Merry Xmas

[Lindy]

Yes, personal service, complimented with department knowledge, is becoming as extinct. All those that worked at Payless Cashways really KNEW their departments. If you went to one department and the person working their told you it was actually in another one, they would walk you over to the correct department, introduce you to he person in charge of that one, and leave you in that persons capable hands ... this being all items sold in the actual store itself. Items such as windows, doors, toilets, tubs, etc. were in the rolls of warehouses out back with a number over each door ... you simply pulled up to door number on your ticket and the friendly yard guys loaded everything on your ticket ... you never lifted a finger to pick up anything.

I didn't care if I only had to pay a little more (maybe 5% higher than Lowes or Home Depot) at "Payless Cashways" since their excellent service and department knowledge were well worth it ... besides, I had been going there for at least 20 years (probably at least 1/2 of Payless employees had been working there longer than 10 years, some even 20 years). When they closed it was like loosing a great many friends that you could rely on when you had questions about something you were trying to repair. If you went in and said, I want to build a 14' x 24' barn, with one big double door and 5 windows, the guys at the customer counter would take out a big yellow legal pad of paper (not pull something up on a computer screen) and set to figuring how many studs, sheets of decking, squares of lumber, lbs of nails, etc/etc.... figuring it all for you (something those clueless bozos at Home Depot and Lowes couldn't do unless they had a computer figuring it all for them). You could go into Payless with a faucet off a sink that had some sort of problem and they would find you what you needed to fix it; at Lowes or Home Depot they would say "buy a new faucet" (we don't have the seat size you need (that is if they even knew what a seat was, other than something to sit their lazy butts on).

The other thing I want to know is WHY do Home Depot and Lowes build their stores with at least 12-15 cash register check out stands when they rarely have more than 2 or 3 lanes open? They couldn't care less that the average waiting time to check out is at least 10-15 minutes (doesn't seem to matter to them whether is a weekday or buy weekend).

I guess my blood is really boiling at Lowes right now due to my recent issue over paint. We needed to repaint one of our barns (all our barns, sheds, etc. on our place in the country are the same color). I had a paint can lid with the color name, dab or color, and color blending code # on it that had been purchased from Lowes. Went down on a Saturday, about 11:00 in morning, gave the lid to one of the 2 guys mixing paint in paint department, told them I needed 4 gallons. They told me it would be about 30 minutes. Wandered around the store for about 30 minutes, went back to paint counter, found no one there ... figured I find one of them on one of paint related department aisles, couldn't find anyone. Went back to the desk, stood there for awhile, still no one appeared; buy now it was noon (had been there for an hour, when I was told it would be about 30 minutes). I decided to go to the front of store customer counter to have them page someone in paint department; they did, telling me to go back to the paint department counter. I did so, waited another 15 minutes or so, no one showed up. I went back to front counter, by now it was 12:30 (had been in the store for 1-1/2 hours trying to get my paint) ... this time they told me to wait a minute, and they disappeared into offices in back that I could not see into, waited what seemed like forever for person to come back out; when she did, she told me that both their paint department employees had gone to lunch and should be back by 1:00. I completely LOST it, asking WHY IN THE HELL would they both leave the store for lunch, at the same time, without making the paint that they had told me over 1-1/2 ago they would make up for me. She meekly said, "I don't know, but I suggest that you come back about 2:00, so that they will have time to do so, and that she would write them a note and leave it on their desk/counter area in paint department. I was FURIOUS. Well, I went and got some lunch, went back to Lowes about 2:00 and they did have my paint done ... I read them both the RIOT act, VERY LOUDLY so that I made a REAL scene (really drew a crowd), got my paint, and a few people that had been listening to my RIOT, actually CLAPPED, telling me that "WE had had the same problems in this store." Since our property (small ranch) out in the country is about 35 miles out of Waco, by the time I got there it was about 3:00 (due to all my problems at Lowes) ... then my husband had the NERVE to ask "what took me so long," the day was practically over as far as daylight goes (could only paint for about 2-3 hours before it would be getting dark). I told him "I'll never go back to Lowes," filling him in on everything. His response was "you always say that, but you still go back there" (he's right, I do, but what other choice do I have besides Home Depot which is no better)?" In the case of this paint, I wanted the same paint I has used before, and the same color that had to be made up according to Lowes color code # for it ... I cringe every time I have to give these places my hard earned money (REALLY miss Payless Cashways).

