My latest trip to Home Depot

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I needed a small piece of MDF so I stopped by home depot for an 8' section of closet shelf. I know its cheaper by the sheet, but I don't like to store the left over. I also grabbed a 20oz coke from the cooler on the way to the checkout. I pay cash for the items, stick the receipt in my pocket, grab the shelf in one hand the coke in the other and head for the door. I always use the contractor checkouts down at the far end of the store near the large garage door. As soon as I turn around I see a HD employee standing near the door looking straight at me. She had to have seen me pay for the items, there's no way she couldn't have where she was looking. I walk the 25' to the door and she asks for my receipt, which is in my pocket. I tell her "You were looking at me when I paid for the items!" She says "Yes Sir, but I have to see your receipt anyway." I had to put downt he shelf and fish the receipt out of my pocket. If I hadn't been so angry I would have turned right around and gone to the manager. As it was, I knew I'd say or do something more stupid than the woman at the door. I'm going back tomorrow to HD for one last time to tell the manager why I won't be back in the store again.

[Michael Gabbay]

Actually Dennis considering the HD that is near my home that's pretty funny. At ours, the staff don't even look up when the alarms go off for the electronic tags. You could walk out of there with a 12" SCMS and not be questioned.

Don't expect much from the manager. They'll probably say that they do that on a regular basis. You might try calling customer service. They'll probably send you a gift card.

Mike

[Jeff Sudmeier]

:) I have had the same thing happen, when I bought ONLY a soda, I know weird, but I went in and they didn't have what I wanted. I still needed cash so I bought a soda to get the cash... I need to see the receipt... it is in the garbage right there if you want to dig it out..

Sir you will have to give us a second, meanwhile I kept walking, no alarms and no police visits yet :)

[Dennis McDonaugh]

:) I have had the same thing happen, when I bought ONLY a soda, I know weird, but I went in and they didn't have what I wanted. I still needed cash so I bought a soda to get the cash... I need to see the receipt... it is in the garbage right there if you want to dig it out..

Sir you will have to give us a second, meanwhile I kept walking, no alarms and no police visits yet :)

Jeff, have you seen a black helicopter circling your house?

[Jeff Sudmeier]

No, but we do get buzzed by cargo planes about every week!! :) Blackhawks are a rare occurance, but still cool!

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I guess that would be an orange helicopter.

[Jeff Harder]

At the HD here in the outskirts of Kansas City they don't look at you when the alarm goes off, but go 10 miles into the city, and they have independantly hired security guards checking receipts 10 feet from the contractor check out.

[Randy Meijer]

I expect the girl was just protecting her job by following store/company policy. If you want to holler at someone. find the store manager; but I expect you will get little satisfaction. I was chatting with the manager of my local store and he mentioned that "shrinkage" was major expense. I don't remember the exact figure but seems to me it was on the order of a quarter million dollars a year, maybe more!!! That's money you and I pay in higher prices to support the thieves of the world who want something for nothing. I'm not crazy about the inconvenience of showing receipts at the door; but it really isn't the stores fault, it is the fault of the low lifes that won't pay their fair share.

Remember the days when you could go to bed at night and not worry about locking the front door???

[Christopher Pine]

:) I have had the same thing happen, when I bought ONLY a soda, I know weird, but I went in and they didn't have what I wanted. I still needed cash so I bought a soda to get the cash... I need to see the receipt... it is in the garbage right there if you want to dig it out..

