OT: Treatment of Women In Hardware Stores (Yes, this is a Rant)

[tsiecz]

LOWES is the worst, Homedepot is a close second though!!

 

[aart]

LOWES is the worst, Homedepot is a close second though!!

Gross generalization of one brand of store over another is part of a problem of getting good service.

Individual people is what counts, that goes for customers as well as store staff, and sometimes the manager of whatever store you go into because that may who hires and trains the staff.

 

[tsiecz]

Gross generalization of one brand of store over another is part of a problem of getting good service.

Individual people is what counts, that goes for customers as well as store staff, and sometimes the manager of whatever store you go into because that may who hires and trains the staff.

Ok let me redo my statement. The Lowes stores my area are terrible! Store to store communications...terrible.

 

[lazy gardener]

OK folks. After reading a few pages of this thread, I couldn't pass up a moment or 2 to add my 2 cents worth. I have been cruising the aisles of home improvement stores as a female adult for ALMOST 40 years! When I was younger, I couldn't get waited on unless I had my husband with me, or sent my daughter to fetch an employee. Now that I'm pushing 60, when I'm cruising the aisles at my local Lowe's, there's always someone offering help, even when I don't need it. On several of my last visits, I had an employee pulling down 2 x 4's that I couldn't reach. He patiently checked all of them to be sure I didn't get any splits, twists or warps. An other visit, I spied a "sticker" laying on a pile of lumber. I asked the employee if those were free. "Yes they are." "Got any more?" He grabbed an other cart, went out back and came back with a good sized load for me. Then he went out and helped load it all into the truck. He even went the extra mile to weed out the PT stuff for me. Now, when I ask for suggestions, I occasionally get a lame brain response, but the older I get, the more help is offered to me. Perhaps it's the Cub Scout helping the little old lady across the street syndrome!

That pile of stickers has provided us with a bit of fire wood. And I did the horizontal framing for the cattle panel annex of the hoop coop. And there is plenty left over to make an other chicken tractor and portable gates for the chicken run and garden.

 

[The Lazy L]

Wife's van blew a coolant gasket about 2" square.

I drove to the local National parts store. Told the Clerk the year, model and engine of the van along with a description of the part.

He could not help me without a part number.

I informed him that there wasn't any part numbers on what was left of the gasket. Couldn't he bring up a schematic on his computer screen and I would point out the part?

No he couldn't (or didn't know how).

So I purchased a Chilton Repair Manuall from the store, found an exploded view showing the part and showed it to the Clerk.

Nope. No part number listed.

OK. Let's try this. "I need some gasket material."

"What type of gasket material do I need", asked the Clerk

"The type that can withstand an engine coolants temperature."

Clerk brought a 3 foot square piece of cork...I look at an older clerk and tell him I need 6" square piece of gasket material to replace a coolant gasket. Older Clerk handed me a piece and I'm out the door.

If you hire 12 year olds (At my age more and more of the population looks like 12 year olds) at minimum wage, customer service will not suffer because there will NOT BE ANY CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!

 

[appps]

I don't think it has anything to do with what sex you are. A guy would still be waiting too.
I think it is more a reflection on the way staff are trained.

Years ago we all knew they worked to the motto the customer is always right. These days you walk out of a store feeling like if the staff smiled it would kill them and that you probably should be apologizing for the inconvenience you just caused them by entering the store.

Bad service isn't restricted to women, they suck at customer service for men as well.
The hardware stores that still have staff from the good old days will give better service than those full of young staff. To men or women. Women may notice it more as they probably ask for advice or assistance more than men who just go and search without asking for help. Know my hubby will wander looking a hell of a lot longer than I would before asking for help.

 

[Chemguy]

Neither of the big box stores in my area is better/worse than the other. What I have noticed is that some (not all) of the younger employees are eager to give an answer, any answer. Like the kid last week who told me that footers really aren't important under foundation walls, for example. And he said it with great conviction, claiming when he did it himself there was no need. (No, I didn't believe him for one nanosecond). I instead thanked him and left the store. Most of the older employees who have come in from trades are willing to be of help, and are of great help, but most regular customers know this and it is hard to get a question in.

I love my smaller local store. The answers I get to my questions, and the questions I get in response to my questions are all aimed at helping me to get what I need. They tend to carry parts that are appropriate to houses built at the same time as mine, and if the employee helping me doesn't have an answer, they get right with the person who does.

 

[Freeholder]

I've had some experiences that I think were due to being female (like the time I took my car in to the dealer to have the head gasket replaced, they charged me $600 for the work, and two weeks later when my husband -- now ex -- took it to a mechanic friend of his because it was still leaking oil, his friend said he didn't think the dealership had changed the head gasket, or even tightened down the bolts, as there was no sign of wrench marks in the grease on the bolts. We could NOT afford to throw $600 down the toilet, either.). I've had other experiences that I'm sure were just due to ignorance or lack of work ethic on the part of the employees. But I've also gotten a lot of help at various stores. We don't have a Lowe's here (in fact, I've never been in one), but when Home Depot first came to town, the people working there were very helpful -- loading lumber on the cart for me (whether I needed the help or not, LOL!) and getting string to tie the load down if I didn't have enough with me. Later, it became hard to even find any employees to ask for help, and I quit shopping there. Now I shop at Diamond, which is a similar store but a smaller chain, and seems to have better employees -- I may have to wait while they help someone else, but they usually are able to help me find what I want. And for a mechanic, I go to a friend who is one of the elders at my church...I know I can trust him!

Kathleen

 

[Beekissed]

Was in Lowe's today and thought of this thread. One older gentleman helped us find three different items and walked the whole length of the store to find us something more appropriate for our needs when I gave him a description of what I was looking for. Very nice man! The young lady at the check out was no charm blossom, but that will happen sometimes.

Working retail is no picnic.

I've not had too many bad experiences in Lowe's and I love going in that store....to me, it's like Macy's is to other women. I could shop those aisles for a good long time, seeing if they have the items I need for the several dream projects I have in my mind and on paper.

I've only been in Home Depot a few times and those times I walked out without buying a thing. Same for two other women in my family...they are not very helpful and don't seem real knowledgeable, not to mention their prices are a tad higher, with less overall selection than Lowe's.

 

[aart]

..... Working retail is no picnic. .......

That's for sure!
I try to remember that and be really nice to sales people, just acknowledging them (and that their job might stink), when so many don't or treat them badly, can really up the level of service you get.
Works with service people in the phone too.