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I wrote an article
A week or so ago, I wrote an article for the Tehachapi News and Carin wouldn't publish it. So - I'm gonna blog it and you'll soon know why she wouldn't publish it. Ever been in Home Depot and some nice associate is helping you after you've wondered the aisles for half an hour and then, that nice associate just kinda disappears? Or why, virtually no one is available at about 10 minutes prior to any full hour? Well, I found out why this happens. The Tehachapi Home Depot has a policy, explained in detail during new employee "these are the reasons I will fire you" orientation. The policy is that if you clock out (or in) more than 7 minutes after (or before) your start time, your lunch break or your quitting time, you will get a point against you. If you get more than 10 points, they have grounds for termination. The nimrod running the joint thinks this is California state law .... or he tries to convince new employees this is the case. I assure you all, there is no law anywhere that says you have seven minutes to clock out after any four hour working period. The law says that after four hours, an employee requires a break that should be taken within the next, or fifth, working hour. And, of course, all that means nothing if the employer and employee have come to an agreement that goes something like "if I am in the middle of helping a customer, and I reach the end of my four working hour, I will finish helping that customer and then take my break." So, here's the way the Home Depot policy works. If an associate is helping me at let's say 12:00 noon, and his lunch break starts at 12:00, he is required to dessert me and clock out. Sometimes he tries to find someone else to help me, but because this usually takes more than 7 minutes (as we all know), it is better to just leave me - alone - in an aisle of plumbing supplies I know nothing about and once again go in search of help. What most employees actually do in order to avoid leaving a customer mid-sentence, is stop helping customers at around 10 minutes prior to their clock out time. In other words, the manager of Home Depot has forced his employees to only help customers 50 minutes out of any given hour. How dumb is that? 6 comments from 5 users
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posted by
Sparks
on Jan 11, 2008 at 07:34 PM
Carin is a smart lady.... lol I'm glad you posted this blog Lori... I will try to get to homedepot before 10 am for now on... hopefully most employees don't eat lunch till 11ish. Truthfully I have never had a problem with assistance at homedepot, but then I am always there very early in the morning. ... and Lori, don't forget, Jesus loves you.... lmao You crack me up. posted by
ruralvoice
on Jan 11, 2008 at 08:37 PM
Lori, I have never had any such problem at Home Depot, and I doubt that your dissertation on such a presupposed "policy" is accurate. I have been to this store on many occasions at the kinds of time periods you suggest without incident. Where you dreamed this up, or whomever filled your mind with this dribble, should be ashamed. No wonder Carin didn't run it. Just because someone thinks or asserts a "fact" does not make it so--no matter how hard you believe it so. The News was using good judgment (why should they have printed your remarks??).
posted by
TK
on Jan 11, 2008 at 11:17 PM
Walk into Henry's, stand inside the front door for about three seconds and a nice young man will ask if you need help. I have actually used the words "doohickey" and "thingamajig" while describing what I needed and was still able to walk out with the necessary part within 15 minutes. I think they're great.
posted by
Sparks
on Jan 12, 2008 at 06:34 AM
Ahhh, I just LOVE Henry's...I can hang out there for hours.
posted by
robertjohnstonjohnston
on Jan 12, 2008 at 07:13 AM
No wonder Tehachapi news did not print your article, to vague, no supporting documentation, just word of mouth. Lorie you need to get this "these are the reasons I will fire you" orientation in writing or have former employees and current sign a affidavit to make your statement hold some water. Tehachapi News is not going to blindly print your article with no evidence to sustain your point of view. Did you try a letter to the editor section of the paper? As for having an associate help me, so far no problem. Henry's is OK, so if your unhappy with the Big Box stores shop at the smaller mom and pops. posted by
LoriMorales
on Jan 12, 2008 at 12:34 PM
Trust me - my source is impeccable, and the information has been confirmed. And Henry's is terrific - the employees are the best and that is probably because, Henry is a great manager and knows how to motivate people. Now - we all get to shop where we feel most happy. I go to Home Depot all the time. Usually find what I need without help, which is a good thing. My inside friends will help me when I'm really in a jam. But come on you all, we all know that getting questions answered at a big box store is a problem. That's what we don't like about them. We don't shop them for service - we shop them because they have the product, the variety and the better price. Ace Hardware and Pioneer have real customer service problems and they shouldn't because they are more the mom&pop type organizations. "If we have that item, it will be somewhere down that aisle." I mean, who really thinks this is a good answer to "do you have this?" That's what I've gotten at Ace. So - my article was not about customer service problems, per se, it was about company policy and how dumb and self destructive they can be. And, about what passes for management these days. In my opinion, whenever you run into customer service problems with any company you are dealing with - it means there is a problem with management. You don't promote loyalty, initiative and the desire the achieve by listing "what you do wrong." Just the opposite, you find your employees doing something right, and encourage them. Now, I asked the Tehachapi News Editor if she didn't print my article because I didn't use my real name or because I used Home Depot's name. She said, "both." Had I used my real name, and only eluded to the "large home improvement center," the article may have run. She also suggested that I blog the article. So - it isn't like she felt information like this shouldn't be put out there. and yes, she is a very smart cookie.
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