Home Depot Apologizes to Pencil Thief

"Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "tiny dancer"> wrote
> > We don't have a lot of *choice* available where we live. What is
Staron?
> > We haven't made any sort of final decision, still refinishing the
> > cabinets.
>
> Staron is a solid surface material similar to the more popular Corian.
> Someone recently told me about a product called Zodiaq, and I like it
alot.
> Both can be found using google.
> Sometimes HD and Lowes have small bulletin boards where subcontractors
post
> their business cards, take a look for solid surface people.


Thanks, I will check that out. Isn't Zodiaq a form of quartz? I'm not sure
now, as I've looked at so much I get confused. I was leaning towards the
quartz until I saw it in person. Seemed awfully expensive for the *look*.
I mean, it wasn't too much cheaper than quartz, but gave nowhere near the
same affect in appearance. From what I gather, the place that handles the
local quartz is about a two hour drive from here. You've given me a lot
more to think about, as I had been leaning towards taking the easy way out
and just ordering through Lowes or Home Depot, but I'm thinking maybe I need
to just buckle down and get quotes from more places. We just got a quote
from a local on new vinyl windows. The guy from Home Depot that came and
gave us a quote last week was a bit deceptive in his pitch. After he
finished his pitch, he asked us 'who else we were getting quotes from',
since it was obvious we weren't ready to sign on the dotted line. Then he
told us a few things about the others we named as possibilities. Actually,
the guy who came today, the local, came in a couple thousand less than the
Home Depot guy, for the same quality windows.


td
>
>

On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 12:27:59 -0800, Guess who
<[email protected]> wrote:

OK, typing lessons next Tuesday. :(

On Mon, 21 Nov 2005 13:41:37 -0800, Tim Douglass <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On 21 Nov 2005 13:02:44 -0800, [email protected] wrote:
>
>>November 21, 2005
>>Home Depot Apologizes to Pencil Thief
>
>Remember when the lumber yard used to *give* you a pencil each time
>you came in? When I worked as a hod carrier we used to get whole boxes
>of pencils from the brickyard - I'm still using them almost 15 years
>later.

HD gave me a pretty nice black baseball cap after I spent about $6000.
I colored the orange HD logo in with a black felt pen and about a year later had
a HD employee tell me that they could demand the cap back because I had defaced
it. I laughed in his face, and continued shopping but a few minutes later I saw
a group of them pointing at me. Nothing happened, but I actually felt
threatened.
I had nothing against HD I just hate wearing anything with a company logo on it.
I rarely go into the store anymore, preferring to drive the extra mile and go to
RONA.

On Sun, 27 Nov 2005 20:45:49 GMT, "Charles Self"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>The old line from Jane Russell to Bob Hope(IIRC) was, "Are you glad to see
>me, or do you have a pickle in your pocket."
>

Howdy,

The line was:

Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just glad to see
me?

—Mae West

(though I can't seem to locate information on the film in
which she said it...)

All the best,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

PipeDown wrote:
> >
> > But the carpenter said he had no intention of doing business there
> > again, adding, "Why should I put money in someone's pocket when they
> > treat me like this?"
> >
>
> He can say that all he wants (to a newspaper) but is he going to drive
> further to pay more for the same thing. Maybe once or twice but he will be
> back.
>
> I'm not hot on HD contractor services or special order stuff but a box of
> nails is a box of nails no matter where you buy it and contractors only make
> money by not spending too much or going too far to get it.

What's wrong with going to local HW stores and lumber mills? I get
better service and a better price there

>>On Sunday, Atlanta-based Home Depot issued a written apology, saying
>>the incident was prompted by a narrow interpretation of its
>>shoplifting-prevention rules.
>>
>>"We will not be pursuing any claims against Mr. Panorelli for this
>>incident," the statement said. "We welcome Mr. Panorelli back as a
>>customer in our stores at any time."
>
>"Lew Hodgett"
snip
> Just another example of why bean counters should NOT run companies.
>
> Lew

Lew, probably the wisest statement made so far.

Dave



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It's been my experience that if the guard is busy looking over someone
else's receipt you can just walk out without waiting. They have no
right to stop you, and if they ask to see your receipt, I believe an
acceptable answer is "No, I already put it in my wallet and I'm on my
way to the car." Or simply to ignore them. Not showing your receipt
isn't evidence that you're shoplifting...

They've never bothered me when I simply ignore them.

Shaun Eli
www.BrainChampagne.com
Brain Champagne: Clever Comedy for the Smarter Audience (sm)

"Jim Giblin"
> Two of these stores station a security guard at the exit who checks your
> receipt and compares it to the contents in your bag. I went to one of
> these stores once. I went to the other store once. I find HD's 'are you
> stealing from me' attitude at these two stores to be extremely
> distasteful.

I was told by the local HD manger that the "let me see your receipt"
guard/person is not checking you, they are there to check the clerks.
I never - ever, stop and show my receipt to some knucklehead only to have
them paw through my stuff. In my view, once they close the drawer on my
money, the stuff in the bag is mine and they have no right to detain me or
dig through my possessions.

Dave



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PipeDown wrote:
> >
> > But the carpenter said he had no intention of doing business there
> > again, adding, "Why should I put money in someone's pocket when they
> > treat me like this?"
> >
>
> He can say that all he wants (to a newspaper) but is he going to drive
> further to pay more for the same thing. Maybe once or twice but he will be
> back.
>
> I'm not hot on HD contractor services or special order stuff but a box of
> nails is a box of nails no matter where you buy it and contractors only make
> money by not spending too much or going too far to get it.

True enough, but...around here, Lowe's is just down the road and none
of the other stores charge enough extra for most things to create a
problem in the pockets. And, usually, quality on many items is a bit
higher--and that includes a box of nails. If you have to toss half a
box of nails because they're malformed, does that 20% lower price help
your bottom line?

I think the next time anyone goes to HD, after they put all the stuff
they're buying on the conveyor they should say to the till operator, "I
also have a pencil hidden in my pocket. Or am I bluffing?"

FoggyTown

Carpenter wrote:
> PipeDown wrote:
> > >
> > > But the carpenter said he had no intention of doing business there
> > > again, adding, "Why should I put money in someone's pocket when they
> > > treat me like this?"
> > >
> >
> > He can say that all he wants (to a newspaper) but is he going to drive
> > further to pay more for the same thing. Maybe once or twice but he will be
> > back.
> >
> > I'm not hot on HD contractor services or special order stuff but a box of
> > nails is a box of nails no matter where you buy it and contractors only make
> > money by not spending too much or going too far to get it.
>
> What's wrong with going to local HW stores and lumber mills? I get
> better service and a better price there

Great little Cinderella story here: When Home Depot opened in our town
years ago, it ran our little hardware chain store out of business.
Well, now the little hardware chain store is back and alot *bigger*. It
was Lowe's and it's now a Superstore and it's *killing* the business at
Home Depot. Pretty ironic.

Jim Giblin wrote:
> I live south of Boston and there are several Home Depots within a 15 mile
> radius of my home. Two of these stores station a security guard at the exit
> who checks your receipt and compares it to the contents in your bag. I went
> to one of these stores once. I went to the other store once. I find HD's
> 'are you stealing from me' attitude at these two stores to be extremely
> distasteful.

Sam's Club does the same thing. They basically check the # of items on
the receipt with the # of items in your cart to make they match. But
they don't make sure the items are what they're suppose to be.

> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > November 21, 2005
> > Home Depot Apologizes to Pencil Thief
> >
> > METHUEN, Mass. (AP) -- Home Depot Inc. apologized to a carpenter who
> > was banned by the chain worldwide after he absent-mindedly pocketed a
> > pencil he had used up to do some quick math.
> >
> > Michael Panorelli, 51, of Lawrence, was accused of shoplifting from the
> > Methuen store last Thursday and banned from Home Depots.
> >
> > Panorelli was with a client and had just bought some lumber when the
> > client picked up the pencil sitting next to a cash register for
> > Panorelli to use. Panorelli pocketed the pencil and was met in the
> > parking lot by a worker who asked for identification.
> >
> > The worker presented Panorelli with one letter saying he was banned
> > from Home Depot, and another advising that he would be hearing from the
> > company's lawyers.
> >
> > Panorelli took his story to the Eagle-Tribune newspaper in Lawrence,
> > which published it over the weekend.
> >
> > On Sunday, Atlanta-based Home Depot issued a written apology, saying
> > the incident was prompted by a narrow interpretation of its
> > shoplifting-prevention rules.
> >
> > "We will not be pursuing any claims against Mr. Panorelli for this
> > incident," the statement said. "We welcome Mr. Panorelli back as a
> > customer in our stores at any time."
> >
> > But the carpenter said he had no intention of doing business there
> > again, adding, "Why should I put money in someone's pocket when they
> > treat me like this?"
> >

Banty wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, Carpenter
> says...
> >
> >
> >PipeDown wrote:
> >> >
> >> > But the carpenter said he had no intention of doing business there
> >> > again, adding, "Why should I put money in someone's pocket when they
> >> > treat me like this?"
> >> >
> >>
> >> He can say that all he wants (to a newspaper) but is he going to drive
> >> further to pay more for the same thing. Maybe once or twice but he will be
> >> back.
> >>
> >> I'm not hot on HD contractor services or special order stuff but a box of
> >> nails is a box of nails no matter where you buy it and contractors only make
> >> money by not spending too much or going too far to get it.
> >
> >What's wrong with going to local HW stores and lumber mills? I get
> >better service and a better price there
> >
>
> Hours.
>
> I might need the box of nails (or the extra can of paint, or the screw that
> needs to be longer than the ones I had bought, etc. etc) at 4:00 pm on a
> Sunday, or at 7:00 pm on a Saturday in the middle of my project, and only hte
> big box stores are open. A lot of the local places around here close at 3:00 pm
> Saturday. The *largest* local outfit, which recently franchised with a hardware
> chain, has only a few Sunday hours.
>
> So, if the big box store is the closest that is open, or the only one that is
> open, the big box store it is.
>
> IMO the big box stores out-hour their competition as much as under-price them.
>
> Banty

Right. All the service in the world doesn't help me if it's only
available 9-5 on weekdays.

If you are speaking of the one in Florence, Ky....and I assume you
are...Lowe's is less than 1/4 mile from there. Did they apologize to
your satisfaction...if not, you know our newspapers around here are
more than happy to slander any business that screws over the
customer....contact Howard Ain or Michelle Hopkins.

<A dear friend got into a scuffle with the local Home Depot employee,
after
the employee got snotty with him. The cops told him he had best seek Do
you suppose they (HD employees) are wore down from dealing with the
public or are they trained to be aggressive towards the public?>

Possibly underpaid, overworked, treated like dirt, and only morons work
there because it's the only job they can get. When an underpaid moron
is promoted to manager s/he becomes power crazy and perpetuates the
abuse because s/he has previously been a nobody all his or her life.

<I miss the old TrueValue hardware stores that we used to have around
here,
but Home Depot and Lowe's have caused most of them to close. (It was
nice
being able to say, "I need one of these", and have the clerk take ten
steps
and find it for me.) Fortunately, though, not far from here, Home
Depot and
Lowe's are within a block of each other.

There's still one in Burbank, CA even though there are huge discount
hardware stores nearby. It's just so much more pleasant to shop at a
non-warehouse store. The Home Depot in Glendale is hot in the summer,
cold in the winter, has pigeons and their droppings all over the place,
and you have to walk your legs off and watch out for forklifts and huge
load carriers all the time. Then you wait in a long line behind people
with enough junk on large load carriers to build a house. It's
merchandise is unattractively displayed too, and sometimes hard to get
to.

George wrote:
> "Charles Self" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > It was not a gun when I saw it on TV; it was not a film: JR and Hope were
> > doing a servicemen's show in Korea and she used the line there.
> >
>
> Myra Breckinridge was the movie. Mae West the star.
>
> Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?
>
> Easy enough to get it right.

I guess. But, as I said, it was in 1951, at a Bob Hope show for the
troops in Korea, kine to the states, and it was a pickle and Jane
Russell. Where they got it I have neither any idea, nor much interest.

Mortimer Schnerd, RN wrote:
> Bishop wrote:
>> On 21-Nov-2005, [email protected] wrote:
>>
>>> November 21, 2005
>>> Home Depot Apologizes to Pencil Thief
>>>
>>> METHUEN, Mass. (AP) -- Home Depot Inc. apologized to a carpenter who
>>> was banned by the chain worldwide after he absent-mindedly pocketed
>>> a pencil he had used up to do some quick math.
>
>
>
> Lowes needs to run a Free Pencil Day and embarass the hell out of
> those cheap asses at HD.

