I apologize in advance as I know that this will doubtless irritate someone but this is my experience and I'm sure it's not unique.
I just returned from spending an hour at the hardware store finding flooring, hardware and lumber to build a temporary coop for my trio of BR and my EE banties.
Just to put this into some type of context, I'm 36 and a "normal looking" button-down shirt type person and this took place at Menard's, a "big box" hardware store with locations in several states . What I am about to describe has also happened to me at the Home Depot here locally, though I have been treated well at Home Depot elsewhere in the past.
When I was all set with my flooring, hardware and lumber (which took quite some time to track down), I approached a female employee and asked if there was anyone available at the chop saw in the lumber barn to cut some lumber for me. She looked at me blankly, then went and got someone to "help" me. The person she brought back, probably about age 20, looked at the contents of the cart, looked at me and said, "I don't think we cut lumber here."
Me: "I've had lumber cut here before."
Employee: "Well, what kind of lumber do you have there?" (He couldn't tell?!)
Me: "2x2s."
Employee: "I think as of 2008 we stopped cutting lumber."
Me: "Then why is there a chop saw out there in the lumber shed?"
Employee (after a long pause and consulting with someone on his radio): "Well, the biggest we cut is 1" x 12". What kind of lumber is that again?"
Me: "2x2."
Employee (consults radio again): "Okay, well, someone from Receiving can go out there and cut it for you [I'm thinking: Is that too much hassle?! Gee, I'd hate to have an employee go to any trouble for a customer!]. Do you want me to walk you out there?"
Me: "No thanks, I know where it is."
Employee: "You know how much it costs, right?"
Me: "Yes, but remind me."
Employee: "It's a dollar a cut. It's way in the back." (The first cut used to be free.)
Me: "Great, thanks."
So off I go into the heat of the lumber barn, where I stand for ten minutes waiting for the mysterious person from Receiving to come and cut my silly 2x2s. No one came. I COULD have spent another 5-10 minutes finding someone to come and cut the wood; instead, I left the whole cart of flooring, hardware and lumber standing there in the lumber barn with a brief note explaining that I would spend my $80 at a store where the employees were interested in being of service to customers and that their store manager would also be hearing from me.
I know some people are probably thinking: If I weren't such a so-and-so, someone might have come and cut my lumber without any hassle. My reply to that is that I wouldn't be such a so-and-so if not for the fact that nearly every time I set foot into a car repair shop or a hardware store in my area, this is the type of service I get, which is a fairly new phenomenon for me, having moved here two years ago from an urban area on the west coast.
So, I just have to ask: Are other women here having this problem? Or do your husbands do all of the construction shopping for you? Or maybe hardware stores in your area treat women well? I really am curious.
I never used to bother raising a stink if an employee was rude or lazy but as I have gotten a bit older and have gone out of my way for customers at my own job, I expect to be treated with professional courtesy when I go somewhere to spend my money. At this point in life, I have no problem speaking to department or store managers or even regional supervisors when service is subpar. If their customer service is lousy, it's not good for their bottom line and most of the time they appreciate (or at least pretend to appreciate) the feedback.
What would you have done?
I just returned from spending an hour at the hardware store finding flooring, hardware and lumber to build a temporary coop for my trio of BR and my EE banties.
Just to put this into some type of context, I'm 36 and a "normal looking" button-down shirt type person and this took place at Menard's, a "big box" hardware store with locations in several states . What I am about to describe has also happened to me at the Home Depot here locally, though I have been treated well at Home Depot elsewhere in the past.
When I was all set with my flooring, hardware and lumber (which took quite some time to track down), I approached a female employee and asked if there was anyone available at the chop saw in the lumber barn to cut some lumber for me. She looked at me blankly, then went and got someone to "help" me. The person she brought back, probably about age 20, looked at the contents of the cart, looked at me and said, "I don't think we cut lumber here."
Me: "I've had lumber cut here before."
Employee: "Well, what kind of lumber do you have there?" (He couldn't tell?!)
Me: "2x2s."
Employee: "I think as of 2008 we stopped cutting lumber."
Me: "Then why is there a chop saw out there in the lumber shed?"
Employee (after a long pause and consulting with someone on his radio): "Well, the biggest we cut is 1" x 12". What kind of lumber is that again?"
Me: "2x2."
Employee (consults radio again): "Okay, well, someone from Receiving can go out there and cut it for you [I'm thinking: Is that too much hassle?! Gee, I'd hate to have an employee go to any trouble for a customer!]. Do you want me to walk you out there?"
Me: "No thanks, I know where it is."
Employee: "You know how much it costs, right?"
Me: "Yes, but remind me."
Employee: "It's a dollar a cut. It's way in the back." (The first cut used to be free.)
Me: "Great, thanks."
So off I go into the heat of the lumber barn, where I stand for ten minutes waiting for the mysterious person from Receiving to come and cut my silly 2x2s. No one came. I COULD have spent another 5-10 minutes finding someone to come and cut the wood; instead, I left the whole cart of flooring, hardware and lumber standing there in the lumber barn with a brief note explaining that I would spend my $80 at a store where the employees were interested in being of service to customers and that their store manager would also be hearing from me.
I know some people are probably thinking: If I weren't such a so-and-so, someone might have come and cut my lumber without any hassle. My reply to that is that I wouldn't be such a so-and-so if not for the fact that nearly every time I set foot into a car repair shop or a hardware store in my area, this is the type of service I get, which is a fairly new phenomenon for me, having moved here two years ago from an urban area on the west coast.
So, I just have to ask: Are other women here having this problem? Or do your husbands do all of the construction shopping for you? Or maybe hardware stores in your area treat women well? I really am curious.
I never used to bother raising a stink if an employee was rude or lazy but as I have gotten a bit older and have gone out of my way for customers at my own job, I expect to be treated with professional courtesy when I go somewhere to spend my money. At this point in life, I have no problem speaking to department or store managers or even regional supervisors when service is subpar. If their customer service is lousy, it's not good for their bottom line and most of the time they appreciate (or at least pretend to appreciate) the feedback.
What would you have done?
