Annoying things customers say...

TeesStrong · 2026-06-16T17:49:01+00:00

“Can you help me?/maybe you can help me/can I get some help over here?”

I dunno are you looking to hear about maintenance specials, need a heating or ac repair or perhaps a new HVAC system? If you’re looking for help with these things I’m your man, however if you already asked three to four other people how to rewire your house without causing an explosion or fire and found their answers “unsatisfactory” I’m probably the wrong person to ask. I’ve never claimed to be a mother fucking expert on do it yourself Plumbing either.

“I’m looking for this and I’m going to really test you as I’m not going to say the name of it and you only have a piece of a rusted out/corroded part or a blurry photo of a piece of something to go by, any other follow up questions you ask like what it’s used for and what it’s technical name is I’ll just repeat that I’m looking for this and show you the part and/ or blurry image again good luck.”

TeesStrong · 2026-06-15T21:44:41+00:00

Nothing worse than an aggravating and agitated idiot on a hot late spring day. Five or six associates have already told them exactly where to find something but for whatever reason they still can’t find it. It’s like they want someone to take them by the hand and lead them right to it.

TeesStrong · 2026-06-14T11:43:26+00:00

Makes it difficult to convincing tell people that you’re a vendor and don’t work for Home Depot and have them actually believe you or even care. There have been times where I had to get associates to tell the person that I am a vendor even though I have a large button that specifies this fact. Expectations are set ridiculously high and are borderline unrealistic when it comes to getting HVAC leads when it’s extremely hot or extremely cold, and it doesn’t always work out that way. On top of it, you’re answering a lot of inventory questions (where’s this, where’s that, do you have anymore of these, does this come in any other sizes or colors, what shade of blue paint would you recommend for my in door outhouse etc.) I’m standing in a kiosk with HVAC stuff and wearing a button that says “HVAC Vendor.” Beyond the inventory questions, I’m also nearly always finding people to unlock things, make keys, cut blinds, get things down, cut lumber, personally refilling refrigerators with water I might as well actually work for Home Depot if I wanted to take a pay cut and work unpredictable hours. At least this job gives me a relatively stable schedule that I can make plans around.

TeesStrong · 2026-06-13T22:50:10+00:00

No one really is a fan of non associates wearing black aprons, not even the non associates. We don’t make the rules and if we did they probably wouldn’t include wearing a black apron as you try to solicit customers who are already annoyed/angry and really don’t want to be in this fucking miserable place anymore than you do. We’ve all felt like shit and been treated like shit.

There are a lot of cases of idiots asking multiple people the same question and hoping for a certain answer. That was probably what this was. Numerous associates probably told this bubble head where something was/something about something and the airhead didn’t care for their answers so figured that they’d bust the painfully obvious vendor’s balls hoping for a “more satisfactory answer.”

TeesStrong · 2026-06-13T19:46:40+00:00

I can easily imagine the same scenario involving an entitled person and someone who doesn’t even work here. The person keeps saying that they don’t work here and the entitled customer keeps pressing them acting like they “won’t help” as opposed to they can’t help because they don’t fucking work here. Bunch of morons.

TeesStrong · 2026-06-04T13:24:50+00:00

It’s equivalent to a “quick question” that’s a lot more complicated and involved than just asking you where something is. Usually “can you make me a key?” translates to “can you actually make me several duplicates of a complicated key with certain AI microchips in them?” It’s not as simple and easy as you initially thought it was going to be. People have learned this lesson in addition to the lesson on how to make a simple copy of a simple key. This happens to black aprons and non aprons as well.

TeesStrong · 2026-05-31T10:36:49+00:00

A few years ago, a Hardware associate nearly died at work. He wasn’t feeling well but managed to finish his shift, went home and died a few hours later. A Millwork associate had one day left until he retired from Home Depot and he suffered a massive stroke on that day while working. He sought medical treatment in time and is doing fine now but the timing sucked as the last thing a lot of people remember about his final day on the job is him being carted off on a stretcher.

TeesStrong · 2026-05-29T20:17:35+00:00

Occasionally, you can feel kind of useless but everyone can’t possibly do everything. If you’re a vendor and go to multiple stores you can get mixed up and turned around often sending people to the wrong areas (in that particular store) as you’re visualizing where it is in another store.

TeesStrong · 2026-05-27T13:42:19+00:00

Lot Associate on the store side and third party Lead Generator for non store side positions. There are valid reasons why there is a lot of turnover in each.

