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

[AngieChick]

Our Home Depot is new, and most of the employees are very young. I have never had an issue with not being helped when I pointedly ask a question, however I have certainly never had anyone that works there offer to help me load up my large, heavy purchases (though there is usually a male customer that will offer, bless them). Our small local stores are a different matter, and I will go there first if they are open, they are more than happy to bend over backwards to make sure I have exactly what I need (even if it's just a quarter's worth of bolts). They are somehow very helpful and knowledgeable without being condescending. Likewise the people at our Habitat for Humanity, they will always offer to help me carry out my purchases. That's one of the many reasons I will only go to Home Depot if I have exhausted my other options. Heck, a lot of times the little stores are cheaper, to boot!

 

[drom]

Men in hardware stores are really very simple creatures.
Next time, just wear a tight shirt. They'll smile at you and do whatever you ask of them.

Actually, the people at Lowe's and Home Depot out here are wonderful. Seems like they have more staff now then they did a couple years ago. I can remember back then wandering around the store trying to find someone to help me.

I am building my coop now and they have done a bunch of free cuts for me on my lumber, but it is my understanding, at least at Lowe's, that they only cut plywood now. And that is all I asked them to cut for me. I can cut my 2x4s and 2x6s myself. It takes about 60 seconds per board.
But the plywood requires a power tool-which I don't use. Power tools scare me. I always think about people losing fingers and limbs and things. So I stay away from power tools and just use the hand saw. :| It's good exercise any way.

 

[yotetrapper]

I dont think it has anything to do with you being a woman in a hardware store. It has everything to do with young folks work ethics these days. They want a job where they can do nothing, and still get paid.

I work in a restaurant and the other day they hired this kid, he;s about 18. As we were training him, he made the comment "I dont want to do nothing hard, I just want to wash dishes." Well honey, this job involves ALL the positions in the place, not just dishes. LOL.

Another boy BEGGED our manager for a job there for THREE MONTHS. They finally hired him.... he lasted 5 days... said the job was too hard. It's flipping burgers for gosh sakes, the easiest boringest job in the world lol.

In the old days, (20 years ago lol) kids were honored to have a job and make spending money. Now they EXPECT to be hired and EXPECT to make GOOD money while doing nothing.

I think you inconvienced the boy. Dont think it would matter male or female, he just didnt feel like working.

 

[greenthumb89]

well as a younger adult(and i use that term loosely), im 18 i am appalled at how other kids work. my first job was at a bakery when i was 17, was taking care of my mother before that, she had to have her spine fused adn the cooki, housework still had to be done. anyway i was always taught to do a job right the first time and not to to it half a$$. common thing where i worked, donuts on the floor...I would throw them away, the wouldnt. their reason, they arent the one eating it, why should they care. And when a rush came on sunday mornings after church, wow could they disappear. if i worked on sundays i could take orders and make coffees for all the customers without having them wait more then 5 minutes without me saying something to them like, one second ma'am. but after i quite it took about 5 people to take a sunday rush, because they would just stand there like a bump on a log. Needless to say im looking for a job now like a waiter so that my customer service can be shown because even if most kids in my generation want everything handed to them on a silver platter some of us still know how to work for it. wow sorry for the rant guys

 

[MoonbeamQueen]

I've been mostly lucky I guess at the Lowe's and Home Depots in our area. But I remembered an experience I had years ago when I went to buy a new car. I had my boyfriend go with me. We get to the dealership, and immediately we're pounced on by the salesman. He's yakking it up good to my boyfriend, "blah, blah, blah", and completely ignoring me. Finally, he puts on his charming smile and says to my boyfriend, "I'm Steve, how am I doing so far?". My darling boyfriend says, "Uh, fine, except SHE's the one buying a car today." He finally looks at me and I put on MY charming smile and say, "But I don't think I'll be purchasing here today. B-bye Steve!" He didn't get a commission, but I got my new car (elsewhere), and I got a fab husband also!

