purchase obviously requires said employee assistance.
There will always be HD fans and Lowe’s fans. Neither is better than the other.
BARBARA
September 14th, 2010
10:04 am
I worked at HD for 4 years and left when Bob Nardelli came aboard. HD thought Bob was Jesus, they almost kissed his a–. He did not do anything for HD, only himself. He would get millions of dollars for a raise and some of the employees would get 10 to 35 cents every year. It was unbelieveable. I was working in Human Resource at the time and assisting the Store Manager with the raises, one particular employee received 15 cent raise and stated that his wife who worked at a grocery store received $1.00 for her raise. The Store Manager told the employee to go where his wife was working. You must kiss a.. to get a raise or a promotion. The employees are not trained, they walk around in the stores completely dazed. If you are a customer and need assistance, they will tell you they will be back in a minute and you never see them again. Lowe’s have never had a death in their stores. HD has had plenty and they settled their lawsuits. If they didn’t have so many deaths and accidents, maybe they would have more money in the coffer. I do not now who is the hiring person, but there are some idiots working in the stores and they have no CLUE. Sometimes they may have one person working in 3-4 departments. Time is not of the essence for the morons. The people who work in the BIG HOUSE at Vinings, are clueless. There are clicks, either you in or out. One must bend over backwards to keep their jobs and tolerate complete nonsense. When I left HD my blood pressur went back to normal. It was literally h… working there, many are talked to like they are DOGS. They should close the corporate office and just have stores. The stores make money for the employees at the BIG HOUSE to be paid. Since Bernie and Arthur left, there is no customer service. Maybe all of the stores will close soon. Pay back is a mother.
Associate
September 14th, 2010
10:07 am
Wow, I don’t know where to start. No retailer is perfect, but here at HD we do try> No, we don’t have all the answers but we are striving everyday to improve in all areas. Layoffs, firings, unfortunately all part of the economics of life. Throughout my life I have been laid off of 3 jobs. In the Douglasville store, we try to accomodate all of our customers with whatever they need. We are accomodating as possible.
Sure we may not know all the uses of each item in the store, but we all make an effort to leave a customer with as much information as possible. I am no expert but I have used the internet to retrieve additional information, asked other associates and even my manager. What I won’t do is make up something or if I am unsure tell a customer something wrong. If I don’t know, i don’t know, I am not an encyclopedia, but you better believe I do everything I can to get an answer as quickly as possible.
While there is a code of conduct for employees unfortunately one does not exist for customers. Yes we are grateful that you shop at and spend your money at our store, however that does not mean that because you are spending $500 in the store, we should take any abuse you’d like to dish out. I have had customers interrupt me while I’m helping another customer and become down right ANGRY, loud and obnoxious because I don’t immediately turn to them. Or the customer who comes in and doesn’t know the dimensions of what they need but expects us to figure it out based upon how far apart they hold their hands, or how many feed they have marked off in an area by walking heel toe for a few feet. Or the customer who wants to return something with no original packaging, no receipt, half the parts, and gets mad because we still take it back but give them a store credit instead of cash. Or the customer who tries to return something that’s in a box, get’s mad because the cashier opens the box to do a cursory check and finds that the item they are trying to return has actually been replaced by a brick! Whoops, how did that get in there?! But we did not call the police. Or the customer who wants us to sell them an item that has already been sold, and marked with a “sold” tag and the customer’s name. But since that customer was not there (they were coming back with a truck to pick up their item) and this customer needed this item right now, why couldn’t we sell it to them. They actually complained that we would not sell them this item!!
Wheww! And I could go on and on. But I love wearing this orange apron, and will continue to do so.
Waffle House
September 14th, 2010
10:09 am
Great idea….. Waffle House has been doing this for decades.
Jana
September 14th, 2010
10:11 am
Most of the time, I shop at Lowe’s. It has cleaner stores, and more helpful floor personnel. HD always seems to have things stacked in the aisles and piled along displays. Very much a turnoff. However, I recently encountered a knowledgeable, HELPFUL, employee at HD in Brunswick, Ed Sanger in Millworks. Amazing what a knowledgeable individual willl do to make you rethink where you patronize for home improvement items. If everyone was as helpful as this employee, HD would be forced to man their check out areas to accommodate the influx of customers. Maybe he should train floor personnel.
