Went into Home Depot today looking for.....

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Cwalker935

Cwalker935

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a scratch awl. Nice young man asked if he could help me find what I was looking for, I said "yes I'm looking for a scratch awl." He said a what? I said an awl a-w-l. He got a puzzled look and grabbed his smart phone, looked it up and said oh we do not have any of those in stock. Mind you he was working in the section selling hand tools. I walked away with nothing, he walked away wondering what the heck does someone need a scratch awl for.
 
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its_virgil

its_virgil

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I'll bet a donut to a dollar Lowes has them. I never rely on the workers for information. I have found too many items after having been told "we do not carry xxxxx." Just saying.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Cwalker935 said:
a scratch awl. Nice young man asked if he could help me find what I was looking for, I said "yes I'm looking for a scratch awl." He said a what? I said an awl a-w-l. He got a puzzled look and grabbed his smart phone, looked it up and said oh we do not have any of those in stock. Mind you he was working in the section selling hand tools. I walked away with nothing, he walked away wondering what the heck does someone need a scratch awl for.
Click to expand...
 
jttheclockman

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They have them. There are 2 sections where the tools are located so you need to look both places. I was there looking for a stud finder yesterday and 2 different people told me the exact same place to look. I said to the second person show me. He walked over and was amazed they were moved. Found them in the power tool section.
 
Chuck Key

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jttheclockman said:
They have them.
Click to expand...

Where are the Apex 492's? Gave the broken one to the guy in tools at Home Depot and he just scratched his head. Purchased two DeWalt bits, ground the hex portion down to round to fit my screw driver and went back to work. Found out later that Fastenal sell them as well as a couple of other places in town but did not want to waste the time tracking them down.
 

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jttheclockman

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Chuck Key said:
jttheclockman said:
They have them.
Click to expand...

Where are the Apex 492's? Gave the broken one to the guy in tools at Home Depot and he just scratched his head. Purchased two DeWalt bits, ground the hex portion down to round to fit my screw driver and went back to work. Found out later that Fastenal sell them as well as a couple of other places in town but did not want to waste the time tracking them down.
Click to expand...


Not sure what you are asking but they carry those too in the tool dept with the power tools. They are hanging with the bits. Again these are not specialty tools and the awl is not either. Now if you want a special length they may not carry that. Not quite sure why they divide their tools up like that.

You can always go to Harbor freight or even Sears. Most good combination squares have a scratch awl built in.
 
Herb G

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That's why I am glad we still have a Mom & Pop hardware store in my little town. The BORG moved in, and most places ran off in fear while they could still cash out.
I think of this hardware store as the little engine that could.

Their prices are a little higher than the BORG, but the help alone is worth that. At least they greet you at the door & ask "Can I help you find something today"?
If you go in the BORG, they scatter like cockroaches when the lights come on if you even look like you're going to ask them to do their job.
I live in a 85 year old house, and a lot of stuff I need to keep it going you just can't find anywhere any more. The Mom & Pop store either has one hanging on the shelf, or will order it for you, no extra charge.

They have had my business for over 30 years, and as long as they keep the doors open & the lights on, they always will.

(Steps down off soapbox.) :)
 
Chuck Key

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jttheclockman said:
Chuck Key said:
jttheclockman said:
They have them.
Click to expand...

Where are the Apex 492's? Gave the broken one to the guy in tools at Home Depot and he just scratched his head. Purchased two DeWalt bits, ground the hex portion down to round to fit my screw driver and went back to work. Found out later that Fastenal sell them as well as a couple of other places in town but did not want to waste the time tracking them down.
Click to expand...


Not sure what you are asking but they carry those too in the tool dept with the power tools. They are hanging with the bits. Again these are not specialty tools and the awl is not either. Now if you want a special length they may not carry that. Not quite sure why they divide their tools up like that.

You can always go to Harbor freight or even Sears. Most good combination squares have a scratch awl built in.
Click to expand...

I sure did not see any Apex bits at HD dept. Did not see DeWalt bits there either, got them at Lowes. Anyway, problem solved so I am happy:)
 
monophoto

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Big box stores can be frustrating, but once you figure out the formula, it's possible to make them work for you.

My experience at Lowes is that the stores a clean and bright, and if you can find the item you are looking for, they are fine places to shop. Just don't expect to be able to find anyone to help you find anything, and don't expect their employees to have any clue about what you are shopping for or where it might be in the store.

