Do some employees ever wake up?

[MobilMan]

I was just reminded of some of the fun you can have dealing with employees when I posted in another thread. When I was in Home Depot and buying a thickness planer I had to have help getting it from the floor into [on] a cart. Being it was too large to go in the guy set it cross wayson top. During check out the lady asked if I'd need help unloading it. ""No Maam..I'll just let the tailgate down on the pickup and get a running start at it. When the basket hits, It will just slide right in."" No joke. She couldn't get me checked out fast enough, she wanted to go out & watch me unload. Even asked another gal to go with her. Had to bite my lip. Finally told her I was kidding.
Another time I was hoping to get a benchtop Ridgid bandsaw. All they had was the 14"" floor model, which i have. Now mind you, I've got my right hand on the saw table & the lady asked if I needed help. I asked if they can order in a Ridgid benchtop saw. ''Oh no Sir--We don't carry any bandsaws."" DUH.
Before the local Depot opened here a few yrs ago, I was in the store in Showlow, Az. I was looking at the vinyl fencing. Some displayed outside & some inside. I looked everywhere for info. on it and wanted to get an idea of cost. So I waited my turn at the contractors desk for my turn. Asked ' do you have some pamphlets or info. I can get from you on the vinyl fencing?" Answer--"I'm sorry, we don't carry it" So i asked for the manager & finally got together with him. Bought 410 feet of it. but told him I would deal with him only being 1/2 of it had to be ordered in.
SO--if you have a bad experience with a company--don't blame the company, try to get hold of a knowledged person. Life is fun sometime.

 

[Pens By Scott]

Sounds like a few lines from Bill Engvall... Here's your sign...

On the phone with his wife when the plane he was on stopped after hitting a deer.
Engvall's wife: Oh my God! Were you on the ground?
Engvall: Nope, Santa was making one last run. Here's your sign.

 

[its_virgil]

I know about what you say. when I ask where an item is at one of large home centers and I'm told they don't carry that item then the challenge is started. I love to find the item then take one of the items to the employee. I give it to him/her and walk off. I get some strange looks... often not too happy ones.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

I was just reminded of some of the fun you can have dealing with employees when I posted in another thread. When I was in Home Depot and buying a thickness planer I had to have help getting it from the floor into [on] a cart. Being it was too large to go in the guy set it cross wayson top. During check out the lady asked if I'd need help unloading it. ""No Maam..I'll just let the tailgate down on the pickup and get a running start at it. When the basket hits, It will just slide right in."" No joke. She couldn't get me checked out fast enough, she wanted to go out & watch me unload. Even asked another gal to go with her. Had to bite my lip. Finally told her I was kidding.
Another time I was hoping to get a benchtop Ridgid bandsaw. All they had was the 14"" floor model, which i have. Now mind you, I've got my right hand on the saw table & the lady asked if I needed help. I asked if they can order in a Ridgid benchtop saw. ''Oh no Sir--We don't carry any bandsaws."" DUH.
Before the local Depot opened here a few yrs ago, I was in the store in Showlow, Az. I was looking at the vinyl fencing. Some displayed outside & some inside. I looked everywhere for info. on it and wanted to get an idea of cost. So I waited my turn at the contractors desk for my turn. Asked ' do you have some pamphlets or info. I can get from you on the vinyl fencing?" Answer--"I'm sorry, we don't carry it" So i asked for the manager & finally got together with him. Bought 410 feet of it. but told him I would deal with him only being 1/2 of it had to be ordered in.
SO--if you have a bad experience with a company--don't blame the company, try to get hold of a knowledged person. Life is fun sometime.

 

[thewishman]

I was in Kmart several years ago. A guy walking toward me was shaking his head and muttering to himself. When he got close, he told me that he asked where the paper towels were, the employee told him, "Sir we don't carry paper towels, they are a seasonal item." I still smile when I think of him.

 

[rjwolfe3]

I was in Kmart several years ago. A guy walking toward me was shaking his head and muttering to himself. When he got close, he told me that he asked where the paper towels were, the employee told him, "Sir we don't carry paper towels, they are a seasonal item." I still smile when I think of him.

Lol!:biggrin:

On the flip side, I worked for 7 years in the retail auto parts business. You would be amazed at some of the customers I had to deal with. Some of them should have never been allowed to drive. Sad part is most were mechanics at the local garages. Makes me wonder how a person's car got repaired when they didn't even know what kind of car they were working on.

 

[jskeen]

I know about what you say. when I ask where an item is at one of large home centers and I'm told they don't carry that item then the challenge is started. I love to find the item then take one of the items to the employee. I give it to him/her and walk off. I get some strange looks... often not too happy ones.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

That is absolutely one of my favorite games to kill time at either B'lowes or Home labyrinth. I'm like you, don't let them see you carrying it up, don't say anything, don't give them time to answer, just hand it to them and walk off.

