An Oops Moment

Hi Everyone,

Like many of you, before we buy something, we do our homework to determine what is the best product for the best price. The best price doesn't always mean the least expensive. Our latest endeavor is to find one of those large outdoor storage containers for the outdoor cushions. It is unbelieveable how many choices there are. After doing some internet research, it was time to go out to the brick and morter stores to look and touch and make the final determination.

My travels landed me at the local Home Depot store. I went to the area where they had the outdoor living room, patio and cushions on display. I searched for the containers to no avail. I finally asked an employee and I was told that they were located in the outside garden area. I walked around the garden area an finally found the display of the 6 or so containers. Much to my dismay, half of the containers were located on a shelf about 5 feet high. The rest of the containers were on the second shelf that must have been about 8 feet high. This created a bit of a dilemma for me. Obviously I would not be able to check them out without the assistance of employees with at least a ladder or a forklift. I found an employee and showed him which containers I wanted taken down for my closer inspection. The employee thought about my request and replied that instead of him taking them down, if I just picked the one I wanted he would deduct $10. I told him that I was considering 2, one of which was a Rubbermaid one. He immediately said that he would take off $20, making it comparable to the lower price one. Since I had already done my homework and liked the Rubbermaid product, I picked it. Since the one I picked was up on a shelf, he told me that he would get it down and take it to customer service with the new lower price. I agreed and then went to have a key made.

By the time I returned to customer service, I saw my container there and told the employee that I wanted to pay for it. I asked for the $20 discount and the employee asked why? I told her the story and she said that the employee needed to tell her that. She radioed the employee who confirmed the $20 discount. Now don't get me wrong, I love an extra discount just like the next person and it came as a complete surprise. What I don't get is why they don't dispay them on the floor like every other store does? Having the containers at such a height where only a center from the NBA would be able to check them out made absolutely no sense. Common sense would tell me that they should be displayed on the floor. If every person interested in purchasing one received a $20 discount, Home Depot's profit margin on that product definitely decreased.

I benefited from the lack of common sense on Home Depot's part. Now that doesn't happen very often. But I'll take the discount anytime.

Til next week.

Peter