Lindy

[alexwright]

Sorry to hear about your situation Lindy. Glad you spoke up, maybe they will think twice about saying they would do something and not do it and then go to lunch. Good service is hard to find now days. Hey on a different note. When I went to Arizona I lost my phone and with it your #. Could you email me your # or call and leave it on my voicemail? Thanks. [phone].

[NS'Creter]

I'm clappin' for ya right now too Lindy. What an incompetant bunch they are. I wonder is the store manager aware that the department was completely unattended? Or would the manager care?
Poor Hubby...askin' what took so long...is he OK? ;D
You also make an excellent point about the army of check-outs. What are they for? Window dressing? Walmart and a coupla others do that here...very frustrating.

[ECI]

We have two chain store lumber yards here, Menards and Lowes.
Lowes is at least 10-15% higher for the same item but if you bring it to their attention they will sell it for the comparable price but if you don't
call them on it they are glad to charge you extra. I spent 2 hours in there one time getting insulation that was prepaid for and needed
a fork lift to get it off the high racks. I called their regional supervisor
and complained as I have been left waiting numerous times in their
store. At lunch time one person leaves and the person left handles
their department and the other ones that's on lunch. What a good system. The store managers worry about man hours and nothing else.
Same with Walmart long lines two check outs going. If you sold more
and didn't piss off customers ,store profits would go up allowing for more help to be there. I got no satisfaction from my call and I informed him that I would be shopping at Menards as they have
people wanting to help you at every turn.

[ECI]

Sorry but that really gets me as it is becoming a normal situation at most places anymore!!
Some communities have blocked Walmart and other retailers from
entering into their cities because what they stand for and bring with them. I read the other day they are the biggest company in the world
and employ the most people and something like 70-80- % of their employees earn less then the poverty level set by the government.
What does that say about them, Sam would roll over in his grave if he
could see what it has become?

[Lindy]

I can't tell you how many letters, email, and number of times I have complained to Lowes and Home Depot (both to local management and corporate offices). They just don't give a dam obviously since neither one of them have EVER answered me.

As for only a couple of check-outs EVER being open, this is the norm as well. The managers of both these big box stores are only focused on operating their stores with a skeleton staff of cashiers; don't feel our lost time, waiting in line, has any true VALUE.

We have 3 Wal-Mart Super Centers in Waco/TX, which have low prices (that definitely draws buyers in); however, rarely will find more than 3 or 4 out of 20+ check-outs open. I don't grocery shop at Wal-Mart, but many people do, having heaping baskets of groceries that take much longer to check out than those who are buying a few typical/other store items. They even have a prevalent policy of a majority of employees being part-time (30 hours or less) so that they don't have to pay them the benefits that they do their full time employees (have a few friends that work part-time at Wal-Mart)... guess they feel that this is one way to keep their labor dollars down, in order to offer lower prices than competitors prices, but this comes at the expense of offering GOOD/fast check-out SERVICE (they, just like Lowes and Home Depot need to look up the "definition" of the word SERVICE in the dictionary). At one time in Waco we had 2 K-Marts, but the Super Wal-Marts even put them out of business here, along with many of the regional competitors.

If we provided our customers with the type of service that Home Depot, Lowes, and Wal-Mart do, we would certainly not obtain a great number of referrals (no matter how much value there was for dollars spent or attention to detail our workmanship is). But, the big box stores know that no matter how much they ABUSE us, we will continue to shop in their stores due to either low prices (Wal-Mart) or poor service (all 3 of them) since they continue to eliminate more and more of the local competition.

As for my husband ... he survived after asking me "what took me so long as to getting the paint" (although I told him that "next time you want something from Lowes or Home Depot go get it yourself, you can deal with those inept morons."

