Glad I Grew Up When There Were Still Men Around

[doug11606]

I stopped shopping at Homo Depot years ago due to their far left liberal B.S. I was next door to A Homo depot shopping today against my better judgement I decided to stop in to save a trip to Menards miles away. I needed some hardware, and of course it was not displayed in a logical area of the department. I decided to ask a store employee for help who was helping someone else in hardware. The guy was asking the store employee where the beam clamps were, you could tell the employee was clueless. Finally he said they over by the bar stock. I spoke up and said they would be in electrical used for securing electrical panels to I-beams. The employee looked at me and said he did not understand what the guy was looking for. I asked him for locations of 3 items, I am sure he did not have a clue. He just said we don't have them and walked off saying he had to unlock something. I found all 3 items on my own. When I got to the check out the cashier asked if I found everything, I asked does Homo depot hire temps for Christmas. She said no and asked why. I said because the guy in hardware did not have a clue!

When I was a kid and young adult there were real hardware stores with real Men working there. Not only did they know where everything was but how to use it. Same with electronic stores and many others staffed with real men. These liberal wacko pussy mommas boys they have now are useless. The POS feminist's finally achieved imasculating the last couple generations of men, now want to complain there are no good men.

[Sanders]

I was in a Lowe's yesterday and a dude about my age asks me if he can help me. I'd already determined they didn't have what I needed, so I said no and he went on his way helping someone else. About 5 minutes later, I was admiring the tool boxes and he finds me and asks me again, if he can help me find what I'm looking for, and what was it. I told him I was looking for an escutcheon and they didn't have it. You'd think I'd asked him if he had a whiffle-ball bearing. I told him, I had found them and they did not carry the one I was looking for and left the store.

[aviator]

Some stores hire the mentally challenged. I hate my local Home Depot, there is only one old hippie-like guy there who knows his shit, the rest are lost or don't speak English so even if I can communicate they don't know what I'm talking about.

[Sanders]

Back in the day..

image.png

[Solid Snake]

Disclaimer: I work at a Home Depot. I work overnights so I don't deal with customers anymore. That being said, I'm not here to defend them in any way.

You just have to realize (or accept?) what Home Depot is. Home Depot is a big box retail store, nothing more. Home Depot is Walmart with lumber. Years ago, they would actually hire knowledgeable people, trained electricians, plumbers, etc. But the bean counters figured out that those hirees cost too much so they did away with that. Now they're on the Walmart model because shareholder value tops customer service. So rather than hire a retired tradesman, they'll hire some dumb high school or college kid on his summer break. All they're trying to do is fill slots on the daily schedule. Expecting the average HD employee to know the ins and outs of all the tools and hardware is just like walking into Kroger and expecting the stockboy to know how to make a gourmet dinner.

[Sanders]

I'm old enough to remember fighting with my coworkers over who was going to get to go get stuff at Home Depot because all the cashiers were hot babes. Yeah, they had knowledgeable people working the floor back then, too. But the cashiers! It was like Hooters with orange aprons.

[Solid Snake]

I'm old enough to remember fighting with my coworkers over who was going to get to go get stuff at Home Depot because all the cashiers were hot babes. Yeah, they had knowledgeable people working the floor back then, too. But the cashiers! It was like Hooters with orange aprons.

Between the two Home Depots I've worked at here in the Memphis area, the cashiers still make it feel like Hooters...a Hooters with ugly black waitresses.

[doug11606]

Disclaimer: I work at a Home Depot. I work overnights so I don't deal with customers anymore. That being said, I'm not here to defend them in any way.

You just have to realize (or accept?) what Home Depot is. Home Depot is a big box retail store, nothing more. Home Depot is Walmart with lumber. Years ago, they would actually hire knowledgeable people, trained electricians, plumbers, etc. But the bean counters figured out that those hirees cost too much so they did away with that. Now they're on the Walmart model because shareholder value tops customer service. So rather than hire a retired tradesman, they'll hire some dumb high school or college kid on his summer break. All they're trying to do is fill slots on the daily schedule. Expecting the average HD employee to know the ins and outs of all the tools and hardware is just like walking into Kroger and expecting the stockboy to know how to make a gourmet dinner.

Home depot was just the most recent, my point is unless you are looking for help in retail video games there is no qualified people left. And if there are they are tired of working with and getting paid the same as unqualified retartds.

