# getting lumber



## flyvemaskin (Nov 19, 2011)

I ordered a T-TRAK straight module kit from Ntrak several weeks ago and just found out poor Jim is all tied up at the moment taking care of his dear wife, so it hasn't yet been shipped. So, I head to Home Depot to buy a sheet of 1/4" plywood and was going to get them to cut it up for me as my table saw is at the cabin in New Mexico. Well first day, their saw was broke, two days later it's fixed so I go to take care of things, and low and behold, they won't cut anything less than one foot. 60 miles of driving to find that out. Next I call Lowes this afternoon, and yes, they will cut the module pieces to any size I wish, and after the first six cuts it costs .25 per cut. Home Depot charges $1.00 for the same cut. In the morning I'm going to Lowes. HD just lost all my business. At least now I can get started on my TTRAK layout.:thumbsup:


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

I think like any mass chain store, there must be a lot of variance in the local store assistance. Here in RI, the staff at our local HD's are quite willing to go the extra mile with things like saw cuts, tracking stuff down, etc. However, the HD in suburban NY where my parents live is a completely different story. The store always looks like a hurricane just swept through its doors. And (with apologies to the PC police), it pisses me off that it's a rare occassion to find a staff member whose native language is actually English. They are often rude, and give you the dirty look when you ask for a little bit of extra help. A HUGE contrast to my experience at local HD's in RI. It baffles my how upper management can tolerate the disparity in the operations of their own stores. It's a day vs. night situation if I ever saw one.

TJ


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## Gansett (Apr 8, 2011)

Variance? You got that right! 3 HD's, 3 Lowe's all within a 10-15 minute drive. The only HD i go to is the one in NK. The other HD's are off my list for a number of reasons, mostly because of their personel. I've done so much business with my local Lowe's they know me and my son by name. Never a problem.


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## Conductorjoe (Dec 1, 2011)

Yes I think it varies depending on the area. I find HD used to cater more towards the contractor than the average consumer. With the slow down in building I think they have changed at least here. I always use Lowes though. Freindly, helpfull, they even cut my foam board in half to fit in my car free of charge.


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## flyvemaskin (Nov 19, 2011)

*lumber*

I worked for HD until a few months ago, and from an employee's perspective, they suck big time.
Last night I called Lowes and this kid said sure, he'd cut my lumber for me, and it was only .25 per cut after the first six cuts. I just got back from Lowes and wow The same kid cut my plywood up, must've been at least fifty cuts, and didn't even charge me. He said all the contractors had got their stuff and were gone, and he was caught up on his chores, so needed something to keep bust, so he cut the whole thing for me and the ticket said, NO CHARGE". You can bet I'll be going back there HD is a thing of the past. Where I worked btw, most of the customers and employees spoke little english also, like yours. Different neighborhood, different people to work with. I now have enough module kits for a whole layout. This kid cut the corner blocks at two inches from a whole 8ft 2x2.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## BraytoChicago (Feb 8, 2011)

flyvemaskin said:


> I worked for HD until a few months ago, and from an employee's perspective, they suck big time.
> Last night I called Lowes and this kid said sure, he'd cut my lumber for me, and it was only .25 per cut after the first six cuts. I just got back from Lowes and wow The same kid cut my plywood up, must've been at least fifty cuts, and didn't even charge me. He said all the contractors had got their stuff and were gone, and he was caught up on his chores, so needed something to keep bust, so he cut the whole thing for me and the ticket said, NO CHARGE". You can bet I'll be going back there HD is a thing of the past. Where I worked btw, most of the customers and employees spoke little english also, like yours. Different neighborhood, different people to work with. I now have enough module kits for a whole layout. This kid cut the corner blocks at two inches from a whole 8ft 2x2.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


I was at dinner recently with someone who has worked for both Lowes and Home Depot and he also mentioned that Lowes treats their staff way better than HD. 

I've had good and bad experiences at HD. Last time I went here in Chicago, the saw was also broken. I was just buying 1" pink foam insulation for the layout. I asked the guy to cut it and got the response "sorry, not my section," (I've also got the "I'm on break" answer on occasion) and when I eventually did get help, the young guy ballsed it up. When I pointed out he screwed it up, he just laughed and agreed with me. That said, they will take back pretty much anything long after the 60 or 90 days.


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## flyvemaskin (Nov 19, 2011)

Yes, I know they take back anything, the returns dept was always bringing stuff back to Hardware where I worked, and we didn't even carry those products. People buy something, use it for their project, then bring it back saying it didn't work, yet the saw blade was dull from so much cutting, plugged it in, and it worked perfectly. They refunded him full price for the saw, we had to sell it as used, which it was. Gals at the register have no idea what they're taking back. Like I care anyway. HD has had a big push to please the customers this past year, but it's still sadly lacking.


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## Carl (Feb 19, 2012)

As normal, I stumble through the big box hardware store (can still remember when hardware stores were a little smaller, had more of the stuff that you really need, and staff that a least knew where the front door was). Last time at Home Depot, I asked where the Electrical Dept. the clerk did not know. Finally found the electrical department and asked clerk where the 220 volt switches were located, he asked what 220 volt was....I left.


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## Gansett (Apr 8, 2011)

I don't ask for help, in fact I ask to be left alone. I know what I want and "I don't have a train to catch" so if takes me an hour to find what I want I'm ok with that. Besides 90+% of the time the help doesn't know what or where it is anyway.

I became very friendly with the old guy in the tool dept. He knew where everything was.


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## flyvemaskin (Nov 19, 2011)

that's the way it usually is, the "old guy" knows where it is, and knows about the product, yet he's the one they want to get rid of. Get rid of him, and they pay some punk dumb as a fence post less than half the old guy's wage, and they think they got a good deal, saved the store a lot of money. ha ha fools


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## flyvemaskin (Nov 19, 2011)

Well, after getting home I've built two double modules, two corner modules, one straight module, all twelve inches deep front to back. I have enough parts left for two more corner modules, and at least two or three regular straights left. We cut one 2x2 into 2" pieces, and I'll likely have to get more of those to finish. Truely amazing what one sheet of plywood will yield. I'll have a whole layout from one sheet of plywood.


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