When the Dallas-Ft Worth airport opened, the powers-that-be sued the hell
out of Southwest Airlines trying to force the airline to move from Love
Field to DFW.

During this melee, DFW installed dollar-bill changers next to all the
vending machines so folks could buy a candy bar. Trouble was, the
dollar-bill changers charged a nickle to make change for a dollar!

Southwest bought a couple of change machines for their Love Field counter
area and programmed the devices to dispense $1.05 for every dollar bill
inserted! Over the length of the promotion, Southwest lost maybe $50 on the
project but garnered millions in free publicity.

"Lyndell Thompson" <[email protected]> writes:

>Do you suppose they (HD employees) are wore down from dealing with the
>public or are they trained to be aggressive towards the public?

I used to work at a computer retail store. I finally quit after a year
and a half of dealing with customers. Too many of them expected us to
know everything about every single one of the 7,000 highly technical items
we carried.

This was back in the Windows 3.1/DOS days too when computers where even
more difficult than today.

Brian Elfert

"tiny dancer" <[email protected]> writes:


>"Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> "tiny dancer"> wrote
>> > Anybody have any comments as to who owns that piece of granite?
>>
>> It doesn't matter, just get your granite elsewhere.
>> Clearly their tactic annoys you so why play their silly, and costly, game?
>> We have Staron and the installer made some nice cutting boards out of our
>> kitchen and bathroom sink cutouts.


>We don't have a lot of *choice* available where we live. What is Staron?
>We haven't made any sort of final decision, still refinishing the cabinets.

If your area is big enough for a Home Depot, you certainly have companies
that install granite countertops in your area. Home Depot generally
subcontracts all counter installations.

Look in your yellow pages under counter or countertop for countertop
installers.

Brian Elfert

"tiny dancer" <[email protected]> writes:

>Legal question for the Home Depot crowd. We've been pricing granite for our
>kitchen remodel and find out that when one purchases a slab of granite for
>ones countertop, the part they have to cut out for the sink, although we
>have paid for it, doesn't belong to us. Lowes/Home Depot keeps that rather
>large size hunk of granite that was cut out for the sink.

Are they charging for the sink cutout? Maybe they keep the cutout to pay
for cutting the hole? I'm sure cutting granite is not cheap.

Brian Elfert

"tiny dancer" <[email protected]> writes:

>pots/pans into, like the turkey pan tomorrow. ;) And I'd like a brushed
>nickle faucet. Here the granite appears to be quite a bit more expensive
>than the other choices. I want to say it ran around 90 some dollars a
>square foot. Where as the Corian I believe started in the forty dollar
>range.

I was at Home Depot yesterday and they had a display at the entrance
advertising granite countertops for $49 a square foot installed. Now,
that is probably for just one or two colors, but it is a lot less than
$90/sq ft.

Corian must have come way down in price if you can get it for $40/sq ft.

Brian Elfert

Roger_Nickel <[email protected]> writes:

>involve having the package opened to check the contents. There is
>certainly no legal requirement to retain reciepts; technically you
>could eat the thing at the cash desk and tell the doorman to check
>away, but no, I don't have the reciept.

If you don't have the receipt when you step out of the store, how can you
prove you paid for the item and didn't steal it?

Brian Elfert

Bert Hyman <[email protected]> writes:


>It that where the burden of proof lies?

>Where's the limit? Can they follow you to your car and demand receipts for
>everything in your car that looks like something they might have stocked
>at some time?

No, but I reasonably think they could stop you on the sidewalk outside the
door. You can't be stopped for shoplifting until you actually leave the
store with an unpaid item.

Brian Elfert

SMS <[email protected]> writes:

>The burden of proof is on the store to prove that you stole something.
>They need an eyewitness, or they need a photo or video. The receipt is
>useful in case of returns.

Yes, the store has to prove you stole something for a choplifting charge
to stick.

If you are wrongly accused of shoplifting, it will be a lot less hassle if
you have a receipt.

Brian Elfert

"Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "The Real Tom" <Tom @ www.Love-Calculators.com> wrote in
> message news:[email protected]...
>> On 22 Nov 2005 06:13:45 -0800, "foggytown"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >I think the next time anyone goes to HD, after they put
> all the stuff
>> >they're buying on the conveyor they should say to the
> till operator, "I
>> >also have a pencil hidden in my pocket. Or am I
> bluffing?"
>> >
>> >FoggyTown
>>
>> The reply could be, "Maybe you have a pencil in your
> pocket, or you're
>> just glad to see me." ;)
>>
> A pencil? Not very glad!!

The old line from Jane Russell to Bob Hope(IIRC) was, "Are you glad to see
me, or do you have a pickle in your pocket."

"Bert Hyman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In news:[email protected] Brian Elfert <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>> Roger_Nickel <[email protected]> writes:
>>
>>>involve having the package opened to check the contents. There is
>>>certainly no legal requirement to retain reciepts; technically you
>>>could eat the thing at the cash desk and tell the doorman to check
>>>away, but no, I don't have the reciept.
>>
>> If you don't have the receipt when you step out of the store, how can
>> you prove you paid for the item and didn't steal it?
>
> It that where the burden of proof lies?

Actually, yes. If you're walking out of a store with an item, and can't
prove you paid them for it, you have a problem.

Your contention that you don't need to maintain the receipt they give
you as *proof of purchase* is specious reasoning.

Kris

"Larry" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Bob Ward <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 23 Nov 2005 07:38:06 GMT, Larry <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >In article <[email protected]>,
>> > Bob Ward <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >
>> >> On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 05:05:02 GMT, Larry <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> >
>> >> >OK, so that's your answer. There's nothing to comment on, from a
>> >> >legal
>> >> >opinion or otherwise. It's a matter of contract law. If they say
>> >> >"you
>> >> >pay for it all, but we keep the cutout," and you agree to the
>> >> >contract,
>> >> >that settles the ownership-of-the-cutout-piece issue.
>> >>
>> >> Where is this spelled out in the contract?
>> >
>> >I don't know if it is or isn't. If it is, that resolves the question.
>> >
>> >> It's pretty hard to agree to terms that aren't disclosed.
>> >
>> >Terms in a contract can be express or implied. If they're implied, and
>> >its not clear cut what the implication is, then a court will decide.
>>
>> So in your world, the saying goes "Get it in writing, unless you think
>> you can buly someone into accepting nebulous terms after the fact"?
>>
>> Can you give me an example of such "implied" terms?
>
> It's not "my" world. I'm an attorney and I'm telling you how it is in
> the "legal" world.
>
> Here's an exampple of an implied term: You buy a ticket for a movie.
> Even if it doesn't say "admit one" or give you a specific assigned seat,
> everyone knows you're only allowed to take up one seat in the theater.
> If its crowded, you can't keep your coat and bags and other objects on a
> couple of seats on either side of you, can you? This isn't printed
> anywhere on the ticket, and someone might argue that because they were
> let in, and it didn't say they only got to use one seat, they could take
> up a whole row if they wanted to. But it's implied in the ticket that
> you get one seat for the duration of the movie, plus a reasonable amount
> of time before and after.

The implied terms you're describing involve etiquette (not occupying many
seats if it's crowded). I wonder about terms. Should it be acceptable to
quietly stick a knife into someone who needs two minutes to open candy, and
only does so when the dialogue is being spoken at a whisper?

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Thu, 24 Nov 2005 06:06:03 GMT, Bob Ward <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Cops will be called.
> When the cop shows up bring out your calculator making sure it has the
other
> stores price tag still in place and tell the cop you were just comparing
to see
> if it was the same model and if you got a good deal. Tell the cop you told
the
> store security this in the parking lot but they wouldn't listen. You even
> offered to get the receipt from your car but they wouldn't let you go to
your
> car. The store security dudes will most likely go ballistic at this point
but
> cops are used to these guys lying when they manhandle shoplifters.
> Tell the cop you want to press assault charges against the store security.
> Now it's your word against their's and you have proved you didn't steal
> anything. The cop has to write these guys up.
>

Not only is this stupid, it's pure bull.

> There was a time when the store manager would pretty much offer you
anything in
> the store to calm you down and make you go away. <g>

Yeah,... once upon a time...

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

"Mike T." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>>> How do you know the loss-prevention person even reports to the store
>>> manager?
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Doesn't matter, the store manager is in charge of that store and is
>> responsible for everyones activities.
>
> I don't know about home depot, but I know some loss prevention personnel
> specifically do NOT report to store managers of some major retail chains.
> In some retail chains, loss prevention has nothing at all to do with any
> personnel assigned to any specific store, up to and including the MANAGER
> of the store. In fact, in some cases, the store manager doesn't even have
> a key to the LP (loss prevention) office in his/her store. On top of
> that, the store manager isn't aware of the LP personnel schedule. The LP
> personnel come and go as they please, and are not required to check in
> with the store manager before, during or after their shift in that store.
> The reason for this is obvious . . . some of the biggest thiefs ARE the
> store managers!!! The LP people are supposed to watch everybody in the
> store . . . customers, employees and all managers. It would be hard to do
> that if one of the people they were supposed to watch was their immediate
> supervisor. Imagine the LP person trying to have the store manager
> arrested for stealing money from the cash office (for example), but can't
> do that because the store manager FIRED HIM FIRST. :) -Dave

Absolutely. LP is a separate function that watches over the entire
operation, and cannot report to it. Kind of like when I worked in
Quality Assurance, a completely separate department from the
one I had to analyze.

Kris

"Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "tiny dancer"> wrote
> > Anybody have any comments as to who owns that piece of granite?
>
> It doesn't matter, just get your granite elsewhere.
> Clearly their tactic annoys you so why play their silly, and costly, game?
> We have Staron and the installer made some nice cutting boards out of our
> kitchen and bathroom sink cutouts.


We don't have a lot of *choice* available where we live. What is Staron?
We haven't made any sort of final decision, still refinishing the cabinets.


td


>
>

"Cliff and Linda Griffith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> I miss the old TrueValue hardware stores that we used to have around here,
> but Home Depot and Lowe's have caused most of them to close. (It was nice
> being able to say, "I need one of these", and have the clerk take ten
> steps
> and find it for me.) Fortunately, though, not far from here, Home Depot
> and
> Lowe's are within a block of each other.

We've got a locally-owned hardware store here. Not even a True Value, just
one family, one small crammed store.

It's great. The kind of place where you can take a bolt in and say, "I need
a nut that fits this," and the owner can tell you the size by eyeballing it.
Where they've got all kinds of weird parts for gas appliances and all kinds
of plumbing fittings, tools, even some cast iron cookware. Wood stoves in
the winter, irrigation pipe in the summer.

flick 100785

"tiny dancer"> wrote
> We've cut all types of tile, but granite is a whole lot thicker. I'm
> thinking that 'water saw thingie' dh has for cutting stone tiles just
> wouldn't do for granite. ;)

Consider the edge treatment, its often glued up to present a thicker
appearance.
I wouldn't attempt working with full blown granite and I have extensive
construction experience and almost every tool known to civilized man.
Leave that up to the professionals, with experience.
I take my counters seriously, as the kitchen is the most expensive room in
the house and the one that will most effect resale.

"darkon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Doug Kanter <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> "darkon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>
>>> That's my experience as well. There's a local mom-and-pop
>>> hardware store about a mile from my house, with a Home Depot a
>>> block or so away. I would prefer to go to the mom-and-pop store,
>>> but they close at 5:00pm on weekdays, noon or 1:00pm (I think) on
>>> Saturdays, and are closed on Sundays.
>>
>> Factory town, maybe? Rochester NY used to have lots of businesses
>> that closed too early, thinking that everyone worked shifts at
>> Kodak and got out at 4:00. Not very smart. Even Boy Scout and
>> sports leagues used to start activities at 5:30 or 6:00, not
>> giving 9-5 workers time to get home and eat. Tell the mom & pop
>> that 6:00 on weekdays would be a smart move.
>
> I live in northern Kentucky, basically a suburb of Cincinnati, so yes,
> your guess of a factory town is pretty good, although it's not as true
> as it used to be decades ago.

It takes forever to change. I don't expect my local hardware store to be
open till 9 every night, but they received applause when they changed from
5:30 to 6:30 on weeknights. I thanked them and the owner said
"Yeah....everyone's telling us that".

In article <[email protected]>, George Max <[email protected]> writes:
> On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 00:17:57 GMT, "PipeDown" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>>
>>> But the carpenter said he had no intention of doing business there
>>> again, adding, "Why should I put money in someone's pocket when they
>>> treat me like this?"
>>>
>>
>>He can say that all he wants (to a newspaper) but is he going to drive
>>further to pay more for the same thing. Maybe once or twice but he will be
>>back.
>
> Or not. There are local stores that I won't do business with because
> they've irritated or otherwise upset me. To speak of one example,
> they're only a mile or less from my house. I routinely drive much
> much farther to patronize a similar store now.

