Chatter

By Jay

January 3, 2007 09:41 AM | Link to this

Frank Blake was brought to HD, from GE, by Nardelli. What’s going to change? The company needs a retailer in charge. They’re sitting on a pile of cash and just buy industrial supply companies. Which is GE’s strength. Get back to basics and boost customer service in the retail section before Lowes completely eats their lunch.

By Rookie

January 3, 2007 09:45 AM | Link to this

The whole damn company needs fixing! As a former employee, I saw what went on behind the scenes. It is scary. Customer service in the stores has hit rock bottom. You can never find someone to help you and if you do, they barely show an effort. The whole company is working on ancient computer systems. The store is CONSTANTLY out of merchandise. I am personally glad that Bob is gone, and so are a LOT of other people. He has single-handedly brought this company to its demise.

By Fed up with nardelli

January 3, 2007 09:46 AM | Link to this

Good riddance Nardelli. This guy is pure evil and his goal from the start was to steal as much money as possible from HD employees and shareholders. Atlanta is better off without criminals like Bob big compensation and BIG EGO Nardelli

By JB

January 3, 2007 09:47 AM | Link to this

get out of the Pro business. I’m in that business, and you can not do it well on that large of a scale and with that many corporate fingers in the pie. All they can do is lower prices, which lowers margins, and for those of us GIVING BUILDERS THE SERVICE THEY WANT, WITH THE PRO SALESPEOPLE AND QUICK AND EXCELLENT SERVICE, we need those margins to pay for it.

By gil

January 3, 2007 09:56 AM | Link to this

As mentioned above, the customer service at Home Depot is horrible, the morale of many employees is low and the conditions of some stores are unsafe and unorganized. Hopefully with a new CEO, employees will be treated better, and in turn, a better shopping expereince for the customers.

By ChrisD

January 3, 2007 10:06 AM | Link to this

For the last several years, HD is slid downhill. Lowe’s is only slightly better. I challenge anyone to find an employee at HD who can answer a question regarding building a deck. There was a time when professionals staffed the store. Now it’s just high schools who know nothing about home improvement and can’t answer questions. Very frustrating.

By Patrick

January 3, 2007 10:06 AM | Link to this

I was a vendor that used to go into Home Depot, and I was treated like crap every single time I went into a store. The management all thought they were better than me and any of my bosses, you know why?…They were allowed to treat us anyway they wanted. They pay rock bottom prices and gouge their vendors to where their vendors hardly make any money, but they turn around and make money off of it. They absolutely treat their vendors like S**T. I was accused of stealing my own product from a store demo after their incompetent management staff couldn’t read a bill of lading. Then I was cussed out by a hardware manager in his own language (Arabic) because I proved him wrong in front of his staff. They are a joke, and I really feel bad for many of the employees whom I know. Fighting back against Home Depot after getting accused of something I DIDN’T DO was the best thing that ever happened to me. Screw ‘em!!!! They all suck at the store level.

By DCustomer

January 3, 2007 10:08 AM | Link to this

Service. I’ve been in several Home Depots and found the “staff” running from customers who look like they need a little help. In fact, a friend of mine who works there told me they intentionally do this.

In addition, after waiting 20 minutes for someone to saunter to the “service” counter one Saturday, I told the employee that the wait time was horrible and Home Depot would be receiving a letter. She sarcastically replied, “Oooh, send me a copy.”

When I bought my first home I bought a drill from the Home Depot for a couple of hundred dollars (who knew?) after telling an associate I simply needed to install some blinds. Fortunately, at Lowe’s the very next day, an associate showed me a DeWalt drill and demonstrated HOW to use it. The drill was under $50, but Lowe’s has made so much more money due to the loyalty/trust they established with me by being eager to assist in offering me the best product at the lowest price.

Home Depot is decent for those who know what they need, and what they are doing. The average homeowner should head to Lowe’s for complete satisfaction.

By cee

January 3, 2007 10:09 AM | Link to this

As a former owner of some 17,000 shares of HD stock - mostly acquired from late 1980s to 1990s, I am glad Mr. Nardelli is gone. When Home Depot opened its store in Macon, GA in 1990s, this town was elated. Up until that time, my husband & I would make trips up to the Mt. Zion Road store south of Atlanta to shop with them. We had a Lowe’s here - - the old variety of that store - - that was a disaster. HD hit Macon and boomed. But then Lowe’s got its act together and today is the dominant one here in town. HD recently moved its original store from a busy intersection to the new “Eisenhower Crossing” shopping area out in West Bibb County. A total disaster. The store is tucked away in a hidden location there. One can go out there on a Saturday afternoon and the parking lot will be 3/4s empty. They could not have picked a less visible, less accessible location. Consequently the two Lowe’s stores here in Macon has the vast majority of business locally.
They need to fire their site manager who picked such a bad location. And service is zilch now. Finding help from an employee is impossible. Even with all that stock I used to own, I now shop at Lowe’s.
A great one time company - Home Depot - has been trashed. And what a shame.

By cd

January 3, 2007 10:10 AM | Link to this

Sometimes you get what you ask for. Lets look at Home Depot performance in 6 months..

By Bart

January 3, 2007 10:12 AM | Link to this

Nardelli is a common thief.

Replacing him with one of his hand-picked lieutenants will do nothing to solve the problem. This board has shown time after time nothing but contempt for shareholders like me.

This company needs a shake-up from the top down.

By myparentsarecrazy

January 3, 2007 10:13 AM | Link to this

It is a shame what has happened at THD. As a former employee, I saw Nardelli and all his cronies drive moral into the ground. We used to all ‘Bleed Orange’ but now no one will lift a finger to continue to make those GE people rich. You can see it in the attitude of the store employees all the way up through the corporate ranks. Until they get some management that actually cares about it’s employees things will never be back to the way they were.