MC
September 14th, 2010
10:14 am
You self checkout haters don’t get it. Self checkout is for the one or two small items, pay and go. In and out, done.
I’ll never understand why people for large numbers, or simply large items, try to go through self checkout lanes. The real cashier is much better at knowing where the barcode is on an item and getting it scanned.
Trying to go through any self checkout lane with 50 bolts, or simply a cart full of items, is a mistake.
A Home Depot Customer For Now
September 14th, 2010
10:19 am
To Home Depot Management – Please send your Executives to your store on Lawrenceville Highway at North DeKalb Mall….it there was ever one of your stores that needed help, this is it. Please do it quick because, even though it is very convenient, I will become a full time Lowe’s Customer if something isn’t done.
George
September 14th, 2010
10:23 am
The store I frequent in northeast Georgia is excellent, except that there always seems to be three employees for every one customer. At each isle I’m met by an associate offering to help. Most times I know exactly what I want and where to get it and it does become a bit annoying. I’m glad that these people have jobs, but I don’t see how they afford to have so many employees.
shadow7071
September 14th, 2010
10:27 am
Barbara – During some of Nardelli era I did a little consulting for HD at the Vining HQ. I’ve seen my share of politically charged places but…. whew! And, at that time, the turnover of around 50% and the other 50% were looking. A friend of mine took a 3 month contract with HD and when it was over he would not even think about renewing (even though HD was begging him). I personally knew that he needed to work but he would not renew his contract with them. Instead he took a contract in Iraq.
OneFreeMan
September 14th, 2010
10:33 am
COST SAVINGS GIMMICK! THD is just like ALL other INVESTOR owned corporations. They have OUTSOURCED all IT Services to india. I personally witnessed meetings at THD that did not have 1 American in the conference room (glass) .
They are TYPICAL corporation, ship high paying jobs to india and wonder why their SALES DECREASE. I don’t shop at THD.
Emma
September 14th, 2010
10:36 am
@ Chirs: That is a GOOD idea, people shold get a discount of some sort for ringing up their own stuff. AWESOME!!!!!
Richard
September 14th, 2010
10:36 am
If Home Depot execs want to see good customer service they should visit my local Ace Hardware.
Get It Right
September 14th, 2010
10:37 am
I like HD, except for the store in Ellenwood. If you don’t fit the proper profile of a customer, you do not receive attention. I’ve observed this several times and now only go there if no other choice is available. I’m a white male and usually get no assisance and surly people at the checkout. Others who do not fit one or both of those physical characteristics, get much more and much better service. Really, Ellenwood HD, don’t be so obvious!
ed
September 14th, 2010
10:39 am
A $20-million annual cost for oops paint had to be resolved by HD mangement?
Where was the paint manufacturer during this costly fiasco? That’s from where the first line of resolution should have come. Glad the problem has been resolved!
I heart Home Depot
September 14th, 2010
10:42 am
I think its funny how many people write in only to complain, but never take the time to compliment. I am in the Sandy Plains store nearly daily and always have a good experience. Are you perfect? No. But then again no company is. Thank you for recognizing it and listening to all these folks moan and groan and complain because you actually do something about it. Sure, firing folks stinks, but people get over yourself, IT IS A BUSINESS! They have to do what they have to do to meet the bottom line, like every other company that fires people who make too much. If the owners want to line their pockets with money, they can. It’s their business! One way to avoid firing is to keep moving up through the company…kinda like playing musical chairs or hot potato, but you’ll keep your job! I love Home Depot.
DJ
September 14th, 2010
10:54 am
If only they would fix this damned policy that a $1.53 item without a receipt paid in cash has to go on a stupid piece of plastic, then life would be good. Items under say $5-10 should just be refunded to the customer, not placed on a piece of stupid plastic. Especially if the person usually buys much more than that when they go into the store.