Hey, this thread gave me an idea. We all know how lately it seems like even if
you do take your business elsewhere the companies don't seem to care. Their
attitude is usually "don't let the door hit you on the way out", even if it was
clearly their fault for the problem. I've been wondering why the high customer
turnover doesn't seem to bother them.

What if we take one additional step when this happens: First, you write a
polite letter to the headquarters explaining what happened and that you're
taking your business elsewhere. One year later, write them another polite
letter stating how much money you've spent in the last year at their
competitor's place.

If the problem is with a phone company for example, you could write something
like "Dear Verizon, Since January 1st, 2004 when I cancelled my account with
you, I've spent $2,340.30 on my Sprint account."

For something like HD, you could write "Dear Home Depot, since January 1st,
2004 when I decided never to do business with you again, I've regularly driven
an extra 10 miles to patronize Lowes. I've spent $34,549.30 there in the last
year because I've been remodelling my house."

Do you think that might get anybody's attention?

- Sharon
"Gravity... is a harsh mistress!"

mm wrote:
>
> On Mon, 21 Nov 2005 19:49:36 -0800, "TeamCasa" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >"Jim Giblin"
> >> Two of these stores station a security guard at the exit who checks your
> >> receipt and compares it to the contents in your bag. I went to one of
> >> these stores once. I went to the other store once. I find HD's 'are you
> >> stealing from me' attitude at these two stores to be extremely
> >> distasteful.
> >
> >I was told by the local HD manger that the "let me see your receipt"
> >guard/person is not checking you, they are there to check the clerks.
> >I never - ever, stop and show my receipt to some knucklehead only to have
> >them paw through my stuff. In my view, once they close the drawer on my
> >money, the stuff in the bag is mine and they have no right to detain me or
> >dig through my possessions.
> >
> >Dave
>
> Well, I don't get annoyed. Some people ARE stealing, or they wouldn't
> pay someone to do this. Everything they steal raises the prices for
> the rest of us, including you.
>
> They aren't insulting you personally. One can't tell by looking who
> is a thief and who isn't.

Right -- there is a reason why some locations of the same chain
have guards and others do not. It costs them money for the
guard, so if they did not feel it was a necessity, they wouldn't
have one. Same reason that UPS will leave packages without a
signature in some neighbors and require one in others.

Bill

"tiny dancer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Legal question for the Home Depot crowd. We've been pricing granite for
> our
> kitchen remodel and find out that when one purchases a slab of granite for
> ones countertop, the part they have to cut out for the sink, although we
> have paid for it, doesn't belong to us. Lowes/Home Depot keeps that
> rather
> large size hunk of granite that was cut out for the sink.
>
> Lowes/Home Depot won't sell the granite without having their people come
> in
> and measure for it, cut the sink hole, and install it, meaning they don't
> allow 'do it yourselfers' in the granite process. I don't see why that
> hunk
> of granite that I paid for, doesn't belong to me, even though they cut it
> out?? That hunk of granite is probably worth a couple hundred dollars at
> the very least.
>
> Anybody have any comments as to who owns that piece of granite?
>
The one who paid for it. If you pay for the portion removed, I'm sure you
will find a use for it. Do you think that you should have the parts of
board which were trimmed off to make your piece of molding?

Childish to the extreme.

tiny dancer wrote:

> Don wrote:
>> "tiny dancer"> wrote

>>> Anybody have any comments as to who owns that piece of granite?

>> It doesn't matter, just get your granite elsewhere.

The problem with granite countertops is that they have to be resealed
periodically.

>> Clearly their tactic annoys you so why play their silly, and costly, game?
>> We have Staron and the installer made some nice cutting boards out of our
>> kitchen and bathroom sink cutouts.

> We don't have a lot of *choice* available where we live.

Where's that? Podunk, Alabama?

> What is Staron?

<http://www.staron.com/>

Looks like they're Korean, affiliated with Samsung.

> We haven't made any sort of final decision, still refinishing the cabinets.
--
Theodore A. Kaldis
[email protected]

tiny dancer wrote:

> Legal question for the Home Depot crowd. We've been pricing granite for
> our kitchen remodel and find out that when one purchases a slab of granite
> for ones countertop, the part they have to cut out for the sink, although
> we have paid for it, doesn't belong to us. Lowes/Home Depot keeps that
> rather large size hunk of granite that was cut out for the sink.

> Lowes/Home Depot won't sell the granite without having their people come in
> and measure for it, cut the sink hole, and install it, meaning they don't
> allow 'do it yourselfers' in the granite process. I don't see why that
> hunk of granite that I paid for, doesn't belong to me, even though they cut
> it out?? That hunk of granite is probably worth a couple hundred dollars
> at the very least.

> Anybody have any comments as to who owns that piece of granite?

The contract you sign would almost certainly say that they do. Their staff
of lawyers has probably gone over the legal language of those contracts a
gazillion times, and I can't see them having overlooked this.
--
Theodore A. Kaldis
[email protected]

Carpenter wrote:

> PipeDown wrote:

>>> But the carpenter said he had no intention of doing business there again,
>>> adding, "Why should I put money in someone's pocket when they treat me
>>> like this?"

>> He can say that all he wants (to a newspaper) but is he going to drive
>> further to pay more for the same thing. Maybe once or twice but he will
>> be back.

>> I'm not hot on HD contractor services or special order stuff but a box of
>> nails is a box of nails no matter where you buy it and contractors only
>> make money by not spending too much or going too far to get it.

> What's wrong with going to local HW stores and lumber mills?

What local hardware stores? They've all been driven out of business by the
Home Depot.

> I get better service and a better price there

And this is where? Somewhere in the Inland Empire?
--
Theodore A. Kaldis
[email protected]

>> How do you know the loss-prevention person even reports to the store
>> manager?
>>
>>
>
> Doesn't matter, the store manager is in charge of that store and is
> responsible for everyones activities.

I don't know about home depot, but I know some loss prevention personnel
specifically do NOT report to store managers of some major retail chains.
In some retail chains, loss prevention has nothing at all to do with any
personnel assigned to any specific store, up to and including the MANAGER of
the store. In fact, in some cases, the store manager doesn't even have a
key to the LP (loss prevention) office in his/her store. On top of that,
the store manager isn't aware of the LP personnel schedule. The LP
personnel come and go as they please, and are not required to check in with
the store manager before, during or after their shift in that store. The
reason for this is obvious . . . some of the biggest thiefs ARE the store
managers!!! The LP people are supposed to watch everybody in the store . .
. customers, employees and all managers. It would be hard to do that if one
of the people they were supposed to watch was their immediate supervisor.
Imagine the LP person trying to have the store manager arrested for stealing
money from the cash office (for example), but can't do that because the
store manager FIRED HIM FIRST. :) -Dave

B Man wrote:
> Just goes to show you what morrons they are at HD. I'm surprised he's not
> thinking about suing them.

Granted they over-reacted, but he DID steal from them. I'm not sure what
grounds he would have to sue.

--Rick

"Larry Jaques" <novalidaddress@di\/ersify.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 07:49:45 -0800, with neither quill nor qualm,
> "Theodore A. Kaldis" <[email protected]> quickly quoth:
>
>>tiny dancer wrote:
>>> We don't have a lot of *choice* available where we live.
>>
>>Where's that? Podunk, Alabama?
>
> Podunk isn't in Bama, Theo. It's just outside West BF, Egypt.
>

Podunk is in CT,MI,NY, VT and OH.


Nearest Depot is eighty-five from me. Got Menards only forty north or
south. I'm 230 miles from Podunk, though.

Don wrote:

> I'm a 1 man show and have been in business for almost 20 years, dealing in
> very big ticket items (maybe the biggest).

You're a yentl?!? :)

tiny dancer wrote:

> Did you have one of those undercounter sinks installed with your new
> countertop? Just curious. I can't make up my mind as to which way to go on
> the sink. Those new undercounter ones or the normal installation with the
> sink dropped in to the counter top? I'm wondering if there is a particular
> benefit to one over the other? And no, we wouldn't attempt
> cutting/installing a granite countertop ourselves. I just asked the guy at
> Home Depot about it, because it ticked me off that he said I couldn't have
> my granite cut out I'd already paid for. I probably would have ordered it
> that day if I hadn't hit that roadblock about that hunk of granite not
> belonging to me after I was to pay for it.

First off, HD is one of the most expensive places for granite, at least
in the SF Bay area. There are tons of places selling granite, often the
exact same style, for a lot less. Look for the Asian stores, i.e. Best
Tile, 625 Bayshore Blvd, San Francisco.

We had so many pieces left from the cutout that we used it in a couple
of creative ways, but usually the cutout at least is useful as a
backsplash or sidesplash somewhere in the project.

As to the sinks:

When we put in our granite countertop, we went with a Blaco undermount
sink. I didn't want it, buy I was over-ruled.

Yes, it's more convenient in terms of clean-up, but there are downsides
as well.

First, it can limit the depth of your sink, depending on what's underneath.

Second, it requires a lot of drilling in the granite for the various
stuff that needs to come up from the bottom. We have five holes in the
granite. One for a single-mount faucet, one for the dishwasher air-gap,
one for the faucet for the reverse-osmosis water filter, one for hand
soap, one for dish soap. Each hole runs the risk of ruining the slab.

Third, it reduces the size (front-back) of the sink you can have, since
you have to leave space for the faucets. The holes on a top-mount sink
lose you less area.

Fourth, if you ever need to replace the sink, it's a big job to take an
under-mount sink out from the bottom, though if the contractor takes
certain steps during installation it is at least possible to do so.

Don wrote:
> "tiny dancer"> wrote
>
>>We've cut all types of tile, but granite is a whole lot thicker. I'm
>>thinking that 'water saw thingie' dh has for cutting stone tiles just
>>wouldn't do for granite. ;)
>
>
> Consider the edge treatment, its often glued up to present a thicker
> appearance.

This is true. There is one granite place that advertises that they use
thicker granite, and that the overall price is not any higher, because
it eliminates the need for the underlayment of plywood, and the glued on
edges, saving a lot of labor (as well as the cost of the plywood). The
extra cost of the granite is offset by the savings in labor and other
materials.

tiny dancer wrote:

> Thanks for your opinion. It's back to the drawing board for me on
> sink/countertop choice. The only thing I know for sure is I want one large
> sink rather than the double sink. I want something I can fit very large
> pots/pans into, like the turkey pan tomorrow. ;) And I'd like a brushed
> nickle faucet. Here the granite appears to be quite a bit more expensive
> than the other choices. I want to say it ran around 90 some dollars a
> square foot. Where as the Corian I believe started in the forty dollar
> range.

In the SF Bay area, granite is far less expensive than the synthetics,
such as Corian. There is a tremendous amount of granite from China
coming in now, and a great many Asian-owned stores competing in the
granite business.

When we did our bathroom shower and bath walls, I wanted to use granite
because it was so much cheaper than the one-piece cultured marble or
cultured granite, but it wasn't practical for some other reasons such as
the difficulty of fabricating the size pieces needed. There are also
some Feng Shui reasons to not go overboard with too much granite.

As to sinks, if you can, look at the double sinks where there is one
large side, and one small side. But I wish that I had gotten a single
sink rather than a double, it's a real pain to wash large pans. The old
sink was top mount, and was larger than I could go with an undermount.

SMS wrote:
> tiny dancer wrote:
>
>> Did you have one of those undercounter sinks installed with your new
>> countertop? Just curious. I can't make up my mind as to which way to
>> go on
>> the sink. Those new undercounter ones or the normal installation with
>> the
>> sink dropped in to the counter top? I'm wondering if there is a
>> particular
>> benefit to one over the other? And no, we wouldn't attempt
>> cutting/installing a granite countertop ourselves. I just asked the
>> guy at
>> Home Depot about it, because it ticked me off that he said I couldn't
>> have
>> my granite cut out I'd already paid for. I probably would have
>> ordered it
>> that day if I hadn't hit that roadblock about that hunk of granite not
>> belonging to me after I was to pay for it.
>
>
> First off, HD is one of the most expensive places for granite, at least
> in the SF Bay area. There are tons of places selling granite, often the
> exact same style, for a lot less. Look for the Asian stores, i.e. Best
> Tile, 625 Bayshore Blvd, San Francisco.
>
> We had so many pieces left from the cutout that we used it in a couple
> of creative ways, but usually the cutout at least is useful as a
> backsplash or sidesplash somewhere in the project.
>
> As to the sinks:
>
> When we put in our granite countertop, we went with a Blaco undermount
> sink. I didn't want it, buy I was over-ruled.
>
> Yes, it's more convenient in terms of clean-up, but there are downsides
> as well.
>
> First, it can limit the depth of your sink, depending on what's underneath.
>
> Second, it requires a lot of drilling in the granite for the various
> stuff that needs to come up from the bottom. We have five holes in the
> granite. One for a single-mount faucet, one for the dishwasher air-gap,
> one for the faucet for the reverse-osmosis water filter, one for hand
> soap, one for dish soap. Each hole runs the risk of ruining the slab.
>
> Third, it reduces the size (front-back) of the sink you can have, since
> you have to leave space for the faucets. The holes on a top-mount sink
> lose you less area.
>
> Fourth, if you ever need to replace the sink, it's a big job to take an
> under-mount sink out from the bottom, though if the contractor takes
> certain steps during installation it is at least possible to do so.

