Solution for Home Depot Stuff On Upper Rack

[Garcky]

We've all been there. You go in to buy a bathroom medicine cabinet. You look on the shelves in the aisle where the HD website says the thing is. Empty space. So, you look up for that item with that model number. Yup, there is a stack of them up there. So, you look around for an HD person to get it for you. They've all disappeared. What to do?

Here's the answer: Find one of those rolling ladder platforms. There will be one nearby, usually. No HD employees, but the rolling ladder thing will be there. Start pushing that ladder toward the aisle where the thing you want is. I guarantee that some HD person will show up almost instantly to keep you from pushing that ladder over there and climbing up it to retrieve the product you want to buy.

Problem solved.

 

[Big Bad Dad]

Yep. I used one of them rolling ladders at Lowes once. Little lady employee promptly showed up and chewed my *** for doing it. LOL

 

[LXCam]

Yep, works like a charm every time.

 

[GeoBruin]

My local Home Depot employees must be really checked out. I've made it up the ladder and down with my merchandise many times.

 

[Garcky]

My local Home Depot employees must be really checked out. I've made it up the ladder and down with my merchandise many times.

Well, if that happens, you can climb up and get it yourself, so the problem is still solved.

 

[ThatSickRip]

Yep. I used one of them rolling ladders at Lowes once. Little lady employee promptly showed up and chewed my *** for doing it. LOL

But hey, after that you can walk out of the store without paying

 

[GeoBruin]

Well, if that happens, you can climb up and get it yourself, so the problem is still solved.

Oh absolutely. This is my preferred approach. One of my favorite things about home depot is the amazing self checkout. It means that for most things, I don't need to talk to a single person.

 

[beemerphile]

But hey, after that you can walk out of the store without paying

The only thing you can't steal at HD is the rolling stairs - and maybe the forklift. The Safety Guy must outrank the Loss Control Guy.

 

[strutaeng]

I'm going to try this at Lowe's... problem is there's usually no employees there when I need them...

 

[imagineer]

At the local Lowes, their tactic for keeping the general public off the rolling ladders is to lock & chain the ladder to the rack upright, having the chain also span between the handrails of the ladder. The one time I needed an associate to retrieve an item from an upper shelf (a Shop-vac nozzle), the person was unable to find the key for the lock.

 

[JRC3]

But hey, after that you can walk out of the store without paying

Hey, I aint gonna ring it up myself, I don't work there..

 

[PCustoms]

My local Home Depot employees must be really checked out. I've made it up the ladder and down with my merchandise many times.

Around here that's the norm.

Turns out starting the forklift to pull down fuel oil tanks catches their attention....

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I've used the employee ladder to grab stuff before. An employee actually walked by, side-eyed me, and kept walking.

I must be one mean lookin' dude in person.

 

[GeoBruin]

I've used the employee ladder to grab stuff before. An employee actually walked by, side-eyed me, and kept walking.

I must be one mean lookin' dude in person.

They'd probably rather you use the ladder than free solo the pallet racking.

 

[M6erfan]

I do it all the time, one can barely find an associate to help anyway.

 

[Al Borland]

More fun to go get the stuff "King Kong" style. Start climbing the racks. They FREAK OUT!!!

 

[nadogail]

I have been known to call the store from inside and tell the operator "there is a Handicapped and Disabled Veteran in Aisle (fill in the blank) looking for assistance". If help does not rapidly appear, I call again and ask to speak with the Store Manager.

 

[ike]

i was at Lowes about a year or so ago and saw a really little kid, maybe 2 years old standing on top of one of those. a Lowes employee ran up and grabbed the kid as the oblivious parent staggered about. it really was shocking to see, as i was expecting the kid to go over the edge.

 

[PCustoms]

Darwinism avoided again....

 

[oldmachinenut]

I have climbed up the racks when I was younger to get things off the upper shelves.

 

[superspec]

If your company told are there to assist me and you aren’t you can bet your *** I’ll use them to get what I need and get gone. Funny thing is I can pull a card showing I’m trained for anything they have on site.

 

[KnurledNut]

Rolling ladders are for rookies.
Much prefer the electric man lifts.
Gives a birds eye view.
Disregard the fall protection harness. Its just for employees.

 

[JRC3]

Best part is when they close aisles on both sides...And then forget as people are waiting.



It's happening, folks. If you don't see it...

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Or just ask someone to get it for you. If they refuse, I'll go somewhere else to buy.

 

[AJHD]

The only thing you can't steal at HD is the rolling stairs - and maybe the forklift. The Safety Guy must outrank the Loss Control Guy.

Not exactly, but safety is huge at HD and it's the responsibility of every employee. Whereas loss prevention is usually up to only one actual LP associate per store who is authorized to stop theft and confront potential theft. Non-LP employees can be fired for any action related to theft.

Back on safety, you would be surprised how many people are seriously injured at Depot every year. My store was lucky to hit 100 days without an OSHA reportable injury. Sadly every year at least 1 person dies while working at Depot. I busted my *** at that job, but few jobs are worth dying for and Depot isn't one of them.