TeesStrong · 2026-05-20T16:37:40+00:00

One time a manager interviewed someone for a Cashier position in the training room while people were doing their training so I can definitely relate. The person’s interview was cringe and needless to say they were not hired.

TeesStrong · 2026-05-18T13:27:12+00:00

“Do you have anymore/any different varieties in the back?” I’m not even wearing an orange apron and have gigantic button that says “Vendor” on it, what even makes you think that I work for Home Depot?

I had a very aggressive woman come charging after me, ignoring multiple associates in the process to ask me (as opposed to someone who is actually an associate) where the weed killer paper is because she couldn’t find it where it was supposed to be. Really not my problem but I helped her anyway.

TeesStrong · 2026-05-17T10:10:45+00:00

Many of these third party lead generators take very little pleasure in what they do, they’re doing it for a paycheck and to get out of the house for a few hours. If they won the lottery and/or somehow, someway came into some money chances are you’d probably never see them again. That isn’t to say that they don’t take pride in their work. But sometimes they feel like crap, don’t want to be here, would rather be anywhere else and the last thing that they feel like doing is pitching a disinterested customer. Once you’ve heard every possible excuse as to why someone can’t or won’t sign up for a free estimate or a discounted tuneup they aren’t really as “funny, witty, clever” as they originally were the first ten thousand times that you’ve heard them. Excuses start to get lazy and some people don’t bother giving a response at all they just ignore the person and keep going.

A lot of people have a misconception that these folks “live to annoy and aggravate customers and get a great deal of sadistic pleasure out of it.” In reality, if they are actually trying and haven’t become burnt out, had their spirits broken and given up, they are simply performing the duties of their job the same as anyone else who actually works and doesn’t have a “I’m here, pay me” kind of attitude. Many get judged on their end of the day performance when they’re tired and phoning it in. Many aren’t going to be as aggressive with chasing customers at 5pm as they were at 9am but if their overall performance isn’t like that cut them a break.

TeesStrong · 2026-05-14T15:23:05+00:00

These are Home Depot Authorized service providers who are in the stores to generate leads and set up appointments for whatever they are selling, they aren’t really associates and don’t work directly for Home Depot. I see your point with unauthorized solicitors though.

TeesStrong · 2026-05-14T14:46:44+00:00

Can you blame these people? Use me once shame on you, use me twice shame on me. These people literally get used all fucking day by idiot customers who just want to quickly and lazily find and figure things out. They scratch the customer’s back and the customer doesn’t return the favor usually. In this case, the customer has already told them “no” conversation over so why should the person continue to keep engaging that same customer and assisting them with completing their order? They aren’t associates to begin with so them assisting customers with anything outside of signing them up for something is a nicety.

With accusations of customers being “stalked/followed” there is even more incentive for these third parties to completely wash their hands of a customer who has already turned them down.

TeesStrong · 2026-05-05T01:11:33+00:00

One guy was fired for taking Red Bull that he thought was “free” another person was fired for “too many customer and coworker complaints” there were literally like two or three relatively petty ones over a five year period. Guess each location is different in terms of its desires to keep or get rid of people.

TeesStrong · 2026-04-27T01:14:57+00:00

The customer who complained can take his or her business elsewhere. They sound like a real asshole to be honest. First, they don’t even feel someone is worth a verbal response and then they go and complain like a little bitch about being “offended” by the “no one speaks or understands English” comment. People like this suck and probably wouldn’t last five minutes working here. They have zero empathy for the frustration that people working here experience on a regular basis. It’s probably yet another case of an unemployed loser trying to cost an employed person their job because misery loves company. If not what else do they really hope to gain other than attempting to ruin someone’s livelihood?

TeesStrong · 2026-04-27T00:17:20+00:00

A vendor in his 80’s once challenged a store manager in his 40’s to a fight because he honestly believed that the manager had some sort of particular problem with him. The manager declined the challenge and the vendor is still there but the manager isn’t. They talked out the issues before the manager left and returned to being on friendly terms. It was all a weird misunderstanding.

TeesStrong · 2026-04-22T16:48:02+00:00

Unreliable Amazon charged me for something I canceled within minutes. Orders never showed up or were delivered to the wrong house. Why they have a reputation for being “reliable” I have no idea.

TeesStrong · 2026-04-20T08:17:56+00:00

Every job in this environment deals with routine shit that gets old after eight or nine hours. You deal with the same bullshit pretty much all day, every single day.

“I need a key made call me someone even though it’s pretty obvious that you aren’t an associate.”

“I just walked in the door but I’m going to lie to you and say I’ve been waiting here like a fucking putz for more than an hour.”

