Home Depot grumble

[sgrammel]

So I found what seems to be a good deal on a pair of DeWalt saw horses from the big orange box. The two pack is only $15 more than buying 1 unit.

DEWALT 32 in. Metal Folding Sawhorse (2 Pack) DWST111552PK - The Home Depot

Meet the unyielding day-to-day demands of professional contractors by choosing this DEWALT Metal Folding Sawhorse. Features a flip handle for easy carrying.

www.homedepot.com

So I placed the order online...Great deal..right? Until I found they now say they are out of stock..even though their website shows 467 available....I called customer service and they said they could get the product shipped...I am not optimistic it will happen.

I don't have an issue if they are out of stock..I do have an issue saying there is a bunch in stock...if there aren't any available.

 

[The Cobbler]

It's been an age old gripe.
I remember when I was a young kid, my dad took me along shopping to could get some motor oil on sale at a dept store. limited supplies . we got there & were told they were just unpacking it that it would be on the floor at 10 am.
at 10 am the story was " we are sold out" My dad put up a stink and called BS on them. the store manager gave him a store credit for a few bucks I think

 

[ChevyEFI]

Home Depot logistics has some burps in delivery times and sensibility. But it gets the job done as long as you have different projects going and can stop 1 to move to another while waiting.

 

[sgrammel]

Well I guess I have to recant my grumble. Just checked the order status and they now show the items with a delivery date of next week...

 

[bluedog225]

I forget if I posted this. Got on the Home Depot website to try and avoid Amazon. They said tjey could have it delivered. Same day. Free. I said great. Placed order for two items.

Half an hour after I ordered, they canceled my order via email. Your order has been canceled. Those items are out of stock.

Website showed many in stock.

Got on chat with customer service. What’s your name. What’s your shipping address. What’s your phone number. What’s your order number. What’s the problem? Those items are out of stock. Thanks for nothing.

Later that day. One of the items shows up.

Goofy as all heck. But I think it was free.

 

[ChevyEFI]

Those items are out of stock. Thanks for nothing.

Later that day. One of the items shows up.

Goofy as all heck. But I think it was free.

I experienced that. And another item changed availability by ordering from another store. . . . Even though plenty were in-stock, like you experienced.

Not some. Not most. All heck.

 

[AJHD]

So I placed the order online...Great deal..right? Until I found they now say they are out of stock..even though their website shows 467 available....I called customer service and they said they could get the product shipped...I am not optimistic it will happen.

It's showing 463 in stock as of this post, available for in-store delivery or next day home delivery.

If they are truly out of stock, they haven't fixed the website yet and sold at least a few more since your post.

In-store inventory is terrible, rarely accurate, even the day of or day after inventory. I guess it's reasonable to expect their warehouse inventory system to be just as bad

That said, I can 100% confirm that management frequently rejects manual inventory updates above a certain amount of money. It looks bad and negatively impacts their myriad of sales numbers.

 

[Wamsutta]

That's the kind of stupid **** you have to go through when you're dealing with big box store corporations.

 

[seber]

Theft in big box stores has gotten so bad that inventory accuracy is not possible. Anything that can be stolen will be unknown in stock.

 

[PCustoms]

Theft in big box stores has gotten so bad that inventory accuracy is not possible. Anything that can be stolen will be unknown in stock.

Great excuse but I don't think some walked out with 450+ sawhorse sets they didn't pay for...

Their inventory system/webpage just seems to have gotten worse over the past several years. I forgot what issue I had this spring, may have been the full pallet or bricks...

 

[mike93lx]

It's showing 463 in stock as of this post, available for in-store delivery or next day home delivery.

If they are truly out of stock, they haven't fixed the website yet and sold at least a few more since your post.

In-store inventory is terrible, rarely accurate, even the day of or day after inventory. I guess it's reasonable to expect their warehouse inventory system to be just as bad

That said, I can 100% confirm that management frequently rejects manual inventory updates above a certain amount of money. It looks bad and negatively impacts their myriad of sales numbers.

Home Depot likely has zero in stock.

