A funny thing happened at Home Depot: A young man buys a drill press.

Grrrr Joe!! Grrrreat review!

-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX

Which store is Joe at. So I can go to a different one and get a different Joe.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Burbank, CA

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

Sounds like Joe had a little drain bamage.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Actually, Employee of the year.

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

It’s a wonder that they are able to sell anything, other than they have can offer tools at an attractive price and in some locations are the only game in town.

I suppose another way at looking at it, if you order a tool over the internet, you may end up waiting a week or more rather than an uncomfortable two hours it took Joe to get the drill press down for John.

Dalec

Fun review – can you turn this episode into a comic?

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

was so much easier when we could just grab the ladder and help ourselves.

Our Big Boxes seem so overstaffed and it’s a hunt to find the people who can actually help you…. Which does happen once in a while. Usually I end up knowing more about what I’m looking for than whoever happens by.

There are 3 Big Orange Boxes nearby (and a couple others that are an hour round trip or less (Not counting time in the store!) and they all are so different inside. (Not to mention the Blue Box a mile away from the Orange one (just got a second one!), one can find certain items in electrical or plumbing, but never both. So frustrating to have to be a frequent patron of a store so we can keep tabs on their layout, which is faster than finding our Joe (who needs someone else to point us to the watchamacallit.)

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

My Home Depot has many too many Joe’s, I go elsewhere if at all possible….....

-- EPJ,Calif

The nearest HD to me is actually pretty good. I have suffered none of this type of horror story. I still don’t go there all that often, however.

typical corporate mentality, joe dosent care if h d likes him or not , he can go right across the street and get as good or maybe better job at macdonalds . you want fries with that ??

at our Rona store (Canadian Big Box store) we’ve been very fortunate to have received help (quickly) and with good advice! Wow.. they actual hire people who know what they are talking about. I’ll keep my eyes open for “Joe” though.

Overall.. a good review.. it does what it is supposed to do. Do we really need more than that????

And it’s a Ridgid, so the warranty is good!

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Home Depot is really hit and miss with customer service. I try to go to the local hardware store as much as possible.

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

Good story, good purchase, good for you. (Good my name isn’t Joe)

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon

Dude, I’m surprised you can roll it on casters. I mean it weighs, like 500 pounds!
I second the comix idea… “Gizmodyne is assimilated by the BORG (resistance is futile).

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

I’ve been to that store…

-- Oops

Most workers at home depot are worthless! Know what you want when you go there and be prepared to serve yourself! It wasn’t always that way, but they don’t want to pay the good help a decent wage to stay on board. I have a friend who worked for Hoe Depot. I have another friend who works for Lowes, he told me that Lowes hires all the good guys from Home Depot.

-- --Chuck

I have this drill press too. No complaints so far…

I avoid HD like the plague. Within a year of HD’s arrival nearby, the local (very good) hardware store went out of business. :(

-- There is nothing in the world more dangerous, than a woodworker who knows how to read a micrometer...

Yeah. HD . grrrrr.

I finally got to watch something fall off of the top shelf when they were working the lifter. Three large metal gun safes came crashing down. None of the employees looked too alarmed. Guess it happens often.

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

I’ve had a number of similar experiences over the years. Last time I went in all registers were closed, the self-service line was open but two of the scanning stations were down and there was a line of about 15 people. Standing within 30 feet were 3 cashiers having a nice conversation. Almsot left my items and walked out.

On the other side of the coin. I also have this drill press and it has worked well for me. It gets a lot of use and performs quite well.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Joe’s brother works at one of our Home Depots.
His name iis Bruce.
If you have to ask Bruce a question he usually answers the phone in front of you and waves you away witih his free hand.
Now I just go to the store and phone him.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Unfortunatly people want things cheap which means unskilled labor and commodity sized orders. If you want an expert in every department that can actually give you good advice you’d be paying much more for each item. The local hardware store with the expert that sells one high priced tool a week or month cannot compete.

You have the patience of a saint! I would have been long gone!

-- I'm a wood magician... I can turn fine lumber into firewood before your very eyes! - http://www.woodworkersguide.com

All HD are the same – their Aisles are organized the same, and they all have a dedicated “Joe” ... makes you feel “at home” everytime you go there – no matter which HD..

I did have some good experiences at some HD though… not too many, and not too many times.

and I agree- a Floor standing Drill press is much nicer than a benchtop one, both for work-space savings, and for mobility purposes (if you have casters)

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Before Star Trek introduced us to the Borg…

Star Wars had Clone Wars.

This is where Home Despot, Loads, and Wally World started their box mentality.

Beware, Joe is a clone…

Q

-- I don't make sawdust...I produce vast quantities of "Micro Mulch."

Very frustrating indeed. Even worse when these incidents cause delays, push deadlines, delay other work crews, or exceed daylight or curfew regulations. Sadly I see no alternatives, small independent tool and repair shops now only seem to offer or stock high end or specialty tools which exceed budgets for those who pursue woodworking for personal enjoyment or a hobby and are not intended or designed for the needs of the average GC. Industrial, specialty, or top of the line is now their role, to compete with a big box is an extremely risky game that most small owners even consider. Lumberyards and independent supply shops face similar situations, either high end or designer brands for suppliers, specialty, trim and exotic rather than construction grade is now the role of many lumberyards. Granted there are still a shrinking number of small, family or independent suppliers who continue to prosper and excel against the giants of industrial supply and a the big boxes. These owners and their employees cater to and value the core group of regular and loyal customers who will gladly pay an extra couple of price points to support the independent shops and value the personal service provided by them. Maybe things are different in other regions, but this seems to be the trend in my corner of Southern New England, based on my experiences and observations(I could be totally wrong and misinformed, no survey or science involved, only opinion). Bottom line pricing and excessive abuse of return policies will only promote the growth of these BORGS. Just my $0.02.

-- Ciao, gth.

Personaly I would not have waited that long. I would have found a manager alot sooner.

-- don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things

Good review of a good tool. I did do one thing with mine: I installed a wooden table (oak veneer, .75-inch plywood) over the cast-iron table. I find that cast-iron tables have a bad habit of scuffing or dinging wood too easily. Indeed, the Ridgid’s table actually had almost sharp side edges that I initially unsharpend with the help of a good file. The wooden table on top took care of the problem in an even more serious way. The table is also considerably larger than the cast-iron section underneath, for a more workable surface, and I also installed an easily removable wood barrier fence at the rear to keep sawdust from spilling over and out of easy reach for my shop vac.

Home Depot is staffed by clerks. Some are good and some are not.

Howard Ferstler

“You can do it, we can help.” BS! You’d better know what you need. Don’t ask any questions. If needed, consult the books at the front of the store. “Joe” does not know the difference between a sneeze and a wet fart.

-- West Seattle, WA