On Saturday July 19, 2025, Atlanta Water System was scrambling to recover from a lightning strike at both our well site and our standpipe. I rushed to Home Hardware in Winnfield to get some small plumbing parts to finish up an already long job. On entering, a woman with blonde hair informed me to hurry, they were closing the store. She did not offer to assist me. A young man in the back finished with a customer and then he came over and helped me gather the parts I needed. Then, he then asked her for the key to unlock the back to ge a piece of pipe. The blonde lady replied, "I'm not unlocking the back, it's after 2:00 o'clock, we're closed." I handed the the gathered parts back to the young man and left. This is the kind of customer service that destroys businesses. Atlanta Water System has nearly 1200 people depending on them for water and your employee did not have 10 minutes to help us keep that water flowing for them. I worked in the retail and wholesale auto parts business for 40 years. It is very similar to your business except in product sold. I would have never thought to treat a customer like that. Atlanta Water System is not a major customer of yours. We don't buy that much, but we have been a customer there for 50 years back when it was Harrell Builders. To me, this has always been the problem when a town loses local ownership of its businesses. Out of town corporations don't give a shit about anything. Anything that is, except the bottom line. Customer service is just a meaningless catch phrase at the bottom of the corporate website. Congratulations on living down to my already very low expectations. Gary Foster Atlanta Water System read more