I checked on-line to see if the Home Depot was open on Christmas Eve. Google verified it was but just below the hours & address were low reviews. Pish-posh I thought, I'd visited this Home Depot multiple times and had satisfactory experiences.
When I got there, I was warned the store would be closing early for the holiday. No problem, I made a b-line to exactly what I needed and checked out.
I go to the aisle with a man wearing the name "Robert" written on his apron.
He barks, "Hurry up, Im ready to go home," as I was putting my card in the card reader. I only had two items--- 8 oz containers of wood stain to finish a project I'd been working on. I knew exactly where it was on the shelf and didn't daly. From the front door to checkout only took about 4 min. "I'd like a drink too." I said realizing the only refrigerator nearby was behind him. "It's 5 o'clock" he said. An excellent customer service rep would have turned around and retrieved the drink for me but instead I had to go all the way around the display and open a little gate to get to it. This process took 25 sec. Robert could have done it all in 8.
"Just give it here," Robert barked.
I was stunned. I couldn't believe how hostile he was behaving unprovoked.
"You know," I said, "This process would have gone more smoothly and quickly if you were more mannerly."
Robert scoffs back, "Mannerly? You mean polite."
I let him know that they are synonyms of each other.
"I dont think so," Robert states matter-of-factly.
As I stood there in disbelief at how I was being treated I realized this must be an example of the "MassHole" I'd be forewarned about. This is a term I'd only recently been introfuced to by New England natives but I had never experienced one before hand. Robert was my exemplifed the term for me. You'll know one when you see one.
I tell Robert that Im a Stanford graduate student and that I'm pretty competent with words (although anyone with a 6th grade education should probably recognize that mannerly and polite share the same diffinition).
"Whoahoho, Standford graduate school," Robert mocks me with a scrutched up face and higher pitched voice.
By this time someone with a friendlier disposition came over to spread the pleasantness expected of a customer service representative on Christmas Eve. He also let Robert know that he was on the wrong screen and that's why my card wasn't taking. So Robert is both rude and incompetent at his Home Dept job.
On top of all of this, Robert refused to give me my military discount. When I returned to my car it was 5:01pm. I gave the manager on duty a call to inform him of his grinch of an employee. There are plenty of people who work on Christmas Eve. Some, due to their "service before self" values do not get to male it home for the holidays. The manager did apologize without excuse and vowed to talk to him.
I'll be back to be reimbursed for the discount I earned but didn't receive and will remind the manager of how I was treated just in case he didnt get a chance to correct the situation. It was really unncessissary, over-the-top hateful interaction. I'll probably be traveling to tax-free new hampshire from now on when I need wood stain. Anywhere but this home depot with Robert. read more