Sir you will have to give us a second, meanwhile I kept walking, no alarms and no police visits yet :)


yes but somday down the road when you want to refinance your home or buy another they will say whats this on your record you did not wait at home depot to have your purchase verified! Hmmm?? I don't know if we can approve you... Oh and look here you didn't buy the required amount of record from a record club you joined about 25 yrs ago... "man I just don't know sir"


:)

[Dave Lehnert]

Theft is a huge problem in any retail store. Unless you have worked in retail you would be very surprised at what it is. That $250,000 talked about above is most likely right. That’s one store we are talking about for a year. I don’t know if you have noticed how much harder it is to return things at a store without a receipt. Not only will they steal a $150 drill but will go to another store and return it for the cash back . The old “I got it as a gift” story. We have a lady now that purchased $125 worth of electronic items and her check came back “closed account” She is now going store to store trying to get cash back for the items. We have a lady at work who full time job is to collect bad checks written at our store. Our store alone gets a stack of bad checks each day about half inch thick.
It is always a challenge to protect merchandise from theft without offending your good customers. My guess is at the store you shopped is having a very hard time with theft. A big problem is employee theft. I cant tell you how many times a person gets a job in a retail store and have their friends come through their line with 15 items but only rings up 10 of the 15. It is very, very possible that the person checking your receipt was not trying to get you as much as the cashier. Did that person checking receipts see you pay for everything or just you were at the register paying for something? Also if a customer is thinking about taking something and sees the store checking all customers as a receipt. They will most likely go to the store next door.
I would not be offended, Be glad they are doing something to keep prices low for the rest of us.

[Gary Sutherland]

I like the Costco Method:

You approach the door with a receipt three feet long and two shopping carts loaded top and bottom to overflowing with a hundred items. The 'doorman' glances at the receipt, glances at the carts, and says: "OK".

Gary

[Lee DeRaud]

I like the Costco Method:

You approach the door with a receipt three feet long and two shopping carts loaded top and bottom to overflowing with a hundred items. The 'doorman' glances at the receipt, glances at the carts, and says: "OK".Now there's a thought: when is there not a Home Depot receipt floating around in my car? Good thing I'm honest.:cool:

[Don Baer]

Now there's a thought: when is there not a Home Depot receipt floating around in my car? Good thing I'm honest.:cool:


LOL :D

Your not alone

[Chad Pater]

[QUOTE=Randy Meijer]he mentioned that "shrinkage" was major expense. I don't remember the exact figure but seems to me it was on the order of a quarter million dollars a year, maybe more!!! That's money you and I pay in higher prices to support the thieves of the world who want something for nothing.

I agree...bring on the receipt checker...what does that cost me?

[John Hart]

I like the Costco Method:

You approach the door with a receipt three feet long and two shopping carts loaded top and bottom to overflowing with a hundred items. The 'doorman' glances at the receipt, glances at the carts, and says: "OK".

Gary

The other day at Sam's Club, I had a cart full of groceries that I had boxed up....So you couldn't see 3/4 of the items. The checker went over the receipt like she instantly memorized the 50 items, then scanned over the cart in 2-5 seconds like she had x-ray vision. I know, it would have been worse if she dug through everything and checked each item, but geez...talk about "going through the motions"!

[fred woltersdorf]

at the borg i go to there's a salesperson at the front door handing out window and door brochures.i try to be polite but i go there 4-5 times a week,i know thousands of people pass thru those doors every day but i've said no to him probably 200 times.one time i said no before he could give his speil,he says you don't know what i'm selling,weell i said i was just in here 3 minutes ago.just irks me.ok rant off

[Dave Richards]

I think Dennis', Gary's and John's door people all need some further training. Their experiences show one problem. They were all going through the motions without considering the individual situation.

Seems kind of stupid to train employees to do this job if they can't do it right without pissing off the customers or without at least using their brains. Might as well have a computer/robot doing that job. Too bad these stores don't realize that these folks positioned near the exit could be more useful if they said nice things like, "Thank you for shopping with us." If they were watching what was going on around them, they'd be helping to cut down on shrinkage at the same time.

I guess with the RF tags that are starting to be placed in merchandise, they'll soon be able to eliminate that person's job. Then we won't be harrassed at the door.

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

I guess with the RF tags that are starting to be placed in merchandise, they'll soon be able to eliminate that person's job. Then we won't be harrassed at the door.

