Fail At Home Depot Today (Not Me -- The Employee)

[LTC]

so i went to Home Depot today to pick up a utility knife. i went to the tools/hardware section (in the tools section though) and the guy asks me if he can help me, so i told him i was looking for a utility knife that takes snap-off blades.

so he goes, "oh...those are all over in paint. you'll have to go over there for those..."

well. knowing he was wrong, i said, "ok, where are your utility knives?"

he pointed me to them and went to them with me. just about as soon as i got there, i picked one up -- with snap-off blade installed -- and just held it and then looked at him.

he goes, "oh."

then, "well most of them are in paint..." at which time i pointed out five other different models of utility knife with snap-off blades in various sizes and said, "yeah. i guess that's why they're all over here."

this wasn't some kid either...i figured he'd have had the knowledge or experience to know what he has in his department. and i know it was his department because i saw him helping other people (or directing them to go to paint) in his section while i was there.

i mean, i guess it's fine for someone to not know what is in their section and all. but i sort of take exception to have been potentially sent on a wild goose chase because of it. i've worked at lowe's before -- in tools/hardware -- and since i was the one stocking the stuff, i knew where it was, but....i just thought the whole thing was strange. they should do a skit about it on SNL sometime...

[Ed in Tx]

I am not at all surprised by your experience at Home Depot. I retired in 2006 and wanted to work at Home Depot part time for some extra cash. I have done all sorts of work around the house from electrical, plumbing, ceramic tile and a lot of wood working. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the tools needed to accomplish most tasks around the house. Well when I applied at HD they wanted the typical background information, I had worked at the same company for 30 years and when I retired I was a manager level with several direct report employees. I included in my resume the fact that I had no desire to manage others and was willing to work in several departments they had listed.

I was told that based on my experience they didn't think I would be satisfied in any of the jobs they had because my background and experience was too much. Based on that brilliant statement I realized why they had some of the people working at Home Depot that had no clue what was going on.

[benlilly1]

Great stories, guys! It must be the same everywhere...few know their job!

[DavidL]

I am not at all surprised by your experience at Home Depot. I retired in 2006 and wanted to work at Home Depot part time for some extra cash. I have done all sorts of work around the house from electrical, plumbing, ceramic tile and a lot of wood working. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the tools needed to accomplish most tasks around the house. Well when I applied at HD they wanted the typical background information, I had worked at the same company for 30 years and when I retired I was a manager level with several direct report employees. I included in my resume the fact that I had no desire to manage others and was willing to work in several departments they had listed.

I was told that based on my experience they didn't think I would be satisfied in any of the jobs they had because my background and experience was too much. Based on that brilliant statement I realized why they had some of the people working at Home Depot that had no clue what was going on.

A rumour I hear are cops aren't allowed to have a university degree or higher. This seems like backwards thinking to me. Easier to control I guess.

Most people I find doing part time have no clue other than the repetitive task they need to do. I asked the border service agency agent which company I should look out for so I don't have to deal with going to the headquarters every time I get a parcel to get the handling charges eliminated. She shrugged her shoulders and said she doesn't know even though all day every day thats what she does . All I know is UPS shipping to Canada the fees are ridiculous and Fedex and Purolator are equally as bad. USPS seems like the only option to get shipped into Canada.

I ordered 3 packages at the same time using UPS and got hit 3 times for 50 dollars per parcel. On the fourth delivery the driver told me that its just a scam the company pulls to get more cash and that I could get the paperwork done myself. If only the other drivers would have informed me I wouldn't have spent 100 dollars on nothing. Of course I didn't do my research - you live and learn.

Edited May 7, 2014 by DavidL

[Hi Im Joe]

A rumour I hear are cops aren't allowed to have a university degree or higher. This seems like backwards thinking to me. Easier to control I guess.

Most people I find doing part time have no clue other than the repetitive task they need to do. I asked the border service agency agent which company I should look out for so I don't have to deal with going to the headquarters every time I get a parcel to get the handling charges eliminated. She shrugged her shoulders and said she doesn't know even though all day every day thats what she does . All I know is UPS shipping to Canada the fees are ridiculous and Fedex and Purolator are equally as bad. USPS seems like the only option to get shipped into Canada.

I ordered 3 packages at the same time using UPS and got hit 3 times for 50 dollars per parcel. On the fourth delivery the driver told me that its just a scam the company pulls to get more cash and that I could get the paperwork done myself. If only the other drivers would have informed me I wouldn't have spent 100 dollars on nothing. Of course I didn't do my research - you live and learn.