By K Gunn

January 3, 2007 10:13 AM | Link to this

Customer service should be number one! Home Depot Corporate needs to be less concerned with Six Sigma methods. Six Sigma is great for manufacturing, but it can destroy a retail environment. There are managers in the actual stores that do not even know how to merchandise their products. Yet at the same time, there are store associates that are old school merchandisers and they really know how to sell a product. Someone at Home Depot should go back to the landmarks in order to remember that selling the product is what makes the money to turn all those great investments. If one Home Depot store had to stand on its own, like a mom and pop store, without the corporate giant money backing it, there would not be a Home Depot today. Time to get back to the business of taking care of the customer and selling a good product that you actually have and keep in stock!

By Kacie

January 3, 2007 10:14 AM | Link to this

As a former employee of THD, I can tell you there is MUCH celebration at the SSC (Store Support Center) today. For a million reasons, including horrible morale, low pay (except at the top), lack of customer service, unbelievable waste in spending and a loss of the wonderful work culture there, this is a welcomed day of change. Just hope the next guy isn’t a clone.

By Greg

January 3, 2007 10:15 AM | Link to this

The employees didn’t like Bob. That’s the bottom line. When a company’s employees are unhappy it leads to unhappy customers. That’s what Home Depot has right now. Take care of your employees and they’ll take care of the customers. Simple.

By MICHAEL

January 3, 2007 10:18 AM | Link to this

Restore customer service and add back all the items deleted from inventory. I go to Lowes because I know they will have what I need. HD cut back inventory of some slower movers to “save” money but often those are the very items you want, so I go elsewhere and but everything. Makes no sense to go to HD and buy 95% of what you need and then make another stop to get the balance.

By Derek

January 3, 2007 10:21 AM | Link to this

Too bad Blank and Marcus are not involved anymore in day-to-day. They seem to be running their companies quite well. Back in the day, Home Depot was the envy of big box retailing then they became envious of everyone else. To the point of hiring a Welch monster, only to be robbed blind.

Shareholders - Vote for a new board Hold this board accountable for their approval of the compensation package they approved for Nardelli.

By Ed Blair

January 3, 2007 10:21 AM | Link to this

The biggest fix has taken place with the departure of Nardelli. Lead Director Ken Langone who hired and protected Nardelli needs to resign as well.

By barnesy

January 3, 2007 10:25 AM | Link to this

It is ridiculous for the board to expect a CEO manage all his stock options and the corporation at the same time. It’s not hard to determine who got rich during his tenure. It will take years to recover from Nardelli’s reign.

By Mark

January 3, 2007 10:26 AM | Link to this

Don’t get too excited about Bob leaving… let’s see what his exit package and retirement perks look like. I’m guessing a lump sum in cash and stock worth about $100 million and a hefty “consulting” contract for a couple of years at a cost of about $250,000 annually (plus expenses). Probably use of company cars, planes, etc. for some number of years and a fat benefits package. Bob will be robbing THD until he’s in the grave is my bet. Thanks, Bob… stock’s in the toilet, customer service is dismal and you’ve made yourself a multi-millionaire!

By Stuart Moring

January 3, 2007 10:30 AM | Link to this

Home Depot has an enviable record of growth, but Nardelli seems to have been focused on taking care of himself rather than his customers. The staff in the stores are harder to find, and less knowledgeable than before. They need to focus on the customers and the employees, like Blank and Marcus did. His pay was obscene, yet they have a poor record of philanthropy.

By Isa

January 3, 2007 10:31 AM | Link to this

Good Riddance Nardelli, he should give 90% of his severance to Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild homes lost in fire or flood. $210 million to leave ! HD’s customer service has definitely declined. I was re-doing a kitchen and bath and spent way too much looking for people to help me find things. The majority of employees were apathetic. A few older ones were great but the young ones need a lesson in customer service. I hope Frank Blake sees that and HD has a turn around.

By john

January 3, 2007 10:34 AM | Link to this

Pay for Performance, set polices and STICK to them. Having the 22nd floor get lunches/other perks that other (just as hard working) associates on lower floors aren’t entitled to is poor management. Management must lead from the top down. This isn’t happening at HD. In the stores……Customer Service !!!! Hire/Train/Pay performers. Everyone should be involved in cost control. Nardelli made millions by sticking it to the people on the lower level. BAD Management. Addtionally, the board should be penalized for letting this behavior go on for 6 years. Lastly, we should ALL be able to see what is in his golden parachute. How much more will HD pay for a poor performer. Most HD people get only 2-4 weeks for severance and NOTHING if they are terminated for Just Cause. Lets get with the plan and hold EVERYONE acountable to the same set of standards. From your friendly HR person.

By Alice

January 3, 2007 10:37 AM | Link to this

I have to agree that the company needs an overhaul from the top down. In the past when I needed something fixed at home, HD was the place to go, The customer Service there STINKS! I try Lowe’s and ACE before I go to HD.

By Dan O

January 3, 2007 10:38 AM | Link to this

As a customer at the first hd (buford hwy/doraville) I recall a store with no less than 12 circular saws to choose from. Retired or just tired pros who knew thier trade and wanted a steady 18-25 $ an hr. check. good prices and service. They have turned into the formula that failed before they arrived. Remember Builders Square sold everything from appliances+lamps+rugs+lumber+hardware etc.. with a staff of highschoolers they went out of business along with many others around the country who tried the same. HD was building supplies and hardware that served the pros and the homeowner with a selection of tools and materials that served both. Beware a Willams bros or Cofer bros going back to that old formula and taking both lowes and hd for a ride.