I've had to stop and go back because something didn't get electronically 'untagged' probably twenty times in the past couple years between HD, Lowes, and WalMart. I'd rather have somebody at the door checking the tickets than a booming computerized voice accusing me of being a thief.

KC

[Steve Evans]

I like the Costco Method:

You approach the door with a receipt three feet long and two shopping carts loaded top and bottom to overflowing with a hundred items. The 'doorman' glances at the receipt, glances at the carts, and says: "OK".

Gary

That reminds me of a Costco trip a few years ago. A manager type came and started running one of the checkouts. Seemed to be having a few problems with it. When I got home I took a look through my receipt and realized that it was seriously messed up. Double charged for some items. The funniest part though was that I had purchased two 80 lb bags of softener salt that he hadn't charged me for. How does the door person miss 160lbs of softener salt in their check.
In the end, the double charges and missed charges worked out to pretty close to where it should have been, and I couldn't be bothered to go back to claim my $1 or so that they owed me. I do watch my receipts much closer now.

[Gary Lange]

Just show them the receipt and thank them for doing there small part to prevent theft and keep prices down on the products we want. The Manager will be appoligetic and try to appease you but you are just one of 1000,s of customers he has and he can't possibly please everyone. I went to Target in my old home town when they first opened and the alarm went off on my way out the door. I stopped showed my receipt and went on my way.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I think Dennis', Gary's and John's door people all need some further training. Their experiences show one problem. They were all going through the motions without considering the individual situation.

Seems kind of stupid to train employees to do this job if they can't do it right without pissing off the customers or without at least using their brains. Might as well have a computer/robot doing that job. Too bad these stores don't realize that these folks positioned near the exit could be more useful if they said nice things like, "Thank you for shopping with us." If they were watching what was going on around them, they'd be helping to cut down on shrinkage at the same time.

I guess with the RF tags that are starting to be placed in merchandise, they'll soon be able to eliminate that person's job. Then we won't be harrassed at the door.

You hit the nail on the head Dave, I don't mind showing my receipt at the door, but it was late, I was the only customer in line and she WATCHED me check out. I don't think she even looked at the paper I showed her close enough to see it was a receipt much less see that the shelf and soda were on it. If you have to harass customers to stop theft, at least do it well enough to stop the theft!

[Rick Shelton]

I was chatting with the manager of my local store and he mentioned that "shrinkage" was major expense. I don't remember the exact figure but seems to me it was on the order of a quarter million dollars a year, maybe more!!! That's money you and I pay in higher prices to support the thieves of the world who want something for nothing.

Agreed. But I'd bet that a large part of their "shrinkage" is due to the inept people that they have working at the registers. I can't tell you how many times they have mess up my purchases. And after having to wait 5-6 deep while one register (out of 10) is running, and having to deal with clerks that don't have a clue what they are selling. I've gotten tired of doing "their" jobs for them.

They don't pay for quality people, and this is what happens. In fact, HD is taking it one step closer by eliminating the clerks altogether and replacing them with self checkout registers. Try taking various lengths of moulding or a handful of bolts through one of these. Good luck.

Remember when you could go to the plumbing dept and talk with an actual plumber (part timer or retired) or go the the electrical dept and speak with an electrician. Not anymore. Now you talk to kids that were chanting "you want fries with that?" the week before. Most any question (other than, "where's the restroom?") is greeted with a "deer in the headlights" look.

Things certainly changed when Bernie and Arther sold out. Ask any of the "old time" employees.

[Chip Charnley]

FWIW, at places like Sam's and Costco, those checkers really don't care about the groceries. What they are taught to look for is the big ticket items. However, they are told to go through the motions on 'all' carts. If you have 3 carts full of basicly mundane items, they will look for a couple items in each cart that are on your receipt to make sure you didn't grab someone else's cart along with your own but otherwise, they only check for high cost items.

