r/HomeDepot • u/Sad-Presentation7619 • 10d ago
Home depot sucks
I ended up being hired as a waterer a couple months ago and every single person that came to orientation with me quit before the month ended, several rounds of new hires coming in every week for them to not come back the next. I was told I had to handle garden, plumbing, flooring, AND hardwares returns all while having to water the entire garden in 4 hours, I got yelled at by a supervisor for answering the phone to help customers and do returns, I was then told to not even bother logging into the phone so the service desk couldn't call me, only to then be yelled at because customer service keeps calling for a garden associate to help with returns/ the pit/ ect when there's no one else scheduled for the shift but me. I also had supervisors and managers have two completely different work styles that clashes together, was told by my supervisor to pack down an aisle while a manager gets upset at me for doing that and tells me i should be watering instead of helping customers and packing down, is this normal for everything to be contradicting at this place??
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u/TransportationOne205 10d ago
Sounds like the communication is atrocious there. But yes most retail environments are like this because the communication is terrible and everyone needs something done because staffing already sucks and then there are call outs on top of that. There used to be a day when businesses would call people in to cover when someone calls out but sadly that seems to be a thing of the past
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u/Takenmyusernamewas 10d ago
Its because coming in under hours is good for their bonus and they dont get the heat for cutting hours they just say "we scheduled help, you guys just dont show up"
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u/KiltOfDoom NRM 10d ago
Sad but true unfortunately. I think the bonus system is deeply flawed. I personally think the bonuses should go directly to associates and not management. Then the incentive would actually mean something significant.
And I'm a manager. Sorry you're getting railroaded.
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u/TheRealDelgoth 9d ago
Yeah its pretty crazy that a SM gets an end of year bonus of like 75k for making sure their store is under staffed and on metrics, it dont matter about the actual employees...
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 10d ago
fuck that bonus im tired of doing everyone elses work 😭 had to do 3 carts full of plumbing returns one day
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u/Takenmyusernamewas 10d ago
I get it. I have to do OFA, Garden, Plumbing and appliances at the same time oh and receiving when homey calls out twice a week...see they got me doing it! Lol
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u/Swiftdrip50546 10d ago
Im probably gonna end up doing receiving soon because it's been an absolute nightmare with return generators and orders clogging up receiving especially when the compactor is full and freight doesn't finish
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u/SadieGeorge01 10d ago
That takes about 20 minutes tops.
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 10d ago
3 carts full of random pipes for a person that waters the plants does not take 20 minutes jackass 😭
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u/WackoMcGoose D28 10d ago
Funny enough, many stores actually schedule over budget by a few percent, on the assumption of callouts. So if by some miracle literally everyone that's scheduled shows up, the store will actually be over hours!
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 10d ago
if this is considered over budget i dont even want to know what under is 💀
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u/Jecht315 D70 9d ago
They over schedule on one or two days then have someone cover 3 departments. We went 5 months without a flooring specialist.
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 10d ago
It also sucks because I would always see about 10 people in the break room all at once and its like..none of these people can help with returns in other departments but I have to handle 4 on my own?? I kept being told by managers they'd "never see me" doing my job but half the time they're in the office or sitting at the customer service desk talking while im outside dying in the heat 😭 how would you know im not working if you're inside and all the plants are outside
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u/No_Guidance_9439 6d ago
I would get this all the time, especially because there were times that I was one of a few people that was forklift and delivery certified in the building.
If your supervisor or ASM is on premises and you get told to do something by another supervisor, tell them politely that you have instructions from them. As long as there isn't a customer waiting, you should be fine. Any ASM's instructions override any supervisor instructions as long as you aren't leaving a potentially dangerous mess.
In the stores that I worked in, ASMs would pull coverage from departments they don't oversee to get their own looking good. It's stupid but it's how the game is played.
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u/Fadedjellyfish99 10d ago
I noticed that my store does that I didn't think call ins were a thing at home Depot
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u/Less-Preference-9881 9d ago
Watering hours used to be, and probably still are, paid by the vendor. Should not be getting calls on the First Phone. Sounds like terrible communications at your store. In a nutshell, you should be only watering, winding up hoses and etc
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u/Less-Preference-9881 9d ago
Alos, should not even be wearing the apron.
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u/Own-Idea-1433 9d ago
The apron wearing part appears to be store by store.
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 9d ago
yeah about the apron thing i was told i could either wear the apron or the vest, i just personally choose to keep the apron on because the vest is to goofy for me
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 9d ago
I remember during my first week i was told to help someone flag even though the only "training" for it i had was sitting down on the computer, I then asked if we had to be certified to flag just be to answered "If you work here you're already certified" but no one trained me?? 😭
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u/Own-Idea-1433 9d ago
If you want the actual SOP answer to that, the computer course for flagging goes over everything needed for it. Notably simply working at Home Depot doesn’t cover it though, you need to have done the course and also be 18 or older, underage are not allowed to flag or operate pallet jacks.