Especially since they decided that India was NOT the place to have their customer service calls to go. I called some one everything but an Indian under the Nardelli era when I couldn’t get a straight answer on something that appeared not be written down in a standard answer manual.
Perhaps Wal-Mart execs should try this so that they hear personally from customers treated like common theives over a $10 worth of items with a receipt that has to be scanned by the old people with for a stupid barcodes!
DJ
September 14th, 2010
10:55 am
If only they would fix this damned policy that a $1.53 item without a receipt paid in cash has to go on a stupid piece of plastic, then life would be good. Items under say $5-10 should just be refunded to the customer, not placed on a piece of stupid plastic. Especially if the person usually buys much more than that when they go into the store.
Customer service has definitely improved, especially since they decided that India was NOT the place to have their customer service calls to go. I called some one everything but an Indian under the Nardelli era when I couldn’t get a straight answer on something that appeared not be written down in a standard answer manual.
Perhaps Wal-Mart execs should try this so that they hear personally from customers treated like common theives over a $10 worth of items with a receipt that has to be scanned by the old people with for a stupid barcodes!
Do it yourself
September 14th, 2010
11:13 am
Okay, to be fair here’s a helpful story. Went to the Home Depot on East West Connector to pick up a grill that had been BOUGHT and PAID FOR over a week in advance. My friend had asked that the grill be assmbled and that she would be in the following Sunday to pick it up. No problem, she gave them her CC # and they confirmed the purchase. Wen to the store that following Sunday, and guess what? Oops, no grill, must have sold it over the week, Hmmmm…. you sold an already purchased item? Nice, i wonder if i could sell my house twice in the same week. anyway, since they ddin’t have the original grill which was $88.00 they ended up giving her a grill that cost $200.00. So yes, great way to help the customer, but how long will HD maintain the profit margin if their “associates” continue to give away the merchandise? It’s not rocket science people.
Devildog
September 14th, 2010
11:14 am
Now, if newspapers would put desk wonks and editors into the field, the news guys might find some relief, too.
Hank
September 14th, 2010
11:15 am
@Associate….Thank You!
“While there is a code of conduct for employees unfortunately one does not exist for customers.”
Total agreement here. I have been on the same job in retail for 27 years. While I met some upstanding people, it seems in the last decade customers have become more aggressive or even hostile than in times past. The customer is not always right, sometimes they are flat wrong. It’s my job to assist you, not take verbal abuse nor watch you have a meltdown because you feel the need.
ann
September 14th, 2010
11:25 am
People like me require help at the self check out because we resent being asked to do something that we feel is the obligation of the store. We are being passive aggressive. We do not work for Home Depot and feel no obligation to make the process smoother for Home Depot.Perhaps our collective attitude would improve ahould we be given a salary for checking out or at least a discount….
itpdude
September 14th, 2010
11:33 am
You know when HD execs are in the store when there are 6 people in HD aprons standing up front talking in the middle of a pathway. Another thing on improving the U-Scans at the HDs is to disallow the cashier who is running the U-Scan from also playing the part of a regular cashier. The U-Scan employees need to be dedicated specifically to U-Scan tasks. I love the U-Scan because it means one less person with whom I must interact.
I don’t expect any sort of expertise from HD employees. Forget asking any of the women employees anything at all; the only reason there are women working non-cashier jobs at HD is because they are cheaper, which makes sense. They can’t lift anything and don’t know anything about tools or material.
I just want to get in and out of the HD. If I can’t find anything at the place, I order it online or go to Lowes. Minimizing my contact with their idiot “associates” is my primary objective next to getting in and getting the eff out.
dooley
September 14th, 2010
11:44 am
I go to Lowes now. HD is more concerned about being politically correct about everything. I refuse to give a dime of my money to a company that blatantly supports non family friendly lifestyles.
