Home Depot does Jekyll and Hyde
There are three Home Depot stores within about 5 miles of where we live. Two are on Manhattan, and the other is in Long Island City, which is not a city, but a neighbourhood in the borough of Queens. (Confused yet?) The Home Depots on Manhattan are more 'do-it-for-me' places, rather than 'do-it-yourself', and hence don't have anything as basic as lumber. As I'm planning to build much of our furniture, I needed some lumber. Nothing fancy, just some plywood and 2'x2's. So off I trek to Long Island City. This is the first time I've headed to a different borough solo.
After a couple of successful subway transfers, I get off at what I believe is the correct stop. Of course it isn't. I wander around lost for a bit, not really knowing where I am, what kind of neighbourhood I'm in, or even where on my map I am! (The streets were confusing where I chose to get off the subway.) Amazingly, the subway agent guy was helpful! (This is unusual in NYC, as I'm finding out.) He not only told me this wasn't the Home Depot stop, but he also told me where the closest subway stop was, and which subway line I needed to be on! Hurray!
I get off at the correct stop, wander into a drug store to ask for directions and the friendly people there help me out! It feels suburban here in Queens, at least at this subway stop. The streets are quiet, like everyone's gone to work or school (in Manhattan, most likely) and people are slower and friendlier. Phew!
The Home Depot is easy to find from the directions, and I head straight for the lumber area. I've taken the time to draw out the sheets of plywood and what sizes I'd like them cut up into, to minimize the number of sheets I need. Still, I'll end up getting 9 sheets of plywood and a sheet of melamine-covered particle board (each 4 ft x 8 ft). It isn't like I can lift a sheet of plywood by myself, so I search for someone to help me out. Lumber Guy 1 (LG1) agrees reluctantly to help me, but first I need to get a lumber cart. He can't tell me where to find one though. Hmph. So I wander the store for a few minutes until I find the right type of cart, and find LG1 again. He starts pulling off sheets of plywood and putting them in the cart, and seems incredulous that I want all these sheets cut!
We wheel the cart over the the lumber cutting area, where Lumber Guy 2 (LG2) is stationed, cutting lumber. (Imagine that.) He finishes up the cuts he was doing for another customer, and turns to me. I tell him I want all these cut up, and start to show him my diagrams. LG2 mutters something about needing lunch, and how he's been here since 6 am and how it's ridiculous I want all 9 of these sheets cut. He gets LG1 to do the job. LG1 says he hasn't had lunch either and the two of them wander off, still mumbling about how ridiculous I want all these sheets cut. Umm.... isn't cutting lumber their job? What difference does it make that they'd have to cut 9 sheets for me, instead of 9 sheets for 9 different people?!
I finally find another person, Lumber Guy 3 (his name is actually Barker). He's obviously a new employee, and although older (60-ish years old) he patiently cuts all my pieces for me. He's not the most experienced, and isn't too careful about the sizing, so my pieces are not quite the exact sizes I wanted, but they'll do. (I think.) It takes about 2 hrs to do all these sheets, and I let other customers in who have only one or two cuts to be made.
Aside: While getting these pieces cut, a stranger comes up to me and asks if I need delivery. I say ''maybe" and he hands me his card and tells me to call him when I'm finished. I inform him of my lack of cellphone status, and he says he'll come back later. I don't expect to see him again, but he shows up just as my last cut is completed, and offers to help push the carts (I've got 2 carts of random pieces of plywood now) to the check out line. He says he'll deliver the pieces for $80, which is significantly cheaper than what Home Depot quoted me, so I agree. His buddy is also around and helping with the carts. He says he'll bring the pieces up to my apartment. I agree to that too. (I thought "delivery" meant "to my door", but apparently not for these guys. Whatever.) So I find myself riding home with two strange men who speak almost no English. I would never do that anywhere else, but it just seems like this is how things are done here!
I end up not getting the 2'x2's from the Long Island City Home Depot, because the lumber guys are surly and annoying and I've had enough.
A few days later, I venture to the 23rd St. Home Depot on Manhattan. They don't have lumber, as I said earlier, but they do sell paint. I'm asked by three different employees if I need help with anything before I even get to the paint department. The first employee even helps me find a shopping cart! The woman, Jocelyn, at the paint center is new, but is competent and conversational. We discuss my choice of colours, and she's just as excited about them as I am! She informs me that one of my colours is what she's planning to do with her room, and says that sponging on a gold or silver over top would be quite pretty. I agree, but that's too much work for me! We joke around some more while she processes my order, and offers cheaper solutions for primers. While my paint is being mixed, I pick up a few hardware items, and again, staff is helpful and friendly and knowledgeable! Finally, a place in this crazy city has employees who work! What a concept!
I pick up my paints, try out the special escalator for shopping carts, and manage not to lose anything from my cart! It's overflowing (my cart) so I head to the 'home delivery' checkout area. There's no line up! What? For a city known for its go-go-go attitude, there are line ups everywhere! That's because hard work and efficiency aren't part of the job description. So I'm shocked. TWO employees help me check out and get the forms processed to have my stuff delivered. They're friendly and efficient. Wow!
