I've been Borged!

[Tom Henderson2]

Well, the folks in the orange aprons Borged me again.

I decided to buy the Dewalt 618 3-base router kit that the Orange Borg has on sale/clearance for $150.

I had the SKU, so called the local borg. They checked stock... and declared that they had 3 in stock, and confirmed the $150 price.

So after dinner I hoofed my way over. Found the one VERY beat up display model, but none on the shelves. Asked the orange-aproned worker for help.

Imagine my surprise when she said "Oh -- the ony one we have is the one on display"

I told her that when I had called they said there were 3 in stock.

Her response was, basically, that the computer stock count is meaninless and that I should have "asked for a visual" before I drove over.

She seemed quite amused with the entire situation. Ipm glad she enjoyed it; I sure was steamed. I had better things to do than play scavenger hunt at the big box home store on a Saturday evening.

So I asked for a manager. He at least made an effort to look around, but he couldn't find one either.

Gotta love the borgs.

-TH

[Rob Russell]

The computer is only good as the data fed into it. GIGO = Garbage In, Garbage Out.

One reason the big box stores do physical inventory is so they can see how much has been lost or shoplifted.

Your local store may have been just before the inventory.

[Ben Rafael]

The borg by me has them in stock but will not sell them for less than $279

[Matt Meiser]

I wanted some "Special Buy" knobs the blue one had in their ad one time. The computer showed 1000 in stock and they couldn't find them.

I always ask them if they can check, especially when they say it shows they only have a few.

[Lee Koepke]

i feel compelled to offer one "good" story. recently I saw the DW734 on clearance at the blue store. Wife was out shopping in the vicinity and offered to pick it up for me, so I called their store and they had two. I asked they take one off the shelf and hold it at Cust Service for my wife to pick up. they did, AND even loaded in her vehicle.

[Matt Meiser]

Yes, I should add the rest of my story...

These were a brushed metal knob for 99 cents. The manager, who was involved by this point since they couldn't figure out how they lost a case of knobs, asked how many I was looking for and then proceeded to say that I should choose any know they had and he'd have the cashier ring them up for 99 cents. Then he showed me something similar that was normally about $4.

[Pat Germain]

I'm no champion of the BORG, but such a situation can happen at most any retailer these days. My local Woodcraft is great. But last week I went to buy a mobile base. The computer said they had the model I wanted in stock, but they couldn't find it. I ended up getting the floor model; at a discount.

No big. Stuff happens. It's nice when we can breeze into a retailer, find exactly what we want at a great discount, then breeze out. Unfortunately, it usually dosen't work that way. :rolleyes:

[Dave Lehnert]

Sad but true, the other two that showed in the computer was most likely stolen. Never went through the register, never subtracted from the inventory. But us as customers are part to blame. We get impatient if we have to wait for a clerk to get the keys to unlock what we need. So stores, to make things more convenient, just put stock out on the shelves.
The price we all pay.

[Robert Conner]

I have found that at any of the BORGS you would be wise to do a search yourself. They seem to lose things on their shelves. I found those Biesemeyer Fences that were on sale last year that way. Unfortunately sometimes that does not help.
I am aware of the problems with Computer input mistakes (GIGO) what I don't understand is that each time a sale is made the computer should be able to update inventory. If an employee mistakenly added too many that should show up as an inventory mistake. If 30 did not enter the store how could they have 30 in the store?, once alerted a physical inventory should show that.
Oftentimes I have been told the reasons they don't have the 7 the Computer said they have is because they were "shop-lifted". I can understand a pair of pliers or even a cordless drill, but 7 110lbs Biesemeyer Fences with tables in 7' x 30" x 8" boxes ( true reply by an Employee)? or even 3 Router Kits. It seems to me there are Problems with their inventory controls. Phantom Inventory?? Employee theft on a Major Scale?
Maybe the Guys at the door who check your $3. receipt against the item in the bag should be checking the Deliveries or the Employees leaving ( not meant as a knock to all BORG Employees)?
Off my Soap Box!
Robert

[Dewey Torres]

Botom line is they lost the sale. Your one sale may be a drop of water in a bucket to HD but compounded (many customers/many years) and this is why HD is struggling. Thanks alot Robert Nardelli! Boy, didn't he do wonders for the BORG:mad:
Dewey

http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/03/news/companies/home_depot/?postversion=2007010309

[Doug Jones from Oregon]

Not surprising that their inventory counts are off.