HD stores tend to be darker and more cluttered - a real warehouse feeling. But if you are looking for something and you find one of their older employees, they generally know what you are talking about and where to find it in the store.

The main point is that they stock lots of ordinary stuff. Yes, that means that finding it in the store can be a challenge. Just don't expect to find out-of-the-ordinary stuff in the store. That said, it is often possibly to order unusual stuff from their web site.

My most frustrating experience was shopping for a replacement for our built=in microwave oven at HD. The guy in the appliance depart (one of the older employees) knew exactly what we wanted and where to find it on their website - he explained that they didn't have it in stock.

So I went home, got on line to look at the web site, did some measurements and talked to the manufacturer to make sure that we were ordering the right microwave and right installation kit. Then I noticed thta the HD website offered installaction and decided that I didn't need to frustration and opted for that adder.

A week later the microwave arrived along with the installation kit. I called HD to ask about the installation. The customer service guy put me on hold while he looked into the matter, so I got to listen to a series of recorded messages, one of which promoted HDs offering to install any appliance they sell. Then he returned to explain that they couldn't actually install the microwave - even though they offered that service and had accepted my payment for it.
 
jttheclockman

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Herb G said:
That's why I am glad we still have a Mom & Pop hardware store in my little town. The BORG moved in, and most places ran off in fear while they could still cash out.
I think of this hardware store as the little engine that could.

Their prices are a little higher than the BORG, but the help alone is worth that. At least they greet you at the door & ask "Can I help you find something today"?
If you go in the BORG, they scatter like cockroaches when the lights come on if you even look like you're going to ask them to do their job.
I live in a 85 year old house, and a lot of stuff I need to keep it going you just can't find anywhere any more. The Mom & Pop store either has one hanging on the shelf, or will order it for you, no extra charge.

They have had my business for over 30 years, and as long as they keep the doors open & the lights on, they always will.

(Steps down off soapbox.) :)
Click to expand...


It is great you still have one of those type stores around you as they become more and more a dinosaur. The big box stores are what they are and if you realize that they can be very helpful. Those Ma and Pop stores are not only fighting with the big box stores but the very thing you used to write this message on, the computer.

Lets face it to find a very knowledgeable person in any of those dept is rare too because why would they work for such low pay when they can make more money using their talents elsewhere. You may get that occasional retired tradesman looking for something to do that decided to work in one of those places. It is what it is.
 
JimB

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I've always had a good experience at both my local HD and Lowes. Just like all business, and even right here on IAP, there are people with different levels of knowledge. I've always found the people in both stores to be very helpful and when they didn't have the knowledge they would find someone who did.

The last time I needed help finding something in HD the guy spent about 15 minutes looking up what it was, checking the 3 possible locations in the store and then searching in their top stock area because there wasn't even a spot for it on the shelves because it was a seasonal item. He finally found it for me! He did all that knowing it was a $5 item. Great service as far as I'm concerned.
 
D

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HD has thousands if not millions of different items in their inventory, I doubt if any of the employees could be are full aware of everything they have. Kind of like if you work in a electronic parts store, you better have your computer handy to find that part some 13 year old geek kid will ask for. And you might keep that 13 year old handy to answer the questions of some 70 year old geek that plays old transistor radios to answer his questions. Then do this at for a little over minimum wage.

As to the awl, make one using a nail with it's head cut off, chuck up the nail in a drill and sharpen the point on your grinder. Or get fancy and buy a 1/8 by 3" HHS tool bit and sharpen the point. Drill and turn a block of wood for the handle.
 
Herb G

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I hear ya loud & clear J T. The Mom & Pop store actually hires retired guys to run their respective depts. for them. There's 4-5 guys working at any one time & they all know a little about everything, but several are specialists in their own dept.

The store is small but they are always busy. Forget going on a weekend unless you really need something bad. The parking lot is always full on weekends.

We used to have a really big old time Mom & Pop hardware store in the next town down, but it burned down & no one rebuilt it.
They even had those galvanized metal racks that spun around to hold nails. Old barrels full of stuff packed in Cosmoline, all kinds of mower parts, etc. They even sold canvas tarps by the yard.

Heck, they even had penny candy. But it was a quarter when they closed down. :frown:


Sorry fellas, I didn't mean to hijack your thread. I apologize.
You brought back some memories is all.
 
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Curly

Curly

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Are you sure you didn't misread and picked up a Dud Finder? ;)

While scratch awls can be made many ways a small worn out screwdriver works when sharpened. Now who doesn't have a worn Phillips cluttering their toolbox?
 
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