Home Depot Associates are Unhelpful and Rude

I work for homedepot. I have found that 9 out of 10 customers are
great. I am happy to help as many as I can. I am human and can not
read minds. It is the 1 out of 10 person that I can say are Jerks like
this one. I brush off the bad experences and focus on the good people
who are happy to get my help. I and most HD employees are getting
insentives for learning more than one or two departments. Home Depots
are like the other strong retail stores, cutting back on the quanty of
employees and keeping the quality employees. It may sound bad but it
does take a few minutes to recover after running into rude customers.
Keep in mind if we know everything about every product in this big
store, WHY WOULD WE BE WORKING FOR HOME DEPOT at very little pay. Why
not get a job as a plummer or Electrian? I can tell you WHERE anything
is in the store and a lot about MOST items but not everything. My good
customers I will help in every way. We have even looked up information
on the computer or go to the books for help.... THANK you all for your
good words.

Man you act like the world evolved around you. Did you ask for the
MTS? If not...there are associates who are in training. People need
to take breaks you know. I really don't believe your story. I can
say you're a liar. Home Depot associates have always been nice to me.

I am a home depot employee and let me tell you that ASSOCIATES are
PUSHED EXTREMELY HARD to ACCOMPLISH TASKS AND WAIT ON CUSTOMERS
SIMULTANEOUSLY!!!. And customer service is NEVER ALLOWED as an excuse
for a task not getting completed. When an associate gets poor
performance reviews that keep his wage increases LOW...HE (I) feel
like we are expected to be like SUPERMAN or THE FLASH....rushing at
TOP SPEED to accomplish an IMPOSSIBLY LONG WORK LIST!!! I WANT to help
customers with their purchases...but the UNREAL PRESSURE from
MANAGEMENT REALLY STRESSES FLOOR ASSOCIATES OUT!!!
CUSTOMER SERVICE IS A STATED HOME DEPOT PRIORITY...NOT A PRACTICED
ONE!!!
Just wanted the public to know what we go through...

Funny to read this. I shop at home depot often, being I am remodeling
my house. I dont have any trouble finding someone to help me ... its
like i do at petco and walmart if I dont know what i am looking for I
WALK my ass over to find someone who does. But I guess here in the
valley the do it yourself meaning is hold my hand from the front door
to check out stand. I for one like to do my projects and get advice
from the home depot employees they have been very helpful in many of
my do it myself projects. Keep up the good work home depot.

I work for a retail store, and I hate, HATE, when people complain
about "so and so didn't even ask if I wanted help". Grow up. If you
need help, ask for it. When people get somewhat close to me, 20 feet
or so, I acknowledge them, maybe smile, but I usually don't talk to
them. Why ? Because I hate when I go to stores and mr. friendly won't
stfu and leave me alone.

Interesting, here we know that if we need help or advice to go to Home
Depot, the local Lowes doesn't have helpful people.

My main comment is that I personally like being left alone unless I
ask for help. So, as other's have commented, salespeople are kind of
damned if they do, and damned if they don't. They don't know what
kind of customer we are, so I think we need to communicate with them
about what we want.

This could have been resolved on the very first visit by simply asking
for help. Sometimes these poor employees are damned if they do and
damned if they don't. We get letters how people don't like being
asked all the time because "they feel like they're being watched" and
then we get letters from people upset because they were not asked.
Maybe people should start wearing signs telling retail employees which
approach they prefer.

I've had some bad experiences at Home Depot. I once purchased a
mini-refridgerator and it was all the way at the back of the store. No
problem, I'm not physically challenged, I'll carry it. I walked by
three associates who did not ask me if I needed help or if they could
find me a cart to help with my purchase. They just smiled and kept
walking. I know, if I wanted help, I would've asked - but my point is
that no one OFFERED. Eh, oh well...I"m a home improvement store junkie
and I won't stop shopping there. (I love the smell of lumber in the
morning!)

Anyway...the first thing that is an error on your part is that you
have ASSUMED people should've known you were looking for something
because its "obvious". I have news for you...everyone in their store
is looking for something or else they wouldn't be there. Your failure
is that you made an assumption and we all know what happens when you
"ass-u-me".

You should've spoke up while you were there when you needed the help
and not taken "no" or "I don't know" for an answer.

Your second failure was an assumption that they merely had not stocked
the item. If you thought that they had the item in that magical back
room, you would've wasted less time getting someone there to check and
getting your answer that day.

Just some thoughts.

Finally... after two days, a wasted trip, rude associates, unhelpful
associates, being transferred five times total and holding for half an
hour, I FINALLY get somewhat of an answer!!!

If you would have just approached an employee and asked the FIRST time
you were there you would have avoided much of this. Instead, YOU
dragged it on 2 days, wasted a trip and had to deal with rude
employees on the phone.

Instead of trying to be "obvious" about looking for something, just
ask someone.

My local Home Depot also appears to be under-staffed as I can never
find someone when I need one. However, once I find an associate they
are very helpful. One guy actually got on the phone with my dad for
me cause I didn't understand what it was he sent me to get! LOL

You walked past three associates and not one asked if they could help
you.

I don't think I have ever been asked if I needed help in HD. I always
seek out a rep. You had three chances to ask "May I have some help
locating a doorbell I saw online," but you kept walking. Then you
resorted to the telephone. Bad move - I have never recieved good
service over the phone from HD. My experience is similar to yours.

They do best helping people in front of their faces. I think leaving
the store and trying to handle this over the phone was a mistake. I'm
not saying any of this is how it should be, only this is the best way
I have found to get help.

Better yet, try Lowes. I have had people there ask me if I needed
help, the stores are nicer inside, and you can check the store
inventory online.

Perhaps this is a regional thing. Perhaps the district/regional
manager in your area isn't up to the job. I've never had anything but
exceptional service and assistance at the several HDs I've been to,
including the designing of kitchen cabinets and countertops when my
kitchen had neither. However, the Menards stores here are just
atrocious. In other areas of the country, it's reversed.

This location sounds like a nightmare. I'm lucky and knocking on wood
that it hasn't been this way by me! Good luck with your letter. I hope
you hear something from them.

"SOMETIMES I will get the typical response they are trained to say -
"I apologize that happened.... " Yadda Yadda Yadda..... I don't want
to hear that. "

Here is an example of something I've maintained for awhile now -
customers only fret about an apology if they don't get one. When they
do, they don't accept it.

I tend to agree with you, which is why I don't go there.
If you have a local hardware store, you should try it out. It's
always better to give to local businesses, and the service is usually
better.