My SIL works at one of the borgs in loss prevention. He tells me that when incoming freight comes in, they only verify count the large items, ie, appliances, rolls of carpets, units of board. A mixed pallet of tools would never be verified, just accepted.

Doug

[glenn bradley]

Although they are generally handicapped by their business model, the quality of a BORG can be influenced by the store manger. When I lived in the Sacramento area, my local Lowe's was poor and the HD was great. Where I am now it is the opposite. The HD about 30 miles from here is exceptional for a BORG. Alas, the cost of gas has driven me to my local stinker more often lately.

[David G Baker]

Robert Nardelli had a great impact on his Borgs that lasted about two months. Everything is back to the terrible normal at my local store. I thought he had a good thing going that had a chance of turning things around permanently, should have known better.
CORRECTION: I thought Robert was the new guy, I was wrong. The new guy did the above that only lasted a few months before HD sank back to its old level.

[Kevin Johnson]

I recently went into the pawn shop across the street from a HD near me and they had a large selection of Dewalt and other major brand name tools sitting on their shelves that had never been used. They probably had been stolen across the street and pawned there.

[Paul Girouard]

Botom line is they lost the sale. Your one sale may be a drop of water in a bucket to HD but compounded (many customers/many years) and this is why HD is struggling. Thanks alot Robert Nardelli! Boy, didn't he do wonders for the BORG:mad:
Dewey

http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/03/news/companies/home_depot/?postversion=2007010309


Was he the ex Army Ranger officer or similar maybe he was a reserve Army officer???? I read a article about him ( if he is the one I'm thinking / remembering ) some years ago at a Doctor's office I think , in "Money" magazine maybe :confused:

It the time he was a shinning star, running a big outfit like Home Despot would be a weird job , so may employees , so many managers , etc etc . Yet the BLAME all comes back to the top.

I do agree that the "Top man" can have great impact on any organization , as I've seen that in USN aviation squadrons . But those a "smaller" in scale than a big company like Home despot.

[Dave Lehnert]

I have found that at any of the BORGS you would be wise to do a search yourself. They seem to lose things on their shelves. I found those Biesemeyer Fences that were on sale last year that way. Unfortunately sometimes that does not help.
I am aware of the problems with Computer input mistakes (GIGO) what I don't understand is that each time a sale is made the computer should be able to update inventory. If an employee mistakenly added too many that should show up as an inventory mistake. If 30 did not enter the store how could they have 30 in the store?, once alerted a physical inventory should show that.
Oftentimes I have been told the reasons they don't have the 7 the Computer said they have is because they were "shop-lifted". I can understand a pair of pliers or even a cordless drill, but 7 110lbs Biesemeyer Fences with tables in 7' x 30" x 8" boxes ( true reply by an Employee)? or even 3 Router Kits. It seems to me there are Problems with their inventory controls. Phantom Inventory?? Employee theft on a Major Scale?
Maybe the Guys at the door who check your $3. receipt against the item in the bag should be checking the Deliveries or the Employees leaving ( not meant as a knock to all BORG Employees)?
Off my Soap Box!
Robert

I have worked in retail many years. Theft happens many ways by many people. Customers and employees. But if you think people only lift small things you are dead wrong. Gas grills, riding lawn mowers EVERYTHING.
Just this year we purchased 20 carts for customers to load mulch on etc..That was on Monday. By Friday every one of them had been stolen. They were around $250 each.

[Dewey Torres]

Bob Nardelli was the guy who turned the Borg into what it is today. Remember back prior to 2000 when HD used to be a LOT MORE like your local helpful hardware store, but with a bunch more inventory?

