I went to Harbor Tools yesterday to purchase a tech cart that was on sale.

I go back to where the tool boxes were and sure enough, there it is and the little plastic pack is full of the little pull tickets you take to the counter for them to pull it from inventory for you.

I take the little item ticket and is about to walk up front when the manager said that he would go and get it for me now on the spot.

He returns and says they have none and puts the ticket back into the slot with all the other tickets.

Wait, what? How is a customer supposed to know there is none of that item in stock if the ticket pack is full?

He says its corporate policy to put the tickets back as I look over at another tool box with zero tickets in its pack.

You mean to tell me, that you are putting tickets for out of inventory items in a sale item while non-sale items out of inventory have no tickets? Do you even understand the concept of pick tickets?

He repeated that it's corporate policy, yet doesn't get that there are none, but he is putting the tickets back in the pack on the out of stock item.

He just walked away, angry and confused.

Where do they find these mensches?

Generally, promotion potential is in inverse proportion to their intelligence level. My daughter was an engineer at an acid plant. They had a huge storage tower of an alkali substance in case of, labelled pH. She had the operators scorch the earth around the base before the manager came thru. He asked what the pH stood for. She said powerhouse, that's where we catch and store the lightening. He not only believed it, but bragged about it in a staff meeting.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
He asked what the pH stood for. She said powerhouse, that's where we catch and store the lightening. He not only believed it, but bragged about it in a staff meeting.

He is the reason why shit blows up.

I ran into the same thing a few weeks ago, when I tried to buy one of their workbenches.

A demo workbench was on display, and there was a pocket full of purchase tickets. When I went to check out with one of the tickets, the checkout lady said they didn't have any in stock, and probably wouldn't until October or so. She offered to "pre-sell" me one.

Uh, no thanks.

When I inquired about why there wasn't any indication on the display that they were sold out, she shrugged. When I asked if I could purchase the demo one that was in the store, she said they're not allowed to sell display models.

Remember, the idiots are the ones that make the policies. Not the ones practicing them in hopes of keeping their jobs.

Well-well look. I already told you: I deal with the god damn customers so the engineers don't have to. I have people skills; I am good at dealing with people. Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people?

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
Remember, the idiots are the ones that make the policies. Not the ones practicing them in hopes of keeping their jobs.

this,

big box management is now checklist orientated,

so Bob the Store Manager spends all day checking boxes on a spreadsheet, and chatting to customers, then hands off the spreadsheet to the closing manager etc etc,

DM may not be from that industry, or even ever worked in a store,

corporate geek thought it was a great idea, maybe even tested it in a store near the corporate office , (there is always a perfect store near the corporate office) and it worked perfectly



and I agree with Mars completely


when I was a manager in a grocery store, as a dept manager, then co, then Store Manager, I was taught to run the dept, or the store, as if it were my own,
I had almost complete control, and had complete liability for every thing,

something wrong, my fault, and I had to fix it,

with or with out corporate help,


when I got out of it, I was still completely liable for all compliance, but had very little say in what I had to check daily, or how to fix it,

even if the boss was ripping me a new one, he also new I had little control over some of the stuff he was ripping me over,


it all started downhill when some IT guy created some report on Excel or similar, and then that compounded into 1,000,000 other reports , and the corporate wienies started managing reports and not the business,

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
Well-well look. I already told you: I deal with the god damn customers so the engineers don't have to. I have people skills; I am good at dealing with people. Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people?

I’ll burn the place down.

The "loss leader" ad is meant to get your ass in the store, you grab a ticket for non existent item and pick up a bunch of other crap. Check out person says " sorry, out of stock can we offer you a rain check?" corporate hopes you still buy the other crap you picked up, all part of the plan

what do you do when a major home improvement stores web site shows items in stock but when you physically go to the store the shelf is empty. Example 1 store less than 10 miles from me and computer shows 7 in stock. Wrong. 2nd store 15 miles from home shows 14 instock but shelf was empty. 3rd store less than 10 miles away supposidly has 17 in stock but again none to be had. Multiple store employees had no clue as to how and help the customer. Bad businese practices if you ask me. ........................ drill sgt.

quote:

Originally posted by drill sgt:
what do you do when a major home improvement stores web site shows items in stock but when you physically go to the store the shelf is empty. Example 1 store less than 10 miles from me and computer shows 7 in stock. Wrong. 2nd store 15 miles from home shows 14 instock but shelf was empty. 3rd store less than 10 miles away supposidly has 17 in stock but again none to be had. Multiple store employees had no clue as to how and help the customer. Bad businese practices if you ask me. ........................ drill sgt.

when the store uses a computed based ordering system, and inventory control, but does not invest the time to check the counts on a regular basis, that happens,

I've got a job I need to do that requires a shop press. HF has a 20 ton model that would suit my needs, but it's not in stock. Hasn't been for a month. They can't tell me when they're getting on in, either. I've been calling every week...I think I'm annoying the manager. There's a floor display model (with a big stack of tickets attached to it), but they won't sell me that one...even for full price. It's against "policy." So it sits there in the store to show customers what they can't buy.

I'd buy one somewhere else, but nobody else in town has one, either, and I'm not driving into the city right now.

quote:

what do you do when a major home improvement stores web site shows items in stock but when you physically go to the store the shelf is empty.

I tend to look above the shelves. 90% of the time the items are being stored nearby and haven't been opened and put out yet.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:

quote:

what do you do when a major home improvement stores web site shows items in stock but when you physically go to the store the shelf is empty.

I tend to look above the shelves. 90% of the time the items are being stored nearby and haven't been opened and put out yet.

^^^^^^^
`yes but this is at 3 locations less than 20 miles from each other and don"t think if I phone store that you would find someone
who would be able to help................ drill sgt.