That number is at the manufacturer's warehouse as the product is likely direct shipped, so they are relying on SBD's inventory system

 

[Lou's Garage]

Ever since the months long garage door debacle I don't buy anything from Home Depot or Lowes that I can't pick up, pay for, and take home with me. Ordering anything from either one of them on-line or in the store is a complete and total **** shoot! You might get it, you might not. If you do get it, who knows when. If they give you any kind of a delivery date, you better move heaven and earth to be there for them. Complete absence of any resemblance of customer service.

Lou Manglass

 

[cherrybomb]

The instant gratification we get from online ordering and pushing the magic button, sometimes bites you in the behind!When the system works,as we are all busy that's great.But many times,what ever you're looking to buy it's nice to handle and look at the product.I bought a pair of saw horses,checked Menards and Home Depot in person.I saw and checked the features I was looking for and did the Depot.Sure it cost me time,but I got a pair with adjustable height legs which I really like!
On line ordering and inventory problems must drive customer service people crazy,as well as us customers

 

[CoogarXR]

It's just sad how much technology we have, and everything always just "almost works".

 

[Ricko1966]

The instant gratification we get from online ordering and pushing the magic button, sometimes bites you in the behind!When the system works,as we are all busy that's great.But many times,what ever you're looking to buy it's nice to handle and look at the product.I bought a pair of saw horses,checked Menards and Home Depot in person.I saw and checked the features I was looking for and did the Depot.Sure it cost me time,but I got a pair with adjustable height legs which I really like!
On line ordering and inventory problems must drive customer service people crazy,as well as us customers

My real complaint is nobody stocks anything anymore you have to order online,then you are at the mercy of when will it actually arrive,and I may not have made that purchase period,had I actually gotten to examine the product. But we all brought this on ourselves buy making price our primary decision maker. Brick and mortar can't compete with online,so they are diverting to online.

 

[YesIHaveAHammer]

One trick I like to use on online store that don't show stock count, is to set my quantity to something ridiculous like 9999. If it accepts, then they're probably not actually tracking stock.

It's just sad how much technology we have, and everything always just "almost works".

It could be done, but it'd be too expensive for businesses and in turn customers. Something satisfactory can be built and operated by medium-low skilled people. It doesn't need the best of MIT to do it well, but it needs better than what the average Indian IT outsourcer is employing.

 

[L.Cheapo]

Same thing happened to me a few weeks ago, with a different item. It was cheap, but being a 6' piece of steel, I figured they just didnt want to do the free delivery. They cancelled my order.

I immediately placed the exact same order again and the item was delivered to my door in less than 3 hours. So maybe try again if you really want them?

 

[woody 73]

FREE BEER TOMORROW...

 

[CoogarXR]

One trick I like to use on online store that don't show stock count, is to set my quantity to something ridiculous like 9999. If it accepts, then they're probably not actually tracking stock.


It could be done, but it'd be too expensive for businesses and in turn customers. Something satisfactory can be built and operated by medium-low skilled people. It doesn't need the best of MIT to do it well, but it needs better than what the average Indian IT outsourcer is employing.

That's exactly my point. We have all of this great hardware. Hell, even 10 year old hardware is still good stuff. But business use the cheapest, **** programmers and no beta testing, and we end up with bloated, slow, non-functional products. It is SO DUMB.

But, frustrated users, struggling to use your shittty website leads to more ads loading on the banners, so yay us! Mo clicks, mo $$ baby!

 

[YesIHaveAHammer]

But business use the cheapest, **** programmers and no beta testing, and we end up with bloated, slow, non-functional products. It is SO DUMB.

I do agree with your sentiment, but as much as I hate to say it, it's not dumb. The store websites are fit for purpose for the 95%+ case and it doesn't cost the company nor us consumers extra money to have skilled people in sufficient numbers with sufficient time to do it better.

Few of us pay a premium for top of the line tools, but I expect even fewer would do so for top of the line retail service.

 

[rust in the eye]

The possibility also exists for them deciding that price was too low. Nothing a backorder won't fix.

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

Allowed to chime in with some over-the-big-pond experience from Germany?

My favorite big box store here is ”Bauhaus”. They have a wonderful app & website.