[John Hart]

FWIW, at places like Sam's and Costco, those checkers really don't care about the groceries. What they are taught to look for is the big ticket items. However, they are told to go through the motions on 'all' carts. If you have 3 carts full of basicly mundane items, they will look for a couple items in each cart that are on your receipt to make sure you didn't grab someone else's cart along with your own but otherwise, they only check for high cost items.

Ah...that makes sense. I guess it's a good deterrent for the folks that might be thinking about the possibilities of getting snagged. I would have to agree that a thorough checking would be intolerably time consuming....especially at peak hours.

[bill kiss]

This has happened to me twice at the borg. I have a quick and simple answer (loud): "CHARGE ME WITH SHOPLIFTING OR GET OUT OF MY FACE" Can't tell you how fast they back off for fear of lawsuits.

[Lloyd Brown]

Here is my therory on some shoplifting. these days when everyone is inflating numbers and not taking responablity for there actions.

item x is entered as item y in the scanner
Then the bean counter balances the books and notes that no item x is sold ,but they have zero item x on the shelf. Conclusion those nassty customer stole them!
Bean counter put it in the lost colume. bean counter does not account for the item y that some home made twice the money. and the store will only tell about how much they lost to "shop lifting".
I do not beleive that as much thief in the world as is stated by big business. They want every thing to work at MAX and mistakes happen that cost money. that is a busniess decicsion and they put the blame on the customer.and the customer has to pay.

[Scott Parks]

GET OVER THE RANTS!!!! HAVING TO SHOW YOUR RECEIPT AT THE DOOR IS NOT POOR SERVICE.... OR WORTH WHINING ABOUT!!!!

Get over it..... BIG DEAL! Did it inconveneince you? I doubt it... I spend more time sitting at stoplights in traffic, than showing my receipt to the doorwoman; yet I don't have the urge to push cars off the road or open fire on them....

I spend $15k a year at HD because they have what I need at a great price. I'd not boycott them because I had to show the door woman my receipt. That is just silly and rediculous!!! They are probably checking to see if cashier charged you for your soda.... Don't know how many times I've walked out of there without them charging for my soda....

Would you like people yelling at you for doing YOUR job???

Let's get back to posting about being productive such as how to machine sliding dovetails we just cut for a bookcase, etc.....

$.02

I appologize if I hurt any feelings....

[Tim Sproul]

GET OVER THE RANTS!!!! HAVING TO SHOW YOUR RECEIPT AT THE DOOR IS NOT POOR SERVICE....


I agree.


None of us know what that employee's responsibilities are. Perhaps she'd done similar things where she'd seen customers pay and then let them walk on by without checking receipts. Her manager saw this and then dressed her down about how her JOB was to check ALL customer's receipts.....

Just one among an endless number of possibilities.

[Bob Marino]

I agree.


None of us know what that employee's responsibilities are. Perhaps she'd done similar things where she'd seen customers pay and then let them walk on by without checking receipts. Her manager saw this and then dressed her down about how her JOB was to check ALL customer's receipts.....

Just one among an endless number of possibilities.

I agree with Scott and Tim. The same thing happens at my HD. They "check" all receipts..on everybody. Doesn't hold me up but for a few seconds. That's their job. But can you imagine the outcry, the screaming, the lawsuits - real and threatened, if they only stopped certain people, not everyone.

Bob

[John Hart]

When I'm in a store and the line is long and everyone is crabby and the cashier looks beat up...That's when I put on my best smile and say "Hello..How are you?" in my best tone. What a difference it makes in the look on their faces and the way the attitude changes with the people behind me.

The rest of the time...I'm just a jerk!:D

[Don Baer]

When I'm in a store and the line is long and everyone is crabby and the cashier looks beat up...That's when I put on my best smile and say "Hello..How are you?" in my best tone. What a difference it makes in the look on their faces and the way the attitude changes with the people behind me.