I forgot number five!

With the undermount, you can't come as far forward as with the top
mount. With the top mount, the bowls can be all the way up against the
front of the inside of the cabinet. With an undermount, you need some
space for the supports for the sink. This is another factor in reducing
the possible size of the sink.

wkearney99 wrote:
>>I was told by the local HD manger that the "let me see your receipt"
>>guard/person is not checking you, they are there to check the clerks.
>
>
> It's their job to hire better clerks, not to harass customers in the
> process.
>
>
>>I never - ever, stop and show my receipt to some knucklehead only to have
>>them paw through my stuff. In my view, once they close the drawer on my
>>money, the stuff in the bag is mine and they have no right to detain me or
>>dig through my possessions.
>
>
> And by law it's yours and they have absolutely no legal right whatsoever to
> confront you regarding it. The only time some manager was dumb enough to
> confront me on this I let him know unless he was prepared to deal with being
> charged for detaining me without premise he'd do well to get the fuck out of
> my way. But then again sometimes it helps being 6'4".
>
Not sure what your local laws are, but they can probably make it a
condition of entry that packages are subject to inspection. If you
don't like it then you could always get a refund---which would
involve having the package opened to check the contents. There is
certainly no legal requirement to retain reciepts; technically you
could eat the thing at the cash desk and tell the doorman to check
away, but no, I don't have the reciept.

Roger_Nickel wrote:

> Not sure what your local laws are, but they can probably make it a
> condition of entry that packages are subject to inspection.

Sure they could. They could make you sign something when you came in
that gave them that right. Or they could make the store "members only."
No need for something like Costco, you can do like the old Gemco stores,
and charge $1 for a life membership, and then only let members in. Most
stores choose not to do such a thing.

Brian Elfert wrote:
> Roger_Nickel <[email protected]> writes:
>
>
>>involve having the package opened to check the contents. There is
>>certainly no legal requirement to retain reciepts; technically you
>>could eat the thing at the cash desk and tell the doorman to check
>>away, but no, I don't have the reciept.
>
>
> If you don't have the receipt when you step out of the store, how can you
> prove you paid for the item and didn't steal it?
>
> Brian Elfert

The burden of proof is on the store to prove that you stole something.
They need an eyewitness, or they need a photo or video. The receipt is
useful in case of returns.

Don Priebe wrote:
> Here's what I ended up with - a two unequal size bowl model. They also have
> a model with the deep bowl 2" deeper. Bought it online and gave it to the
> granite fabricator to do the cutting, install the mounting bushings, etc.
> Color is off in photo. http://hometown.aol.com/baldwinsville/sink.jpg
>
>
>>Thanks for your opinion. It's back to the drawing board for me on
>>sink/countertop choice. The only thing I know for sure is I want one
>>large sink rather than the double sink. I want something I can fit
>>very large pots/pans into, like the turkey pan tomorrow. ;) And
>>I'd like a brushed nickle faucet. Here the granite appears to be
>>quite a bit more expensive than the other choices. I want to say it
>>ran around 90 some dollars a square foot. Where as the Corian I
>>believe started in the forty dollar range.
>
>
> Next project - upstairs vanity with old failing formica top. It's 72" wide
> with dual bowls, and I haven't found a premade top that wide. And she wants
> undermount - doesn't like to clean the lip.

You may need to go with cultured granite/cultured marble for that. A 6'
slab of granite is no problem, but a granite fabricator that can do a
bathroom type undermount sink may not be easy to find.

Brian Elfert wrote:
> Bert Hyman <[email protected]> writes:
>
>
>
>>It that where the burden of proof lies?
>
>
>>Where's the limit? Can they follow you to your car and demand receipts for
>>everything in your car that looks like something they might have stocked
>>at some time?
>
>
> No, but I reasonably think they could stop you on the sidewalk outside the
> door. You can't be stopped for shoplifting until you actually leave the
> store with an unpaid item.

Wrong. They could follow you to your car if they have evidence that you
have stolen something. But they have to have some sort of evidence that
you've stolen something. The burden of proof is on them to show
evidence. The receipt has nothing to do with it.

Bob Ward wrote:
> On Thu, 24 Nov 2005 05:33:33 -0000, Brian Elfert <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>
>>Bert Hyman <[email protected]> writes:
>>
>>
>>
>>>It that where the burden of proof lies?
>>
>>>Where's the limit? Can they follow you to your car and demand receipts for
>>>everything in your car that looks like something they might have stocked
>>>at some time?
>>
>>No, but I reasonably think they could stop you on the sidewalk outside the
>>door. You can't be stopped for shoplifting until you actually leave the
>>store with an unpaid item.
>>
>>Brian Elfert
>
>
> I'm pretty sure you are fair game if you pass the registers headed for
> the door without paying for merchandise concealed on your person.

It may vary by state, as to what constitutes theft, but at least in some
states you have to leave the building with the unpaid item.

When I worked at a department store, several decades ago, a security
person grabbed me and had me follow someone out of the store that she
saw stuff an item of clothing down his pants (she had staked out the
men's dressing room, from a hidden location in the ceiling). She could
have confronted him in the store, but said that we had to wait until he
was out the door before she could hold him for arrest by the police.
Well he must have realized he was being watched, because he had no
stolen merchandise. The security person knew that she'd lose her job if
the customer filed any sort of charges--the store didn't care about the
job of one low-paid security person.

Brian Elfert wrote:
> SMS <[email protected]> writes:
>
>
>>The burden of proof is on the store to prove that you stole something.
>>They need an eyewitness, or they need a photo or video. The receipt is
>>useful in case of returns.
>
>
> Yes, the store has to prove you stole something for a choplifting charge
> to stick.
>
> If you are wrongly accused of shoplifting, it will be a lot less hassle if
> you have a receipt.

Well yes, but you have to decide when to play your hand. To many of us,
we buy the merchandise stick the receipt in the bag or in our wallet,
and exit the store and leave. If a store has evidence that we've stolen
something, then by all means they should detain us until the police
arrive, as long as they are well aware of the consequences of a false
accusation.

Once I already had a bag of stuff in my trunk at Home Depot when someone
ran out and demanded to see my receipt. I invited him to call the
police, and told him I would wait for them to arrive. He declined the offer.

One more thing. Ever since Home Depot instituted self-checkout, the
Sensormatic alarms go off every couple of minutes with merchandise that
has been paid for, but that hasn't had the tag deactivated. The store
personnel pay no attention to the alarms anymore, waving out any
customer who stops and tries to come back. This not only eliminates the
value of the system, and making an alarm no evidence of shoplifting.

"SMS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>> I'm pretty sure you are fair game if you pass the registers headed for
>> the door without paying for merchandise concealed on your person.
>
> It may vary by state, as to what constitutes theft, but at least in some
> states you have to leave the building with the unpaid item.
>

Concealment is enough for retail fraud charge here. Presumption is you
concealed it for purposes of evading payment.

Doug Kanter wrote:

> Beware the little electronic doo-dads embedded in the carton.

Those have become a joke at Home Depot. I'd say, without exaggeration,
that the Sensormatic alarms go off about every two minutes in the Home
Depot I go to the most. No one pays any attention to them, not the store
staff, and not the regular customers. I once asked a cashier, as the
alarm was sounding, how many people that they actually had caught
shoplifting due to the alarms. He said that in the five years he has
been there (since the store opened) no one had been caught due to the
alarms, ALL of them were false alarms. By now, some people may have
figured out that the alarms are ignored, and actually have started
stealing because they know that the alarms are always ignored.

"Charles Self" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> It was not a gun when I saw it on TV; it was not a film: JR and Hope were
> doing a servicemen's show in Korea and she used the line there.
>

Myra Breckinridge was the movie. Mae West the star.

Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?

Easy enough to get it right.

>
>For something like HD, you could write "Dear Home Depot, since January 1st,
>2004 when I decided never to do business with you again, I've regularly driven
>an extra 10 miles to patronize Lowes. I've spent $34,549.30 there in the last
>year because I've been remodelling my house."
>
>Do you think that might get anybody's attention?

No. They act like they don't care because.... they don't care.

On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 03:19:47 GMT, "Jim Giblin"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I live south of Boston and there are several Home Depots within a 15 mile
>radius of my home. Two of these stores station a security guard at the exit
>who checks your receipt and compares it to the contents in your bag. I went
>to one of these stores once. I went to the other store once. I find HD's
>'are you stealing from me' attitude at these two stores to be extremely
>distasteful.

OK, I missed the OP, and also generally avoid OT convesation, but this
is a good one, and well ...it does have to do with wood, sort of...
unless they now have high tech pencils.

Anyhow, [and this is to do with this general topic, but not wood?] I
won't shop at Consumers Distributing. They not only will inspect your
baggage [shame on them increasing costs that way. Let people steal, I
say!], they also make oyu pay for the privilege of shoppingthere, and
even worse, won' recognise jus any old credit card. It AHS TO be
American Express!

The nerve of them. I won't shop there.

OK, seriously, I avoid HD at all costs [pun intended.] I wanted a
present for a large family of kids for a visit in the summer. Why buy
a ton when you need only one? So I settled on a Milkshake maker with
the works [ice-cream etc.] Cutting it short, after some dialogue with
a 12 yr old clerk who knew as much about the store as my pet dog [I
haven't any idea where we would have gone if I'd wanted woodworking
tools] , we decided I'd take the demo that had been sitting out on
display, being handled by God knows who or how many for the past month
or so. I said I'd take it with a demo discount. "Oh, I'll have to
ask the manager." Guess what? No discount. No sense complaining to
the manager either, I guess. I left without, and haven't been back
since. My money, my choice.

Ok, it's been fun, now back to serious woodworking. I need to know
what colour to paint my workbench ...No, I'm just kidding. I know
everybody here paints theirs pink.

On Thu, 24 Nov 2005 05:33:33 -0000, Brian Elfert <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Bert Hyman <[email protected]> writes:
>
>
>>It that where the burden of proof lies?
>
>>Where's the limit? Can they follow you to your car and demand receipts for
>>everything in your car that looks like something they might have stocked
>>at some time?
>
>No, but I reasonably think they could stop you on the sidewalk outside the
>door. You can't be stopped for shoplifting until you actually leave the
>store with an unpaid item.
>
>Brian Elfert

I'm pretty sure you are fair game if you pass the registers headed for
the door without paying for merchandise concealed on your person.

"Charles Self" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> Other than that, it was correct.

Nah! None of you are correct. The line comes from my girlfriend every time
she comes over. When she asks if I'm glad to see her or is that a pickle in
my pocket, I say I'm glad to see her and then she goes for the other lump in
my pocket ~ my wallet so we can order food.

"Edwin Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> For even more fun, stick the gizmo onto the shopping cart on the bottom.
It
> won't usually beep coming back in, but will the next time it is taken out.
>

That is so evil! I may have to try it.

On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 11:26:45 -0500, George <[email protected]>
wrote:

>> How do you know the loss-prevention person even reports to the store
>> manager?
>
>Doesn't matter, the store manager is in charge of that store and is
>responsible for everyones activities.

In Communist Soviet Russia and it's modern analogue, Walmart, there
would always be a double chain of command. The political cadre (or in
this case, loss-prevention) is outside the control of a local manager
and reports directly to the NKWM

On Sun, 27 Nov 2005 20:45:49 GMT, "Charles Self" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>>
>> "The Real Tom" <Tom @ www.Love-Calculators.com> wrote in
>> message news:[email protected]...
>>> On 22 Nov 2005 06:13:45 -0800, "foggytown"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>> >I think the next time anyone goes to HD, after they put
>> all the stuff
>>> >they're buying on the conveyor they should say to the
>> till operator, "I
>>> >also have a pencil hidden in my pocket. Or am I
>> bluffing?"
>>> >
>>> >FoggyTown
>>>
>>> The reply could be, "Maybe you have a pencil in your
>> pocket, or you're
>>> just glad to see me." ;)
>>>
>> A pencil? Not very glad!!
>
>The old line from Jane Russell to Bob Hope(IIRC) was, "Are you glad to see
>me, or do you have a pickle in your pocket."