 

[kinnip]

Weird. I can't keep the 'help' off of me in the Home Depot. I'm in commercial construction. Sometimes I know what I'm looking for, sometimes I'm just looking for something to make chicken salad out of chicken %#@*. Either way they can't be of help. When I first started working in construction, I went to to the HD to buy a saw blade for cutting aluminum extrusions. You have to use a finishing blade for wood. I made the mistake of answering the employee who asked me what I was looking for. I said I needed a saw blade, as I was reaching for the blade I needed. He said 'what's it for'? I said aluminum extrusions. 'Oh no, you can't use that on metal, it's for wood. What you need is one of these abrasive blades.' Abrasive blades CANNOT cut 1/8" thick aluminum. They can melt their way through it rendering the metal useless and ugly. I managed to flee quickly before the conversation carried on. I've tried to ask for things I couldn't find before and have been met with blank stares. Try asking for a game box and see what happens. I don't ask anymore. If they ask me what I need I tell them I can get it myself. As for help with the lifting. I can get it myself. I lift all manner of heavy things everyday. If I know I'm getting something that big, I bring a helper, it still has to be unloaded. I've actually had one of these idiots try to wrestle lumber from me. Never try to take something heavy from someone who clearly has a handle on it, it's dangerous. It's especially dangerous if it's me. They always want to cut the stuff for me too. I'm thinking, I have $300 dollars worth of lumber here, why would I buy all this if I didn't have a saw that I know how to use. Besides my cuts are sweet and don't require twenty minutes to set up.

 

[CarlaRiggs]

NO, I would NOT have walked out the store....
You obviously took a lot of time shopping. I wouldn't wanted to have to repeat this somewhere else just because I was mad.

I've had the same experience in big box stores. I don't think it has anything to do with being female; rather it's the people working there and their cluelessness

or lousy work ethic.
If I had to wait two minutes for someone to come cut lumber, I would begin asking other salespeople to help me. Generally I can catch someone who is happy to do whatever I need.
If I need help, I collar the first available salesperson I see; they'll say 'sure' if you look 'em straight in the eye. They don't always realize you need help if you don't ask!

If the service was lousy, certainly you should write a note, or call.... but I absolutely wouldn't leave my cart there after investing all the time filling it. $80 means nothing to a big box. A written letter from a customer does, however.

Carla (who shops from neighborhood lumber stores/car repair shops/ hardware stores, etc. as often as she can.)

 

[Anny]

That doesn't even sound like they were treating you like that cus you are female that just sounds like Horrible employees who don't give a rats bum about there job.

I have been treated similar to this in the lumber area as well...onlyseems to happen in the limber area though. I was getting wood down, and about 10 employees asked if I need help but not is in nice "oh hi can I help you" but is the "oh dear god what are you going let me help you"

Then when I went to get wood cut the guy cutting it literally talked to me like I was a toddler. "whoa there sweetie, that's a lot of big wood ya got there, what ya doing with all that wood."

At check out there was nice guy checking out behind me who had a BUNCH of stuff, cement, lumber millions of things. I has my little car of cut wood and checked out and like 10 people asked me if I needed help loading my car, I polity said no, and then NONE OF THE employees asked the guy behind me if he needed any help and looked like he wanted help to and looked a really sad while loading this stuff, so after I loaded mine, I went over and helped him.

 

[cjstanman]

I went to Home Depot to buy a couple of sheets of plywood. I'm a total noob at this but I had written down what I needed. As I looked at their tags for the different types of plywood, I couldn't make heads nor tails out of it, exterior vs. interior, etc. so I asked the (young female) cashier if she could page someone over to the area. She did. I waited. And waited - about 20 minutes all told. No one came and I was out of time. I went to check out (with the same cashier) and she said "Where's your lumber?" I said "No one ever came, and I'm out of time." She said (and I *kid you not*) "Oh, they're not working over there tonight." What?! Then why the hell did she page them? I said "Well, I will just have to buy my lumber somewhere else then." And she said "Oh no you wouldn't!" I said "Oh yes I will, especially if I can't get some simple help over there."

At my work we get a lot of summer interns and co-ops from the local state university and some of them certainly have that attitude of "entitlement" - like "I showed up so I should get rewarded even though I haven't done anything."

 

[dixygirl]

Quote:
This is one aspect. When I was in my 20s Male workers ran to me to offer assistance along the remarks assuming i was an airhead. Grins from ear to ear as if they were hypnotized

In my 30s I start to have to search for a worker and when I find one they still assume I am an airhead. After a long search, I have assistance unless a 20 year old with a push up bra comes by.

In my late 40s I wait 20 minutes to find help and when they show up they have an attitude as if to say... "This is what I came for?"

I wonder what kind of service i will get in my 50s and 60s.