The rest of the time...I'm just a jerk!:D

What I can't understand is when people get upset when the cashier asks for ID when someone is using a credit card. I always tell them "you bet " and thanks them for asking. They are only trying to protect me.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Don, I don't sign any of my credit cards. I wrote "See ID" in the space and they always ask for my ID when I use it.

I saw a funny situation in HD a few years ago. At that time they only checked IDs at Christmas. The cashier asked the guy in front of me for his drivers license and he gave it to her. She said "This isn't your credit card" and he replies "I know" and walks out the door. Thing is, he left his drivers license with the cashier and it was actually his. The manager took it and said they were going to call the cops.

[Dale Rodabaugh]

My last few years of full time work was as a long haul truck driver.I hauled a lot of stuff for HD,mainly their warehouse in GA.to stores.Just like any other chain there were good one and also bad ones.HD opened a store just a couple of miles from me a few yrs. ago,and boy is it a bummer.There are a couple guys in there who are very knowledgable,but most of their employees dont have a clue of whats going on around them.I think it is the worst one I have ever been in.Oh yeah,probably the best one was in Arlington,TX.:D :D :cool:

[John Hemenway]

I think Scott hit on the reason for the check. They might be checking up on the checkers. It would be hard to steal something between the checker and the exit, but real easy for the checker to 'accidently' forget to add that new Bosch SCM saw to the tag. This assumes some evildoing on the checkers part, but I'm sure they have to check for real human error from the checker also, especially a new one.

[Vaughn McMillan]

When I'm in a store and the line is long and everyone is crabby and the cashier looks beat up...That's when I put on my best smile and say "Hello..How are you?" in my best tone. What a difference it makes in the look on their faces and the way the attitude changes with the people behind me.

The rest of the time...I'm just a jerk!:D

Ditto here. It's sort of a personal challenge for me to see if I can make them forget how crabby they are.


Don, I don't sign any of my credit cards. I wrote "See ID" in the space and they always ask for my ID when I use it.

Dennis, I do the same thing on my cards, but I'm surprised at how seldom people actually ask me for my ID -- especially at restaurants. But when a clerk does ask for my ID, I use Don's approach and thank them for asking. That catches a lot of them off-guard, since they're used to people grumbling at them as they dig out their IDs.

- Vaughn

[Don Baer]

I think Scott hit on the reason for the check. They might be checking up on the checkers. It would be hard to steal something between the checker and the exit, but real easy for the checker to 'accidently' forget to add that new Bosch SCM saw to the tag. This assumes some evildoing on the checkers part, but I'm sure they have to check for real human error from the checker also, especially a new one.

A few years ago while I was in the tools section of my local borg I had a guy come up to me and "volunteer" to get me whatever I wanted at his employee discount (he wasn't wearning an apron) if I would split the amount I was saving with him. I passed.

He doesn't work there anymore.

[Rob Littleton]

[quote=John Hemenway] They might be checking up on the checkers.

they pay these clerks to do a job and then they pay someone to check their work.......if they are confident of the work the checkers do, shouldnt they think about paying the guy at the door to do the checkers job, thus eliminating a "brain dead" in the process.......

This was argument to the manager of the HD in CA where I used to live. As you know, me and HD dont see eye to eye anyways so I look for any reason to make the manager have to think :D

[Brian Austin]

The other day at Sam's Club, I had a cart full of groceries that I had boxed up....So you couldn't see 3/4 of the items. The checker went over the receipt like she instantly memorized the 50 items, then scanned over the cart in 2-5 seconds like she had x-ray vision. I know, it would have been worse if she dug through everything and checked each item, but geez...talk about "going through the motions"!
I asked a former SC employee about this, since I've seen the same thing. They're looking primarily for key stuff, like DVDs, CDs, electronics, etc.. They'll scan the receipt and then check the cart to see if there are any mismatches. After they do it for a while, they tend to look for key shapes and can spot them pretty fast, I'm told.