As with most large stores I've been to here, there's a door guard who inspects your bags, or at least looks at your receipt before you're allowed to leave the store. The guard at this Home Depot laughs and jokes when I hand him my receipt, "You paid all this money for a piece of paper? You must be rich!" He gives me a pat on the shoulder and laughs again. For the first time, I leave a shopping experience with a smile on my face!
After a couple of successful subway transfers, I get off at what I believe is the correct stop. Of course it isn't. I wander around lost for a bit, not really knowing where I am, what kind of neighbourhood I'm in, or even where on my map I am! (The streets were confusing where I chose to get off the subway.) Amazingly, the subway agent guy was helpful! (This is unusual in NYC, as I'm finding out.) He not only told me this wasn't the Home Depot stop, but he also told me where the closest subway stop was, and which subway line I needed to be on! Hurray!
I get off at the correct stop, wander into a drug store to ask for directions and the friendly people there help me out! It feels suburban here in Queens, at least at this subway stop. The streets are quiet, like everyone's gone to work or school (in Manhattan, most likely) and people are slower and friendlier. Phew!
The Home Depot is easy to find from the directions, and I head straight for the lumber area. I've taken the time to draw out the sheets of plywood and what sizes I'd like them cut up into, to minimize the number of sheets I need. Still, I'll end up getting 9 sheets of plywood and a sheet of melamine-covered particle board (each 4 ft x 8 ft). It isn't like I can lift a sheet of plywood by myself, so I search for someone to help me out. Lumber Guy 1 (LG1) agrees reluctantly to help me, but first I need to get a lumber cart. He can't tell me where to find one though. Hmph. So I wander the store for a few minutes until I find the right type of cart, and find LG1 again. He starts pulling off sheets of plywood and putting them in the cart, and seems incredulous that I want all these sheets cut!
We wheel the cart over the the lumber cutting area, where Lumber Guy 2 (LG2) is stationed, cutting lumber. (Imagine that.) He finishes up the cuts he was doing for another customer, and turns to me. I tell him I want all these cut up, and start to show him my diagrams. LG2 mutters something about needing lunch, and how he's been here since 6 am and how it's ridiculous I want all 9 of these sheets cut. He gets LG1 to do the job. LG1 says he hasn't had lunch either and the two of them wander off, still mumbling about how ridiculous I want all these sheets cut. Umm.... isn't cutting lumber their job? What difference does it make that they'd have to cut 9 sheets for me, instead of 9 sheets for 9 different people?!
I finally find another person, Lumber Guy 3 (his name is actually Barker). He's obviously a new employee, and although older (60-ish years old) he patiently cuts all my pieces for me. He's not the most experienced, and isn't too careful about the sizing, so my pieces are not quite the exact sizes I wanted, but they'll do. (I think.) It takes about 2 hrs to do all these sheets, and I let other customers in who have only one or two cuts to be made.
Aside: While getting these pieces cut, a stranger comes up to me and asks if I need delivery. I say ''maybe" and he hands me his card and tells me to call him when I'm finished. I inform him of my lack of cellphone status, and he says he'll come back later. I don't expect to see him again, but he shows up just as my last cut is completed, and offers to help push the carts (I've got 2 carts of random pieces of plywood now) to the check out line. He says he'll deliver the pieces for $80, which is significantly cheaper than what Home Depot quoted me, so I agree. His buddy is also around and helping with the carts. He says he'll bring the pieces up to my apartment. I agree to that too. (I thought "delivery" meant "to my door", but apparently not for these guys. Whatever.) So I find myself riding home with two strange men who speak almost no English. I would never do that anywhere else, but it just seems like this is how things are done here!
I end up not getting the 2'x2's from the Long Island City Home Depot, because the lumber guys are surly and annoying and I've had enough.
A few days later, I venture to the 23rd St. Home Depot on Manhattan. They don't have lumber, as I said earlier, but they do sell paint. I'm asked by three different employees if I need help with anything before I even get to the paint department. The first employee even helps me find a shopping cart! The woman, Jocelyn, at the paint center is new, but is competent and conversational. We discuss my choice of colours, and she's just as excited about them as I am! She informs me that one of my colours is what she's planning to do with her room, and says that sponging on a gold or silver over top would be quite pretty. I agree, but that's too much work for me! We joke around some more while she processes my order, and offers cheaper solutions for primers. While my paint is being mixed, I pick up a few hardware items, and again, staff is helpful and friendly and knowledgeable! Finally, a place in this crazy city has employees who work! What a concept!
I pick up my paints, try out the special escalator for shopping carts, and manage not to lose anything from my cart! It's overflowing (my cart) so I head to the 'home delivery' checkout area. There's no line up! What? For a city known for its go-go-go attitude, there are line ups everywhere! That's because hard work and efficiency aren't part of the job description. So I'm shocked. TWO employees help me check out and get the forms processed to have my stuff delivered. They're friendly and efficient. Wow!
As with most large stores I've been to here, there's a door guard who inspects your bags, or at least looks at your receipt before you're allowed to leave the store. The guard at this Home Depot laughs and jokes when I hand him my receipt, "You paid all this money for a piece of paper? You must be rich!" He gives me a pat on the shoulder and laughs again. For the first time, I leave a shopping experience with a smile on my face!
posted by blumaroo at
11:02 AM
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