Note: sorry to hear you lost your phone ... my numbers are: 254-714-2502 or 214-230-1347 (my direct line office numbers), or you can always reach me on my cell phone [phone]. Email addresses are: [e-mail] or [e-mail].

Lindy

[NS'Creter]

So why do they even put all of those checkouts in if they have no intention of usin' 'em? Think of the dollars they could save there...6 checkouts instead of 20 X many, many stores. And as for Walmart...take the "Greeters" away and replace 'em with a cashier. I don't need greeted, but I do need to get on with my day.
Glad that yer husband is none the worse for that dangerous question Lindy. I've made that mistake myself. ;D
I just wanna book myself on the very first "3 hour (boat)tour" that I see and with any luck at all I'll become a castaway on a tropical island away from "civilization".

[Lindy]

A "3 hour tour" such as Gilligan's Island? Which character would you wan to be?

As for Wal-Mart "greeters" ... seems they have done away with that particular useless job in Waco/TX at their 3 locations. Didn't even see a "greeter" during the Christmas shopping season.

One of our Super Wal-Marts removed 4 regular check-outs, replacing them with 4 self-check outs. Home Depot's recently did the same (replacing 4 regular check-outs with 4 self-checkouts). Although I could look at it from the standpoint that "now these places want me to check myself out;" requiring even fewer employee manned registers ... but instead I think this is a step in the right direction since I am so much quicker and more efficient than they are.

If it is not enough trying to deal with lack of service and enough check-outs, my other pet peeve is "people who CAN'T count." You know what am talking about ... being the lines that CLEARLY say "20 items or less." People either can't read, feel the rules are for everyone but themselves; or, can't count to 20. They are under the misconception if they have 50 very small items, instead of 20 larger ones, that they are "welcome" to use the "20 item or less check outs, WRONG." I often try to shame them into going to a regular check-out line (being the ones they are supposed to use when they have over 20 items) by loudly saying "this is the 20 items or less line, you have an entire basket full of stuff, you need to go to another check out." They either "ignore me, act as if they are DEAF was well as being inconsiderate and DUMB," or, tell me "mind your own business." If some of these stores wanted to give "greeters" a new job, have them monitor the "20 item or less line" and make those that have more than 20 items go to a different check-out so that those of us that CAN count can pay for the few items we have and get the hell out of dodge. Or, another job for the employees that used to be "greeters" could be to REALIGN the wheels of the baskets and/or other types of carts that always seem to pull to the right or left, making it difficult to proceeded straight ahead ... I think so many baskets are in need of this type of repair since LAZY shoppers push them to their vehicles in the parking lot but don't return them to the basket corrals ... these baskets are always rolling around in the parking lots, into cars/trucks, causing damage to the vehicles of NON-LAZY people who do put them in corrals (which I think also knocks the baskets wheels out of alignment)... or chose, they could assign employees to the parking lot to be "basket monitors as well" (again being something that serves more of a purpose than being a "greeter.")

Well, guess I will climb back down off my soapbox ... ever since my "paint episode with Lowe's the other day, I find my patience with STUPID, INCONSIDERATE, NON-EFFICIENT, people and businesses waning to the point I want to kick them all in the BUTT ...maybe that is what they want me to do then they can arrest me for assaulting them; however, if that were the case, I would request a jury trial, no one would EVER convict me since I believe that the PUBLIC as a whole would declare my actions JUSTIFIABLE since these morons drove me to the point of temporary INSANITY.

I feel better now ... that I have ERUPTED and blown off some steam.

Lindy

[NS'Creter]

Erupt away! You've struck on the pet peeves of many, myself included. I couldn't agree more on those "or less" check outs. If they're not gonna inforce it why have it? I mean, it's not really an "or less" line if people can just waltz in with any old number of items they choose is it?
Unknowledgable staff is an unnecessary one that irks the Hell outta me. I know that everybody's gotta work somewhere but if you have no idea and no interest in something why would you work in customer service in that field? And why would an employer hire unknowledgable people and not train 'em to be at least minimally helpful?
Yep. Customer service is becoming extinct.