Cedric
September 14th, 2010
11:49 am
The effort is worthy but too Atlanta-centric. I shop at HD in other states and see the difference, which is generally unfavorable. I had to wait over a hour so that the one employee there could re-key two locksets because he already had a half dozen tasks before him. Some stores seem to have nothing but self-serve checkouts which are OK for standard barcoded products but pure hell on anything that is beyond ordinary…I’m there as a customer, not there to learn how their POS works.
Ricardo Cabeza
September 14th, 2010
11:49 am
Ya gotta spend money to make money. Plain and simple. When you cut customer service to save $$ you might as well go ahead and order the “Going out of business” signs. That’s what HD did back in the early 2000’s and it showed . . . in sales and profit. They survived (barely) but lost a LOT of loyal customers. Can they get them back from Lowe’s? Sure, but it will take time AND well spent dollars on customer service. Good luck Home Depot! You are a good company and i wish you the best, but you gotta pick it up!!
Honest Customer
September 14th, 2010
11:53 am
Nice Post Associate,
I would like to apologize for all those rude and dishonest jerks out there. I have always had a pleasant experience at HD and Lowes. But then when you come in with a good attitude you generally have a good experience.
I am a little bummed about he reduction in “Oops Paint” though. I found some great colors in there for a great price.
MU in GA
September 14th, 2010
11:54 am
I, like many, had so many bad experiences at Home Depot and the final straw came the day they hassled me over a return. I was planning to buy several things after the return, but said I was going to Lowes. They laughed at me. In order for me to go to one of two Lowes closest to my home, I have to pass Home Depot in both directions…..which I do. After that experience, I called my broker and told her to sell my stock as well. I don’t want anything to do with that company now. The customer service at Lowes is FAR better than Home Depot.
Cedric
September 14th, 2010
11:55 am
I just read others’ comments and have to agree that Lowes’, while more expensive on average, beats HD customer service and store layout. And yes, I don’t care for the politically correct business at any retailer…I’m there to buy stuff not hear about social beliefs.
1Cedric1
September 14th, 2010
11:56 am
I just read others’ comments and have to agree that Lowes’, while more expensive on average, beats HD customer service and store layout. And yes, I don’t care for the politically correct business at any retailer…I’m there to buy stuff not hear about social beliefs.
DMB
September 14th, 2010
12:20 pm
I’m a Lowe’s fan – better customer service – Lowe’s employees actually acknowledge you instead of having conversations on their personal cell or with other employees.
I think this is a great idea though.. every company should do this.
DMB
September 14th, 2010
12:25 pm
@Get It Right – ghetto killed Atlanta years ago.. they don’t get it, so why bother trying to tell them about the way they treat people or how they act. Some people will never fit into society.
c2it
September 14th, 2010
12:26 pm
Not an original idea to put EXECS TO WORK IN THE STORES!
c2it
September 14th, 2010
12:26 pm
Not an original idea to put EXECS TO WORK IN THE STORES!
c2it
September 14th, 2010
12:26 pm
Not an original idea to put EXECS TO WORK IN THE STORES!
Who Cares?
September 14th, 2010
12:30 pm
So many good and accurate comments being posted here. I do feel for the associates who are knowledgable and dedicated to doing a good job, but Home Depot’s corporate direction has created an environment where the customers feel “shorted” when they try to do business with them. The idea that corporate management will participate at their retail locations should be enlightening, but in the end, they’re corporate management. As an old co-worker once told me when we were working in the corporate world, “Corporations are a great place for people to work who don”t have enough intelligence or backbone to make a living for themselves.” So, my guess is that little or nothing will be changed because corporate types aren’t about solutions, but rather self preservation. Many of the issues with doing business with at Home Depot don’t require corporate executive input to correct them, but the use of a little common logic would go pretty far. Remember, they’ve put themselves in this position by allowing these same conforming corporate idiots to establish policy that has driven business away from them in the first place. Chances are, they’re not too much smarter than when they were when they initially established the programs and policy that has proven to work against them. In the end, nothing will change for them until they go back to what made them successful in the first place, which is knowledgable associates who are helpful and appreciative of the job they hold at Home Depot. When Home Depot started out, they had the competition of independent hardware stores, building supply stores, nurseries, and power product businesses to compete with. Home Depot has since forced those businesses out of business so there are fewer choices to the consumer. Recently, corporate ineptness has been in the spotlight along with the incompetence of our government. It just might be time for people to start opening smaller independently owned businesses to cater to the needs of the consumer, cause God knows that the corporate types can’t figure it out. It has been posted in this thread that some are so fed up with ineptness that they would pay more for better service. Well, lets put our money where our mouth is!