As for the ladder comments, that's not far from the truth. Can't tell you how many times I stopped people using the ladders. I stopped some morons one day from pulling down a ******* water heater from an upper shelf on a ladder. To make matters worse, there were units available on the floor.

If I caught you climbing the shelves or messing with the equipment, I would ask you to leave the store. I had so many customers open the gates right in front of me and walk under the equipment while in use. I'm not getting fired or sued for your stupidity.

Speaking of which, I have never met more rude, entitled, impatient, ignorant and overall ******* customers than when I worked at Home Depot. The contractors were mostly great to deal with, but the DIY crowd was a nightmare.

 

[quickfarms]

If I go into Home Depot in my work clothes I just walk over to the nearest forklift and ask the person if they are using the lift and usually they say no you can use it and I just get the pallet down and take my item off of the pallet

 

[MushCreek]

I can tell you how to find the ladder. It's parked in front of whatever it is I came to the store to get.

 

[Jim C.]

I’ve had good luck just going to the service desk and asking for help. They get on the walkie-talkie and direct an employee to the aisle with a ladder. It works every time.

Jim C.

 

[beemerphile]

I’ve had good luck just going to the service desk and asking for help. They get on the walkie-talkie and direct an employee to the aisle with a ladder. It works every time eventually.

Jim C.

Fixed it for you.

 

[Jim C.]

No, I think I got it right the first time. It’s not necessarily at lightening speed, but it works every time.

Jim C.

 

[welder4956]

I have been known to call the store from inside and tell the operator "there is a Handicapped and Disabled Veteran in Aisle (fill in the blank) looking for assistance". If help does not rapidly appear, I call again and ask to speak with the Store Manager.

LOL - I did this at Lowes recently to get someone to show up in the paint department after paging did not work.

 

[beemerphile]

Back on safety, you would be surprised how many people are seriously injured at Depot every year. My store was lucky to hit 100 days without an OSHA reportable injury. Sadly every year at least 1 person dies while working at Depot.

That is a horrible safety record. Lucky is not how you break safety records. I used to tell managers that "...you are perfectly configured to get the results you are getting." There may be lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth, but somebody on top is either satisfied with those results or incapable of improving them.

 

[Mark_17]

Not exactly, but safety is huge at HD and it's the responsibility of every employee. Whereas loss prevention is usually up to only one actual LP associate per store who is authorized to stop theft and confront potential theft. Non-LP employees can be fired for any action related to theft.

Back on safety, you would be surprised how many people are seriously injured at Depot every year. My store was lucky to hit 100 days without an OSHA reportable injury. Sadly every year at least 1 person dies while working at Depot. I busted my *** at that job, but few jobs are worth dying for and Depot isn't one of them.

As for the ladder comments, that's not far from the truth. Can't tell you how many times I stopped people using the ladders. I stopped some morons one day from pulling down a ******* water heater from an upper shelf on a ladder. To make matters worse, there were units available on the floor.

If I caught you climbing the shelves or messing with the equipment, I would ask you to leave the store. I had so many customers open the gates right in front of me and walk under the equipment while in use. I'm not getting fired or sued for your stupidity.

Speaking of which, I have never met more rude, entitled, impatient, ignorant and overall ******* customers than when I worked at Home Depot. The contractors were mostly great to deal with, but the DIY crowd was a nightmare.

I also did my time working at HD. I agree that the DIY crowd was a nightmare.

A lot of the people in this thread sound like nightmare customers with no understanding of how a store is run.

 

[JRC3]

I also did my time working at HD. I agree that the DIY crowd was a nightmare.

A lot of the people in this thread sound like nightmare customers with no understanding of how a store is run.

What year was this? I bet I've been in HD and Lowes almost 1000 times over the past 25 years...The past 2 years and things are completely different.

 

[Garcky]

I also did my time working at HD. I agree that the DIY crowd was a nightmare.

A lot of the people in this thread sound like nightmare customers with no understanding of how a store is run.

Really? Not really. The real problem was that the bin for that item on that aisle was empty, despite there being stock for that bin overhead. One other note: The employee who climbed up to get the medicine cabinet for me did not bother to bring a couple more down to restock the bin. Go figure.

I did not climb the rolling stairs. I did not intend to climb them. My intention was to finally get the attention of someone to go up there and get the product, which was there, but not in the bin. That's what a properly run HD store would have done - keep the bin stocked. After getting the product, I thanked the employee for getting it and went to the checkout.

 

[AJHD]

What year was this? I bet I've been in HD and Lowes almost 1000 times over the past 25 years...The past 2 years and things are completely different.

I was working at Depot 2019-2020 and came back again 2021-2022. I was working there before, during and "after" Covid.

Like everything else, the environment definitely changed, and by that I mean it got worse.

Let me tell you, Covid restrictions pissed people off like I've never seen. I was getting yelled at and called all kind of names my entire shift at one point during those restrictions.

My store even had to hire a security guard after multiple negative customer interactions. Not that their presence changed anything.