Once you’re signed in, it shows you exact stock at your favorite location (you can change that at anytime) as well as stock available from the main warehouse/ shipping location. One time I have run into a situation were the system said no stock of a highly specialized item at my location, but since I needed to go there anyway, found they had tock of said item at my location. One glitch out of approx. a hundred orders/pick-ups isn’t too bad I think.

Shipping was never an issue as long as they solely used DHL. Always 24 hrs to 48 hrs tops for my order to arrive. Now that they partly switched to GLS, I had two screwed up deliveries already. Both times I got fully reimbursed, but I also always bypass first level support and go directly to the higher ups.

App and website also let you create shopping lists, and shows aisle# and shelf# at your favorite location - on the product page as well as on your shopping list.

So when I’m in a hurry, I fill the shopping list beforehand, it shows me the aisle & shelf of each product, and I can be in and out the store in record time.

What is also great, the easy switching of said favorite location: I went to my favorite location without checking stock, got everything but one item that they were completely sold out on. Switched to another location within reasonable distance, they showed enough stock of that item. So I ordered as much as I needed of that product for in-store payment & pick-up at the other location, while still shopping at my favorite location. By the time I was on my way to the other location, I already got the e-mail that my order is ready. Jump into the other location, my product already sitting at the counter in a shopping cart, I quickly pay at the counter, no need to go through the line at the register/cashier, and I’m off on my way again.

This works all so smooth, I absolutely love it.

They even show stock for sheet goods/ cutting service. It shows exactly how many square meters they have of any given sheet materials (and so on).

And if you need building materials, lumber - they have a drive in. So you enter the market with your vehicle, and load. Cashier scans, checks your load & you pay right there. If it’s not too busy, they don’t even mind if you quickly jump into the non-drivable part of the market to get something and check out at the drive-in.

They also have the largest selection of hardware you can buy by piece/weight from all the stores & suppliers available to me.

For me, of all the big box store options I have, it’s the longest drive - but I will almost always go there if I somehow reasonable can. Not for a single item, that I couldn’t justify. But starting from two items, the decision is almost always to make the drive to Bauhaus.

A couple of minutes ago I placed an online order with them again, and I already now that I will get two deliveries. One from them, and one drop shipped directly from a manufacturer. Both shipments will go out tomorrow.

So that’s how my favorite big box store handles this, and I’m very fond of that!

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[Gangly]

I had something similar with a corded Milwaukee Orbital Sawzall. I ordered one to be shipped to my house, then cancelled the order within 5 minutes because of delivery issues, and drove to the nearest Home Depot and purchased one in person. My online transaction showed cancelled, my credit card was never hit for the online purchase, but a day or two later a corded Milwaukee Orbital Sawzall showed up on my door step with no receipt of any kind. I called Home depot to return it and they had no record of any online transaction, anything being shipped to me, or anything billed to me.

It's still in its box and unused, just incase I ever get a bill for it, but that was several years ago so I'm guessing nothing will come of it. However, I feel bad even thinking of using it or selling it knowing somebody, somewhere, probably got fired or written up over the mishap. I guess when I die, somebody going through my shop will become the owner of a NIB Milwaukee tool and get excited.

 

[drmarkr]

This thread essentially demonstrates why Amazon is taking over the retail world. Why putz with local retailers or box stores, when you can click 3 times and what you're looking for arrives on your doorstep that evening or the next morning?

 

[bonneyman]

This thread essentially demonstrates why Amazon is taking over the retail world. Why putz with local retailers or box stores, when you can click 3 times and what you're looking for arrives on your doorstep that evening or the next morning?

Can't argue with you there. Despite my feelings I end up buying more and more from Amazon these days.
Although I still get great service and inventory at my local Ace Hardware.

 

[rust in the eye]

Allowed to chime in with some over-the-big-pond experience from Germany?

My favorite big box store here is ”Bauhaus”. They have a wonderful app & website.

Once you’re signed in, it shows you exact stock at your favorite location (you can change that at anytime) as well as stock available from the main warehouse/ shipping location. One time I have run into a situation were the system said no stock of a highly specialized item at my location, but since I needed to go there anyway, found they had tock of said item at my location. One glitch out of approx. a hundred orders/pick-ups isn’t too bad I think.