Well Bob changed all that... the whole company model into what it is today which is terrible. Yes it may be great for the crowd who watches TLC a few times and decides it is a great idea to repaint/remodel a room on a $500 budget... only to find that it is not as easy on TV so they are either left with crap or wind up hiring a pro. It is, terrible for us who miss that huge hardware store with great help and employees that were helpful because they were hired for their fortes.

HD stock slid ever since he took over until the day he left.... Oh and by the way, with a $210million dollar severance check!:mad: Those new (hot) tools at the pawn shop pale in comparison to the legal rip off Bob pulled off~!

Now he is in Tahiti sucking down drinks with an umbrella in them and we are writing about how we "Got BORGed".

Am am I blaming the guy at the top? You bet! Thank God he is gone and I hope HD will recover.
My .02,
Dewey

[Larry Rasmussen]

I bought a couple of the now famous beisermeyer fences during the Lowes clearance. Calling around wasn't helpful but I did find two by just driving over and finding them. After reading about missing parts in some boxes I took the one that was open and dragged it to then end of the row. Cut it open with my pocket knife, sat on the floor and took inventory. I insisted one of the floor guys find me some tape to seal it back up before buying it, hardest part of whole experience.

With any of these big businesses I find it a pleasant suprise if the information technology system is up to date or accurate. I can get cranky enough to pull out my remaining hair at times but really what do you want- educated employees running a tightly quality controlled business with quality stock or the discounted prices at the big boxes? I have places I can go for each type of experience and product depending on my needs.

Larry R
Seattle

[Matt Meiser]

Now he is in Tahiti sucking down drinks with an umbrella in them and we are writing about how we "Got BORGed".

No he's not. He's in Auburn Hills, MI, running Chrysler.

[Tom VanPay]

Ditto on Nardelli, I have worked part time at an HD for the past 6 years. He decided we would be better served going after contractors and businesses, leaving the DIY's to fill the gaps. The DIY's should be our main concern and they are trying to change that back. Also Customer Service is being pushed again(finally). Take care of the customer and they will be back. Each store stocks over 50,000 items, so inventory is going to be a major headache. One problem is there is no way to tell where overstock is stored in the overhead racking. By the way Nardelli isn't in Tahiti he is in Detroit running Chrysler. God help them!

[Curt Harms]

Employee theft on a Major Scale?
Maybe the Guys at the door who check your $3. receipt against the item in the bag should be checking the Deliveries or the Employees leaving ( not meant as a knock to all BORG Employees)?
Off my Soap Box!
Robert

There was an employee caught just as he was about to load a bunch of grills or something in a buddy's truck. The buddy had "bought them for 50% off" with the guy's "employee discount":eek:;).

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Last year when the "Great Biesemeyer Fence Rush" was on I got caught by the computer discrepancy. I called around and found two listed in the computer inventory and bought one. Drove about 60 miles the mext day and when I got there found there was no such critter in the store. :mad: I got the problem resolved but learned a lesson - if the computer says it's in the store get an employee to lay hands on it to make sure, if you have to go any distance for it.

[skip coyne]

The buddy had "bought them for 50% off" with the guy's "employee discount"

I don't believe there is a "employee discount " I was disappointed to learn there wasn't one a few years back when my son worked for them

[Jon Grider]

What in the world is a BORG or getting BORGED?

[Paul Girouard]

What in the world is a BORG or getting BORGED?



Big Orange Retail Giant OR from the old Star Trek the next generation , the Borg where a life form that assimilated all others , "resistance was / IS futile " in a computer generated voice. "The Borg" from the show was / is loosely based on a bee colonial as to queen, workers, , etc etc . The "regenerate " at the Hive , vastly advanced , flying ship , faster , more powerful than any Star ship the Federation had.

Borg can be either Home Despot / Mal Wart / Blowes type stores. :D

Or Google it for other options.