It was a miserable experience working an "essential" and customer service oriented job. My store was and still is the busiest in the district.

But overall people have just become more impatient, more entitled, more ignorant and more willing to treat you like absolute ****, over the last nearly 3 years now. Almost 2023 now and I don't think it's improved much, if at all.

 

[AJHD]

Really? Not really. The real problem was that the bin for that item on that aisle was empty, despite there being stock for that bin overhead. One other note: The employee who climbed up to get the medicine cabinet for me did not bother to bring a couple more down to restock the bin. Go figure.

I did not climb the rolling stairs. I did not intend to climb them. My intention was to finally get the attention of someone to go up there and get the product, which was there, but not in the bin. That's what a properly run HD store would have done - keep the bin stocked. After getting the product, I thanked the employee for getting it and went to the checkout.

You're not wrong, but it's also not anywhere near that simple.

Yes, that employee should have filled the empty home after helping you get something down from the overhead.

But depending on store size, inventory, and how busy the store is, it's literally impossible to keep every home for every product stocked at all times. There just is not enough time in the day/night, too many customers and not enough employees.

I was part of what we called the "pack down" team for several months. All we literally did was move through the store every day, every shift, and pull product from the overhead and fill the homes below.

Every store may be a bit different, but we also had an overnight freight crew at my store. Part of that crew also does pack down over night, and the rest of the crew unloads the truck, fills any empty homes and puts the excess inventory up top. In addition, Depot has what they call the MET Team, and part of their responsibility is also pack down.

It's also the responsibility of every employee to fill empty homes during their shift in-between helping customers and other daily duties in their department.

The department supervisor and another employee will also frequently do 1-2 weeks of additional overnight pack down in their department. I did that once, over 160 combined man hours and 7 aisles and it didn't change anything. Product left the shelf before it could be restocked.

Despite all that and more, there are routinely hundreds of empty homes (but not out of stock) every day through out a store. It's a never ending cycle.

 

[Garcky]

You're not wrong, but it's also not anywhere near that simple.

Yes, that employee should have filled the empty home after helping you get something down from the overhead.

But depending on store size, inventory, and how busy the store is, it's literally impossible to keep every home for every product stocked at all times. There just is not enough time in the day/night, too many customers and not enough employees.

I was part of what we called the "pack down" team for several months. All we literally did was move through the store every day, every shift, and pull product from the overhead and fill the homes below.

Every store may be a bit different, but we also had an overnight freight crew at my store. Part of that crew also does pack down over night, and the rest of the crew unloads the truck, fills any empty homes and puts the excess inventory up top. In addition, Depot has what they call the MET Team, and part of their responsibility is also pack down.

It's also the responsibility of every employee to fill empty homes during their shift in-between helping customers and other daily duties in their department.

The department supervisor and another employee will also frequently do 1-2 weeks of additional overnight pack down in their department. I did that once, over 160 combined man hours and 7 aisles and it didn't change anything. Product left the shelf before it could be restocked.

Despite all that and more, there are routinely hundreds of empty homes (but not out of stock) every day through out a store. It's a never ending cycle.

I understand the problem, but that doesn't change the fact that stuff is not there for customers to buy. It would be interesting to know how many people come into the store to pick up a product and then leave without buying anything, simply because the product was not in its "home" as you put it.

Bottom line is that HD and other such stores exist to sell stuff to their customers. Making that stuff available to customers in a self-service retail environment should be Job 1. It is not, though. Unfortunately, there is often not someone on the floor available to assist a customer who finds an empty space where a product should be. So, a sale is lost.

Frankly, that's one reason I buy at HD, Lowe's, and other big box retailers only as a last resort. I shop online most of the time. If I decide I need something right now, I look up its availability on the specific website, with a particular store selected. I appreciate that the website has the information for aisle and bin, but don't appreciate when I see that there is stock online, but do not find it when I go to the store. Yes, it's probably up there, but I can't get to it. If there's nobody in the vicinity who can, I'm out of there, real-quick-like.

And I'm not alone in feeling that way. Every customer who walks out of the store empty-handed is a lost opportunity. I've done that more times than I can count. That's why I shop online, unless I have an urgent need for something.

Brick and mortar retail fails to satisfy far too often. There is a reason for that.

 

[GreenIron]

Here's my solution.





I order what I need on-line or on the phone App.
If it's on the upper rack, they retrieve it.
If not in stock, they'll order it in.
I receive a message when the items are ready for pick up.
I drive to the store and park in a reserved sport for on-line order customers.
Through the App, I let the store know which spot I'm parked in.
They bring it out to my vehicle.

 

[nafterclifen]

I do almost all of my pre-shopping online. I check price, availability, etc on websites from the comfort of my own home before I even think of going to the store. Depending on the item, I might buy online and pickup in store but certain things I want to pick out myself. Most of the time, it works out. My expectations of product availability and location are pretty low so I'm only slightly annoyed if I don't find something that should be there. It usually doesn't ruin my day or mood.