[rto]

I shop at both Lowes and Home Depot. If I think that one or the other may have what I need I research their site on line to see if it's available and also get the aisle and bay numbers to make items easier to find. I don't expect much technical help from anyone there, I get that from a friend, fambly or the web. When I need a hard to find part I go to Ace Hardware. They have knowledgeable staff many of who are older like me and know a little stuff about a lot of stuff and are always very friendly. They are not my go to store because they don't stock merchandise like the big box stores and their prices are higher.

I'd like to have Menards here. I shopped at one while in Illinois a few years back. I spent a coupla hours in the store just looking at all of the different items that they carried. I was impressed with the variety of hardwoods stocked. Here we get pine, pine or pressure treated pin and a some cedar.

[Sheepdawg]

Between the two Home Depots I've worked at here in the Memphis area, the cashiers still make it feel like Hooters...a Hooters with ugly black waitresses.

I lived in Memphis 65 years, escaped in 2020. Ugly black women with attitudes covers pretty much every retail outlet in the city.
Thankfully I live in a NE Georgia county that voted 82% Trump now.

[Johnny]

I buy most of my lumber at Menards and use Lowes for everything else. Both stores aren't perfect. Menards is nice because I can drive my truck and trailer directly into the lumber yard and load it myself the way I want. Lowes is nice for the veteran discount and slightly higher quality merchandise than Menards.

Ace Hardware is expensive but offers unparalleled customer service. When I installed a sand point well for the first time, an Ace employee talked me through the whole thing. He was super friendly. He wouldn't let me leave the store till he inspected the threads on the sand point and took them to the back to clean them up so they'd be perfect.

Lowes and Menards employees don't have the depth the knowledge. I get that and don't ask for anything complex. When they don't know something, I just accept it for what it is and move on. Big box stores aren't the place to get technical advice.

One time a Lowes employee recognized me, and saw I was about to purchase a couple boxes of screws. He rushed the the checkout and showed me a much better deal.

[dinkydow]

When I walk into a store, I already know what I'm looking for exactly... Or....by specification. The most help I need is what isle, or perhaps help loading it up. Now and then I also pay for delivery and installing. Nowadays its easier for me to write the check or to hit the debit card, than to do any grunt work myself.

The big box stores are simply "warehouses" for what I want. Expecting tech support there..is...somewhat...unrealistic in most cases.

If..... When you walk into home depot or lowes..... If....you are lost or overwhelmed. Hire a subcontractor.

[4thIDvet]

I think dinky kind of summed this thread up. Plus like Snake said its a big box store with loads of probably everything you need but you damn sure better know what you need before you go in. Why? Because as posted they ain't hiring that $50 an hour journeymen electrician or plumber etc. Hell I know the basics after that I am lost and the kid in their I'm asking knows less than I do.
I like dinky again due to our age physical abilities pay to have things done. I bring one of the guys hang here with experience who knows the job with me.
'Here is what I want done. I got the cash you got the experience get what the hell yah need and lets get er done.' I also pay by the job not by the hour. To hell with standing their watching someone work. Their done looks good here is the cash.

[Johnny]

I think dinky kind of summed this thread up. Plus like Snake said its a big box store with loads of probably everything you need but you damn sure better know what you need before you go in. Why? Because as posted they ain't hiring that $50 an hour journeymen electrician or plumber etc. Hell I know the basics after that I am lost and the kid in their I'm asking knows less than I do.
I like dinky again due to our age physical abilities pay to have things done. I bring one of the guys hang here with experience who knows the job with me.
'Here is what I want done. I got the cash you got the experience get what the hell yah need and lets get er done.' I also pay by the job not by the hour. To hell with standing their watching someone work. Their done looks good here is the cash.

I've hired a number of contractors to do work. About half the time, I'm disappointed with the work. When I find a good one, I bring them back for other jobs.

Most jobs I do myself. If it's too dangerous or I simply don't have the training or tools, I bring in an expert. For example; I'm great at felling trees. Most of the time I can get a 70' tall tree to fall just a few degrees from target. However; if that tree is near a power line or building, I bring in a pro. I know my limits.

For any sort of labor-intensive job, I don't even try to hire it out. I do it all myself. You simply cannot find young people who are willing to get their hands dirty for any price.

[Retvet]

I'm one of the few who prefer to not be bothered at all when going into a place of business to purchase something I'm in the market for. I appreciate the courtesy, but don't like being asked constantly if I need assistance with something. If I can't find it, I'll ask. If I don't know what I need, I shouldn't be doing the project to begin with.