c2it
September 14th, 2010
12:34 pm
MC DONALDS has used this tatic to ensure operations procedures link with implemented coporatate initiatives from founder Ray Krock mandate.
HD is loosing it market focus. They want to be everything to everybody!!! I personally hate
translation language signs and pa announcements – very annoying.
I agree HD customer servce/knowledge has greatly declined over the last few years.
I keep my dyi progects small (to avoid retail) and limited; to hire contractors.
DIY ??
Old School
September 14th, 2010
12:42 pm
How about equipping floor folk/associates with GPSs to help us find one when we need help. They are adept at disappearing when you need them (at least in the Tallahassee store we visit.) I’m all for the corporate types spending time working in the stores but they need to venture a bit farther than Atlanta.
JDR
September 14th, 2010
12:44 pm
Nice article. It’s good to see that the corp types can get their hands dirty a bit and see how their decisions affect the front line employees and customers.
As a customer, the service in HD seems to have improved over the past couple of years. I seriously could live in that store, as I love to do DIY projects. Sometimes I have some frustration, but overall, they do a good job of helping me find what I’m looking for and even offering advice for what product will meet my needs. It also doesn’t hurt that the HD locations where I shop (Riverdale, Fayetteville & Morrow) all have Lowe’s stores very close by. Occasionally, if I can’t find something at one, I’ll go to the other. But HD mostly has what I need and seems to cater more to contractors and hard core DIY’ers, while Lowe’s is a little more “retail-ish.” And yes, Lowe’s people seem a little more eager to help out (in general) but the quality of some of the products (particularly paint) is sub-par to HD’s. (Behr IS the best.)
Regarding the comment about female associates – how chauvinistic can you get? Certainly some of the younger cashiers may not have abundant hands on experience, but I’ve enlisted advice from some pretty sharp ladies in there. Give them a break! Unfortunately, as a woman myself, most men don’t take me seriously until they realize I know what I’m talking about when it comes to home improvements projects, especially the electrical ones. Preconceived notions.
Weener
September 14th, 2010
12:44 pm
I like that signature isnt required for credit card transactions less than 50 but what’s up with the fast pay credit card transaction that doesnt work? It says you can tap your card (if you have the proper card that supports the feature) but it is disabled. I’ve seen people tap and tap and tap until the cashier finally says “hmmmm, that never works”. Please just put an out of order sign if you don’t support it or make it work!
THuD
September 14th, 2010
12:44 pm
HD seems to have improved a bit…probably trading employees with Lowes. This ‘exec at the store’ thing is a good idea [but i'm not sure what they know about the best router for a rabbet]…they’re usually paper pushers and number crunchers.
They might be more effective if they shopped at Lowes., ACE or HD itself to live through real customer’s frustrations.
BIG JOHN
September 14th, 2010
12:52 pm
Great Idea putting execs in the store. BUT… I HATE THE SELF CHECK OUT !!!
SO if you MUST KEEP IT then at least OPEN UP MORE CHECK OUTS WITH REAL
PEOPLE.
When I buy your stuff, I expect a little help with the part where you take my money !
I have tried the self check out and usually something won’t scan, or there is a problem! SO i just avoid it now !