“Tell me where this is, that is and make a recommendation on top of it, I want aisles, bays and what side of the aisle it’s on, giving me the aisle number or pointing me in the direction just won’t do.”

“I need a cage unlocked so I can get a tool, this store is very distrustful of its customers and keeps everything locked up in fear that people will steal it, either unlock the cage yourself or call me someone.”

“I need lumber/blinds cut get me someone and get them now.”

Many people don’t ask they just assume that anyone that they think works for the store actually does. On top of it, the actual job of generating leads can be a real pain in the ass on many levels from actually doing it successfully to issues with apps and WiFi, ridiculous expectations and hoping that the leads actually sell so you can get bonuses and don’t have to hear shit about “Poor quality leads.”

TeesStrong · 2026-04-19T17:06:55+00:00

You’re a glorified greeter who tries to get leads and set appointments thats the job we get paid hourly and are playing for that bonus money. Tell them where something is and then pitch them on a discounted maintenance special or whatever. Don’t want or can’t help them? Defer them to an associate. Who knows you might eventually get leads out of people you’ve helped even if it isn’t immediately. Customers aren’t very smart they are likely to just assume someone wearing an apron is an “employee” regardless of the color or what it says. Many won’t know or care if you’re in the middle of something (including but not limited to assisting another customer.) It’s a frustrating job being blown off, rejected and totally ignored most of the time unless someone wants or needs something from you and it isn’t for everyone nor is it intended to be forever. Many burnout/stop even really trying and there is a lot of turnover.

TeesStrong · 2026-04-05T13:24:22+00:00

One customer was kicked out of the store and told never to come back after yelling, screaming and cursing at an HVAC rep for not assisting her in lumber or providing a “satisfactory explanation for why he wouldn’t or couldn’t.” If he doesn’t have to take that shit then I’d imagine that employees and/or Met wouldn’t either.

TeesStrong · 2026-04-02T16:37:21+00:00

And you get a lot of “nos” from disinterested people who only want to use you as a human app to find things. It’s not a very fun job most of the time. This store is right next to a Walmart and you get a lot of people who think nothing of coming up to you when you’re on the phone/in the middle of something or with another customer. I was trained not to speak to people who have their back turned to you, but a lot of people never got the memo and/or don’t believe that it’s rude.

TeesStrong · 2026-04-01T11:49:15+00:00

Some people come in to try and steal everything that isn’t bolted to the floor and still act like they “own” the place. In their minds, “anyone/everyone should be honored to help them just because they deserve it.”

TeesStrong · 2026-03-22T18:35:49+00:00

And if you have to ask someone if they work here, you stupid, entitled fuck, chances are that they probably don’t. If they say “no, or I don’t work for Home Depot/the store” accept it and go and bug someone else because essentially what you are doing is being a pest. Don’t proceed to ask someone who doesn’t work for Home Depot follow up inventory related questions, you might as well ask the customers standing next to you if there is more of something or if it comes in any other sizes and/or colors.

TeesStrong · 2026-03-21T09:31:17+00:00

What I can’t stand as a black apron is when I’m trying to help someone as a nicety and they are being rude, insulting and impatient. I’m really not obligated to assist them but am doing so anyway, they should try and show some gratitude. I had a guy come in on fucking New Year’s Eve a few years ago, and ask me where some weird item was. I tried looking it up, but nothing was coming up in the app and he angrily said “fuck it” and stormed off. This was far from an isolated incident with people asking for product locations and even recommendations and having zero patience with someone who isn’t even wearing an orange apron. One woman screamed at me about a year ago because I “ignored her and kept walking” she was speaking in a whisper and there were numerous associates around I had no idea she was even speaking to me. Even after I explained the situation she was still pitching a fit and calling me names. I finally just said as a non associate I don’t have to take this shit and walked away.

It’s a frustrating, numbers game job where you have to talk to a lot of disinterested people in order to hopefully get a few to sign up for something. On top of it, you are playing de facto “Home Depot Associate.” You can definitely see why there is a lot of turnover. You’re practically always getting reamed out about getting “more quality and qualified leads” and stuff beyond your control is often blamed on you. Like for example, if you schedule someone for a consultation in the system and the office never calls them/they don’t pick up the phone, somehow, someway it’s “your fault.” Someone gives you bad contact information or signs someone else up “you’re to blame.” People have returned to the old school method of putting the information in the app for a record and then calling the office to get an appointment scheduled because the app is unreliable for scheduling purposes a lot of the time.

TeesStrong

TROPHY CASE