I think it was originally attributed to Mae West speaking to WC Fields on the set of one of their
movies (BTW, Mae apparently greatly disliked WCF ). "Is that a pickle in your pocket, or are you
glad to see me?"
>

"Cliff and Linda Griffith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Carpenter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > What's wrong with going to local HW stores and lumber mills? I get
> > better service and a better price there
>
> I miss the old TrueValue hardware stores that we used to have around here,
> but Home Depot and Lowe's have caused most of them to close. (It was nice
> being able to say, "I need one of these", and have the clerk take ten
steps
> and find it for me.) Fortunately, though, not far from here, Home Depot
and
> Lowe's are within a block of each other.
>
> Linda
>
>
I totally forgot about the old tried and true True Value! There is actually
one somewhere not terribly out of the way... my dad would take us kids with
him, it was a good family feeling. I think I'll go there from now on.
Thanks for the reminder! :-)

On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:29:24 GMT, John B
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>The local Bunnings doesn't check the receipts of walk out customers but
>you have to go through the third degree if you drive out.
>The reason is "To make sure that YOU have everything that you paid for
>and are not short"

Now even though I wasn't annoyed at the other thing, it does annoy me
some when, in lots of areas, people claim they are doing something for
my benefit when it is really for theirs.

Indirectly it is for my benefit, if they lower shoplifting, but for
the shoplifter it's against his interest.

And the notion you gave, that I don't have everythign I paid for, is
NOT what they are checking for. It's a lie.

I guess if they said, "Some people steal so we're checking everyone" I
wouldn't be annoyed, but a whole bunch of other people would be.

It's like when it was suggested that George W joined the National
Guard to get out of going to Viet Nam, so many of the other current
and ex-National Guard thought they were being attacked too, even of
the vast number who joined for patriotic reasons. Even though during
Viet Nam the rules of who got sent into combat were different.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

"Don Priebe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> Yea, I should have asked for the cutout piece from the sink just to have
the
> material in case we ever wanted to install a drop-in range. But I didn't
> think of it.

You've lost me here. How would a sink cutout be of use when installing a
drop in range?

Bob Ward <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Sun, 27 Nov 2005 20:45:49 GMT, "Charles Self"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]...
>>>
>>> "The Real Tom" <Tom @ www.Love-Calculators.com> wrote in
>>> message news:[email protected]...
>>>> On 22 Nov 2005 06:13:45 -0800, "foggytown"
>>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> >I think the next time anyone goes to HD, after they put
>>> all the stuff
>>>> >they're buying on the conveyor they should say to the
>>> till operator, "I
>>>> >also have a pencil hidden in my pocket. Or am I
>>> bluffing?"
>>>> >
>>>> >FoggyTown
>>>>
>>>> The reply could be, "Maybe you have a pencil in your
>>> pocket, or you're
>>>> just glad to see me." ;)
>>>>
>>> A pencil? Not very glad!!
>>
>>The old line from Jane Russell to Bob Hope(IIRC) was, "Are you glad to
>>see me, or do you have a pickle in your pocket."
>>
>
> Gun... not pickle...
>
> Mae West, not Jane Russell
>
> W.C. Fields, not Bob Hope
>

Other than that, it was close.

Somebody wrote:

>
>On Sunday, Atlanta-based Home Depot issued a written apology, saying
>the incident was prompted by a narrow interpretation of its
>shoplifting-prevention rules.
>
>"We will not be pursuing any claims against Mr. Panorelli for this
>incident," the statement said. "We welcome Mr. Panorelli back as a
>customer in our stores at any time."


Typical bean counter response.

If a marketing/sales person was handling it, they would also have given
him a $5000 store credit and made sure the news got published in the
local paper.

Just another example of why bean counters should NOT run companies.

Lew

On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 05:05:02 GMT, Larry <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>OK, so that's your answer. There's nothing to comment on, from a legal
>opinion or otherwise. It's a matter of contract law. If they say "you
>pay for it all, but we keep the cutout," and you agree to the contract,
>that settles the ownership-of-the-cutout-piece issue.

Where is this spelled out in the contract?

It's pretty hard to agree to terms that aren't disclosed.

On Mon, 21 Nov 2005 22:02:51 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm, Jim
Rusling <[email protected]> quickly quoth:

>"Cliff and Linda Griffith" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>"Carpenter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]...
>>> What's wrong with going to local HW stores and lumber mills? I get
>>> better service and a better price there
>>
>>I miss the old TrueValue hardware stores that we used to have around here,
>>but Home Depot and Lowe's have caused most of them to close. (It was nice
>>being able to say, "I need one of these", and have the clerk take ten steps
>>and find it for me.) Fortunately, though, not far from here, Home Depot and
>>Lowe's are within a block of each other.

>We had an Ace Hardware just take over an old Walmart building just3
>miles from here. I also have a Lowes and Home Depot with 10 miles.
>Guess where I go to get most of my hardware.

Let's see, the closest HD is in Eugene, OR, 100 miles north of me. The
closest Lowes is in Medford, 25 miles south of me. Two TrueValue
hardware stores are 4 and 8 miles away. A large (mini-HD) store called
Diamond Home Improvement is 5 miles away and an electrical/plumbing
store (Grover) with GREAT prices is 4 miles away. I get by shopping
for most of my necessary items at Grover and Diamond.

I order from HD via mail-order only. And I make (bi?)monthly trips to
Medford, stopping at all the big stores (Costco, Target, Lowes) when I
do. Now that gas is expensive, it's cheaper to order most things from
HD by mail. I had a Ryobi 14.4v cordless tool set (drill, cirdc saw,
charger, 2 batts, case; $99) delivered for $12, less than half what it
would cost in gas and without losing half a day to drive it.

You guys are lucky. I used to have a HD within 5 miles of my old home,
but I much prefer the climate (socio/politico/weather) up here, so I'm
not too jealous.

I've also learned to buy multiples of whatever I get when I go.
Instead of a single 1/2" nipple/ell/tee, light switches, brackets,
nuts/bolts/lags/screws, etc., I'll get a handful (or 100pc box) of
each. That has saved extra trips several times so far, and new
hardware always beats an old crusty piece. Often, 100-piece boxes
cost less than the 20 individual bolts, etc.

--
***********************************************************
"Boy, I feel safer now that Martha Stewart is behind bars!
O.J. is walking around free, Osama Bin Laden too, but they
take the one woman in America willing to cook and clean
and work in the yard and haul her ass to jail."
--Tim Allen
***********************************************************

Bishop wrote:
> On 21-Nov-2005, [email protected] wrote:
>
>> November 21, 2005
>> Home Depot Apologizes to Pencil Thief
>>
>> METHUEN, Mass. (AP) -- Home Depot Inc. apologized to a carpenter who
>> was banned by the chain worldwide after he absent-mindedly pocketed a
>> pencil he had used up to do some quick math.



Lowes needs to run a Free Pencil Day and embarass the hell out of those cheap
asses at HD.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

[email protected]

"Theodore A. Kaldis"> wrote
> <http://www.staron.com/>
>
> Looks like they're Korean, affiliated with Samsung.

We've had it for 3 years now and like it alot.
Will never go back to formica.

"wkearney99" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > I'm guessing you steer clear of Sam's Club, then. Right? I've never
> tried
> > to get out of Sam's without showing my receipt and letting the person
> "count
> > my items"; but I'm thinking they might chase me down, since it seems to
be
> > so much a part of the Sam's Club "experience".
>
> They may actually have some standing there as those places are
> 'memberships'. Your membership contract with them may stipulate
compliance
> with such things. It would depend entirely on what the contract says.
> Worst case you could ignore them but they could void your membership.
> Nothing comes for free, that bargain probably involves selling out your
> rights.
>
Around here, the Sam's usually has a geriatric on door duty, and I just
can't bear to be nasty to the elderly. If they have to work such a sucky job
at their age, either for money or human companionship, they are suffering
enough already. I do try to time my visits there at none-rush-hours, to
avoid waiting in line, but even when crowded, it takes no more than a
minute. On the whole, I regard my Sam's membership as cost-effective. Hell,
the free samples and buck-fifty hot dog lunches when I am out running
errands probably cover the annual dues.

aem sends...

"The Real Tom" <Tom @ www.Love-Calculators.com> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
> On 22 Nov 2005 06:13:45 -0800, "foggytown"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >I think the next time anyone goes to HD, after they put
all the stuff
> >they're buying on the conveyor they should say to the
till operator, "I
> >also have a pencil hidden in my pocket. Or am I
bluffing?"
> >
> >FoggyTown
>
> The reply could be, "Maybe you have a pencil in your
pocket, or you're
> just glad to see me." ;)
>
A pencil? Not very glad!!

Bob

"Guess who" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 21 Nov 2005 22:56:12 -0500, "tiny dancer"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Legal question for the Home Depot crowd. We've been pricing granite for
>>our
>>kitchen remodel and find out that when one purchases a slab of granite for
>>ones countertop, the part they have to cut out for the sink, although we
>>have paid for it, doesn't belong to us. Lowes/Home Depot keeps that
>>rather
>>large size hunk of granite that was cut out for the sink.
>
> Legally, unless it's written in stone [ :-) ], tell them, "Thanks."
> and let them keep the lot.

Someone's assuming that the "chunk" comes out in one piece. It
usually does not.

Kris

"Doug Kanter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> Beware the little electronic doo-dads embedded in the carton.
>

Sometimes the checkout does not disable them and they stop you. I won't
stop any more and they really get PO'd. Thee is no legal reason to stop you
because the clerk made an error.

For even more fun, stick the gizmo onto the shopping cart on the bottom. It
won't usually beep coming back in, but will the next time it is taken out.

> But the carpenter said he had no intention of doing business there
> again, adding, "Why should I put money in someone's pocket when they
> treat me like this?"

What would be the point? He has to draw the line somewhere. Instead of being
yellow, he should get the lead out and go take a #2 all over the store.

"Mike Berger"> wrote
> So the solution is for you to just order granite and cut it
> yourself. You'll get every bit of the remains. And think of
> the money you'll save!

Easier said than done, especially for a novice.
Diamond cutters, diamond grinders, trying to line up the seams on an
enormously heavy product, sheesh.....and all for a 1 time installation.

"SMS"> wrote
> one for the dishwasher air-gap,

What is that and what does it do?

Don wrote:
> "Theodore A. Kaldis"> wrote
>
>>They've all been driven out of business by the Home Depot.
>
>
> A more accurate term is *were unable to compete*.
> Sort of like the last time you got a raise when a coworker didn't and then
> the coworker claims you tried to get him laid off.
> It is not likely that the Borg's motive is to drive other people out of
> business but rather to be in business themselves.
> Its all depends on ones perspective.
>
>

Having worked for a big company people dance in the aisles when they
learn they have put someone out of business.

"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Bishop wrote:
>> On 21-Nov-2005, [email protected] wrote:
>>
>>> November 21, 2005
>>> Home Depot Apologizes to Pencil Thief
>>>
>>> METHUEN, Mass. (AP) -- Home Depot Inc. apologized to a carpenter who
>>> was banned by the chain worldwide after he absent-mindedly pocketed a
>>> pencil he had used up to do some quick math.
>
>
>
> Lowes needs to run a Free Pencil Day and embarass the hell out of those
> cheap asses at HD.


LOL

That's a good one! AND advertise it in the paper!!!

"Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "SMS"> wrote
>> one for the dishwasher air-gap,
>
> What is that and what does it do?
>

It is in the drain line of the DW. the water goes over the top where there
is an opening to the air and then runs down the other side. This prevents
water getting siphoned back from the disposal or sink into the DW. While
not always needed, some places have it in the plumbing code.

"Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "tiny dancer"> wrote
> > Where are you posting from? Which group? I'm over here on 'true
crime',
> > but you guys are quite knowledgeable and informative on things like
this??
>
> I'm in alt.home.repair


Thanks,

td


>
>

"Banty" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <Nx%[email protected]>, tiny dancer
says...
> >
> >
> >"Don Priebe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >news:[email protected]...
> >> >> Did you have one of those undercounter sinks installed with your new
> >> >> countertop?
> >> >
> >> > I went with the standard surface mount porcelain sink by american
> >> > standard, notice that the left bowl is 9" deep (and larger) and the
> >> > right one is 7" deep. With this faucet, 4 hole, chrome:
> >>
> >> > I have issues with those under counter types, that stuff will get in
> >> > between the counter and the sink, and leaks may develope and I don't
> >> > like the way it looks.
> >>
> >> Just the opposite opinion! We did an undermount Blanco with a single
hole
> >> Kohler faucet. We also pulled the sink cabinet forward 3" from the rest
of
> >> the cabinets. It really looks sharp, and you can wipe the countertop
mess
> >> directly into the sink
> >>
> >> In this area (Syracuse) there are three companies that are actually in
the
> >> granite business (have slabs of granite in their warehouse and the
> >necessary
> >> machinery to finish them.) All the rest of the granite salesplaces
> >> (including HD) order thru them. Granite allowed design freedom (a
twelve
> >> inch unsupported overhang) and actually cost less than the man-made
> >> alternatives (Corian, Silestone.)
> >>
> >> Yea, I should have asked for the cutout piece from the sink just to
have
> >the
> >> material in case we ever wanted to install a drop-in range. But I
didn't
> >> think of it.
> >> --
> >> Don in Upstate NY
> >
> >
> >Thanks for your opinion. It's back to the drawing board for me on
> >sink/countertop choice. The only thing I know for sure is I want one
large
> >sink rather than the double sink. I want something I can fit very large
> >pots/pans into, like the turkey pan tomorrow. ;) And I'd like a
brushed
> >nickle faucet. Here the granite appears to be quite a bit more expensive
> >than the other choices. I want to say it ran around 90 some dollars a
> >square foot. Where as the Corian I believe started in the forty dollar
> >range.
>
> Ninety dollars a square foot for granite seems expensive.
>
> Hmmm, after some indecision I went with a single, deep, stainless steel
sink.
> Although I do like my current double. I have no question about going for
a deep
> and stainless steel sink, but I was on the fence about single vs. double.
Went
> with single mostly for placement reasons vs. available sizes, and that I
can use
> stainless tubs as accessories as needed and actually having more
flexibility
> (but these of course won't have a separate drain...). And, yes, that
> occassional BIG pan.
>
> Banty


I was leaning towards a porcelan sink but everyone is trying to talk me out
of it because it might chip. I have stainless now, double sink, but I
really don't like the look of the stainless. My cabinets will be a bright
white, the countertop if I go with the granite I chose, would be very dark
shades of blue. We are putting hardwoods on the floor and I want white
appliances. I just don't care for the stainless look. Seems like with the
appliances especially, they would be harder to keep clean what with kids and
dogs.


td
>

"Roger_Nickel"> wrote
> Not sure what your local laws are, but they can probably make it a
> condition of entry that packages are subject to inspection.

Then they better mount that sign stipulating the condition for entry right
up front so that it can be seen before the transaction occurs, they can't go
changing the rules after the fact.
And that sign better be in the 13 required languages as well!

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
> >
> > But the carpenter said he had no intention of doing business there
> > again, adding, "Why should I put money in someone's pocket when they
> > treat me like this?"
> >
>
> He can say that all he wants (to a newspaper) but is he going to drive
> further to pay more for the same thing. Maybe once or twice but he will be
> back.
>
> I'm not hot on HD contractor services or special order stuff but a box of
> nails is a box of nails no matter where you buy it and contractors only make
> money by not spending too much or going too far to get it.
>
>
>

I don't know what it's like where this gentleman is, but the nearest
Home Depot to me is about 100 feet from a Lowes. You don't even have to
leave the parking lot.

In article
<[email protected]>, The Real
Tom <Tom @ www.Love-Calculators.com> says...
> On 22 Nov 2005 06:13:45 -0800, "foggytown" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >I think the next time anyone goes to HD, after they put all the stuff
> >they're buying on the conveyor they should say to the till operator, "I
> >also have a pencil hidden in my pocket. Or am I bluffing?"
> >
> >FoggyTown
>
> The reply could be, "Maybe you have a pencil in your pocket, or you're
> just glad to see me." ;)
>
> Sorry, couldn't resist.


This reminds me of an old joke about a high school
student and a teacher.

Student: "I got sompin' long and hard in mah pocket...
Can you guess what it is?"

Teacher: "You disgusting little pervert!"

Student: (Pulls out pencil) "Geeeze... what a nasty
imagination you must have..."


--
Get Credit Where Credit Is Due
http://www.cardreport.com/
Credit Tools, Reference, and Forum

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected]
says...

> If your area is big enough for a Home Depot, you certainly have companies
> that install granite countertops in your area. Home Depot generally
> subcontracts all counter installations.
>
> Look in your yellow pages under counter or countertop for countertop
> installers.

So true. And it is not hard to beat HD and Lowes installed prices.

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
> I asked at both places 'what happens to the piece of granite that gets cut
> out for my sink?' I want it. And both places said 'although we have to pay
> for it, they won't give it back to us.' I said 'well, then I don't want to
> pay for it, you can just deduct the cost of however many square feet that
> works out to from my total.' And the sales people said 'that wasn't their
> policy'. They charge for the total piece of granite, but *they* keep any
> cut outs. They aren't returned to the customer. They take your sink and
> install it and bring back the piece of granite with the section already cut
> from it when they come to install it in your house.

OP paid/contracted for a finished product. In this case installed
granite counter top(s) and an installed sink.

OP did not pay/contract for granite counter tops, an installed sink
*AND* a piece of granite the size of sink.

If the Big Box was unwilling to contract for granite counter tops,
an installed sink *AND* a piece of granite the size of the sink the
OP could have contracted with someone other than the Big Box.

More than likely the cut-out ended up in the fabricator's dumpster.
IF OP had contracted directly with the fabricator/installer they
MAY have given the OP the trash (the cut-out) at no additional
charge.

> > I know with carpets, the customer gets any remnants that are leftover.
>
> Yeah, I just assumed we'd get that hunk of granite,

They leave the remnants behind so they do not have to haul them
back to the shop, put them in the dumpster and then pay to have the
dumpster emptied. ..... call it a win-win deal.

"tiny dancer"> wrote
> Did you have one of those undercounter sinks installed with your new
> countertop?

I went with the standard surface mount porcelain sink by american standard,
notice that the left bowl is 9" deep (and larger) and the right one is 7"
deep.:
http://tinyurl.com/9hskr

With this faucet, 4 hole, chrome:
http://tinyurl.com/4oumh

I have issues with those under counter types, that stuff will get in between
the counter and the sink, and leaks may develope and I don't like the way it
looks.

"Don Priebe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >> Did you have one of those undercounter sinks installed with your new
> >> countertop?
> >
> > I went with the standard surface mount porcelain sink by american
> > standard, notice that the left bowl is 9" deep (and larger) and the
> > right one is 7" deep. With this faucet, 4 hole, chrome:
>
> > I have issues with those under counter types, that stuff will get in
> > between the counter and the sink, and leaks may develope and I don't
> > like the way it looks.
>
> Just the opposite opinion! We did an undermount Blanco with a single hole
> Kohler faucet. We also pulled the sink cabinet forward 3" from the rest of
> the cabinets. It really looks sharp, and you can wipe the countertop mess
> directly into the sink
>
> In this area (Syracuse) there are three companies that are actually in the
> granite business (have slabs of granite in their warehouse and the
necessary
> machinery to finish them.) All the rest of the granite salesplaces
> (including HD) order thru them. Granite allowed design freedom (a twelve
> inch unsupported overhang) and actually cost less than the man-made
> alternatives (Corian, Silestone.)
>
> Yea, I should have asked for the cutout piece from the sink just to have
the
> material in case we ever wanted to install a drop-in range. But I didn't
> think of it.
> --
> Don in Upstate NY


Thanks for your opinion. It's back to the drawing board for me on
sink/countertop choice. The only thing I know for sure is I want one large
sink rather than the double sink. I want something I can fit very large
pots/pans into, like the turkey pan tomorrow. ;) And I'd like a brushed
nickle faucet. Here the granite appears to be quite a bit more expensive
than the other choices. I want to say it ran around 90 some dollars a
square foot. Where as the Corian I believe started in the forty dollar
range.

td


>
>

When I was looking to have our roof re-shingled, we also checked out
HD's services....they had the highest bid at $8000!!
We went with a local company with a good reputation who did it for
2700.00 if memory serves. This was a complete tearoff job too, with CDX
ply (I insisted...I hate the OSB stuff), cleanup, etc.

John

"Lobby Dosser" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:9Erif.4150$KZ2.1154@trnddc05...
> Bob Ward <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 27 Nov 2005 20:45:49 GMT, "Charles Self"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>"Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>>news:[email protected]...
>>>>
>>>> "The Real Tom" <Tom @ www.Love-Calculators.com> wrote in
>>>> message news:[email protected]...
>>>>> On 22 Nov 2005 06:13:45 -0800, "foggytown"
>>>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> >I think the next time anyone goes to HD, after they put
>>>> all the stuff
>>>>> >they're buying on the conveyor they should say to the
>>>> till operator, "I
>>>>> >also have a pencil hidden in my pocket. Or am I
>>>> bluffing?"
>>>>> >
>>>>> >FoggyTown
>>>>>
>>>>> The reply could be, "Maybe you have a pencil in your
>>>> pocket, or you're
>>>>> just glad to see me." ;)
>>>>>
>>>> A pencil? Not very glad!!
>>>
>>>The old line from Jane Russell to Bob Hope(IIRC) was, "Are you glad to
>>>see me, or do you have a pickle in your pocket."
>>>
>>
>> Gun... not pickle...
>>
>> Mae West, not Jane Russell
>>
>> W.C. Fields, not Bob Hope
>>
>
> Other than that, it was close.

Other than that, it was correct.

"darkon"> wrote
> Sometimes I am certain that they do indeed carry such an item, so I
> spend too much time searching until I find the paint scrapers with
> the doors, or the 1.25" dowels (minus 0.02" or more) right next to
> the toilets.

LOL, ain't that the truth?
I think I know the inventory at the Borgs better than the employees,
including the managers!

"Sharon" <[email protected]> wrote
>
> Hey, this thread gave me an idea. We all know how lately it seems like
> even if
> you do take your business elsewhere the companies don't seem to care.
> Their
> attitude is usually "don't let the door hit you on the way out", even if
> it was
> clearly their fault for the problem. I've been wondering why the high
> customer
> turnover doesn't seem to bother them.

Could it have anything to do with the fact that now they make more
announcemnts on the speaker in Spanish than English?

>
> What if we take one additional step when this happens: First, you write a
> polite letter to the headquarters explaining what happened and that you're
> taking your business elsewhere. One year later, write them another polite
> letter stating how much money you've spent in the last year at their
> competitor's place.
>

I once bought a bug sprayer. I loaded it up, and pumped it up. It blew up,
spraying poison in my face, eyes, up my nose, and into my mouth. I wrote
letters. Never heard a word. I went out there. First question was, "did
you use it properly?" Second question, "Would you like another bomb
........ errr sprayer?" End of conversation. Manager flew off like a big
dragonfly.


> If the problem is with a phone company for example, you could write
> something
> like "Dear Verizon, Since January 1st, 2004 when I cancelled my account
> with
> you, I've spent $2,340.30 on my Sprint account."
>
> For something like HD, you could write "Dear Home Depot, since January
> 1st,
> 2004 when I decided never to do business with you again, I've regularly
> driven
> an extra 10 miles to patronize Lowes. I've spent $34,549.30 there in the
> last
> year because I've been remodelling my house."
>
> Do you think that might get anybody's attention?
>
> - Sharon
>

Yep, surely. And a form letter that says, "Watch out for that doorknob on
the way out." And if you're lucky, it's in English.

Steve

> You've lost me here. How would a sink cutout be of use when
> installing a drop in range?

The range requires a 30" wide, 23-3/16" deep cutout from a typical 25" deep
countertop. What this really means is that you need a 1-13/16" x 30" piece
of matching granite that you are going to glue to a 2x4 lagged to the wall
behind the dropin. When the present slidein range finally gives up the ghost
(or sooner as dictated by "She who must be obeyed") it would be nice to have
the raw material.

http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/images/t07/0000002/r02117v-1.pdf
--
Don in Upstate NY

"Cliff and Linda Griffith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> I'm guessing you steer clear of Sam's Club, then. Right? I've never
> tried
> to get out of Sam's without showing my receipt and letting the person
> "count
> my items"; but I'm thinking they might chase me down, since it seems to be
> so much a part of the Sam's Club "experience".
>
> Linda

Same at BJ's. There is a real hard cold reason for doing it. People steal.
Yes, it bothers me, but in the scheme of things I guess they save. I bought
a TV from BJ's and they opened the carton to see if there was anything in
the big voids. It is a favorite place to hide hundreds of dollars of
merchandise.

