The dumbest or worst advice you're heard from retail clerks.

[JEV]

I didn't want to hijack Al's thread on stuff being in the wrong bins, so here's a thread where you can share your retail nightmares. I'll start with a recent one...

I was in Home Depot this week in Macedonia, Ohio, buying a new hammer drill. Within earshot I hear this conversation going on between the HD clerk and a gopher sent to HD by a remodeling contractor. The gopher was trying to buy "countertop clamps" to join two mitered tops together, and the HD clerk is looking at all the c-clamps and bar clamps and other style clamps in the hardware aisle, trying to find one marked "countertop clamp," and not having any success (duh). I found the hammerdrill I wanted and walked over to these two blind guys (neither knew what was going on, but they were both trying real hard to not look dumb to each other), and asked the gopher if his boss was trying to install two tops in a corner. He said yes, and I directed them back where the countertops were, and told them to look for a bag labeled "Miter Bolts," not "countertop clamps."

FWIW, the contractor either used the wrong name or the gopher forgot what he was told. Regardless, the HD clerk was clueless to the point of not even taking the customer to the kitchen department where the tops and accessories are located so that someone there could help him. I heard the HD clerk telling the gopher to try another store nearby that might carry "countertop clamps," because they were geared more to the contractor and not homeowners. I'm sure the HD store manager would have liked to hear that. Here's what a "countertop clamp" looks like for those who have never installed a mitered top. You won't find it by the clamps in the hardware aisle.

 

[Melensdad]

I have a cousin who works for Home Depot. He doesn't even own a screwdriver. Seriously.

I never ask a clerk at HD for advice. For that I go to the local Sears Hardware store, they hire retired plumbers to work the plumbing section, retired electricians to work electrical, etc. Need an answer, go to stand alone Sears Hardware store.

 

[Big Dog]

Need an answer, go to stand alone Sears Hardware store.

Few and far between ......... !

I get this all the time .........

Check out price $17.36 ......... give the clerk a twenty, two ones, and 36 cents .......... Clerk says "you gave me too much" and gives me the ones back.

BTW ....... Electrical always has the worst clerks!

 

[pirate_girl]

I've had a few instances with know-nothing employees at Menards, Lowe's AND Home Depot.

Then there was an experience from the former being a kid working the register at Christmas time being too distracted with a girl, that he'd forgotten to activate a gift card I'd purchased for my brother in law.

Turns out I hadn't kept the receipt, so basically I was out money and BIL couldn't use it.
They told us it was considered the same as a stolen gift card.

Another note, I am not so sure how these stores train their employees, but a friends 21 y/o daughter got hired into Lowes and was placed in the Home Decor department with very little training other than following an older female employee around for a week, then thrown out on the floor on her own. Needless to say, that job didn't last long.

I trust those older fellas working downtown at the local Ace Hardware store, which has been around forever.

 

[Trakternut]

Those big box stores, like Home Desperate or Lowe(life)s are nothing more than a Walmart that doesn't sell panties and bras.

If you know what you're looking for, you can do well just finding it on your own. If you need help, Lollie's Ace Hardware or a True Value is the place to go.
I've heard the owner of our local True Value spending a lot of time talking with a customer giving him several options of things to buy and how to put them to their intended use. He's even tried to give them the least expensive options, but has advised the customers on the shortfalls of going cheap too.

 

[jimbo]

Our local Food Lion stores seem to hire only people who have been fired from Walmart for stupid. It's almost worth going there for the laughs.

I had a cashier counting radishes since athe register listed the price as .69 each. Didn't know that meant each bunch.

Took different colored bell peppers in the same bag, all at the same price. Clerk had no clue how to scan them.

When short of cash and needing only a few items, took two rolls of quarters to the store. Clerk had no idea what to do with them. Manager told him to treat them as ten dollars cash each. Clerk did, put them in drawer, then, when making change, broke open another roll of quarters from the same drawer.

I've learned to remember the code number on produce since many of the clerks have no clue what any unusual vegetable looks like.