By MAB

January 3, 2007 10:41 AM | Link to this

Hey, Atlantans: Your points would be more credible if you folks would learn how to use correct spelling, grammar and punctuation in your comments.

By Al G

January 3, 2007 10:44 AM | Link to this

Nardelli successfully accomplished three things. He bled the stockholders dry, made himself rich, and made shopping at Lowes look good. Things need to change big time at big orange.

By Dave

January 3, 2007 10:45 AM | Link to this

Channel, Rickels, Hechinger, Handy Dan, Handy Andy, Grossmans, Payless Cashways, Central Hardware, Pergament, are all Home Centers of the past that are out of business. They treated thier vendors like dogs and offered terrible customer service. Home Depot is headed in the same direction. Bernie and Arthur need to dump the fish and footballs and take over the reins until they can convince the Lowes CEO to jump ship. Former Vendor, and current stockholder who needs to rethink my stock mix.

By JT

January 3, 2007 10:45 AM | Link to this

I used to have several thousand shares of Home Depot stock. I sold every last share this past year when Nardelli snubbed the shareholders. I turned around and spent every penny from my sale on Lowe’s stock. I took a bit of a loss to do this too, because for some of my shares of HD I’d paid more than they were worth at the time I sold them. But it was worth it to me to be rid of a stock where the company has turned its back on not only investors but the consumers.

Nardelli was a BAD choice for Marcus and company left HD. I don’t know what they were thinking.

I’m a Georgia native and I gobbled up HD stock when I could afford it. Now, I avoid shopping there at all costs.

The customer service is terrible. It’s a veritable ghost town when you need assistance. At Lowe’s, there are people stumbling over themselves to provide assistance….I remember when that used to be the way HD was.

Shame on you, Home Depot.

By Linda

January 3, 2007 10:45 AM | Link to this

Speaking strickly from a customer’s veiwpoint, the non-service “self-check-outs” need to be done away with. How much can a company distance themselves from their customers and expect to keep them? The least a customer deserves is a real person with a smile to take his money when he has finished shopping. I would not buy stock in a company who thinks so little of their customers that they have to use a machine to check out. You might as well put lumber in a vending machine. Don’t the folks at Home Depot know how important the personal touch with a customer is? Look at some of the most successful companies. You will find they let their customers know they are important. Enough said.

By JT

January 3, 2007 10:48 AM | Link to this

I’m also incensed at Nardelli’s golden parachute. Here’s a guy who drove the company into the ground and HD is actually paying him almost a quarter of a BILLION dollars to leave!!!! It’s outrageous!

Middle Americans are working but at lower rates of pay than in previous years…and yet CEOs are making more and more and more for doing less and less…and shipping jobs overseas to boot.

And don’t be mistaken…as soon as HD gets its foothold in China with its new company, more and more of the items offered in their U.S. stores will be coming from China. Say goodbye to American made tools..sort of the last bastion of American made goods.

By Patrick

January 3, 2007 10:48 AM | Link to this

I quit shopping at Home Depot years ago as a result of the stewardship of Nardelli while I worked at their Corporate Headquarters. The more troubling part of his departure is the amount of cash he will once again extract from a company that had become his personal piggy bank for the years he was there. It’s not about was it legal. It’s always been, was it moral and ethical? The answer has always been NO! While Home Depot could hardly find a nickle for its associates from year to year, it always amazed me that it could find millions for its executives who deserved it the least and the stock holders who have watched thier investment dollars dwindle. Nardelli should have had a clause in his contract that cut his pay rather than increased it from year to year based directly on stock performance and nothing more. I suspect he would have resigned years earlier. What scares me is that he’ll go on to another location, negotiate another lucrative contract through his representatives and once again fleece them just as he did Home Depot. How many homeless shelters have you helped Bob in the years you ran the show? How many mouths did you feed other than your own? Shame on you. Shame on the Board of Directors for allowing you to get away with it for far to many years.

By John

January 3, 2007 10:48 AM | Link to this

It is about time. I have worked for HD for 4 years and have never seen such bad management in forty years of employment. Bob has created horrible morale problems, poor product selection, inadequate staff, out of stocks, and very poor employee incentives. It will take me six years to just get to the starting wage of employees hired two years earlier. And the starting hourly wage has continued to be reduced under his leadership. Another GE guy…give me a break!!!

By Steve

January 3, 2007 10:50 AM | Link to this

A quick story: I have walked stores with Bernie Marcus. He would approach customers, introduce himself and ask what they did not like about Home Depot. Probably a bit intimidated, they would usually reply that they loved the store. He would not accept that and would push them for any thing they would like to see changed. One time a roofing contractor stated the the roofing nails were a little rusty. We immediately went to that area and began opening the containers of nails with the customer. He was right. That day, they were pulled off the shelves and the merchants at HD scrambled to replace them. The point is, that was the culture at Home Depot. And all of the associates and managers understood that, or they did not last. No, they were not all college graduates; they were just a bunch of retailers who cared about the customer and the business that they ran. That is the culture that changed under Nardelli. It will be difficult to recapture but not impossible with the right leader.

By cs

January 3, 2007 10:51 AM | Link to this

Lets talk the Wholesale Side of the HD SHOULD OF NEVER HAPPENED. I am Contracter and they cant service there people on the WHOLESALE SIDE.

By robbie

January 3, 2007 10:52 AM | Link to this

I’ve shopped at HD for too long to remember. In the last couple of years I’ve favored Lowes as the HD stores have become poorly lit, are generally messy and not kept clean, are staffed by people who hide instead of asking if they can help or who when need to go check something never return and generally speaking don’t know a thing about their products. Used to be the stores were full of retired pros instead of just an apathetic ” body”. Seems a big salary was more important than well lit clean stores and knowledgeable staff. I dumped the stock in favor of Lowes several years ago.

