Borg - Grrrrrr!!!!!

[Richard Gillespie]

I'm old enough to remember a time when you had lumber yards that sold wood, plywood, drywall, joint compound and nails. In the same town you had a hardware store that sold what seemed like everything else you might ever need except medicine and groceries.

Now, as a modern improvement, we have chain hardware stores that don't stock that much and the Borgs.

Been re-glazing some windows for a church. Running low on both glazing compound and points. In my area, Lowe's and HD are across the street from each other. When you get upset at one, you don't have far to go to get upset again.

Employees at both stores plus some young vendors at one had no idea what glazing points were. After being sent on fruitless searches in both stores I gave up. At least I know from past experience that the local chain hardware store does have them and the employees there know what they are.

Rant mode off:

Sorry!

[JayStPeter]

They do have them. If I recall right they are near the glass pane rack. They come in little tubes and are a little difficult to find. If you find the glass cutters I think you'll find them.

Jay

[Richard Gillespie]

Thanks Jay

At Lowe's I finally went to the booth where one employee was cutting glass, another was talking to two vendors. When I asked where the points were only the man cutting glass knew what they were but he sent me to the mill work section looking for them. Another fruitless search. At that point I put down the glazing compound and walked out.

[Shelley Bolster]

Richard, I experienced something similar last weekend while in the Borg. I was looking for some plastic corner trim for Barker Board. (the sheets that look like tiles that are used in place of regular tub surrounds) After searching for a while, I finally found the Barker Board along the back wall at the end of the isle where the tub surrounds where located. Great - I am close.........or so I thought. After my SIL and I spent a good 15 minutes combing the area (of course there were no orange vests in sight:mad: ) we finally spent another 10 looking for the hiding place. (of the orange vested ones) Upon discovering the "secret corner" we finally enlisted the help of one of them who didn't have a clue what or where to look for the trim. Finally, we checked once more in the trim isle (where the crown and cornice etc where) and low and behold - 10 isles away from the Barker Board that it is used to install, we found it! Silly us for even assuming that it would be located anywhere near the Barker Board. :o
I feel your pain! ;)

[Dennis Peacock]

Good Morning,

Even though we all have our frustrations with the local BB stores and their various assortment of associates manning the isles.....We need to remember:

1. They are regular people that were needing and job, applied and got it.
2. They are regular people that in no way know what everything is and where it is in the store. This would be like me going and looking for a hierarchical switch for a GS320 and me getting upset because they don't have a clue what a hierarchical switch for a GS320 is. Well, you get the gist of what I'm saying here...just hang with me. ;)
3. How can one person know it "all" about every item they carry in the store?
4. Not every store carries the same stock as another store. HD here doesn't carry much of anything except for items to build a home. This frustrates me as well because I can drive 60 miles and get what I need from "another" HD store....just not the one here in my hometown.
5. Not even the folks working in the "tool" section understand what they are really talking to a customer about. Good example of this is, not long ago, I was looking in the tool section at one of the stores (heh, imagine that, me looking in a tool section.) and overheard one of the associates helping a bum-fuzzled customer that was looking for a "planer". The associate took them over and showed them a nice Delta 6" Jointer and said that here is a Delta Planer that can also be used as a jointer. I almost lost my teeth on that one.:eek: Anyway, I corrected that issue with the bum-fuzzled customer and showed them a really nice DeWalt or Delta portable planer and they walked away happy. :)
6. I've found it amazing that I can't get or find assistance of the Orange kind, but I get asked at least 4 times from the Blue kind. So guess where I go most all the time.


OK....I've shut off my rant mode now. Please no offense here....just wanted to make a point or two and share an experience or two as well. Ya'll have a good day today and the "tone" of this post is calm, informative, and kinda sticking up for some of the associates that work at the stores that are regular folks that simply needed a job to support family and self.