 

[darroll]

I was Christmas shopping last year and bought some DVD’s.
I paid for them and when I walked out the shoplifting alarm went off.
Here came security. I laid the bag on the counter and they said they forgot to deactivate the gizmo and they would take care of it.
I was walking into another music store and the alarm went off when I walked in and again here came security. I walked up and put the bag on the counter and they checked it and said they thought it was a gun in the bag.
I bought some more DVD’s as Christmas presents, paid and left. I won’t tell you what happened when I left. It might rime with same-o.

 

[bczoom]

Mrs. Zoom wanted to replace our tile counter tops with granite tile (12x12").

The people at Home Depot told her to seal both sides of the granite. The backside to keep the adhesive from bleeding through. Well, we installed the tile but it wouldn't stick to the mortar. There's $2500 worth of tile that's now worthless...

 

[darroll]

OUCH,

No wonder they hire Latino's here.

 

[EastTexFrank]

You guys need to check out our local Tractor Supply. 80% of the employees are part timers. They're usually older full time small farmers, ranchers, goat breeders, horse breeders and the like and part time TSC employees for the extra cash. You get advice like, "I wouldn't buy that piece of crap with my money, this is what you need over here" or "I tried that POS 10 years ago. It didn't work worth a darn then and it doesn't work worth a darn now. This is what you want over here". I don't know why the manager keeps them all there but it sure does make shopping entertaining.

 

[Trakternut]

Well, Frank, if I managed that TSC, I would try to hire more of those guys, if I could. At least the customers know that when they advise them against one and show them another, they know what they're talking about. I'm guessing that there's a heckuva regular clientele and possibly new customers being drawn to that particular store.
TSC, like the bigger box stores, sells what Corporate thinks they should sell. That means that the manager stocks stuff he wouldn't buy, himself. If they don't sell these items, maybe the computer will take 'em out of stock in time.
Who knows?

 

[EastTexFrank]

Well, Frank, if I managed that TSC, I would try to hire more of those guys, if I could. At least the customers know that when they advise them against one and show them another, they know what they're talking about. I'm guessing that there's a heckuva regular clientele and possibly new customers being drawn to that particular store.
TSC, like the bigger box stores, sells what Corporate thinks they should sell. That means that the manager stocks stuff he wouldn't buy, himself. If they don't sell these items, maybe the computer will take 'em out of stock in time.
Who knows?

I agree with you but the saga continues because I was in there again today. I had to pop in for some pills and stuff for the dogs. About 10 feet to my right was a lady looking at big bags of dog food. Sheri, one of the assistants, came up and asked if she could help. The lady explained that her dogs seemed to tired of their kibble and she wanted to change their food for a while and she though that she'd try this particular brand. Now this was one of those high dollar, organic, cereal free, designer dog foods that costs about $50 a bag. Sheri's answer was, "I tried my dogs on that once and it made them throw up. Maybe you should try one of the little sacks first and not that 40 pounder and see if they like it". I thought of this thread and started to laugh, I couldn't help it. Both women looked at me as if I was crazy. Glucosamine tablets couldn't possibly be that funny.

I also agree about their buying and stocking policy but it means that occasionally they have some super bargains there. A couple of months ago I bought Milestone herbicide that normally sells at $169.99 for $39.99. There were only 4 bottles on clearance and I bought them all. I should be good for at least the next 5 years or longer. Same thing with Round-Up in 6 ounce bottles at less than half price. It's just perfect for my 2 gallon pump up sprayer. Sometimes you just get lucky.

 

[Smoke King]

The worst advice I ever got?

Circa 1985, in the electronics dept. of a local department store, I was choosing my very first VCR.

"Oh yeah-go with the Beta-in two years no one will remember what VHS even stands for"!!

(btw, always interested in used beta tapes.....)

 

[waybomb]

Mrs. Zoom wanted to replace our tile counter tops with granite tile (12x12").

The people at Home Depot told her to seal both sides of the granite. The backside to keep the adhesive from bleeding through. Well, we installed the tile but it wouldn't stick to the mortar. There's $2500 worth of tile that's now worthless...

Sandblast them.