By Skip Holmes

January 3, 2007 10:53 AM | Link to this

Writer knows “nothing” about the Home Depot management structure but “something” about people and merchandising. That said, and betting I am not the only shopper in Georgia who spends 90% of my “home improvement” dollar with H. D.’s chief competitor, I would think they’d look to “Lowes” to see why. Outstanding merchandising with continuity (you can find anything easily), and PLENTY of knowledgable people to help you. One more thing, the staffs at both places make about the same thing so it’s not money. Attitude is a matter “of attitude” … and leadership! Can’t comment about Atlanta but I had two TESTY experiences with clerks who “gave a rats” last year at H. D. in my area, bringing to mind a treasured joke about a football coach confronting a problem player. “What’s the problem son, is it ignorance or apathy?” “Coach I don’t know and I don’t care!”/sk

By Forrest

January 3, 2007 10:54 AM | Link to this

Customer Service…pure and simple. The lack of this has driven me and many others to Lowes!

By Ray

January 3, 2007 11:01 AM | Link to this

CUSTOMER SERVICE…As a former employee this has to be improved or the company will go under. Loews understands this well. Paying poorly you get poor results, management is top heavy with managers who have no understanding of what really goes on or really needs to get done, the managers live in a surrealistic world. The good ones end up at Target or Curcuit City.

By mk

January 3, 2007 11:01 AM | Link to this

The wholesale side should of never happened. That is when all the stocks went down . They quit working the retail side and started buying out all these waterworks,plumbing, more building materials companys. Maybe the new Guy will stop all this nonsense.

By Use to shop there

January 3, 2007 11:03 AM | Link to this

Like all the others, it use to be the place to go. Now I go where they wear red aprons, walk you to what you need and carry it to your car for you (yes, service still exists). I stopped shopping at HD completely when he hosted a benefit for George W. Bush at his home. Birds of a feather flock together.

By Michael Cahill

January 3, 2007 11:03 AM | Link to this

I will not shop at HD simply because of Nardelli’s parachute. He should be in jail with the rest of the CEO criminals. Too bad Leo has escaped justice…for now.

By Julia Sugarbaker

January 3, 2007 11:04 AM | Link to this

What needs to be fixed is how HD treates its best employees. I worked at the corp headquaters for 3 years and saw great employees just bolt out of there! I was one. The work load was overwhelming, the pay way below industry average and management worked at least 13 hours every single day. How long could that go on? What goes around…comes around.

By David Patterson

January 3, 2007 11:05 AM | Link to this

It’s no wonder my stock quit splitting year after year when Nardelli took over… He’s walking away with $210M! I guess in a couple of years Blake will expect to do the same. What the Hell is wrong with the (used-to-be) good ‘ole USA? This seems to be the current trend is business today: Be CEO; Run company into ground; Walk away with everyone elses hard earned money.

By Michael Cahill

January 3, 2007 11:05 AM | Link to this

I will not shop at HD simply because of Nardelli’s parachute. He should be in jail with the rest of the CEO criminals. Too bad Leo hasn’t been brought to justice … yet.

By JT

January 3, 2007 11:09 AM | Link to this

The board of directors at HD is apparently very very interested in lining their pockets and cares nothing for sustained performance of the stock and the continued well being of the company. Why do I say this?

Because they are putting another GE employee at the helm of a company that has absolutely nothing to do with GE’s business model. That’s why.

Home Depot. I said good bye to you this past year for good. I venture to say that you will see more and more of your customers AND stockholders doing the same. However, I’m sure the BOD cares little since it will be making truck loads of money for itself.

BOD pay packages as well as those of CEOs should ALWAYS be tied to stock performance AND company performance. Then maybe the BODs would negotiate more reasonable pay for the CEOs and they would make better decisions.

For anyone who thought that the 80’s were the decade of greed….let me insist you re-evaluate that thought and introduce you to the 00’s: the decade of corporate greed and government/corporate indifference.

By Recovering Former Employee

January 3, 2007 11:16 AM | Link to this

It’s been over a year and a half since I left THD coroporate headquarters, and my first reaction to the news about Bob was to sing “Ding dong the witch is dead…!”. Bob completely destroyed a customer centric culture that Arthur and Bernie built by bringing in a bunch a GE Bots to “reengineer the company”. The next leader should really look at the current executive suite and clean house as necessary. HR is a great starting point…the company will only be as good as its people.

By Jeff

January 3, 2007 11:17 AM | Link to this

It’s about time Home Depot was turning into the big “W”. Customer service used to be the main reason you shopped there, not anymore if you are able to find a person who works there they know very little or nothing of what they are selling. Customers are no longer treated like they are number one. Another thing the golden parachute that Nardelli is getting should be giving back to the shareholders because under his leadership the stock price has not increased as much as his pay. Thanks Nardelli for nothing at all. Please replace the the number 2 GE guy also that was brought in by him.

By Kelly

January 3, 2007 11:18 AM | Link to this

Alleluia, Nardelli is gone! Frank Blake???? Should have brought Tom Taylor back. The only true “Bleeding Orange” employee that THD has ever known. Too bad Nardelli ran him out before he ran out too.

By Mark

January 3, 2007 11:22 AM | Link to this

Bob’s severance package is criminal! I was (kind of) joking when I said $100 million plus other perks… I knew it would be an obscene amount but $210 million is beyond the pale. THD BOD and Bob should be ashamed of the ride they took THD shareholders, customers and employees on. Apparently corporate greed knows no bounds. Do a terrible job… DO pass “Go”… do collect $200 million! I rarely shopped at THD because of all the reasons noted above… but after finding out about this, I will absolutely not be shopping there again. No wonder the stores are dirty and the customer service stinks… all the money went into Bob’s pockets (and apparently will be going there for a while even after he’s gone).