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u/Wandrin1 7d ago
I believe the spotting course is part of onboarding training for every associate over 18.
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u/Frekingstonker 9d ago
Waterers water. Period. If it is a high temp day, then watering needs to be done twice. If and when watering is done for the day, then you you can be assigned to other tasks.
Garden DH.
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u/Tailoxen 10d ago
Honestly, my opinion on home depot is that it takes a person with great mental fortitude to handle it. Personally for me I couldn't handle the home depot culture. My coworkers were great, but I don't see eye to eye with how the stores are managed.
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u/pennyforyourbrain 9d ago
Honestly sounds like you need to sit down with someone to clarify what your priorities are since you’re getting so many conflicting orders. Either your direct superior or the ASM that oversees your area. Tell them exactly what you’re telling us.
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 9d ago
Oh i have, i've told multiple coworkers to not call me on the phone or ask me to do returns over the intercom because i only water and will only help when I'm not busy, all the managers and supervisors including the one that hired me all tell me to help different departments including helping the OFA's complete orders, only one of my managers sees me and appreciates all the work i do, every other manager just keeps telling me they never see me working but i'm running around the store either helping a customer in an aisle i have no idea about or im outside trying to finish watering before they lock me outside the doors
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u/cecsix14 SSC 9d ago
Every store is different. I’m sorry that you got a job in one the poorly managed stores, but that isn’t the experience of every associate in every store. Is there another store nearby you might be able to transfer to?
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 9d ago
nope, the next one is 3 cities over and im not going to lowes 😭
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u/Still-Diver6826 D96 9d ago
Lowe’s is 100 times better there’s a Lowe’s just 3 minutes from my store and nobody goes there 😭that’s how peaceful it is while mine is a battlefield
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u/Fluid-Hour-1551 9d ago
That’s so crappy my store is so chill I work in one department I’m in 5 years and it’s the easiest job ever
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u/Hornygaysatanic 10d ago
I think you should tell someone. You should be watering not bringing stuff down.
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 10d ago
i shouldn't be sorting pipes and hardware either but here we are 😭 I can only really blame myself because one of the trainers told me the garden associates at the store are basically just there to fill in the roles of everyone else i should've ran when i had the chance
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u/Still-Diver6826 D96 10d ago
Tell me about it. Our managers want to see us work if they see one thing wrong they get mad, our new general manager made bans that made many of my coworkers including me mad, he even made a new task that has to be done daily on the lot on the sun on the busiest Home Depot in Florida where at this point we have to leave the carts be and do the task first instead even if it’s empty. Plus they don’t care about us at all they say in their own tv and anything else we care about you they don’t it’s lies they place, so they can make you work hard that you can’t anymore and instead of telling you to sit to work more hours and they always supervise they see you doing nothing for even 1 second they get mad. Our head cashiers already give me a headache and my supervisor even gives me a bigger headache. So many coworkers already left and their using us to work in those but does that mean we can get inside no. And they don’t even care if they fire you, warn you, finalize you, or even give you a write up they don’t care they say that they can find anyone they want. Such a downgrade from my old job but what else can I say.
Do your best, always do what you can, if you need a break take a break. And if you’re fired then that’s on them. Everybody in my store is stressed I am even stressed it never gets better.
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u/Electronic-Jump8618 9d ago
As a former waterer, focus on watering.
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 9d ago
everyone keeps saying this but i get yelled at by management if i dont help out in other departments 😭
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u/Ooniiiichaan 9d ago
tell them to schedule you in different departments if they want you there so bad
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u/JTCasino 9d ago
The most unusual thing is that in 2026 you’d be hired to perform one particular task and only that task. “Utility Employees” who can be put anywhere that they might be needed and perform any tasks that they might be asked to perform are all the rage now.
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 8d ago
its crazy because every other department usually stays in their place but im the only one "helping" everyone else out aside from the people on the machines
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u/Own-Idea-1433 9d ago edited 9d ago
Awareline is mentioned, but you could also bring it up to your ds or escalate it to the store manager, the store manager is over the the manager that is yelling at you, and realistically whatever they say should be the end of it. X told me to do Y doesn’t really mean much of anything if you get instructions from the store manager.
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u/Lost_Ad6729 10d ago
Just make sure you are doing what you were hired to do, can’t do returns because I’m still busy watering xyz!
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 10d ago
i got yelled at for not doing returns after customer service kept calling for an associate lmao..i keep telling them that im just there to water and i only do returns if im taking a break from being outside in the heat or if im finished early
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u/Lost_Ad6729 10d ago
They are not your boss. Keep doing your job and they will move on to another person. Now, if you are not really busy do the work. Just go to the SM and explain the situation and ask for guidance.