Shipping was never an issue as long as they solely used DHL. Always 24 hrs to 48 hrs tops for my order to arrive. Now that they partly switched to GLS, I had two screwed up deliveries already. Both times I got fully reimbursed, but I also always bypass first level support and go directly to the higher ups.

App and website also let you create shopping lists, and shows aisle# and shelf# at your favorite location - on the product page as well as on your shopping list.

So when I’m in a hurry, I fill the shopping list beforehand, it shows me the aisle & shelf of each product, and I can be in and out the store in record time.

What is also great, the easy switching of said favorite location: I went to my favorite location without checking stock, got everything but one item that they were completely sold out on. Switched to another location within reasonable distance, they showed enough stock of that item. So I ordered as much as I needed of that product for in-store payment & pick-up at the other location, while still shopping at my favorite location. By the time I was on my way to the other location, I already got the e-mail that my order is ready. Jump into the other location, my product already sitting at the counter in a shopping cart, I quickly pay at the counter, no need to go through the line at the register/cashier, and I’m off on my way again.

This works all so smooth, I absolutely love it.

They even show stock for sheet goods/ cutting service. It shows exactly how many square meters they have of any given sheet materials (and so on).

And if you need building materials, lumber - they have a drive in. So you enter the market with your vehicle, and load. Cashier scans, checks your load & you pay right there. If it’s not too busy, they don’t even mind if you quickly jump into the non-drivable part of the market to get something and check out at the drive-in.

They also have the largest selection of hardware you can buy by piece/weight from all the stores & suppliers available to me.

For me, of all the big box store options I have, it’s the longest drive - but I will almost always go there if I somehow reasonable can. Not for a single item, that I couldn’t justify. But starting from two items, the decision is almost always to make the drive to Bauhaus.

A couple of minutes ago I placed an online order with them again, and I already now that I will get two deliveries. One from them, and one drop shipped directly from a manufacturer. Both shipments will go out tomorrow.

So that’s how my favorite big box store handles this, and I’m very fond of that!

Kind regards,
Olli

Been to Bauhaus myself in person. I'm unsure who was first Bauhaus or Home Depot here but they bear an uncanny resemblance, down to type fonts used.
Also similar was the difficulty finding someone working the floor to answer questions. As I am essentially illiterate while in Austria it was up to Mrs. Rust to translate and the someone finally cornered was knowledgeable.

 

[rust in the eye]

This thread essentially demonstrates why Amazon is taking over the retail world. Why putz with local retailers or box stores, when you can click 3 times and what you're looking for arrives on your doorstep that evening or the next morning?

The rub there is that you will always get what you order(assuming no errors) and not always what you want. If I know EXACTLY what I'm after I'll price shop it to death on line. If I need guidance then I pray for a knowledgeable floor person at a brick & mortar. Used to be the knowledgeable person was a given, not so much anymore.

 

[nadogail]

I don't BUY Sawhorses, I build my own. Mine are extremely strong and are still solid after 15 years.

 

[lugnut71]

i actually order the saw horses yesterday after reading this , got email confirmation this morning that they shipped

 

[bdbecker]

It's worth asking an employee to check the inventory if you are looking for an item and the shelf is empty. Just a few weeks ago, I needed some adapters for my gutter downspouts. Turns out, there were a couple of cases in the storage racks above. He grabbed a rolling ladder, pulled down a box, made sure I had what I needed, and then restocked the shelf location.

Order online and pickup have been hit or miss. I've had lines cancelled on an order due to stocking issues. When I go into the store to find an alternate product, I'll see that the item is there, which is frustrating. I have been shopping at the same store for over a decade. There is a lazy mouth breather who works there that I suspect is the problem. I only remember him because he always wears odd clothes and walks without any sense of purpose or urgency. He was a cart jockey back in the day, but now is either pulling orders or watching the self-checkout stations when I go in today.

 

[bdbecker]

I don't BUY Sawhorses, I build my own. Mine are extremely strong and are still solid after 15 years.

I don't buy them either. Instead, I wrangle wild horses from North Dakota, spend nearly a month driving them home to Iowa, and train them to be saw horses. It's a pretty good side gig - local contractors love them because they are easy to move around the job site. Only downside is that they eat a lot.

