Elliott’s Hardware stores in the Dallas area (there are three) have a reputation as some of “the” go-to hardware stores for hard-to-find items. And they have a reputation as places where excellent customer service is a deeply-embedded value. Home Depot, on the other hand, is regularly excoriated for abysmal customer service; I personally have complained about poor customer service experiences there.
But things change. A couple of recent experiences suggest that the Plano, Texas Elliott’s Hardware store and the Home Depot store on Coit Road in Richardson, Texas have traded places. I went to Elliott’s in search of ball-chain, the chain…made of small metal spheres…used for ceiling fan pulls and car-key chains, among other things. After having no luck finding it myself, I asked three employees in succession for help. The first one said he thought the chain was in the electrical section and pointed vaguely to the back of the store, then walked away. When my search of that section yielded no results, I asked another, who pointed to the opposite corner of the store. No results there, either. So, I went to the checkout counters and asked a guy there for help. “If we have it, it probably will be in electrical,” he said, and pointed to the back corner of the store. I tried again. No luck. During the search, I had picked up a couple of other items I needed (and didn’t want to go elsewhere looking for them) so I went to pay for them, where I asked to talk to the manager. While waiting for the manager, I paid for my items using my credit card which is clearly marked in the space on the back for signature, “Ask for ID.” The clerk did not even look at the back of the card.
The manager, who identified himself as Joe, got to the front of the store just as I had completed my transaction. I explained to him that many of my previous experiences with the store had been positive, but that this deeply frustrating experience, coupled with similar ones in recent months, suggested that the store’s culture had changed dramatically for the worse. He apologized and said the store layout had changed recently so employees were not yet familiar with it. ”But that’s no excuse,” he added. I explained that I could understand being unfamiliar with the layout, but that I could not understand employees showing complete disregard for the customer by not even bothering to help find the required item. I expressed frustration, too, with the fact that the clerk had not bothered to check the signature on the back of the card. And then I said, “Since you’re the manager, maybe you can tell me where to find ball-chain in this store.” He completely ignored the question. He simply apologized and said he would “address the issue.”
Still in need of ball-chain, I stopped at the Home Depot near my house. I was questioned as I entered as to whether I needed help finding anything. I explained that I was looking for ball-chain; the greeter started to say he would show it to me, then noticed another employee approaching and explained that the chain was in that employee’s department and then asked the other guy to show it to me. The other guy very pleasantly said “follow me” and led me right to what I was looking for. After selecting what I needed, I walked through a few more aisles and was asked at least two more times by other employees whether I needed help finding anything. I then went into the tool-rental area and was immediately greeted by a very pleasant guy who answered my questions and offered a brochure describing available tools and their rental prices and terms.
Based on those two experiences, I will not plan on returning to Elliott’s. I will continue to give Home Depot my business as long as its customer service continues at the level I experienced on my recent visit. If Home Depot does not have an item I need, I will make a trip to Turner Hardware, which is now the only “go-to” hardware store in which I will place my confidence.