[Dewey Torres]

BORG (Big Orange) or Home Depot, because of the color scheme.
I often refer to this thread for acronyms:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=78002&highlight=acronym (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=78002&highlight=acronym)
Dewey

PS. I knew he wasn't in Tahiti ... it just sounded like something that may as well have been the way he runs a corporation... yeah good luck Chrysler.

[Lewis Cobb]

Lads - you'll perhaps derive some comfort knowing that the HDs up here in Canada are the same. This thread reminded me of the great "Stanley level" episode for me a few months back. "50% off" was the sign - of course the rack was empty. I asked the lad working that department and he said that there's a box of them showing on the computer - qty 40. We looked up and down the aisles and all over the store and found nothing so I left empty handed. Needing a level I bought the same one for full price up the road at another shop. Then, about 2 weeks later, what do I see on the floor of HD as I walk through - the box of 40 levels at 50% off again ! I marched the one I bought up the road, back, then went to HD and bought the same thing. The 20 bucks I saved went towards some other workshop items :D

Anyway, in this case it was a happy ending for me....

[Jesse Cloud]

That's why I like the blue store better, when they don't have something, they mark it down way more than orange does.;):D

At the other extreme, I remember shopping for a Krups coffee maker. Every store in town had it on sale for $79 (what a coincidence!). What differed from store to store was the markdown. At one store it was $79 marked down from $150, but at Bloomingdale's it was $79 marked down from $200 - much better deal.:p:rolleyes:;)

Good thing you didn't try to buy it at Amazon. It would have taken them a month to realize they didn't have it and cancel the transaction.:eek:

[Joe Chritz]

I was once involved in a case with a couple thousand dollars of hardwood flooring being stolen from a HD store.

Pretty clean operation from the crooks point and only a sharp employee noticed something strange and started the ball rolling.

Lots of large stuff "disappears" from shelves. Those are probably at a workers house.

Joe

[Craig Hemsath]

No he's not. He's in Auburn Hills, MI, running Chrysler.

And they're a shining gem of well-run corporation with their massive profits and such....

[Andy Richards]

With good deals, you have to be careful when calling, because it often alerts employees of things they might want to buy for themselves. So yeah, maybe 3 when you called, but after he got off the phone with you, the guy couldve picked up two for himself or a buddy. Presto chango, only 1 left.

[Curt Harms]

I don't believe there is a "employee discount " I was disappointed to learn there wasn't one a few years back when my son worked for them

This fella rolled his own:D Course now he's probably going to jail.;)

[Jerome Hanby]

That's kind of cool to know, I always figured it was a reference to he cubical nature of the NextGen Borg ships and the big boxy shape of those aforementioned stores.


Big Orange Retail Giant OR from the old Star Trek the next generation , the Borg where a life form that assimilated all others , "resistance was / IS futile " in a computer generated voice. "The Borg" from the show was / is loosely based on a bee colonial as to queen, workers, , etc etc . The "regenerate " at the Hive , vastly advanced , flying ship , faster , more powerful than any Star ship the Federation had.

Borg can be either Home Despot / Mal Wart / Blowes type stores. :D

Or Google it for other options.

[Jeff Duncan]

I'll just add that there are a variety of ways stock #s can be off in a box store. Having worked for one for 6 years, I became all too familiar with the innaccurate counts. Besides theft (employee and outside) you can have innaccurate inventories, everything is based on a 6 digit sku or the 12 digit upc, if 1 digit is mis-keyed your counts off. Same with stock when it comes into the store, if they don't record the correct amount received it likely won't be corrected until the next inventory. Sometimes your pallet of tools ends up in the garden dept overhead, if you think the guys on the floor aren't much help you should meet some of the overnight guys bringing the stock onto the floor! Sometimes your tools got shipped to another store that needed them and the counts haven't been updated yet.
All this to say there are many ways the count can be off besides theft. But believe me when I say you would be amazed at the things that walk out of the store. Any power tools are a big target but those combo packs are always a big hit for theft. Thieves are brazen these days and size doesn't matter, they're not necessarily hiding stuff under their coats. We had guys load up the lumber carts with product and just push the whole cart out the door.
Oh and lastly as for Nardelli's little compensation package, if you think that's a lot of money you'd be impressed to know that's a drop in the bucket of what he made while in his position. When I was a stockholder I had access to info on his compensation package and all I can say is he's not hurting for cash. That compensation check is fairly small compared to the total amount he made, which is really frustrating considering the stock's performance did really poorly in the years he was there, (thanks Bob)!
JeffD