SO while you exec are in the store, pick up a few different items and
give the old self check out a try !!???
you get what you pay for
September 14th, 2010
12:52 pm
I don’t work for HD or in the service industry, But why do customer exspect grade (A) service from employees who themselves are treated like s*** in their jobs. Executive types,and customer want executive service from associates making less than a livable wage. I say you get what you pay for, Maybe the executives who makes those wonderful salaries should serve the customer. The money they make should keep a smile on there faces. for every customer. But when the (associates as they are called) Bring home less than $300.00 a week, SMH don’t really expect service with a smile. Not just at home depot any area of service where the people who do the most work get paid the least. And really HD one day, try working at HD for a month at the same rate of pay as your associates, and at the end of the month try paying your bills with just you salary you made at HD and see if your still have a smile on your face for every customer that walk through your doors. I say horrible pay = horribe service. again YOU GET THE SERVICE HD PAYS FOR!!
DD
September 14th, 2010
12:57 pm
If your complaint about Home Depot is how hard the self-checkout system is to opperate, but yet it works for everyone else–do you think the problem might be with you?
Ian
September 14th, 2010
12:58 pm
Lowe’s and HD have improved customer service, but returns at Lowe’s are far easier. I get the receipt scanned and I am out. It isn’t that way at HD. For that reason alone, I take some of my business to Lowe’s, even though I am an HD shareholder.
DAWN
September 14th, 2010
1:00 pm
I love Home Depot, but… I use self check a lot at other stores, but rarely at Home Depot because I get angry every time I use it. The HD self check is the worst. It either won’t register my items and then I can’t find a “associate” to help me. Or it doesn’t give me long enough to get the bag open and my item into it before it starts YELLING at me in a very unpleasant tone to put my purchase in the bag.
Associate
September 14th, 2010
1:15 pm
One more comment, it would be helpful to hav execs in the store on a weekend day when it can be really crazy as opposed to a week day. Also, don’t let the manager when you are coming, you ‘d be more apt to get a more real picture of how things operate. For instance less than half of the people in my store have received training on the 1st phone, although we are expected know how to use it. A great gadget by the way, but being handed the phone and told “just play with it” and you’ll get, was not helpful in the least.
Teacher who is a Customer
September 14th, 2010
1:22 pm
I’ve been walking at a HD that is 3 miles from my house for over EIGHT years in the winter and on rainy days. I have NEVER had anyone ask if I need help. Perfect place to walk. Lowe’s–tried that and a lot of employees asked if I needed help. So, guess where I walk (HD) and guess where I shop (Lowe’s). Lowe’s is twice the distance, but oh so much better in Customer Service.
It’s a good thing TEACHERS are not “Get what you pay for”. We still care a lot–just like I have for over 25 years.
mdh01
September 14th, 2010
1:38 pm
So HD executives are going back to doing things the way they used to be done. Back in the old days (pre-Bob), executives were routinely in stores and always talking about their experiences to their peers, with the common goal of making things better for staff and customer alike (along with a lot of IT upgrades, too). So if it takes some Wal-mart spin and cute new names to get back to the business of process improvement, then great. At least they’re trying. Again.
Troglodyke
September 14th, 2010
2:33 pm
Any effort is better than none; however, the executives probably won’t encounter the rudeness that some the Associates exhibit simply because the Associates will clean up their act while they are working the stores.
True. They should just go in there and “mystery shop” in plainclothes if they want to see that. Associates always know when they are being watched, and will compensate.
I worked for HD for 3 years before Nardelli. I learned a lot from working there; it was the third and final retail store job I ever had (I still work with the public but not technically in retail). At the time, it was a better work experience than most retail stores, but it was still not anyone’s dream job. Although many of my co-workers seriously thought of it as their career, I knew it was just a stepping stone to something better for me. I’m glad I did it, because the knowledge I gleaned about customer service has really served me.
The self checkouts were not installed to save money on staff. They were installed to save customers who don’t want to wait in line some time, and they do. If they save $$ on salaries, that’s a bonus to the company–but it’s not why most every retailer now has them. They are not going away; many more people like them than don’t. So if you don’t like them, use the regular lane.
Anyone who complains about the service in retail stores who has never worked in retail needs to take a job working retail for a few months. Retail can be a very thankless job, but there are people who absolutely shine at it. It is absolutely true that customers are more demanding than they ever have been in the past. One of the reasons is that companies like HD have created them! In promising the lowest prices with the best customer service, HD shot itself in the foot. You cannot have both, and people need to learn to live with that.