Cops aren't allowed to have a university degree? Is that in the USA or somewhere else? You realize every major university in the states has a criminal justice program? A lot of graduates go on to become law enforcement of some type. That is one of the dumber things I've heard on here.

[LTC]

yeah, i know their so-called "brokerage fees" are ridiculous.

the cops in my area are actually required to have a college degree. probably just because they have a lot of applicants, so they can be picky i guess.

Ed, that's a shame about how home depot treated you. i sure would rather someone like you had been there to help me today instead of the genius telling me to look for utility knives in paint.

[DavidL]

Cops aren't allowed to have a university degree? Is that in the USA or somewhere else? You realize every major university in the states has a criminal justice program? A lot of graduates go on to become law enforcement of some type. That is one of the dumber things I've heard on here.

It was one of those conspiracy theories that my dad friend believed in. I also think that could be the case. Criminal justice courses are for forensics, crime scene.. ect. College degrees for police academy is how its done in Canada to become a cop. For those kinds of jobs they don't want people that will speak up and are harder to control (especially if you have a MBA or masters of a degree). Or I could just be crazy .

[WyomingSlick]

LOL Ah.....the world is getting more complicated all the time.

Used to be......we went into the store, and there was one kind of Coke, one kind of Pepsi, one kind of Mountain Dew, one kind of Dr.Pepper, 7Up, orange, grape, and root beer.

Today, there may be just that many varieties of Mountain Dew alone. Dunno why. I remember my first bottle of Mt. Dew....... the green one with the hillbillies on it. They got the taste right the first time, and haven't improved on it since.

The story is the same everywhere. The array of consumer products that are available is bewildering. Hell, women need to subscribe to some magazine just to keep abreast of all the new make-up and beauty products that are out there. Hmmm.....6 differant models of snap-off blade knives,........40 differant screwdrivers, 50 kinds of sockets, 25 kinds of drill bits.......etc

The thing is that HD probably has a high rate of turnover in its employees,, and it may well have been that fellow's first week on the job. Hell, he may have been just working there to pay the bills until he gets a position as a rocket scientist for which he has three advanced degrees in.

Yes, it is nice when someone really knows their stuff........but all I expect anymore from retail clerks is a helpful attitude and courtesy.......anything more is a bonus.

[Ed in Tx]

Having 2 sons that are police officers I have some knowledge of what the requirements are. The requirement of a college degree will vary from city to city, around the DFW area the larger cities don't necessarily require a degree and the cities that do require one do not specify as to the major. Some cities may not require a 4 year degree but do require a certain number of college hours in conjunction with other factors such as military service.

A criminal justice degree focuses more on the background of the justice and penal systems, in Texas they also require foreign language courses specifically Spanish (what a shock and also a load of BS). Both of my sons have criminal justice degrees, when they were hired they were also required to attend a 21 week police academy. The police academy focuses on Texas law as well as training the recruits in the techniques of daily police work including use of the vehicle. The vehicle part teaches high speed and low speed maneuvers.

As in any profession there are always going to be good and bad employees, a police department is no different. Unfortunately the media seems to focus on the bad not the good things that police officers do on a daily basis.

[Hi Im Joe]

Having 2 sons that are police officers I have some knowledge of what the requirements are. The requirement of a college degree will vary from city to city, around the DFW area the larger cities don't necessarily require a degree and the cities that do require one do not specify as to the major. Some cities may not require a 4 year degree but do require a certain number of college hours in conjunction with other factors such as military service.

A criminal justice degree focuses more on the background of the justice and penal systems, in Texas they also require foreign language courses specifically Spanish (what a shock and also a load of BS). Both of my sons have criminal justice degrees, when they were hired they were also required to attend a 21 week police academy. The police academy focuses on Texas law as well as training the recruits in the techniques of daily police work including use of the vehicle. The vehicle part teaches high speed and low speed maneuvers.

As in any profession there are always going to be good and bad employees, a police department is no different. Unfortunately the media seems to focus on the bad not the good things that police officers do on a daily basis.

This is a good post. Much better than mine. But to say having a college degree precludes you from being a police officer is asinine.

Sorry for the strong language but I have a lot of friends who are police officers and they are nothing like the stereotype DavidL is portraying in his posts. It irks me.

