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View Full Version : Borgs...maybe not all bad



Al Willits
07-16-2007, 9:44 AM
Had a interesting weekend, the lord of my life and I went off to Menard's to look at tin car ports for the new boat, walked into Menard's and while the wife was off using the restroom, I watched some poor check out gal get reamed by some lady because her CC wouldn't work, the cust went on to berate the check out gal, Menard's and life in general.

Finally the manager came over and after a bit he takes her card and off he goes.
She's still on a tirade about lousy service btw.
Manager comes back and tells the lady the card has been canceled, she at this time is screaming, and I think were about to see SWAT show up, by this time the wife is back and we're about to leave when I heard her yell "yes the card was canceled because I thought I lost it, but I found it later"
Manager asks if she notified the card people and she replies she shouldn't have to.....

Gets better.....

We find the car port we want and of course have to order it so off we go to do that, there we find some guy all wound up over the fact Menard's won't cut a sheet of plywood in half for him, guy behind the counter replies that they don't cut plywood per company policy and don't have the tools to do it anyway, but they sell half sheets of plywood they'd be happy to load whatever he wants for him...not good enough.

This guy wants a cut in half full sheet and wants to pay only half the price of a full sheet, he says the half sheets are more than half the cost of a full sheet.

Sales guy tries to explain that it takes someone to cut them half sheets so there is a additional cost, he ain't buying it and has gone past being totally unreasonable and I figure being SWAT is gonna be at the other check out counter, they might as well stop here too and save them a trip....:)

Eventually this wacko and a sales guy go off to see what can be done and I don't know what the final outcome ended up being, but considering the foul language he was using, one shot, one kill comes to mind...:)

Nope not done yet....

Now we're down to just one person ahead of us and we figure all well...uh huh...nope, this guy was looking for something Menard's had filed away and wanted a copy of it, so the sales guy asked his name....
English was not this guys main language, if he spoke it at all, sales guy couldn't make out what he was saying and asked him again, so the guy repeats it, neither I or the wife could make out what he was saying and neither could the sales guy.
So he asks what the first letter in his last name was...this yo yo replies that the sales guy should figure it out and he ain't repeating it again...least we think that's what he said..

We finally get our car/boat port ordered and headed to the check out line to pay for it, when the manager from the plywood/what is your name dept comes over and apologizes for the delay.

Maybe your experiences at the Borgs haven't been pleasant, but we watched sales staff go way above anything I'd have put up with, there is absolutely no reason for someone to stand there swearing at people for this kinda stuff and this Menard's will get my continued business.

So...how was your weekend? :D :D

Al

Chuck Wintle
07-16-2007, 9:59 AM
Some customers are downright unreasonable and hard to please. :confused:

Dave Anderson NH
07-16-2007, 12:29 PM
Many many years ago I worked in retail part time. Most customers are reasonable most of the time. Then there are the exceptions....

We used to joke that, " I love retail, it's just the customers I hate."

Al Willits
07-16-2007, 1:38 PM
We were wondering if there was a full moon or something, never seen that many angry people at a store before, least at one time..

Al

Gary Keedwell
07-16-2007, 3:11 PM
No excuse for rudeness and ignorant behavior.:o Law enforcement statistics say more crime when hot weather is around. Being irritable is still a lame excuse to be an A......hole.;)
Gary K.

Jim O'Dell
07-16-2007, 4:13 PM
I've been on the receiving end of a few of thos customers.:eek: I used to have gobs of patience, now I have very little. I wonder why? :confused: :confused: Jim.

Steve Schoene
07-16-2007, 4:23 PM
Unfortunately, none of these examples really demonstrate that the borgs are doing things well, just that there are some really rude customers out their. Why does this spill over at the borgs so often? Probably because of the things, subtle and not so subtle, that they do so poorly--product bins that are never resorted to put things back in the right places, workers who are poorly trained about the products they are selling, isles cluttered with stock that staff hasn't gotten around to shelving--for days, power tools with different motors than the models sold elsewhere, plumbing fixtures with different "innards", framing lumber that seems to have been carefully sorted to contain almost entirely pith and juvenile wood, or sticks that are waney.

Just think--if 20-25 years ago real lumber yards had realized that if they had added an extra 20-30 extra store hours a week, there wouldn't be stores like the borg.

Mark Pruitt
07-16-2007, 4:48 PM
Al, ain't it fun watching an idiot contest!:p :p :p
That is so funny it shouldn't be legal.