You want good service and knowledgeable employees? Go to Ace Hardware or Lowe’s. You want cheap prices? Go to HD or Wally World. You will occasionally find good service in the “low price” stores, but it’s rare, and the employees who give it don’t stay long because they are meant for better things.
You can either pay low prices, or you can get good service. You won’t get both. But, honestly, why should you? You should expect to pay a bit more for good service. I do.
Employees should be helpful and welcoming and knowledgeable (don’t pass up opportunities to learn more about what you are selling), and customers should be respectful, pleasant, and not expecting their butts to be kissed. Everyone will have a good experience.
TnGelding
September 14th, 2010
2:34 pm
I once bought one of their paint mistakes and donated it to charity. Incredibly they wouldn’t sell it to me at a discount. They made the mistake, but I could have prevented it.
If these execs can be out of their corporate suites for any length of time are they really needed?
Mike
September 14th, 2010
2:35 pm
That’s the kind of thing that’s done on a factory floor. That is a response to a “corrective action” to prevent mistakes from happening again.
Forrest
September 14th, 2010
2:46 pm
To the people who hate self checkout…. 1,2,3,4,5 & 6; Don’t go thru Self Check-out if you have complicated items. (Like 50 of one item, rope by the foot, or anything you know you can’t buy without an ID.) Let the rest of us with 1 paintbrush and 1 bag of screws check out in a matter of seconds and get on with our busy days…..!
Jason
September 14th, 2010
3:04 pm
I was so hurt to see how low morale had become since Mr. Blank left and Mr. Nardelli took over. I’ve been hopeing that Home Depot would make a comeback. This is a great plan. It is always good to get an hands on feel of what store associates are really going through. By taking this approach you get a real understanding of real issues which results in real solutions. Oneday I believe that Home Depot will be filled happy associates again. Who ever is running the company now is starting to see the light. Go Home Depot!
irish
September 14th, 2010
3:05 pm
Funny, this is a “new” concept??? I remember when Mr. Marcus and Mr. Blank actually came to 5AM Sunday meetings to see what was really going on. Alas, Home Depot is no longer a customer service oriented store, just a business.
Diana B
September 14th, 2010
3:06 pm
The answer to some of these problems is your friendy Ace Hardware..and no I do not work there! Every time I go in to the store..somebody is always there to not only greet me but to take me right to what I am looking for! Now I know that they do not carry everything like HD and Lowes but for what they do have..it’s worth a little bit extra for my quick time in and out with what I need!
Arinze
September 14th, 2010
3:13 pm
I used to do all my shopping at HD until my first visit at Lowes. What got me hooked was the help button system. You can push a button on any of the aisles and have an associate flying over to come and help you. They are actually graded based on how fast they respond to your request. THAT TO ME IS PUTTING THE CUSTOMER FIRST! As far as knowledge goes, I believe HD has more knowledgeable floor associates in a few areas, however, what good is all that knowledge if you cannot find them when you need them?
Michelle Smith
September 14th, 2010
3:21 pm
Finally the execs get out of their comfortable chairs but have they ever visited the stores on the SOUTHSIDE of town? I say they don’t…most of them have not been past the CASCADE location. Having worked in the corp office before I LOVED working in the stores. It put things in perspective. At any rate, I have and always will shop at LOWE’s
Kristen Folsom
September 14th, 2010
3:38 pm
I was in HD yesterday, and someone in an orange apron actually walked up to me and asked if I needed help. Then — get this — this employee actually walked me to the aisle and explained how to use the item that I wanted to purchase. I had NEVER had an experience like that in HD! Lowe’s, yes, but NEVER HD!
David
September 14th, 2010
3:49 pm
They had to do something…..they were screwing up by the numbers! I placed an order for just about 25k, and about 3 months into it, I made them refund my money. They could not, or would not make their vendor produce an acceptable product.
Another one bites the dust!
