This is the exact reason I despise Home Depot. I go in for something I think should be simple — a supply tube for the toilet or a replacement electrical outlet — and there are 27 different kinds of them and I have no idea which one I need. I’ll invariably get the wrong one and have to go back, often more than once, before I finally end up with the right part.
No place on earth makes me feel more stupid than Home Depot.
Many years ago I worked in hardware stores. I even had certification from the National Retail Hardware Association as a Journeyman Hardwareman. If you need help, go to your local hardware store. Much better chance someone there will actually be able to help you. A good percentage of the time I go to the big box stores I end up helping someone who looks lost. And I don’t even get commission anymore.
-Here’s the other reality in dealing with big box retail: the guy who is working in lumber today will be handling shelving tomorrow. So the workers themselves often have less information about the products they are selling than you’d find in a smaller store. In the smaller stores, you pay more (because they don’t buy in bulk), but the sales associates are usually permanently assigned to a particular line or product. That way, they can be much more helpful.-The best example of this is buying shoes in Walmart versus a shoe store. The guy selling you a box of shoes in Walmart honestly does not know if they have that particular shoe in your size, because tomorrow he’s shelving patio furniture.
R.U. Kidding over 10 years ago
This is the exact reason I despise Home Depot. I go in for something I think should be simple — a supply tube for the toilet or a replacement electrical outlet — and there are 27 different kinds of them and I have no idea which one I need. I’ll invariably get the wrong one and have to go back, often more than once, before I finally end up with the right part.
No place on earth makes me feel more stupid than Home Depot.
ladykat over 10 years ago
I like browsing in hardware/home stores, even though I can rarely afford to buy anything.
Bogy Premium Member over 10 years ago
Many years ago I worked in hardware stores. I even had certification from the National Retail Hardware Association as a Journeyman Hardwareman. If you need help, go to your local hardware store. Much better chance someone there will actually be able to help you. A good percentage of the time I go to the big box stores I end up helping someone who looks lost. And I don’t even get commission anymore.
Argy.Bargy2 over 10 years ago
-Here’s the other reality in dealing with big box retail: the guy who is working in lumber today will be handling shelving tomorrow. So the workers themselves often have less information about the products they are selling than you’d find in a smaller store. In the smaller stores, you pay more (because they don’t buy in bulk), but the sales associates are usually permanently assigned to a particular line or product. That way, they can be much more helpful.-The best example of this is buying shoes in Walmart versus a shoe store. The guy selling you a box of shoes in Walmart honestly does not know if they have that particular shoe in your size, because tomorrow he’s shelving patio furniture.