Wednesday, October 2, 2002
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Wednesday, October 2, 2002 |
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Support your local businesses By BILLY MURPHY I have been to the new Home Depot three times since it opened and I already hate it. Besides being told every time I visit, "We just opened and don't have that in stock yet," I had one of the most exasperating return experiences in my life. I bought a $2.49 white, particle shelving board, and when I went to use it for my handyman job, I realized it had a crack all the way across it and needed to be returned. It was about 30 minutes before closing time and I was in the middle of the job, so I zipped back to Home Depot to exchange it. I ran in, left the board at the return counter and told the lady I was going to get a replacement one. She stopped me and said it was more complex than that. Boy, this was an understatement to the degree of saying John Goodman might like food. After I came back with a "good" board, they wouldn't let me just exchange it. They said I had to make a return of my other board first, then repurchase the new one. Only, they needed my driver's license and I didn't have it. So, here I am with the clerk, the floor manager and $2.49 of tainted lumber, arguing. To no avail, the exact same piece of shelving, with the exact same UPC label stayed and I went. Thus, they sent me home with the broken board, while they held on to their precious perfect one. Their policy was obviously more important than their customer. And so it goes with the "box store." As Wal-Mart is set to open next to Home Depot on the south side of Ga. Highway 74 in Peachtree City in the area I call the "Devil's Triangle," all of us feel the tug of the low prices, but at what cost? What about our locally owned business that directly compete? A few years back I used to be a price monger with the best of them, but the gluttony has worn thin. It is like I traded my shopping soul in return for 30 lanes of checkout with only two cashiers working. To save that little bit of money, I park miles away, fight the crowds, feel my blood pressure rise with the seemingly daily ritual of the "new trainee" checking me out. There are some great local businesses in Peachtree City. I have never had a more enjoyable experience than the toy store Elephant's Tale. It is the old-time, fun, family experience to buy a toy for the kids. Sure, you don't have 67 aisles of Disney-licensed movie tie-in toys to browse. Sure, you can't shop for hours without ever, actually seeing a salesperson. But you can feel like you are the part of some real, connected world. The same can be said for Ace Hardware and Gill-Roy's Hardware. These places are about service, not policy. I can guarantee, neither of those stores would have let me walk out of their locations with something defective they sold me while they had the good, replacement piece sitting on their counter. But then again, they don't wear cute orange vests either. So, support Peachtree City's local businesses. The box stores won't be hurt and when you do, you still get the best value for your buck. Knowledge and service are well worth it. [Contact Billy Murphy at billybilly@aol.com.]
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