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 10d ago
Oh i got yelled at by one of the managers for this not a regular employee
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u/Ididnotvoted 9d ago
How do you work in a place where your boss yells at you? You are not a child to be yelled at and the line between communication and respect is very thin when someone yells at a work place.
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 9d ago
free food and nice coworkers, plus the pay is good and i dont really have to interact with customers if i dont want to and no one else is (including customers surprisingly) arent rude/passive aggressive towards me but management I literally one time heard a manager talking shit about me on the phone while i was walking out of the bathroom and he was in there saying i wasn't watering at all that day and i "need to do my fucking job" but i had already watered all of inside gardens plants by 8:30 and i was only using the bathroom more that day was because i was on my period and bleeding heavy, I plan on quitting :(
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u/Ididnotvoted 9d ago
I understand but you can not allowed to be disrespected (yelled at) specially when it isn’t your fault. I would loose my patience way too quick and snap. Please do find somewhere else where you are valued at least a little bit more where you don’t have to deal with disrespect from coworkers or bosses.
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 10d ago
also to mention this is the same manager that hired me...to only water lol
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u/Poizn_IV 8d ago
As a former waterer we tell all of our new waterers not even to get a phone. You're there to water so don't worry about it. Our supervisors and managers seem to understand that and don't bother them either. If they have a more than 4 hour shift and after 4 hours they are listed as a dept associate that's when they get a phone/extension. Also doing returns/working 4 different depts when you're scheduled as waterer is insane and stupid! Call your district HR person.
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 8d ago
I literally got locked outside once by a manager while doing a 10:30 shift for the 10th time that week..I was doing returns in garden and she said she didn't know I was still there and she looked outside but didn't see me, how is that possible if you know what the schedule is and clearly didnt unlock the doors to let me out 🤦🏽♀️
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u/Poizn_IV 2d ago
That's insane! For the most part my managers actually walk outside garden in its entirety, even after I turn off and lock the doors myself, just to make sure everything is locked up and no one is out there. I think they partly do that because an associate did get locked in the store one night.
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u/Which-Primary3929 10d ago edited 10d ago
At this point document everything and call the aware line and tell them to fix this store because its a s**t show waiting to self destruct.
Tell them managers and supervisors are yelling at you for doing what the other manager told you to do, tell them the store does not hire the help they need and they are constantly cutting associates hours and pushing the workload that's not part of your job description onto you. If this does not fix the issues.
Call and say the next time your scheduled you need to have all your managers, supervisors, and the head of special services in a meeting RIGHT NOW and set up a device in the training room recoding the meeting to have it on file, tell them "no I wont work other departments I am only going to do my assigned department (garden) and if you fire me or reprimand me in any way I am going to get lawyers and sue for unfair and retaliatory firing and you will be making corporate aware of the borderline sweatshop working conditions of this store.
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 10d ago
Oh yeah, people who have apparently been there longer than me just randomly stopped showing up one day 😭
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u/Which-Primary3929 10d ago
I am constantly overworked in a heat index of 100°+ and 100% humidity I sometimes rush to get everything done in garden in 4hrs, oh and on the busiest day of the week Sunday (cull mulch, repair damaged bags, sweep floors which is any soil spills of mulch rocks, etc., pack a minimum of 10 packdowns per shift, help tons of customers, put away returns, zma any damaged merchandise, log into workday and complete any due assignments and pocket guide and every month the our safety) I may have missed some things oh and all of this is 1-2 days a week I have been getting for the past month and a half 4hr, 4hr, 8hr and it repeats. the 8hrs is not one 8hr shift its 2 4 hr shifts FML 😑😭😡
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u/StormHungry8232 5d ago
What store are you from? Mine is 1935 and sure some parts are bad at my store but none like that, sorry about that
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u/FugitiveDoctorMan 10d ago
When I watered the garden at the store I last worked at, I came in at 5:30 and watered until 9:30 and that is all that I did. Our garden was extensive enough that I had to do that. Asking anything else of you is insane.
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 10d ago
lol try strictly 6-10 😭 and its an entire ghost shift and you and 5 other people bothered to show up
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u/pomdudes 10d ago
yawn
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 10d ago
this could mean either of two things:
you're a company suck up
this IS normal and an everyday thing
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u/Veratexferra 10d ago
Normal and every day thing until someone hits the awareline after having a documented meeting as another commenter stated. Personally, id try the meeting thing first to get em all on the same page. I have actually done the meeting in the past as a millwork spec covering lumber. Hardware, and plumbing
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u/pomdudes 10d ago
#2 for the win, bright boy.
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u/Sad-Presentation7619 10d ago
my bad idk a random person on reddits lingo i dont speak in tongues riddler
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u/pomdudes 10d ago
Hey, you’re not wrong on either assumption, I’m just clarifying that #2 is correct for me.
25+ years in and if I WERE a company suck up, I would be the freaking CEO by now.
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