The one door person at BJ's is very sharp and has been given a couple
ofawards for her catches. She also scans the receipt and will ask about
something she seed rung up twice to be sure we did buy double and it was not
an error by the cashier. They are smart enough to make it into a helpful
task for customer perception.
Ed

Here's what I ended up with - a two unequal size bowl model. They also have
a model with the deep bowl 2" deeper. Bought it online and gave it to the
granite fabricator to do the cutting, install the mounting bushings, etc.
Color is off in photo. http://hometown.aol.com/baldwinsville/sink.jpg

> Thanks for your opinion. It's back to the drawing board for me on
> sink/countertop choice. The only thing I know for sure is I want one
> large sink rather than the double sink. I want something I can fit
> very large pots/pans into, like the turkey pan tomorrow. ;) And
> I'd like a brushed nickle faucet. Here the granite appears to be
> quite a bit more expensive than the other choices. I want to say it
> ran around 90 some dollars a square foot. Where as the Corian I
> believe started in the forty dollar range.

Next project - upstairs vanity with old failing formica top. It's 72" wide
with dual bowls, and I haven't found a premade top that wide. And she wants
undermount - doesn't like to clean the lip.
--
Don EA in Upstate NY

"darkon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> That's my experience as well. There's a local mom-and-pop hardware
> store about a mile from my house, with a Home Depot a block or so
> away. I would prefer to go to the mom-and-pop store, but they close
> at 5:00pm on weekdays, noon or 1:00pm (I think) on Saturdays, and are
> closed on Sundays.

Factory town, maybe? Rochester NY used to have lots of businesses that
closed too early, thinking that everyone worked shifts at Kodak and got out
at 4:00. Not very smart. Even Boy Scout and sports leagues used to start
activities at 5:30 or 6:00, not giving 9-5 workers time to get home and eat.
Tell the mom & pop that 6:00 on weekdays would be a smart move.

> He needs to take the manager's job from him/(her).

Don't bother, their turnover is such that the jackass won't be there in 6
months anyway. They had a similar jerk running a shift at their store in
Gaithersburg, MD. It's almost pointless to complaint when everyone in the
immediate chain of command likewise turns over. It's clear the chain has no
commitment to retaining competent employees.

"Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Mike Berger"> wrote
> > So the solution is for you to just order granite and cut it
> > yourself. You'll get every bit of the remains. And think of
> > the money you'll save!
>
> Easier said than done, especially for a novice.
> Diamond cutters, diamond grinders, trying to line up the seams on an
> enormously heavy product, sheesh.....and all for a 1 time installation.
>


We've cut all types of tile, but granite is a whole lot thicker. I'm
thinking that 'water saw thingie' dh has for cutting stone tiles just
wouldn't do for granite. ;)
>

Brian Elfert wrote:
> "Lyndell Thompson" <[email protected]> writes:
>
>
>>Do you suppose they (HD employees) are wore down from dealing with the
>>public or are they trained to be aggressive towards the public?
>
>
> I used to work at a computer retail store. I finally quit after a year
> and a half of dealing with customers. Too many of them expected us to
> know everything about every single one of the 7,000 highly technical items
> we carried.
>

Those expectations are created when the big box stores constantly
barrage us with advertising telling us that all of their "associates"
are experts.



> This was back in the Windows 3.1/DOS days too when computers where even
> more difficult than today.
>
> Brian Elfert

B a r r y wrote:
> Bishop wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> He needs to take the manager's job from him/(her).
>
>
> How do you know the loss-prevention person even reports to the store
> manager?
>
>

Doesn't matter, the store manager is in charge of that store and is
responsible for everyones activities.

"flick" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Cliff and Linda Griffith" <[email protected]> wrote in
message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > I miss the old TrueValue hardware stores that we used to
have around here,
> > but Home Depot and Lowe's have caused most of them to
close. (It was nice
> > being able to say, "I need one of these", and have the
clerk take ten
> > steps
> > and find it for me.) Fortunately, though, not far from
here, Home Depot
> > and
> > Lowe's are within a block of each other.
>
> We've got a locally-owned hardware store here. Not even a
True Value, just
> one family, one small crammed store.
>
> It's great. The kind of place where you can take a bolt
in and say, "I need
> a nut that fits this," and the owner can tell you the size
by eyeballing it.
> Where they've got all kinds of weird parts for gas
appliances and all kinds
> of plumbing fittings, tools, even some cast iron cookware.
Wood stoves in
> the winter, irrigation pipe in the summer.
>

Eagle, which Lowes took over in seattle, had just about
everything you might need. They first 3 times I went in
after Lowes took over, I found what I wanted in the
"closeout" area. Their stock now in no way compares to
eagle. If I don't mind driving 20 miles, McLendon's, a local
"chain" has very good selection. I do make the drive on
occasion, because I know I can find "it" there. Or, there's
Ballard hardware, where you cannot find anything, but if you
ask, they can.

Check out the local stores whereever you are. they may be
way better than the box stores.

Bob

TeamCasa wrote:
> "Jim Giblin"
>
>>Two of these stores station a security guard at the exit who checks your
>>receipt and compares it to the contents in your bag. I went to one of
>>these stores once. I went to the other store once. I find HD's 'are you
>>stealing from me' attitude at these two stores to be extremely
>>distasteful.
>
>
> I was told by the local HD manger that the "let me see your receipt"
> guard/person is not checking you, they are there to check the clerks.
> I never - ever, stop and show my receipt to some knucklehead only to have
> them paw through my stuff. In my view, once they close the drawer on my
> money, the stuff in the bag is mine and they have no right to detain me or
> dig through my possessions.
>
> Dave
>
>
>
> Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> ** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> http://www.usenet.com

The local Bunnings doesn't check the receipts of walk out customers but
you have to go through the third degree if you drive out.
The reason is "To make sure that YOU have everything that you paid for
and are not short"
DUCK !!!!
Flying
Pigs"
regards
John

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

> "Doug Kanter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>
>> Beware the little electronic doo-dads embedded in the carton.
>>
>
> Sometimes the checkout does not disable them and they stop you. I won't
> stop any more and they really get PO'd. Thee is no legal reason to stop
> you because the clerk made an error.
>
> For even more fun, stick the gizmo onto the shopping cart on the bottom.
> It won't usually beep coming back in, but will the next time it is taken
> out.

When I was in college we used to go to stores like Best Buy and Media Play
and take those stickers off the CD's and place them stick side up on the
floor so they would stick to peoples shoes when they stepped on them. We
could spend hours by the exit doors watching people get stopped when the
alarm went off.

>
> But the carpenter said he had no intention of doing business there
> again, adding, "Why should I put money in someone's pocket when they
> treat me like this?"
>

He can say that all he wants (to a newspaper) but is he going to drive
further to pay more for the same thing. Maybe once or twice but he will be
back.

I'm not hot on HD contractor services or special order stuff but a box of
nails is a box of nails no matter where you buy it and contractors only make
money by not spending too much or going too far to get it.

"Theodore A. Kaldis"> wrote
> They've all been driven out of business by the Home Depot.

A more accurate term is *were unable to compete*.
Sort of like the last time you got a raise when a coworker didn't and then
the coworker claims you tried to get him laid off.
It is not likely that the Borg's motive is to drive other people out of
business but rather to be in business themselves.
Its all depends on ones perspective.

[newsgroups trimmed]

Banty <[email protected]> wrote:

> In article <[email protected]>,
> Carpenter says...
>>
>>
[snip]
>>
>>What's wrong with going to local HW stores and lumber mills? I get
>>better service and a better price there
>>
>
> Hours.
>
> I might need the box of nails (or the extra can of paint, or the
> screw that needs to be longer than the ones I had bought, etc.
> etc) at 4:00 pm on a Sunday, or at 7:00 pm on a Saturday in the
> middle of my project, and only hte big box stores are open. A lot
> of the local places around here close at 3:00 pm Saturday. The
> *largest* local outfit, which recently franchised with a hardware
> chain, has only a few Sunday hours.
>
> So, if the big box store is the closest that is open, or the only
> one that is open, the big box store it is.
>
> IMO the big box stores out-hour their competition as much as
> under-price them.

That's my experience as well. There's a local mom-and-pop hardware
store about a mile from my house, with a Home Depot a block or so
away. I would prefer to go to the mom-and-pop store, but they close
at 5:00pm on weekdays, noon or 1:00pm (I think) on Saturdays, and are
closed on Sundays. In other words, whenever I'm indulging my hobby
or doing home repairs they're almost always closed.

It's a shame, because I can walk in the mom-and-pop store with only a
vague idea of what I need, describe my problem, and they'll say, "Oh
yes, we have that right here" and lead me straight to it.

My usual (but not invariable) experience with the large chain stores
is that I can walk in knowing exactly what I want, ask a store
employee where it is, and they don't even know what I mean. "I don't
think we carry that...."

Sometimes I am certain that they do indeed carry such an item, so I
spend too much time searching until I find the paint scrapers with
the doors, or the 1.25" dowels (minus 0.02" or more) right next to
the toilets.

Doug Kanter <[email protected]> wrote:

> "darkon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>> That's my experience as well. There's a local mom-and-pop
>> hardware store about a mile from my house, with a Home Depot a
>> block or so away. I would prefer to go to the mom-and-pop store,
>> but they close at 5:00pm on weekdays, noon or 1:00pm (I think) on
>> Saturdays, and are closed on Sundays.
>
> Factory town, maybe? Rochester NY used to have lots of businesses
> that closed too early, thinking that everyone worked shifts at
> Kodak and got out at 4:00. Not very smart. Even Boy Scout and
> sports leagues used to start activities at 5:30 or 6:00, not
> giving 9-5 workers time to get home and eat. Tell the mom & pop
> that 6:00 on weekdays would be a smart move.

I live in northern Kentucky, basically a suburb of Cincinnati, so yes,
your guess of a factory town is pretty good, although it's not as true
as it used to be decades ago.

In news:[email protected] Brian Elfert <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Roger_Nickel <[email protected]> writes:
>
>>involve having the package opened to check the contents. There is
>>certainly no legal requirement to retain reciepts; technically you
>>could eat the thing at the cash desk and tell the doorman to check
>>away, but no, I don't have the reciept.
>
> If you don't have the receipt when you step out of the store, how can
> you prove you paid for the item and didn't steal it?

It that where the burden of proof lies?

Where's the limit? Can they follow you to your car and demand receipts for
everything in your car that looks like something they might have stocked
at some time?

--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN [email protected]

"Carpenter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> PipeDown wrote:
> > >
> > > But the carpenter said he had no intention of doing business there
> > > again, adding, "Why should I put money in someone's pocket when they
> > > treat me like this?"
> > >
> >
> > He can say that all he wants (to a newspaper) but is he going to drive
> > further to pay more for the same thing. Maybe once or twice but he will
be
> > back.
> >
> > I'm not hot on HD contractor services or special order stuff but a box
of
> > nails is a box of nails no matter where you buy it and contractors only
make
> > money by not spending too much or going too far to get it.
>
> What's wrong with going to local HW stores and lumber mills? I get
> better service and a better price there
>
That's fine and dandy if you HAVE any local HW stores and lumber mills.
Around here, the few surviving ma'n'pa hardwares have devolved into garden
supply and bric-a-brac stores, and the 'trade' lumber yard in the bad part
of town is only open the same hours that I work. The Borg have driven the
rest of them out of business.

aem sends...

"tiny dancer"> wrote
> We don't have a lot of *choice* available where we live. What is Staron?
> We haven't made any sort of final decision, still refinishing the
> cabinets.

Staron is a solid surface material similar to the more popular Corian.
Someone recently told me about a product called Zodiaq, and I like it alot.
Both can be found using google.
Sometimes HD and Lowes have small bulletin boards where subcontractors post
their business cards, take a look for solid surface people.

> More than likely the cut-out ended up in the fabricator's dumpster.
> IF OP had contracted directly with the fabricator/installer they
> MAY have given the OP the trash (the cut-out) at no additional
> charge.