Lee DeRaud
07-16-2007, 4:56 PM
Maybe your experiences at the Borgs haven't been pleasant, but we watched sales staff go way above anything I'd have put up with, there is absolutely no reason for someone to stand there swearing at people for this kinda stuff and this Menard's will get my continued business.Heck, if my Home Depot was that entertaining, I'd spend the weekend down there with a lawnchair and a six-pack.

What I actually did was spend the weekend humping heavy stuff from the garden department to the car, from the car to the backyard, rinse, lather, repeat.

What I'm doing today is thinking that I'm getting too old for this. :eek:

Lee DeRaud
07-16-2007, 5:02 PM
Just think--if 20-25 years ago real lumber yards had realized that if they had added an extra 20-30 extra store hours a week, there wouldn't be stores like the borg.You mean the "real lumber yards" where the employees practically spit on you if you weren't driving a truck with a contractor's logo on the side? All things considered, no thanks, I'll take the Borg.

Gary Keedwell
07-16-2007, 5:10 PM
You mean the "real lumber yards" where the employees practically spit on you if you weren't driving a truck with a contractor's logo on the side? All things considered, no thanks, I'll take the Borg.

Good one!!! I almost forgot that scenario.:D

Gary K.

Glenn Clabo
07-16-2007, 5:17 PM
Lee...I always look forward to your commentary...

Mike Cutler
07-16-2007, 5:37 PM
Lee...I always look forward to your commentary...

I think he beats around the bush too much, and is wishy washy.:eek:,;),:D.

I don't jump on salepeople, it's not worth the effort. My issues with HD are not at the store level, it's at the coroprate level. The folks working there are just left dealing with some incredibly nearsighted vision by their corporate leadership, and trying to pay their bills too.

Nice story about the Credit Card. I've seen that little tantrum in person too. I wish I could have filmed it.

Al Willits
07-16-2007, 8:52 PM
Unfortunately, none of these examples really demonstrate that the borgs are doing things well, just that there are some really rude customers out their. Why does this spill over at the borgs so often? Probably because of the things, subtle and not so subtle, that they do so poorly--product bins that are never resorted to put things back in the right places, workers who are poorly trained about the products they are selling, isles cluttered with stock that staff hasn't gotten around to shelving--for days, power tools with different motors than the models sold elsewhere, plumbing fixtures with different "innards", framing lumber that seems to have been carefully sorted to contain almost entirely pith and juvenile wood, or sticks that are waney.

Just think--if 20-25 years ago real lumber yards had realized that if they had added an extra 20-30 extra store hours a week, there wouldn't be stores like the borg.

I understand that actual performance of the store may not be indicated here, but I rather doubt (and I could be wrong) that canceling your CC, not speaking English and coming unglued because the store was not a full service lumberyard is Menard's fault.

I don't buy a lot of what the Borgs sell, as its junk, but scotch blue painters tape is scotch blue painters tape most anywhere, and if I can find a lot of these type items at a reasonable price and the sales staff treats me like a human being, I have no problem shopping there.

I guess my point here wasn't that the Borgs were such a great place, but that some have said they received poor service and I was just saying maybe some of their stores are being run in a better fashion and they ain't all that bad to shop at....or the meds are wearing off and I need a pill.....:D :D

Al

Lee DeRaud
07-16-2007, 9:29 PM
I think he beats around the bush too much, and is wishy washy.:eek:,;),:D.I really have to work on that: it's my only real fault. :cool:

Steve Schoene
07-16-2007, 10:51 PM
I fully agree that those examples are examples of bad customers instead of bad service from the store. (Though HD does cut plywood--though you still buy the whole sheet.)

I am a bit spoiled, I have three full service lumberyards (2 really good and 1 OK) as close as the HD and Lowes. And, at the good ones (part of a local chain that is expanding) also treat retail customers quite well too, at least I think. (I can't be quite sure since I am the "owner" building a house with a builder that is one of their larger customers.) Even the one that I call just OK treats retail folks OK and at least when they explain something it's likely to be right--quite definately NOT the case with the borg stores.

Jim Becker
07-16-2007, 11:33 PM
I spent 7 years in retail running a large, mall-based Radio Shack store & computer center. I don't miss it ONE bit...not the hours. Not the 1% of customers that spoiled my great respect for the other 99% who were polite and respectful.

The fact of the matter is that most of the people working in retail including at the various 'borg, are just great and really try to be helpful. But just as the bad customers get noticed the most, so do the bad employees. It only takes one to sour a relationship...

Rich Engelhardt
07-17-2007, 6:23 AM
Hello Lee,

Heck, if my Home Depot was that entertaining, I'd spend the weekend down there with a lawnchair and a six-pack.
LOL!
No need to go to the borg for that.
Just find the nearest public boat launch ramp on a holiday :D