[Paul Johnstone]

Maybe I've been trained by the Borgs now. I consider it useless to call in advance to see if something is in stock. The answer is always yes, whether it's there or not.

I also consider it useless to ask a floor person for help when an item is out of stock on the shelves. Some mean well, but the exercise is always the same. The computer says it's in stock. They spend 30 minutes looking and don't find anything. They can't order any because the computer says they have plenty.. I've offered to pay in advance for them to order one just for me -- that can't be done.. I have to go somewhere else or wait for weeks (or months) for someone to finally order some.

My favorite was when they were out of 3/4" black pipe. I asked, and was told that they had to wait until they ran out of other sizes of black pipe to make it worthwhile for them to order more.. :mad: Now that's customer service.. make me wait forever for 3/4" pipe until the supply of the other sizes runs low.

[Peter Quinn]

Last summer I took a paint grade millwork job for a contractor who's client had a commercial account set up at the Orange borg to purchase all materials. I was making a trim package for some large arch top windows, over sized custom stools, extension jambs etc. I needed some 10' X 6" X 6/4 material for the stools which I could have sourced at my local hardwood supplier in about 5 minutes at 1/4 the price of the borgs junk. But getting cash from the accountant while the client was away on business was next to impossible and dead lines were approaching. I had used 6/4 material provided by the contractor that he provided from a borg near him (90 miles from my shop) for samples to the customer for initial approval, so I knew they generally carried it.

Went into nearest borg. Found small pile of twisted wreckage. Was told they don't stock 6/4. Brought 6/4 junk to desk to show the "Contractor services manager" the sku. Was told they had 200 pieces in stock, could I pick other boards? They had 4 on the shelf, none could be found else where. Did some one steal 196 pieces of lumber? They called the next closest store...they had 400 pieces in computer...told them I need a person to get a visual before I would drive 40 minutes...yup...its there!

Drive 40 minutes...5 pieces of twisted wreckage on shelf...guy who had done visual had gone home since I called....kid in the lumber department was picking nose....had they lost 395 pieces of lumber in 40 minutes?

Wound up face laminating everything from 4/4 which they barely had enough of any quality...added tons of labor to the job for which I billed accordingly...most expensive set of paint grade window stools I have ever encountered! Rest of job went similarly. Told contractor this would be the last job I did for any one sporting a black and orange card for materials. Not worth the aggravation.

I chuckled this afternoon while listening to an industry analyst on Bloomburg radio discuss the dismal performance of the orange Borg's stock. They claim blue borg is doing better because they cater to WOMEN who make most home improvement purchase decisions, that Orange borg cater's to "PROS" who do less business these days. They are trying to improve "Customer Service" to bring back the DIY business. It has been my experience that the orange borg caters to no one, PROS get the shaft nearly as hard as anyone. I think they generally suffer from SUCK. Its bad enough that the products are often inferior, but must the help be lousy too?

On the occasions when I receive good service at the borg I look the employee in the eye, shake their hand and say "Thank you. Your help means a lot to me. I appreciate your time!" These employee's generally don't stay long and I miss them when they are gone.

[Paul Girouard]

That's kind of cool to know, I always figured it was a reference to he cubical nature of the NextGen Borg ships and the big boxy shape of those aforementioned stores.



That and the sort of take over / assimilate all life forms / stores around them. So it's a take your pick , I tend to think it's the Star Trek thing as Mal Wart and Blowes also can be called Borg and their stores are NOT orange.

I read the Big Orange Retail Giant here on the Creek , so either way it works , YMMV on which you select.