[Randy Moore]

Abouit 2 years ago I went to work at the blue box cause construction, particurlarly HVAC had slowed down to a crawl. I got stuck in the lumber dept. After about 2-3 months the customers found out about me and started lining up to talk to me, which really made management mad. The customers wanted to know how to do this or that and what I thought about that and this. Got moved to hardware dept. The customers found me and lined up again. The store management got mad and said I was not doing my job so I quit after I was able to get my regular job back.

Now when I go into the blue box and some customers see me, they start asking about this and that. The store still does not have knowledgeable people in there. The store sometimes wants me back but I tell them they don't have enough money.

Randy

[Ken Garlock]

Say Dennis, sometime when you are in Dallas, stop by Elliotts Hardware on Maple St. That is what a good hardware store should be. It is not a hole in the wall, but rather the size of a large super market.

You walk in the door and there is a person to greet you ask what you need. You show him/her a part, and you get an answer that it is on row xx, about half way down on the top shelf. The unique thing is that most all the floor staff are people who have retired from other jobs, and enjoy their work.

If Elliotts doesn't have it, you probably didn't need it to start with.:D

[Chuck Wintle]

Abouit 2 years ago I went to work at the blue box cause construction, particurlarly HVAC had slowed down to a crawl. I got stuck in the lumber dept. After about 2-3 months the customers found out about me and started lining up to talk to me, which really made management mad. The customers wanted to know how to do this or that and what I thought about that and this. Got moved to hardware dept. The customers found me and lined up again. The store management got mad and said I was not doing my job so I quit after I was able to get my regular job back.

Now when I go into the blue box and some customers see me, they start asking about this and that. The store still does not have knowledgeable people in there. The store sometimes wants me back but I tell them they don't have enough money.

Randy
Randy,
I shudder to think of what qualifies as "management" in these stores. Good management might have understood that a satisfied customer is good for sales and the bottom line. But I suppose some borgs are better than others.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, the selection at these stores can be frustrating. I'm unhappy with even the lumber/sheet goods and wish so hard that the local full-service lumber yard was open on the weekends beyond just Saturday morning!

But for your specific project, "glazing" and "glazing points" are not often used these days with so many windows having been replaced with more energy efficient units. Where you live may also make a difference as the stocking of the stores of more unusual items in some respects relates to demand. I suspect not too many folks ask for them and people who didn't grow up with single-pane windows will have no idea what they are even if they are stocked...

I am not defending the 'borg, just suggesting that "demand/chronology" plays into availablity of some things.

[Mike Cutler]

Richard.
The glazing points are in the hardware section at the one near me. I don't know if all the stores are the same though.
I sort of agree with Dennis. These are just people like us, that need jobs and a paycheck.
I've found that the stores are not that well laid out for merchandising. It's not the fault of the people that work there, the schematic is laid out at the main office. I just wish that someday they would layout the store by the project. Why is the joint compound, and trowels and tape for drywall in the tile section, the screws are in the hardware section and the drywall is on the other side of the store? put it all in one place.
Unfortunately I know what glazing points are for, and how to use them, and I hope that I never have to find them.:eek: ;)

[Joe Pelonio]

We're luck enough to have a little True Value a mile away from the house. The two cities on either side of us, both 5 miles away, each have both of the biggies. The TV has high school girl cashiers, but 2-3 guys wandering around whose only duty is to help people find things and give "how-to" advice. They are older and mostly retired contractors or building tradesmen.

[Dan Mages]

I had the runaround today at Menards when I was trying to find some cement fiberboard trim to go around the new basement door. To no surprise, I talked to 6-8 people and they all had the same blank stare. That was a good 20 minutes wasted.

Regarding glazing points... When I was 14 my grandfather taught me how to reglaze windows at his hardware store. I think I saw glazing points at the orange BORG with the picture hooks, wires, clasps, etc...

Good luck

[Aaron Koehl]

Wouldn't it be nice to have an electronic kiosk with a searchable product list? It would solve SO many problems for those willing/able to use it, provided it was up to date.