Or the fabricator uses the trimmings as a source of color samples to give to
prospective clients.
--
Don in Upstate NY

Mike T. wrote:
>>>How do you know the loss-prevention person even reports to the store
>>>manager?
>>>
>>>
>>
>>Doesn't matter, the store manager is in charge of that store and is
>>responsible for everyones activities.
>
>
> I don't know about home depot, but I know some loss prevention personnel
> specifically do NOT report to store managers of some major retail chains.
> In some retail chains, loss prevention has nothing at all to do with any
> personnel assigned to any specific store, up to and including the MANAGER of
> the store. In fact, in some cases, the store manager doesn't even have a
> key to the LP (loss prevention) office in his/her store. On top of that,
> the store manager isn't aware of the LP personnel schedule. The LP
> personnel come and go as they please, and are not required to check in with
> the store manager before, during or after their shift in that store. The
> reason for this is obvious . . . some of the biggest thiefs ARE the store
> managers!!! The LP people are supposed to watch everybody in the store . .
> . customers, employees and all managers. It would be hard to do that if one
> of the people they were supposed to watch was their immediate supervisor.
> Imagine the LP person trying to have the store manager arrested for stealing
> money from the cash office (for example), but can't do that because the
> store manager FIRED HIM FIRST. :) -Dave
>
>
darn, sounds like my kinda job, where do I sign up to be a loss
prevention person ?

"Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Edwin Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> "Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>> "SMS"> wrote
>>>> one for the dishwasher air-gap,
>>>
>>> What is that and what does it do?
>>>
>>
>> It is in the drain line of the DW. the water goes over the top where
>> there is an opening to the air and then runs down the other side. This
>> prevents water getting siphoned back from the disposal or sink into the
>> DW. While not always needed, some places have it in the plumbing code.
>
> Thanks.
> Thats not required here. Yet.
>

It will be. Wait till the turkey dinner's over and the dishes go into the
machine. You know it's gonna happen. Start drinking heavily right now.

"tiny dancer"> wrote
> Thanks, I will check that out. Isn't Zodiaq a form of quartz?

No. Its solid surfacing.
www.zodiaq.com

Something to consider, that crumbs and debris don't show up real well on
some of the patterned stuff.
This can be a benefit, ;-) or a health concern. :-(

Here is what I presently have: http://tinyurl.com/3rdr7

I'm not sure
> now, as I've looked at so much I get confused. I was leaning towards the
> quartz until I saw it in person. Seemed awfully expensive for the *look*.
> I mean, it wasn't too much cheaper than quartz, but gave nowhere near the
> same affect in appearance. From what I gather, the place that handles the
> local quartz is about a two hour drive from here. You've given me a lot
> more to think about, as I had been leaning towards taking the easy way out
> and just ordering through Lowes or Home Depot, but I'm thinking maybe I
> need
> to just buckle down and get quotes from more places.

Lowes and HD gave me quotes for cabinets but both were way out of the park.
I had custom cabinets fabricated for less then either quotes.

We just got a quote
> from a local on new vinyl windows. The guy from Home Depot that came and
> gave us a quote last week was a bit deceptive in his pitch. After he
> finished his pitch, he asked us 'who else we were getting quotes from',
> since it was obvious we weren't ready to sign on the dotted line. Then he
> told us a few things about the others we named as possibilities.

Careful. People that talk about other people will talk about you.
So make sure they have something good to say about you. :-)

Actually,
> the guy who came today, the local, came in a couple thousand less than the
> Home Depot guy, for the same quality windows.

I'm not surprised.
Always get the subs to provide you with addresses of previous jobs that you
can drive by and look at, even if just from the street.
(maybe you'll get lucky and the owner will be outside and you can ask him a
Q or 2.)
If they're straight up they'll give you some examples, if they have
something to hide, they won't.
And don't listen to any of the *privacy* issues stuff.

"tiny dancer"> wrote
> Where are you posting from? Which group? I'm over here on 'true crime',
> but you guys are quite knowledgeable and informative on things like this??

I'm in alt.home.repair

"Rich Greenberg" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Banty <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Hmmm, after some indecision I went with a single, deep, stainless steel
sink.
> >Although I do like my current double. I have no question about going for
a deep
> >and stainless steel sink, but I was on the fence about single vs. double.
Went
> >with single mostly for placement reasons vs. available sizes, and that I
can use
> >stainless tubs as accessories as needed and actually having more
flexibility
> >(but these of course won't have a separate drain...). And, yes, that
> >occassional BIG pan.
>
> I have the best of both with a sink that has a small bowl of the left
> with a disposal and a larger bowl on the right only a bit smaller than a
> single sink.


I guess that's something I could consider too. Thanks for the suggestion.


td



>
> --
> Rich Greenberg Marietta, GA, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 770 321
6507
> Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since
CP-67
> Canines:Val, Red & Shasta (RIP),Red, husky
Owner:Chinook-L
> Atlanta Siberian Husky Rescue. www.panix.com/~richgr/ Asst
Owner:Sibernet-L

"Edwin Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> "SMS"> wrote
>>> one for the dishwasher air-gap,
>>
>> What is that and what does it do?
>>
>
> It is in the drain line of the DW. the water goes over the top where there
> is an opening to the air and then runs down the other side. This prevents
> water getting siphoned back from the disposal or sink into the DW. While
> not always needed, some places have it in the plumbing code.

Thanks.
Thats not required here. Yet.

"Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "tiny dancer"> wrote
> > Thanks, I will check that out. Isn't Zodiaq a form of quartz?
>
> No. Its solid surfacing.
> www.zodiaq.com
>
> Something to consider, that crumbs and debris don't show up real well on
> some of the patterned stuff.
> This can be a benefit, ;-) or a health concern. :-(


No problem, my dog takes care of any *crumbs and debris*! ;)



>
> Here is what I presently have: http://tinyurl.com/3rdr7


Thanks, I will check this out, and also check into going another route
rather than the large chain store.


>
> I'm not sure
> > now, as I've looked at so much I get confused. I was leaning towards
the
> > quartz until I saw it in person. Seemed awfully expensive for the
*look*.
> > I mean, it wasn't too much cheaper than quartz, but gave nowhere near
the
> > same affect in appearance. From what I gather, the place that handles
the
> > local quartz is about a two hour drive from here. You've given me a lot
> > more to think about, as I had been leaning towards taking the easy way
out
> > and just ordering through Lowes or Home Depot, but I'm thinking maybe I
> > need
> > to just buckle down and get quotes from more places.
>
> Lowes and HD gave me quotes for cabinets but both were way out of the
park.
> I had custom cabinets fabricated for less then either quotes.


That's good to know. One just assumes that because they are a big chain
with large volume, they would be the most economical. Our cabinets were in
very good condition, solid wood, and oversize. They go all the way up to
the ceiling, so I wanted to keep them. My neighbor had new cabinets
installed, but her's don't go up to the ceiling. I liked the originals
better, so we decided to restore the ones we presently have. We are adding
some decorative molding to the doors, doing a bit of fancy routing, and my
husband is putting in new sliders for the drawers and also making new front
panels for the drawer fronts.


>
> We just got a quote
> > from a local on new vinyl windows. The guy from Home Depot that came
and
> > gave us a quote last week was a bit deceptive in his pitch. After he
> > finished his pitch, he asked us 'who else we were getting quotes from',
> > since it was obvious we weren't ready to sign on the dotted line. Then
he
> > told us a few things about the others we named as possibilities.
>
> Careful. People that talk about other people will talk about you.
> So make sure they have something good to say about you. :-)


Advice taken. ;)


>
> Actually,
> > the guy who came today, the local, came in a couple thousand less than
the
> > Home Depot guy, for the same quality windows.
>
> I'm not surprised.
> Always get the subs to provide you with addresses of previous jobs that
you
> can drive by and look at, even if just from the street.
> (maybe you'll get lucky and the owner will be outside and you can ask him
a
> Q or 2.)
> If they're straight up they'll give you some examples, if they have
> something to hide, they won't.
> And don't listen to any of the *privacy* issues stuff.


Actually we lucked out in this respect. We have some neighbors up the
street from us that already used the 'local guy' to install their windows a
couple months ago. Just so happens we had the same 'concrete guy' do our
driveways last month, so when I saw this woman walking her dogs past my
house, I commented on the driveways/driveway guy, and she told me about her
new windows. We got to talking and I found out they were quite pleased with
'local guy' for the windows. So I think we'll probably do the windows
through him. Plus Home Depot won't get involved in enlarging any windows or
any 'new construction'. And we have one window we want enlarged, and
another window we want added. So all in all, considering our wants/needs,
local guy is much more feasible for our situation, plus we liked his pitch
much better than H.D.

Where are you posting from? Which group? I'm over here on 'true crime',
but you guys are quite knowledgeable and informative on things like this??

td
>
>

Just goes to show you what morrons they are at HD. I'm surprised he's not
thinking about suing them.

I watched a group of employees surround someone in the parking lot about a
year ago and accused them of stealing. The guy claimed that the product was
defective and he had just unsuccessfully tried to return it. The HD staff
claimed that there was no alarm when he entered the store and an alarm when
he exited.

I remember thinking at the time that I don't know who's right in all of
this, but it quickly created a scene. A terrible experience for anyone if
they are wrongfully accused.

In the case of Michael Panorelli, I'm sure he was embarrassed not only in
front of a client, but in front of a lot of other people too. I would sue
if I were him.


Brian


<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> November 21, 2005
> Home Depot Apologizes to Pencil Thief
>
> METHUEN, Mass. (AP) -- Home Depot Inc. apologized to a carpenter who
> was banned by the chain worldwide after he absent-mindedly pocketed a
> pencil he had used up to do some quick math.
>
> Michael Panorelli, 51, of Lawrence, was accused of shoplifting from the
> Methuen store last Thursday and banned from Home Depots.
>
> Panorelli was with a client and had just bought some lumber when the
> client picked up the pencil sitting next to a cash register for
> Panorelli to use. Panorelli pocketed the pencil and was met in the
> parking lot by a worker who asked for identification.
>
> The worker presented Panorelli with one letter saying he was banned
> from Home Depot, and another advising that he would be hearing from the
> company's lawyers.
>
> Panorelli took his story to the Eagle-Tribune newspaper in Lawrence,
> which published it over the weekend.
>
> On Sunday, Atlanta-based Home Depot issued a written apology, saying
> the incident was prompted by a narrow interpretation of its
> shoplifting-prevention rules.
>
> "We will not be pursuing any claims against Mr. Panorelli for this
> incident," the statement said. "We welcome Mr. Panorelli back as a
> customer in our stores at any time."
>
> But the carpenter said he had no intention of doing business there
> again, adding, "Why should I put money in someone's pocket when they
> treat me like this?"
>

>
> Lowes needs to run a Free Pencil Day and embarass the hell out of those
> cheap asses at HD.
>
I wholeheartedly agree with this!!! Can't hurt our Lowe's stock either.

RonB

>>
> darn, sounds like my kinda job, where do I sign up to be a loss prevention
> person ?
>

I've never worked LP, but got chatty from time to time with several LP
people. The pay is shit, the working conditions are dangerous. For
example, imagine confronting a shoplifter who is HIV+ and decides to bite
you to escape. You aren't supposed to fight with shoplifters, but the
shoplifters don't follow rules, obviously. Also, just because you don't
report to the store manager doesn't mean that you don't report to anybody.
The turnover rate in LP is incredibly high, something like 200% per year, if
I had to take a guess at it. The good news is, if you are still interested
in working LP, they are always hiring. -Dave

"Banty" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, Doug Kanter says...
>>
>>"darkon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]...
>>
>>> That's my experience as well. There's a local mom-and-pop hardware
>>> store about a mile from my house, with a Home Depot a block or so
>>> away. I would prefer to go to the mom-and-pop store, but they close
>>> at 5:00pm on weekdays, noon or 1:00pm (I think) on Saturdays, and are
>>> closed on Sundays.
>>
>>Factory town, maybe? Rochester NY used to have lots of businesses that
>>closed too early, thinking that everyone worked shifts at Kodak and got
>>out
>>at 4:00. Not very smart. Even Boy Scout and sports leagues used to start
>>activities at 5:30 or 6:00, not giving 9-5 workers time to get home and
>>eat.
>>Tell the mom & pop that 6:00 on weekdays would be a smart move.
>>
>>
>
> Our biggest business around here is IBM, but there are a lot of other
> things,
> universities, etc. The old fasioned hardware stores tend to close at
> 6:00, Boy
> Scouts and stuff like that tend to 7:00. I don't know if that's your
> Kodak Park
> effect shifted by an hour,though..
>
> Banty (former daughter of Great Yellow Father)
>

Well, like I said, it's changing here. Kid activities, especially, took a
long time because so often, they're run by little committees (and I say that
with the utmost in derogatory intent). We had a Boy Scout troop run by women
who thought "everyone should be able to get here by 5:00 if they're really
committed". Nonsense. When hardly anyone showed up, they interpreted it to
mean nobody was interested. When they moved the hours later, the meetings
were packed, which they interpreted as unrelated to the time change. Duh.
:-) These ladies were later made to go away and never come back, except to
drop off and pick up their kids.