By E. D. Bjornson

January 3, 2007 11:26 AM | Link to this

We believe all the comments can be summed up with one word. ATTITUDE! We all know where that starts, at the TOP! I have written HD several times about their (service?), basically, attitude and have received their wonderful self-serving form letters as a response. PLEASE LISTEN to these comments!!!!!! If you don’t change your attitude (toward employees and customers, you may as well close your doors…

By E. D. Bjornson

January 3, 2007 11:29 AM | Link to this

I would like to add….Insanity is… To continue to do the same things over and over again, and expecting the results to be different. DO NOT PROMOTE FROM WITHIN!!!!!!!!

By larry

January 3, 2007 11:32 AM | Link to this

Service in the stores is lousy. Shopping in a Home Depot is worse than pre bankruptcy KMart. Employee morale is obviously very low. This won’t fix the problem. Fire the board and all the 22 year old MBAs that hired Nardelli.

By AL Heflin

January 3, 2007 11:32 AM | Link to this

I just came from Home Depot. While there I was reminded why I perfer to go to Lowes. No one offered to help and when it came to the check out, as usual, no one was around. I remember shopping at the first Home Depot when it opened. This companey bears little resemblance to that one. They need to get back to basics. CUSTOMER SERVICE.

By Karen

January 3, 2007 11:34 AM | Link to this

If I knew I was going to get $210 million for leaving my job, I would have left years ago!

By Bella

January 3, 2007 11:35 AM | Link to this

Arrogant management only concerned about lining their own pockets—at the expense of shareholders, employees, and customers. That’s the REAL problem. I refuse to shop at Home Depot and I have sold all of my mutual funds that insist on holding the stock. It will take a lifetime for the company to rebuild any goodwill whatsoever in the community. I don’t have time to wait for management to figure it out…

By jokurone

January 3, 2007 11:37 AM | Link to this

as a former employee this is what HD needed.maybe now they will appreciate the talent they have at the store level and compensate them fairly. i was a top producer in the appliance department set all sales records in the 10 store district and got a bad job review because of a store manager’s nit picking about inventory. so i left and almost tripled my salary with the new job.

By Former SSC associate

January 3, 2007 11:42 AM | Link to this

I worked at the Store Support Center corporate office for one year and it was pure hell. Unless you were one of the few chosen to excel at the company, you were treated like a slave. They expected you to work 55+ hours a week if you were salaried and if you did not…your career there was screwed. It is a dog eat dog environment where everyone competes for the few top jobs. An ugly, ugly place.

By M

January 3, 2007 11:45 AM | Link to this

For all of you praising the departure of Nardelli, you should be reminded that he rescued this company in 2000 when it was spinning out of control. He instilled some discipline and strategy to the company’s growth and vision and is single handedly responsible for growing the Supply side of the business. Look at EPS, buybacks, dividends, etc. to get the complete picture. Granted his overall compensation is debatable, but to correlate his overall performance to that of the company’s stock price is extremely short sighted, to say the least.

By Greg Ownby

January 3, 2007 11:47 AM | Link to this

SERVICE! SERVICE! SERVICE! It is hard to walk thru the store due to the clutter of stock.

Dump the board and place people that know the industry in charge..

SERVICE! SERVICE! SERVICE!

By Freed former THD slave

January 3, 2007 11:50 AM | Link to this

To Julia Sugarbaker, John and Recovering Former Employee - I know the Atlanta SSC is saying what I said when I left in November: Free at last! Although one of Bob’s cronies will be taking over temporarily for a while, anyone is better than Bob! I, and most of my department, lost my job to India offshoring. Bob was not going to rest until every area of the company except the stores were sent overseas. And this was right before the holidays. He took a great American company and ripped it to shreads. I was so proud 2 1/2 years ago when I was hire as a finance supervisor. But steadily I saw smart, outstanding employees leaving in droves. My manager finally could not take it and jumped ship in August. A 20-something dumb clown took his place. He talked to everyone like he was a slavemaster. Others in upper management begged me to apply within and keep my experience and MBA there. I was counting the days until Nov. 17th when I got my seperation notice. When I interviewed at other companies, people respected me for just surviving. I felt like I was going to an execution every day. Now I am at another company where I am treated with respect, paid well and is a joy to come to every day. Bad employee morale at the hands of Bob Nardelli is the reason why THD is no longer the shining star of American business it once was.

By TGD

January 3, 2007 11:51 AM | Link to this

What needs to change at HD is customer service. I have tried for so long to support HD over Lowe’s because it’s a hometown company, but after my experience a few weeks ago, I give up. My brother and I went looking for a lawn tractor as a Christmas present. After 3 hours trying to speak to someone in 4 different stores, no one could tell us if they had a John Deere in stock. I mean, come on people, it’s a big green lawn mower! Even went to a customer service counter - There were 4 employees behind the counter and nobody but us in line, yet after 2 minutes we had not even been acknowledged. Sorry HD, but you’ve lost a customer until you shape up… Hopefully this change will help you out some.

By Elliott Server

January 3, 2007 11:52 AM | Link to this

Nardelli is an accountant. He replaced leaders who were the founders, entrepreneurs and salesmen. Accountants don’t trust sales guys and Nardelli is no exception. He put into play management control programs that took the entreprenurial atmosphere that was Home Depot and managed through Six Sigma - a great tool but much overused by Nardelli and others who have taken it to be Gospel. Nardelli forgot that happy employees make the best salespeople and employees are happiest when they have their separate areas to be king. So, the person who ran the hardware department at a particular store ordered what he felt his store needed to fill the demand of the surrounding consumers. In Nardelli’s world, that manager was forced to buy from a certain provider and required to keep certain items that had no real purpose in that particular market at the expense of products that did. Top down micro management - it kills the intreprennurial spirit.

