Home Depot Reviews in Denver, CO Area

Pros

Value of the brand
Warranties
Customer Service
Credit options

Cons

Zero ("0") work/life balance
Zero ("0") upper-level leadership involvement
Limited product flexibility - always concerned about lawsuits by customers if something is done wrong
"big company" feel - even internally - makes you feel insignificant
Inflexible pricing model
sales and service cultures clash unnecessarily
No room for innovation, improved procedures, "better mousetraps" (consistently beaten back by the ivory tower that is Atlanta hdqtrs)

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your sales people - they deserve more of a voice
Break down the walls between the Atlanta service culture and the local service culture, and between the consultants and the local service people

I believe that consultants leave RSW not because the job's so hard, but because there are barriers between service delivery and the sales culture that nobody talks about. The rules given to the service staff don't always jibe with the rules given the sales people. It's as if we should all just be glad we have a job...I think it could be a helluva lot better.

Pros

There is always something new to do each day. Just when you think you know everything, you learn something new.

Cons

You have to deal with a corporate world. Overall they want the best for you, but giving you the feeling that numbers mean everything.

Pros

* Paycheck
* Employees (I met some great people while working there!)

Cons

* Work/Life Balance was non-existent
* District Management - Corporate visits drove the entire business. Not customers.
* Disorganized, lacking communication at all levels of the business
* Too many chiefs from every level wanting their needs met - again not customers needs
* Upper management too worried about looking good for their bosses (and visits) driving the hours
   into non-profit producing activities (but hey we got on the Same Page broadcast or weekly MOPS)
* Pay is substandard. Working the hours necessary to make the upper management levels happy
   means working at just above minimum wage (and pray that your co-workers or manager doesn't
   screw something up to miss your bonus targets!)

Advice to Senior Management

When training at corporate headquarters, Frank Blake told our group that corporate didn't want the stores to do "extra" things. He told us that we needed to focus on the Big 3 - great! But at the district/regional level they didn't get the message, or maybe they did?! The company could be so great with better direction from the top. Yes you're more profitable than Lowe's, but it could be so much better if the hours given to the stores were utilized more efficently! Store level management is so diverse and the SOP's are utilized so differently amongst stores that it's a nightmare to work at The Home Depot.

Pros

Brand recognition - job stability.

Cons

They are relying on their reputation as being a good employer but now there are probably over 20 applicants for every position it is clear that they are taking advantage of the situation. Wages are now relatively low and benefits not that good which leads to poor morale which in turn leads to a drop in standard of customer service. Good staff leave as soon as they find better jobs.

Home Depot will be the stock to drop when the recession ends as they will have deserved to have lost their best staff in their efforts to maximize short term profits When jobs were plentiful they seemed to have pretended to care about their employees - but now staff have fewer alternative employment opportunities they are squeezing wage rates and are about to start dictating staff schedules from Atlanta HQ.

Now is the time to prove they really do care about their staff. If they leave it too late then they deserve to have their future efforts treated cynically. Home Depot did not come in the top 10 best retail outlets to work for according to Forbes - I'm sure at one time they would have been up there with the best.

Advice to Senior Management

Try and resist the moves to micro manage from Atlanta in efforts to reduce short term costs by eliminating store -based positions. This must be a temptation when analyzing spread sheets. Home Depot is a service company - and customers shop here because we have reasonably priced products and they like the staff contact. Soon - the drop in staff morale will effect this relationship. The concentration of decision making powers in Atlanta and the inflexibility in the way staff are treated due to over reliance on matrices reduces everyone to robot status.

If you don't mind our customers been served by mindless and motiveless robots - then carry on with your present strategy. Lowes or someone else may appreciate the opportunity to attract our best resources.

Pros

It is possible to earn over $100K

Cons

After you are hired, you find you are expected to work 10-14 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you want time off, you are chewed out for even asking, and then they say it is OK "this time". Rather than actual training, they give you a pile of three ring binders and samples and will not help you find what you need in the mountain of information. It is very true that favored people get the good leads. Closing ratio is very poor because prices are much higher than average (eg., $3200, $3600, THD $8900). The sales presentation is designed to discourage the client from getting other bids. There is extremely high turnover in this job. I am the 5th or 6th person to hold this job in this store in the past 6 months. Your sales are supporting an extremely large sales and installation organization, so the prices have to be high to cover all of the extra overhead.

They are exploiting you. Think very hard before you waste your time with this company!

Advice to Senior Management

Treat your people with respect, if you need 98 hours covered, hire two people. Price your products competitevely.

Pros

Insurance is very good and well priced

Cons

unrealistic employee expectations and demanding customers

Pros

The Home Depot offers great benefits, and as long as management isn't around the moral is great!

Cons

The management at my store is terrible, they are the laziest bums to run a store and all came from the same store previously. For the amount of stress it's employees go thru, we don't get nearly enough recognition.

Advice to Senior Management

Be thankful! Appreciate the work the associates on the floor, cashiers, and lot attendants do!

Pros

They have a great benefits package for part-time and full-time employees. They match contributions to your 401(k), direct deposit is available, extra money every quarter if the store you work at is over their sales plan, and have web-based training for starting employees and continuing education. Every month you can accumulate (after 90 days) sick/personal time. 2 hours part-time, 4 hours full-time.
In reference to the cons statement-this place has definitely helped me learn how to design under high-demand, high-pressure, while trying to keep my cool and smile.

Cons

As a designer, you don't have a door. You must be able to multi-task like you never thought was possible. You may be designing in 20/20 or hand drafting, while having to answer the phone, as well as pay attention to the appointment in front of you, as well as the other 5 people who have walked into the showroom and want layouts done in 5 minutes. Home Depot has trained consumers to think that kitchen and bath design, good design, can be whipped out in a few minutes, and that they shouldn't have to wait, at all.

Advice to Senior Management

I think that all management should have to shadow designers for at least a week to find out what we really do. A lot of management, as well as associates think that all we do is sit at a desk and surf the internet all day. They don't understand why we aren't on the floors doing pack-downs and help back-up the cashiers. Also, even though we don't have a customer directly in front of us, doesn't mean we aren't working-designing can take hours to do, depending on the complexity.

Pros

Fortune 500 Company.
Number one home improvement retailer in the world.
Amazing associates.
Great benifits including health, sales bonuses, stock discounts.
One of the most fun, everchanging environments in retail.

Cons

Hours - early mornings and late nights.
Entry level postions could be better compensated.

Advice to Senior Management

Add more hours to payroll.

Pros

Reasonable pay, good benefits, opportunities to learn about home improvement, the peer groups seem to get along well.

Cons

Some department supervisors (not store managers or assistant store managers) treat employees with disrespect and distrust. Some supervisors show favortism toward certain employees and as a result, the non-favored employees are assigned the more undesirable tasks. There is a lack of communication among many supervisors resulting in a chaotic experience for some employees. Too many supervisors acting at once in a particular department often each of them directing the same employee to complete different tasks at the same time and each supervisor unsatisfied that another supervisor directed the employee to stop one task in the middle and start another without completing the first task assigned.

Advice to Senior Management

My advice to management is to read the above and mandate a formal training process that department supervisors must complete prior to being put in charge of the people in their departments. The store management (including assistant managers) seem to be well trained and very competent.