[Donnie Raines]

Showing my receipt does'nt bother me a bit. If this some how cracks down on theft, great. That should me more stable prices for you and me. Also, for me, it saved me money when they stopped me once. I bought 4 sheets of 1/2 drywall...but they charged me for OSB...not sure why I did'nt notice it at the register...but they issued me a refund....:cool:

[Dave Lehnert]

This has happened to me twice at the borg. I have a quick and simple answer (loud): "CHARGE ME WITH SHOPLIFTING OR GET OUT OF MY FACE" Can't tell you how fast they back off for fear of lawsuits.

"Can't tell you how fast they back off for fear of lawsuits"

Can't tell you how funny that sounds. "fear of a lawsuit" Our security guy at work gets hit with a Lawsuit about once a week. They get dragged into court so much he don’t even think about it. People think if they file he will drop the charges. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I have seen him many of times call right before court to find out what he is being accused of. You have to remember they work with the courts so much they are on a first name basis with them.

[Randy Meijer]

I have followed this thread for several days now and it just occurred to me that at my local store, they don't even check receipts except at the contractors checkout. Maybe they are figuring out something that most of us have known for a long time??

It also occurs to me that there is a simple solution for folks who don't like the HD policy......shop somewhere else and quit your complaining!! And I am going to follow my own advice and quit reading this thread. It is getting tiresome.

[Michael Adelong]

I think Scott hit on the reason for the check. They might be checking up on the checkers. It would be hard to steal something between the checker and the exit, but real easy for the checker to 'accidently' forget to add that new Bosch SCM saw to the tag. This assumes some evildoing on the checkers part, but I'm sure they have to check for real human error from the checker also, especially a new one.

Hello guys. John hit the nail on the head. I work for NCR Corp. You know, cash registers, ATMs, computers, etc.. I think I can shed a TON of light on this for you. The receipt checking at the door is to reduce shrinkage caused by cashier incompetance or collusion with a friend posing as a regular customer to steal items. Over the past 20 years working in various retail outlets, I've seen several people get caught stealing. I'll give a few examples of what I have witnessed.

Once in a Wal-Mart, I saw a young lady approach the checkout with a cart containing several low cost items like packages of socks, cleaning supplies, paper towels, etc.. One of these items being a plastic kitchen garbage can with a "flipper" top on it. The cashier lifted the garbage can out of the cart, scanned the tag on the bottom, and then placed the can in the bagging area. During this process, the can was placed on the magnetic pad that deactivates the anti theft tags. She then scanned all of the other items and placed them in the garbage can instead of bagging them. The customer paid in cash. The total was about $15. After paying, the customer lifted the can off of the bagging shelf and set it back in the cart. On her way out the door she was asked for her receipt. The person checking the reciept thought something just didn't seem right, so he reached in the can and started moving some of the items around. Within seconds two security guards were at the front door. As it turned out, the customer had put 2 digital cameras in the bottom of the can. I was training a new guy on fixing a scanner at the time (this was about 12 years ago) and I noticed that the cashier's complexion had turned 2-3 shades lighter than it was a few moments ago. She made every attempt not to appear interested, or nervous, while all of this was going on. She just kept working her register. Security took the customer to the store's office. About 5 minutes later, the store manager came back with another cashier and switched them right in the middle of a sale. He took the original cashier back to the office with him. When we completed our work we went to the office to fill out the service log. The manager knew me, so I asked him what happened. It turned out that the customer had the same last name as the cashier. It was her cousin. The cashier intentionally assisted her cousin in the theft by leaving the cameras concealed, and by deactivating the anti theft tags on them when she set the garbage can on the magnetic pad. Both were arrested.