Nardelli could have been a hero had he understood the value of the employees who helped build the company who he then sacrificed for his new style. It is hard to replace good people. A new managment team will have to be fortunate to get existing employees to be as motivated as the one’s Nardelli replaced when he took over.

By Christine

January 3, 2007 11:54 AM | Link to this

BUH-BYE!

Let’s celebrate: the greedy, foul, gutless, heartless and self-serving loser is gone. Good riddance, you egomaniacal pig.

By Bart

January 3, 2007 11:56 AM | Link to this

If Mr. Nardelli or any of his minions are reading this: I hope you leave Atlanta and never set foot here again. Your wealth is just like blood money— made on the backs of your workers and shareholders.

I want to make a bumper sticker that simply reads “Nardelli is a Crook.” Anybody know where I can get one made?

By "sprinkles"

January 3, 2007 11:58 AM | Link to this

Home Depot used to be the only game in town. Now this area of Oswego, Illinois is booming and we have Menards & Lowes coming in very soon. Please fix your Home Depot store ASAP

By Scott

January 3, 2007 12:05 PM | Link to this

I don’t shop at Home Depot for many of the reasons cited here, most specifically:

Nardelli’s blatant support of the Chimpanzee who currently occupies the White House.

As many others noted, customer service reps who obviously head in another direction when they see a customer in need of assistance.

Long waits at Customer Service counters when needing a question answered or making a return - always understaffed, and with reps who are completely indifferent.

I Love Lowes!!

By Rich McFly & Arthur Biff

January 3, 2007 12:07 PM | Link to this

You guys are all missing the point. The problem with Home Depot is simple: Michael Vick! Michael Vick is root cause of all problems in the ATL and the world of Arthur Blank. BTW, Fire Jim Mora!

By garrett

January 3, 2007 12:09 PM | Link to this

we’ve lived near one of the original stores for 13 years. The downward slide has been amazing. As a woman, I make most of the purchasing, home improvement decisions in our household. One was a $7k purchase of windows and doors. I work full time and yet it took me seven visits to finally get all the service to get windows and doors ordered. When they finally arrived, the salesperson had neglected to order KEY PIECES. As a layperson who has now interest in construction beyond wanting a job done properly, I certainly didn’t look at the list and know that pieces were missing. As a result we had plywood over a main window for six weeks while they reordered. No compensation for all of my troubles or an apology for HD’s incompetence. I should have learned my lesson but about two years ago we had some other projects. My husband was going to pick up the supplies the next day, so I went to the store to pull about $4,000 worth of items, so that he could just check them out. Once again, help was non-existent. I finally stood in an aisle next to the appliancees and called out “Woo-hoo is anyone here who can help me?” Would you believe an HD employee came flying over from whereever he had been hiding and berated me. He crankily informed me that there were other customers in the store that he was helping and I was disturbing him. In the amount of time it took for him to come over and yell at me, he probably could have pulled the appliance I was seeking. I was stunned. I also wondered if he would have had the nerve to treat my husband that way. Wake up, HD — women spend an awful lot of money in this country and treating them rudely is costing you big time. HD lost a $4,000 sale that day. I feel guilty that I do sometimes still buy plants and light bulbs there, but only because Lowe’s is too far away. It would take a miracle to win me back as a big-ticket customer.

By Goat

January 3, 2007 12:14 PM | Link to this

Nardelli should be made to pay back everything he was paid while he ran Home Depot into the ground!! Customer service is a joke, when you do find an orange apron, they’re usually a high schooler that doesn’t know the difference between a tape measure and a screwdriver !!

By Dave

January 3, 2007 12:14 PM | Link to this

Put a “Top Gun” Home Depot store manager in Nardelli’s place. They know what the customer and employees want and will do Nardelli’s job for $209 million less money. Bernie and Arthur do need to turn over the FISH and FOOTBALLS to someone else and return to thier roots!!!

By TG

January 3, 2007 12:15 PM | Link to this

Screw The Home Despot (look it up)! Shop at Lowes!

By Atico

January 3, 2007 12:19 PM | Link to this

First a note to MAB:

You need to keep away from comments made by the building trade. Most of these guys are just plain old folks that could care less what some dude like you says about their spelling. You are probably in college and think you are hot stuff. Your are not.

There is only one solution to making HD thrive in the market place. Gettting back to the basics. Which means: Knowledgeable floor personnel, keeping the shelves stocked and the floors clean. Everything else will fall into place around those three initiatives. Oh, no more hot shot exec’s like Nardelli; those guys just do not fit into the building trade culture. Before Nardelli I would not even think of shopping Lowes. However Bob did a good job of screwing up HD management, and consequently the management he approved, screwed up the stores. Good luck HD, but you had better go back to the basics as was the theme song under Bernie and Arthur. Thanks.

By crazyorange1

January 3, 2007 12:20 PM | Link to this

Let’s see what Boob Nardelli’s cronie does to us now… All our benefits are crap All our incentives are gone All our morale is in the toilet…

Let’s see if Blake can at least attempt to restore HD’s morale…

HIGH MORALE=EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE

By Dave

January 3, 2007 12:21 PM | Link to this

Soon Nardelli will wish he had built his dream home in a town other than Atlanta, such as North Wilkesboro, NC where he would be appreciated. PS… North Wilkesboro is the home of Lowes… Nardelli will not be able to go shopping in the Atlanta area without Jeers and Boos, he will have to continue to send the servants out to Kroger for food etc

By Former SSC Associate

January 3, 2007 12:23 PM | Link to this

To: Freed Former THD Slave, thank you for saying it all!!!! I was there for a year and I saw everything you saw - I have an MBA and was well-respected in my career before I came to THD. They made me feel like I had no value other than to slave away for 55 hours a week doing grunt work tasks. I have never seen such an evil place from the top down - no morals, no values, no human compassion for anything or anyone. Advice for anyone listening: Do not go to work for THD at the SSC unless the entire culture changes.