My baby brother is a master mechanic and chronic old car rebuilder. He also worked for years part time for auto zone. Mostly for the employee discount, as much as the paycheck. Some months he saved more than they payed him in cash. But anyway, he does the same thing, ask the kid at the counter, get the blank look and the "we don't have that in stock, it's special order" then look at the computer and tell him "hit return twice, then f7 then type in 8730795, now go down two lines. Now go back to shelf 3 and get me what I asked for from bin 23. Always good for a chuckle after the victim walks off. another benefit is that just about any imaginable part for a small block chevy or a pre '85 chevy pickup, If I break one, I can walk into autozone with it, give them his old phone number, and odds are there is a warranty on one in his name

 

[larryc]

I love to find the item then take one of the items to the employee. I give it to him/her and walk off.

HA! Gotcha. Now I KNOW you made that up.
Everyone knows you can't find an employee inside a Home Depot.

They're all out at the entrance asking people "Can I help you"
"No, thanks. I can walk in just fine."

Last time I was there, three people met me at the front door and we played
20 questions. One guy said "Can I help you find something in particular?" and
I said "Yeah.. a store where they don't harass you at the front door"
I hate that.

I was in a HD where I know one of the managers and complained to him that it sometimes was impossible to find an employee and other times they were all bunched up helping one customer. The manager replied, "Yeah, we call them 'Pumpkin Patches' and we discourage them but they still happen."

 

[aplpickr]

Not just a new problem

In 1975 I was working in a wholesale only refrigeration supply in FL. A hippie college student came in and wanted to buy 8 lbs of R-12. When he was informed that in came in 30# cylinders, he quickly reponded, "I can go home and get a bucket."

 

[TellicoTurning]

SO--if you have a bad experience with a company--don't blame the company, try to get hold of a knowledged person. Life is fun sometime.

I'm not so sure about management being all that knowledgeable... A couple of years ago I worked part time at the local Lowe's.. local to me anyway.. I had a customer come in one night to the hardware department and ask couple of questions about their project... they were remodeling an old cabin in one of the little towns around here... they seemed to know little about what they were doing, but were asking some pretty good questions... I spent about 1/2 an hour with them, answering questions, finding things for them... when they left me and headed for check out, their cart was about 3/4 full of things I had suggested and found for them.... a few minutes later I was called over to the floor supervisor in my department (a youngish man of about 1/3 my age)... he told me that the sales manager (who had evidently watched me for a while - and is a youngish man between 1/3 and 1/2 my age) had told my floor supvr that I spent too much time with customers and I needed to be more aware of customer service??- I'm still trying to figure that one out....

 

[PaulDoug]

I don't know where you guys live but the Home depot nearest to me is a definite exception. The employees are very knowledgeable and always helpful. If they don't know the answer they find someone who does. If you ask where something is, they don't just tell you they walk you to it (that store's policy). I've looked up the manager a couple times just to let him know it is appreciated.

 

[ssajn]

The Home Depot by me hires idiots. They only wake up when it's time to punch out and go home.

 

[Russianwolf]

During check out the lady asked if I'd need help unloading it. ""No Maam..I'll just let the tailgate down on the pickup and get a running start at it. When the basket hits, It will just slide right in."" No joke. She couldn't get me checked out fast enough, she wanted to go out & watch me unload. Even asked another gal to go with her. Had to bite my lip. Finally told her I was kidding.

And if you wonder why they didn't get it... click the link

http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Humor/Workshop/Overload.htm

Morons are out there my friend.

 

[snyiper]

Just remember the gene pool is only so deep no matter where you are..... You cant get good knowlegable help hired all the time for 8.00 a hr!

 

[JimB]

I don't know where you guys live but the Home depot nearest to me is a definite exception. The employees are very knowledgeable and always helpful. If they don't know the answer they find someone who does. If you ask where something is, they don't just tell you they walk you to it (that store's policy). I've looked up the manager a couple times just to let him know it is appreciated.

Same here for both HD and Lowes. If there isn't someone in the department then I go to another department and they get someone for me. I treat them nice and they treat me GREAT.

 

[Kev]

It is not only hardware type stores that have "useless" employees. yeas ago I was changeing over a motor in one of my cars, the motor was out of a different model car (same maker) but was EXACTLY the same as the one I was replacing only in better condition.

I needed a new thrust bearing, that went between with the clutch plate on the transmission.

I approached the card dearlerships service manager and asked for the particulr bearing, after a discussion about what I was doing, he informed me that what I wanted to do could not be done, "different stud patterns, different splines etc, etc, will never work" was his opinion.

I asked him to just get me the bearing.. he checked stock number and said that they were out of stock of that bearing.

I then asked hin to humour me and check the same bearing for the model car I had removed the engine from.

To his amazement the part number for THAT bearing was the same as the one for my model car.

I left him standing to the desk looking dumb, as I left saying " let me guess.. you dont have that one in stock either!"

Kev