As to HD. Once while I was in my local HD with a friend shopping, we were approached by the head cashier and asked to help her out. She said that all we would need to do is attempt to hide some items in the cart under some large, heavy, items, and to try to get them past the cashier without paying for them. She offered us each a $25 gift card for helping, and gave us 2 - $50 gift cards to use to pay for "our" purchases. We took a cart and went through the store. We put about 10 small items on the bottom of the cart, and then set 2 50lb bags of concrete on top of them. When we went to check out, the cashier scanned the top bag using the scanner on the long cord, and then hit the 2x button on the register. Luckly for her, she then came back around and squatted down so that she could look up from the bottom through the holes in the bottom of the cart. We got busted. Fortunately, security knew we were "shills" and the cashier passed the test. We made $25 each, and had a little fun in the process.

So... the moral of the story is that they are not necessarily being suspicious of you. They are simply trying to make sure that all of their folks are trained properly, and are good, honest, employees.

Michael

[Dennis Peacock]

It also occurs to me that there is a simple solution for folks who don't like the HD policy......shop somewhere else and quit your complaining!! And I am going to follow my own advice and quit reading this thread. It is getting tiresome.

Very well said Randy. I have been debating about leaving this thread, but locking it to prevent further posting to it for a few days now. I honestly believe that this "dead horse" has been beaten into pure dust. Thread will close on Monday.....if not sooner.

[Gredo Goldenstein]

That reminds me of a Costco trip a few years ago. A manager type came and started running one of the checkouts. Seemed to be having a few problems with it. When I got home I took a look through my receipt and realized that it was seriously messed up. Double charged for some items. The funniest part though was that I had purchased two 80 lb bags of softener salt that he hadn't charged me for. How does the door person miss 160lbs of softener salt in their check.
In the end, the double charges and missed charges worked out to pretty close to where it should have been, and I couldn't be bothered to go back to claim my $1 or so that they owed me. I do watch my receipts much closer now.


This one made me laugh out loud! 160 lbs of salt is a lot to miss!

[Joe Pelonio]

Dennis,

Do you look like a crook? On the other hand, maybe she liked you. I have never had any employee at HD try to stop anyone including, as was mentioned by someone else, when the alarm goes off. Their employees certainly don't seem to be that dedicated that they would care if someone was shoplifting. Did have an incident myself this morning. Went to the "express check yourself out" station for the first time, and used my company credit card. I knew it was paid up but still it was declined and had to see the cashier. Naturally with 5-6 people waiting after me. She handed me the phone and I had to talk to credit. It seems that my account was fine, but they didn't
have my Suite # on the mailing address and we must have had a new or lazy mailman (sorry, letter carrier) who returned the latest bill. I suppose putting a block on my account was easier for someone than picking up the phone.

[Bill Lewis]

This one made me laugh out loud! 160 lbs of salt is a lot to miss!How about a walk behind Scotts seed/fertilizer spreader. We once bought some fertilizer and the spreader, it was right on top of the cart and they missed it. My wife didn't even notice until much later when she was entering the receipt in to her check register.

So "Shrinkage" can occur from many, many avenues. Sure, there is the shoplifting and employee theft, but also mistakes at the checkout, damaged items or packaging, etc... For example, I was in HD the other day getting some 1/4" tube fittings. Aside from the open bags strewn everywhere, there was a 5 gallon bucket full of brass fittings and pieces. Or there was the time this spring/summer when we went looking for some vegetable seeds for a second crop. We found the 8 boxes full of seed packets just thrown in together, all mixed up and unsaleable.This is not out of the norm, but pretty much typical for the stores in our area.

All of the HD's and Lowe's in my vicinity are trash heaps that are poorly maintained. Aside from being dusty and dirty, items are mixed up and never sorted or "fronted", missing pricing lables. This too can lead to shrinkage.

It was a stark contrast to visit a Lowe's in Mt. Airy, NC (Mayberry) that was very clean and neat, and I didn't see a single aisle where the items were not pulled to the front of the shelves. It was also well staffed with helpful and friendly people. It blew me away! I told my friends I was visiting about it, and they thought it was only just about average for the area.