By Olde Guye

January 3, 2007 12:28 PM | Link to this

I use to shop in one of the orginal stores (now closed) on Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain. Once a employee dropped a box of nails that had to weigh 50 pounds at my feet from a 20 foot ladder. He thought it was funny. Twenty-plus years later that still seems to sum up the attitude of the place and the arrogant, Jack Welch, know-it-all, GE connections haven’t helped. I go to Lowes whenever I can. At least they act like they are glad to see you.

By HDdawg

January 3, 2007 12:29 PM | Link to this

“Woo-hoo is anyone here who can help me?”

“Garrett”- I don’t mean be rude but as a WOMAN I would not want to be addressed to as WOOHOO so why would you address anyone else that way? I understand that service isn’t what it should be but you speak to someone as you would like to be spoken to and I would certainly not expect to be addressed by ANYONE as WOOHOO!

By rm

January 3, 2007 12:29 PM | Link to this

I had a nightmare experience recently when I hired Home Depot to install wood flooring in my home. The store employees were barely adequate. Home Depot subcontracts U.S. Installations Group for the flooring work. If it’s possible, they’re even worse than Home Depot yet Home Depot continues to subcontract them through Florida.

I sent a 6 page letter of my ordeal to Nardelli, my local store manager, and the USIG people. I doubt I’ll get any response.

Fortunately, there’s a Lowe’s closer than Home Depot at which I can shop. From this point on, I won’t even walk into Home Depot for a light bulb.

By JACKSON

January 3, 2007 12:31 PM | Link to this

As a former employee of THD, Bob should have taken much of the management with him. I went to the company seeking excellent career opportunities and found garbage. THD’s management has an antiquated way of thinking, never thinks outside of the box, jumps from one idea to the next and never completes projects. Those new managers hired within six-months of my hiring brought much change and successes however were defeated by the old members of management because they couldn’t comprehend a new way of transacting business.

I know customer service stinks at the store level but it is very foul in the areas of customer service within the SSC due to the no-education of much of the management team which leads to the hiring of uninformed staff. The company was chaotic each and every day of my stay there. Peace!

By Lamar

January 3, 2007 12:32 PM | Link to this

Home Depot had very friendly and helpful employees until about three years ago. From about three years ago until now, the employees seem to have forgotten where certain items are located, and the check out lanes are slow, due to the fact, they have only one or two chashiers.

The way to get the business back in order is to get its employees to work like they started out.

By William Lanum

January 3, 2007 12:34 PM | Link to this

The only thing I can say about Nardelli’s departure is good riddance. While you are at it Bod, reduce his severance pay. The severence pay publicized (200 mill) is obscence. The only thing Nardelli did while at HD was to reduce customer service. He certainly did nothing for the stockholders.

By DJoiner

January 3, 2007 12:35 PM | Link to this

Customer service…my wife and I used them to design our kitchen and when the 1st set of cabinets showed up the so called “expert” at the store had ordered the wrong ones. This started a sit of problems, issues, etc. that would take all day to describe. We ordered the cabinets in January and our kitchen was not finished until July. My wife wrote a detailed letter to Nardelli and we got nothing in reply…no letter, no phone call, etc. I promised from that day forward I nor my wife would never set foot in a HD again, and we haven’t. I do everything I can to bad mouth HD.

By Doug

January 3, 2007 12:38 PM | Link to this

Good riddance. HD is a perfect example of corporate culture gone completely wrong. The everyday joes at your local store make peanuts, the stores have huge employee turnaround and the executives are rolling in cash. I’m appalled at the $20 million in severance for Nardelli. He should be leaving with his tail tucked, not with a paycheck I’ll never see in a lifetime.

By Adam

January 3, 2007 12:40 PM | Link to this

EXEC COMPENSATION NEEDS TO CHANGE

No one is worth 210 million. That’s the equivalent of paying 420 people 50k per year for 10 years.

Think of the other things HD could have done with that money that would have improved their position as a company. A more reasonable amount might be 10 or 15 million.

By Nina

January 3, 2007 12:42 PM | Link to this

The customer service at HD was so poor it was ridiculous. Either the sales staff was unknowledgeable or unwillingly and that was if you were lucky enough to find someone to assist you. Also what was the point of spending stockholder $$$’s on a self-serve kiosk when it was clear that there was never a problem or a line to be checked out there. There was no point in modeling HD after a grocery store. These appear to be another way for HD to avoid customer interaction. Lastly—-it seems insane to give anyone that amount of money to exit a company considering how poorly it appears it was managed. I’m glad I didn’t buy any stock at HD or I would be mad as —well you know!

By Karen

January 3, 2007 12:47 PM | Link to this

With a Home Depot on virtually every corner, they are not in the market of customer service. They are in the market of convenience. With “true” hardware stores going by the wayside and Lowe’s not as convenient, you go to Home Depot because it’s closer. They’re not stupid. They know we’ll shop there because there isn’t any place else.

There are two key ingredients in bringing a big company down: 1. DON’T SHOP THERE and 2. DON’T BUY THEIR STOCK.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to out smart them at their own game. Get with the program people. Change only happens when the bottom line turns to RED.