Jeff
September 14th, 2010
3:52 pm
I love home depot. Probalby my favorite store to visit during the weekend. What are all of you crybabies looking for??? You don’t like self checkout, don’t use it. Corporate workers spending time in stores can only help. I shop at the Vinings store and always have good experiences. Maybe that is because I’m easy to talk to and often strike up conversations. If you go in there with the type of attitude that most of you are showing in these posts, you might not get the best service. Anyway, thanks HD for keeping me busy on the weekends. See you Saturday.
Brad
September 14th, 2010
4:02 pm
I have a wood shop and like to buy discounted cull lumber for weekend projects. Few stores sell it and prefer to throw it in the dump. From a green perspective, that makes no sense. Also, #2 white pine pressure treated decking is getting sorrier by the day. I have to wait for a new delivery so I can spend several minutes sorting through stacks to hunt the better boards. Lowes #2 lumber appears better and I can’t afford to pay 3 to 4 times more for #1 grade. I like to shop at Home Depot but I think they could do better in some areas. I spend alot of money there.
Bad pay
September 14th, 2010
9:08 pm
why work for a company that doesn’t pay what you want?
old army sgt
September 14th, 2010
10:44 pm
out of stocks? to achieve this you have associates playing the we will get this transfer out so the next store will have no out of stocks. in return we send a transfer of the things we need from another store. now as we hear about the big dogs working in the stores, bring them in at 7:00 pm get the isles restocked, waite on customers, put away returns, plus answer the phone talk to customers, run to the front to get a sku for a cashier. or bring them in and work the mid-shift which has been done away with to save money. they would like power hour. we used to have an opening associate-a mid-shift associate-and a closing associatethere was a overlap of associates and the work was completed, the store was clean and the customers didn’t complain about no associates to help the customers. they did away with the mid-shift 40 hrs for each dept reduced the night crew from 8 hrs per night to 4 hrs. these cost cutting measures will save the company approx $333,120.00 so much for customer service.!!
barbie nelson
September 14th, 2010
10:55 pm
All the managers take credit for the workers under them, they act like its there idea, its not. There was one person who came up with this idea, his name is not mentioned just the manager. He never got ANY CREDIT FO IT. hOME DEPOT
Home Depot Experts
September 15th, 2010
11:07 am
My recent experience at home depot, trying to purchase a shower guide for my shower door.
Front desk: had no idea what I was talking about—pointed out where the “bath” products were
Person in bath products: had no idea what I was talking about. Suggested I needed a new shower door.
Second person that came up: never heard of it—suggested I “find it on the web site” and order it and it “may come in a few weeks” but it may be a “special order” and could take longer.
Amazing. Total incompetency.
associate3
September 20th, 2010
9:32 am
I work at HD. The store I work at is a “smaller store”. When someone says this to you picture trying to get a size 13 foot into a size 5 shoe. The stuff just doesn’t fit and we can’t sell everything.
I have worked in the Garden, Electrical and now the Appliance departments. I have helped all sorts of customers. When you work any where from 6 or 7 in the morning on one day to midnight the next (as long as there is eight hours between shifts) no matter how tired you may be, you still have to smile and deal with obnoxious customers.
I had one lady yell at me because she didn’t measure her doorway and the drier she ordered wouldn’t fit through it. This is my fault how? I didn’t even sell her the drier to start with.
I had one guy ask how the Scott’s lawn builder worked. So every time I told him how to use it he said he knew that already. Not that I said this out loud, but if you know why are you taking up my time, I have lots of other people to help.
I also found that in the electrical department people didn’t want to hear about “code”. That outlets near water sources need to be GFI’s. Then want to know why they get electrocuted every time they use their sink.
As an associate we work long hours, for very little pay, no discount, and if the store does make plan we might get profit sharing. but all the merchandise that gets stolen, comes out of that profit sharing. When you steal from a home depot you steal directly from the associates that work there, not the corporate guys. The exhausted associate that is trying their best to help you, that is who you are stealing from. Management still gets their bonuses. Corporate still makes millions.
Oh for all those people who think every associate should know every item. When was the last time you were an expert on a couple of hundred thousand items.