# Hey, TomC



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Remember when I said I didn't like Home Depot and shopped only at Lowes? Well, that changed today.

I was so aggravated, wandered all over where the PT wood was looking for battens. You know what those are right? I couldn't find them so I went to the contractor's counter and stood there waiting. Someone was on a computer ignoring everyone. Another was doing something for two people that went on and on. It involved the computer and the customer showing the phone to the counter person.

OK, that's enough go find someone. The only someone I found was loading lumber but I asked him anyway. I said, I need pressure treated battens. He looks at me like I'm speaking a foreign language so I described them to him. He pointed off to the trim aisle and then said they're over there but they're not pressure treated.

Wouldn't the first clue be if I asked for pressure treated they needed to be pressure treated?

So, I dropped the couple of things in my hands. I wasn't going to wander around and put them back I was so angry. Throwing them was the first thought so leaving them laying down was the only other option.

I then headed for HD. Found the battens and several other things. One being a 20" wide wire shelf that Lowes didn't have.


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## TomC (Apr 9, 2020)

Oh, I feel your pain. When Lowes and Home Depot first opened in this area, 25 or so years ago, they had people running all over trying to help you find things and making suggestions. They even hired people who knew what they were doing, older plumbers in the plumbing area for example. Unfortunately, at least in Columbia, MO, just about everyone is a college student now days. When you try to explain what your looking for, or what your trying to do, they just look at you with a blank stare in their face. Most of them wouldn't know a 2x4, even if you smacked them in the head with it.

The contractor's desk... I gave up on them a long time ago. Unless your own of their buddy contractors, that comes in every morning and shoots the bull with them, they act like your a leper and it would pain them greatly to have to answer your menial question (This is a family forum, and I am REALLY holding back my real thoughts).

That's another reason I tend to go to Menards. Each department, electrical, plumbing, hardware, etc, has a desk, and there is always at least one person assigned to that desk who works THAT area. They may be an isle or two over helping someone or stocking shelves, but they are never far from the desk. I also like the way they do their lumber. All of their lumber, except 1x's and trim, is out back in a separate "Drive Through" barn. You go to the lumber desk and tell them what you want, them checkout and pay for it, then drive around back and pull the truck right up to the stack of lumber you need and load it. There is a security gate that you have to drive through to check into and out of the yard area, but it usually only takes them about 30 seconds to check you through. It's a heck of allot easier than trying to weave a cart full of 14 or 16 foot boards through a store.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Yep, to all of that except most of the people I've dealt with at Lowe's are mostly retired from one thing or another. Although now that you mention it I have seen a lack of knowledge when I have to ask for something. Or one of them suggests something then it's me standing there looking at them like they're stupid. 

I do have a place that's setup more like you describe Menards the problem is they don't carry a lot of what I'm usually looking for. Like I can bet you they don't carry battens. And I'm not going to rip down a bunch of 2X4's to make them. It's been so long since I used the circular saw it would take me years to make enough of them.


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## TomC (Apr 9, 2020)

I have done that too, it's usually when I realize that, by their suggestion, they have no worldly idea what I'm talking about.

The closest thing to battens they have at most places around here are what they call firring strips. They are little more that scrap, most useful for kindling. Luckily, I have a table saw, it's not one of those big fancy ones, but I can rip a 2x4 into battens in just a couple of minutes. I'm sure that if I went into Lowes or HD here and asked for battens, I would get some pretty strange looks. I get strange looks anyway though.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

No table saw here. Hubs was able to talk me out of ever using one without having someone nearby. Of course I could buy a set of chaps but I'll just use the battens.

And you're right, they are more like scrap but surprisingly enough hold up very well when trimming out over newly installed screen.


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## BantyChickMom (Aug 24, 2019)

We have a Builders Discount Center here, drive thru, they will load if you prefer, pay, check your ticket when driving out of building. Much easier than Lowes or HD and cheaper too.


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## Slippy (May 14, 2020)

The demise of the Local Independently Owned Lumber/Building Materials and Hardware Stores is very sad and not a good thing for this once great Republic. In 10 years I suspect that we may only have a few independently owned LBM&H stores in each state.

And that's all I have to say about that...


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

The one they have here that's a bit more like Menards was sold to a larger conglomerate a few years ago.


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