[Karl Laustrup]

Wouldn't it be nice to have an electronic kiosk with a searchable product list? It would solve SO many problems for those willing/able to use it, provided it was up to date.

That's an excellent idea Aaron. Only problem I forsee is that it would be controlled from HQ and that's where most of the problems start with any of the BORGS, not just hardware/home inprovement. People in little cubicles dictating what and how something will happen in whatever town in whatever state.

The job of the people in one of these stores is to NOT THINK. :( That's how corporate wants it. The easiest way to accomplish that is to hire people who don't know or, heaven forbid, if they do know something, to put them in an unrelated area.

OK. Here's the soapbox back.

Karl

[Jamie Buxton]

They do have them. If I recall right they are near the glass pane rack. They come in little tubes and are a little difficult to find. If you find the glass cutters I think you'll find them.

Jay

Not at my local HD. They've stopped selling glass, much less glazing points.

[Rob Littleton]

If an employee is employed by these big stores, they are normally employed because they have experience and knowledge in the area they are being hired in. They dont have to know EVERY item in the store but they should have a darn good idea of what is in their department.

In the unlikely event, you ask a representative of another department who is not knowing, it shouldnt be a case of turn your back or lie (as is the case in my local Borg), they should be able to "reach" out and touch a supervisor or another person with a little more knowledge. Being left hanging is SERIOUSLY frustrating.......

[John Miliunas]

I can see Dennis' points but, at the same time, I believe Rob brings out an even finer issue: In a CS-oriented establishment, if Store Associate "A" doesn't know the answer, they themselves will seek out the knowledge and expertise of Store Associate "B"! As big as these place are, Dennis is right that it may be unreasonable to expect all the staff to have knowledge of all their products but, they should readily know who to go to in order to assist the customer and be willing to do so! The orange place closest to me has to be so, so very far from this concept, it's sickening. The Menard's closest to me, however, is the exact opposite. The staff in there is truly knowledgeable of nearly the entire store and, even if they may not know exactly the location of needed item, they can get you to the vicinity and then help you find it or locate another staffer who can. Heck, I've been at one end of the store and, when approached by an Associate, I'll ask them where I can locate "item A", they'll start personally leading me to the other end of the store. I'll politely inform them that, I'm pretty familiar with all the general locations and they can simply direct me to the spot. They pretty much insist on following through until they can place the item physically in my hands! :) The "orange place" is much, much closer and more conveniently located to where I work, but I try to avoid it at all costs!:) :cool:

[Dan Mages]

It happened again yesterday. I went to home depot and the guy in the plumbing dept insisted on me using a water valve for natural gas.... what a moron.

[John Miliunas]

It happened again yesterday. I went to home depot and the guy in the plumbing dept insisted on me using a water valve for natural gas.... what a moron.

LOL....Reminds of some of those old "Three Stooges" scenes where they plumb the water into the gas stove and vica-versa!:D :D :D :cool:

[Karl Laustrup]

It happened again yesterday. I went to home depot and the guy in the plumbing dept insisted on me using a water valve for natural gas.... what a moron.

Isn't that supposed to be "MAROON", in the true sense of the Stooges. :D

It just makes you want to cry sometimes, Dan.

Karl

[Dan Oelke]

I found out a "secret" from Menards the other day. The employees are specifically instructed that they are not allowed to point to direct a customer to what they want. The employee is supposed to walk you directly to what you want. From the way this person said it I almost suspected that mgm't was watching from above for anyone with outstretched arms. I guess that helps with the problem of not finding what you want and then not being able to find help again.

I think that Menards has improved a lot since HD and Lowes moved into their area. Before it was impossible to find help in Menards. Now it isn't that hard, and the people actually do try to answer your questions.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Not at my local HD. They've stopped selling glass, much less glazing points.
I noticed that too and asked why. Was told it was a liability issue????