[Troy I]

David L...has no idea what he is talking about...do not make judgments about other people until you have walked in their shoes. I am a retired Deputy Sheriff...and have a 4 year degree in Administration of Justice with a Masters in Psychology. Law enforcement agencies what people who are free thinkers. I know I worked my way up from the ground floor and retired very high up in the food chain.

[Hi Im Joe]

David L...has no idea what he is talking about...do not make judgments about other people until you have walked in their shoes. I am a retired Deputy Sheriff...and have a 4 year degree in Administration of Justice with a Masters in Psychology. Law enforcement agencies what people who are free thinkers. I know I worked my way up from the ground floor and retired very high up in the food chain.

Good for you man. Enjoy your retirement. I'm sure you earned it!

[Troy I]

Thanks Joe...Retirement is great...LOL.

[Hi Im Joe]

Thanks Joe...Retirement is great...LOL.

I got about 25 more years...

[LTC]

you are digging the hole deeper now.

unless you want to risk alienating a lot of potentially helpful folks on here, i would stop digging if i were you.

Edited May 7, 2014 by LTC

[DavidL]

some bridges have to be burned. Its a sake of integrity. I find it disrespectful for people to imply that I'm dumb and dismiss me like I'm a child. If I didn't say anything I don't think id be able to sleep at night.

You are right I will write no more and just call it a difference of opinion as I don't hate people personally for things they say, rather the words themselves.

[Hi Im Joe]

some bridges have to be burned. Its a sake of integrity. I find it disrespectful for people to imply that I'm dumb and dismiss me like I'm a child. If I didn't say anything I don't think id be able to sleep at night.

You are right I will write no more and just call it a difference of opinion as I don't hate people personally for things they say, rather the words themselves.

LOL...integrity is saying something wrong...then backpedaling when you get some shit without actually apologizing or admitting the things you said were patently wrong.

Yeah that's integrity.

[DavidL]

Please read till the end.

You are doing it as we speak dismissing me again. You are tempting me to get mad and then when I get upset and try to defend myself you dismiss me again. This happened to me when I was a young child when another student would put her hands on my desk purposefully after pickering her nose because she knew I would get upset and did it every day and got a kick out of it. After a few days I couldn't take it and swore and got in trouble and guess what I was the bad guy.

Being passive aggressive is the same as being straight out aggressive except it makes me seem like the bad person even though you are verbally abusing me. I can read between the lines don't try to take a stab at me and think I won't defend myself. Integrity is not letting people stomp on you because they think they can get away with it. Its happened to me before and I've lost sleep at times because I knew I should of defended myself instead of letting people get away with it. Thats integrity of my morals. I know now to not fight passive aggression with full out aggression its what the other person wants.

I quote you said: You are crazy as well as having no clue as to what you are talking about - thats the same as giving me go away sign with the back of your hand except in verbal form.

(what were my options - I had to defend myself or it would be another sleepless night) - That statement is leaning towards full on aggressive. I had a neutral stance saying that there is a conspiracy theory that police do not want to hire people with a masters. I think that people with masters should be hired and have nothing against college educated police. My best friend is in police academy in a college course.

If you would have just said well thats interesting but I don't agree with you. I wouldn't have said anything and said ok thats fine. But if someone on the street just says to you "your crazy you don't know what your talking about" after I make a point. Thats dismissive in MY opinion. Whether you believe it or not it only pisses people of if you dismiss them like a child.

Just for sake of discussion so this won't happen in the future what would you like me to apologize for? All I said was my opinion. Am I not entitled to have freedom of speech. I never personally said anything bad about cops w/ college degrees or to you , but just have MY opinion that people should have a University degree in sociology so that less problems would occur. Nobody is perfect.

I don't want to take this further, and wish to not to fight and leave it at this. To be introspective and understand why I felt disrespected go back w/ neutral eyes and take your self out of the situation and read back the comments.

Edited May 7, 2014 by DavidL

[Hi Im Joe]

I am dismissive of your opinion because none of it is based off of fact and it is generally pretty ridiculous.

Apology was the wrong word to use. Just admit you are wrong and we can move on.

You have flip flopped your opinion a couple times in this thread and then tried to wheedle your way out of it by citing "integrity." That's not integrity.

Integrity is admitting you've made a mistake and owning up to it. You know...like taking responsibility for what you actually said instead of trying to change your position?

I'm done with you. Also, I will not lose any sleep over this conversation and neither should you.

[Art]

This topic has gone off the tracks. Please start a new topic or whatever.

Art

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