With today’s stock going up, now would be a great time to dump as much as you can, pocket your profits and move on.

By Casey

January 3, 2007 12:48 PM | Link to this

$200 million for WHAT?

By Ray

January 3, 2007 12:49 PM | Link to this

Adequate checkout lines. Keep them manned regardless of the number of customers in line. Hint: If a customer wants to buy something and give you his/her money, don’t you want to take it?

By harold

January 3, 2007 12:49 PM | Link to this

harold had them out to do a roofing estimate. what a joke! their “at home services” is more like “at home attempted rape” because they were only there to screw me over! thankfully harold was not susceptible to their scare tactics and hired somebody else. what a bunch of jokers!

By Leigh

January 3, 2007 12:50 PM | Link to this

As a very unhappy Home Depot employee, I can tell you from personal experience that nothing will change until we have completely gone under. Home Depot is a heartless company that only cares about the bottom line. I for one,have no faith in this new “chief”. Go Lowes!!!!

By Concerned

January 3, 2007 12:51 PM | Link to this

In the beginning Home Depot was made great by the leaders of the company listening to and working with the store lever employees. Everyone shared the good AND bad times together. What didn’t work was looked at, and fixed. Customer service was high, employees enjoyed coming to work and worked as a total unit as employees and friends. That was all removed now. We need to get back it that quickly. They have a feedback called Voice Of The Customer. Many things that are written are so true and never addressed. What about listening to the EMPLOYEES ??? Clean up the stores, clean up the board of Directors and let us all share in a new beginning and win back our respect.

By David DeMeyer

January 3, 2007 12:54 PM | Link to this

For healthy future for HD, bring back the 100 or so top managers that originally made HD the success it was. But which Nardelli unmercifally axed when he arrived, thinking he was the next “great Jack Welsch” of GE.

By harold

January 3, 2007 12:54 PM | Link to this

HMM, FIRST THE FALCONS, THEN THE AQUARIUM, THEN THE HOME DEPOT ITSELF. MAYBE BLANK IS THE PROBLEM. HE IS THE ONLY CONSISTENCY BETWEEN THE THREE FAILURES HE OWNS.

By Jim

January 3, 2007 12:55 PM | Link to this

Improve customer service. Unhappy employee’s give poor to no service. If employees are unhappy due to Mgt treatment, lack of direction, and overall lack of staff in every dept, it effects your customers. Recently left your store in Warner Robbins due to lack of service. Spent 6k at other stores that had service.

By Orange Blood Family

January 3, 2007 12:56 PM | Link to this

My family has worked for HD both directly and indirectly for 20+ years. The poor performance of the stock has caused my family to lose more than 50% on our 401K’s during the time that Nardelli has been at the helm. When I worked for HD back in the 80’s and 90’s, you didn’t saunter anywhere. Everyone put in 110% or you were gone! Now we have an employee who is being paid for poor performance. It seems to me that if he had been fired him years ago it would have saved the company a great deal of money and I don’t mean just with his serverance package. HD has lost hundreds of hard working, knowledgeable employees, investors have dumped stock, and the customers have and are continueing to run to Lowes.

Has anyone talked to Tommy Taylor about taking the head position? If I were on the BOD, I would have been begging him to come back with my ears back and my tail tucked for make such a horrific mistake. He should have had the position in the first place. I can’t believe that they would even suggest Blake.

And to the person who said we should hire for outside…We did and look what happened. Only a person who understands the HD culture can run this company properly.

Do you know that before Nardelli if you performed at a high standard you could go as far as you wanted in this company? Now you have to have a degree to move up! Most of us don’t have degrees; they weren’t needed. If you are working 40-60 hours per week when were you supposed to get a degree. Farther more, it was never company policy. All you needed to do was take care of the customers which meant staying on top of inventory and product knowledge!

What happened to greeting the customer with “what are you working on today” to “can I help you find something”, that is when you can find an employee.

Sorry for the rant but my family has put their hearts and souls into this company only to have one man destroy it in only six years!!!

By Olde Guye

January 3, 2007 01:05 PM | Link to this

Just in case anyone assumes otherwise, Bob Nardelli nor any of his GE Six-Sigma brethren types at Home Depot or anywhere else give a crap what any of us - employees or customers - think about squat. We are nothing but stats and resources to them. We might have trouble comprehending a $200 million payment for resigning, but the Nardellis of the world don’t, because that is the kind of world they live in. They don’t even see us as being on the same planet. On the other hand, no one screams bloody murder when some bone-headed athlete gets a couple of hundred million for chasing a ball around. What a world.

By His face

January 3, 2007 01:07 PM | Link to this

Well, canning the CEO was a positive step. He is physically very unattractive.

By Aussie

January 3, 2007 01:17 PM | Link to this

Severance package?? That’s not a severance package … that’s a CRIME!!! 210 mil. for what, totally demolishing a once great and proud company? Nardelli + “Sick Stigma” = FAILURE The Grinch himself has nothing on this imbecile!

By Charlie

January 3, 2007 01:23 PM | Link to this

Give me a break! For all you people who think Bob is the problem, get a clue. This is the general nature of all retailers. Customer service at Home Depot stores is no better or worse than any other big box retailer. I have spent a lot of time shopping at Best Buy, Lowe’s, Target, WalMart etc and it is difficult to find an associate to help you there as well. Retailers operate on very tight margins and it is a balancing act to ensure you are staffed accordingly while not losing money. I am sure all of these retailers would gladly add payroll dollars and staff themselves more fully IF CONSUMERS ARE WILLING TO PAY HIGHER PRICES! That is where everyone misses the point. Do you want the best price or do you want total one on one attention from the associate? That is your choice. You can get one on