 

[Steel_Rain]

I'm 99% sure my local Lowes store has had a dog turd in one of the power tool aisles for several months now.

That should make you feel better about Home Depot.

 

[drmarkr]

Can't argue with you there. Despite my feelings I end up buying more and more from Amazon these days.
Although I still get great service and inventory at my local Ace Hardware.

And I acknowledge that I've had an account at my local Ace for 20 years, just because I shop there so often. Speeds my time through the checkout stand, and I enjoy the social interaction with employees that I've come to consider friends. I go there at least weekly in an attempt to "buy local", yet still find myself regularly standing in the store on my phone, ordering something from Amazon that they didn't have in stock.

 

[neophyte]

This thread essentially demonstrates why Amazon is taking over the retail world. Why putz with local retailers or box stores, when you can click 3 times and what you're looking for arrives on your doorstep that evening or the next morning?

I have rarely received Amazon delivers sane day or next day.
Several days to a full week is more typical.

 

[RalphInCA]

Why putz with local retailers or box stores, when you can click 3 times and what you're looking for arrives on your doorstep that evening or the next morning?

I put up with local real retailers because Amazon is quite often not the cheapest or even close to the cheapest.

Plus, more often than not, they actually do have what I need in stock.

 

[sgrammel]

i actually order the saw horses yesterday after reading this , got email confirmation this morning that they shipped

Still waiting for mine to 'ship'. They are supposed to arrive by next Tuesday though...Does your shipping tracker show where they are shipping from?

 

[Nick Rivers]

When we purchased the house in 2009, the drywall guys burned up a Craftsman wet/dry vac doing the renovations. It was from a garage sale so not sure the life it led. And I don't know why they were using my vacuum.......... Home Depot was having a sale on RIGID wet/dry vacs, but only online so I ordered two. After waiting a month, HD contacted me and asked if I would like to change my order to just ONE vac. They said there was a high demand and would I give up one since I had two coming (supposedly). I said no way! A week later my two vacs showed up on my porch. One is under my workbench on a foot switch, the other is still new in the box up on the garage shelf.

 

[RTM]

'm 99% sure my local Lowes store has had a dog turd in one of the power tool aisles for several months now

You shouldn't talk about Dave that way.

It's probably ok to talk about Ryobi that way.

 

[Beerhippie]

And I acknowledge that I've had an account at my local Ace for 20 years, just because I shop there so often. Speeds my time through the checkout stand, and I enjoy the social interaction with employees that I've come to consider friends. I go there at least weekly in an attempt to "buy local", yet still find myself regularly standing in the store on my phone, ordering something from Amazon that they didn't have in stock.

I still try to buy what I can locally. Unfortunately, the response of the local hardware stores to on-line competition has been to roll over and expose their bellies.

If I have a project requiring more than two of anything, chances are I'll go to three different stores (including ACE) and still come up one short.

There is no such thing as "same day delivery" out here in the boonies--next day is highly doubtful. Ordering stuff is great for planned projects, but that water line that just ruptured in the kitchen needs fixed NOW. I have two 40' Conex full of spares, but I can't stock everything--nor can I foresee every need.

 

[neophyte]

When we purchased the house in 2009, the drywall guys burned up a Craftsman wet/dry vac doing the renovations. It was from a garage sale so not sure the life it led. And I don't know why they were using my vacuum.......... Home Depot was having a sale on RIGID wet/dry vacs, but only online so I ordered two. After waiting a month, HD contacted me and asked if I would like to change my order to just ONE vac. They said there was a high demand and would I give up one since I had two coming (supposedly). I said no way! A week later my two vacs showed up on my porch. One is under my workbench on a foot switch, the other is still new in the box up on the garage shelf.

If you want to keep a shop vac running a long time, buy a HEPA filter, and keep the filter clean, and replace the filter if it looks like it has had too much use and is worn.
The Gore Cleanstream filters don’t say “HEPA” but list a similar filtration rate, so maybe Gore was trying to avoid lawsuits if the vacuums used were built with “leaky” construction.