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 one service from stores like Nordstrom or Bloomingdales but how many of us can afford to shop thier regularly? Wake up people, this is Retail America. You want low prices, customer service slips. You are OK with high prices and you can be waited on hand and foot.

By Ralph

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

ALL CEOs are CRIMINALS 200 freakin million dollars> The govt needs to stop such blatant criminal and corruption. How much severance would the average HD employee get? This is why Capitalism is the most evil economic system on the planet.

By JB

January 3, 2007 01:24 PM | Link to this

want to talk to a friendly, knowledgeable sales person, get a great prouduct for your home, at a fair price, on time and be happy with your shopping experience? VISIT a independent Building supply yard. That’s where all the knowledge and customer service is !!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Nardbutnutt

January 3, 2007 01:42 PM | Link to this

Nardelli- Take your $200M and get your a$$ out of town. You are a complete prick. My investment in HD has been dead for 5 years because of your incompetency and refusal to work with Wall Street. Bad things happen to bad people and yours is coming. Best of luck you sad sack.

By JH

January 3, 2007 01:43 PM | Link to this

I have been going to home depot for years. Like the rest of you, I have had issues with poor service and the total indifference with respect to my needs and how I expect to be treated as a customer. However, because I am not an investor, nor have I been following HD’s decline, I am totally shocked at what I have read thus far. I have decided as of today to consciously compare Lowes to HD. I hate to say it but Lowes may have a new customer by the end of my visit if the attention and service to patrons is true.

By former employee

January 3, 2007 01:46 PM | Link to this

Having worked at Home Depot things have changed in the last 10 to 12 years…

Customer service is secondary, there is little knowledge in the employees and the old way of serving the customer are long gone.

It is the same type of retail store as Wally world, K-mart or any other retail business where things are stocked here and there and very few people can help you with questions.

This would be a perfect time for someone to open a new version of HD and show that customers matter!

By Karen

January 3, 2007 01:50 PM | Link to this

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.

Hey Harold: Bernie Marcus built the Aquarium with his OWN money not Arthur Blank. Besides, when Bernie and Arthur were at the helm, there weren’t any problenms with the company. Blame it on who’s in charge now.

By Get It Right

January 3, 2007 01:51 PM | Link to this

HAROLD, YOU ARE AN IDIOT! 1-Arthur Blank bought the Falcons years after he left Home Depot. 2-Bernie Marcus (Not Blank) donated the highly successful Georgia Aquarium 3-It is Nardelli’s fault Home Depot is in the state that its in. Bernie and Arthur had no say so in the operations.

If you are going make a comment, please pick up a newspaper and read something besides the cartoons!

By Get it Right

January 3, 2007 01:52 PM | Link to this

HAROLD, YOU ARE AN IDIOT! 1-Arthur Blank bought the Falcons years after he left Home Depot. 2-Bernie Marcus (Not Blank) donated the highly successful Georgia Aquarium 3-It is Nardelli’s fault Home Depot is in the state that its in. Bernie and Arthur had no say so in the operations.

If you are going make a comment, please pick up a newspaper and read something besides the cartoons!

By Peter P

January 3, 2007 02:02 PM | Link to this

Give me a break. As a present employee of HD, I see the ignorance of customers as the number one reason service has gone down. I have over 10 years of professional experience in my field as a contractor, and I am tired of the dumb idiots who come into the store and after listening to my suggestions accuse me of wanting to take more of their money than necessary. Then hire someone, morons, and see what a professional would charge!! Have the government step in and regulate CEO pay?! MY GOD! What the hell is happening to the people of the USA?! You people out there who are outraged at Nardelli’s paycheck, you need to get a clue about what capitalism is about! No wonder our country is going into the toilet, from reading these comments here, most of you don’t deserve to live here. Hey, listen, you want my professional advice? I have 15 customers waiting on me for it. You can either wait, or go elsewhere or hire someone. I will devote 20-25 minutes to one customer if need be because I don’t want him coming back a week later asking why his newly installed hardwood floor is all of a suddent buckling! If you keep complaining about service at the store level, go pay someone the money they deserve to install it for you. I am at the store for my insurance. If you want me as an installing professional, you need to pay what I ask. If you want to “DO IT YOURSELF” then the cost of saving money is waiting on me to finish with one customer. Bunch of rude morons are the reson the sales people at HD are fed up. We used to wait on professionals and people with manners. Now we have to wait on a bunch of idiots who see one TV show and think they know how to install travertine over a crooked plywood when they don’t even know the difference between a porcelain and a ceramic tile! Give me a break!

By BRODERICK T

January 3, 2007 02:05 PM | Link to this

Old BOB is gone,but the good ole boy and yes the good ole girl clubs are still in place.Home Depot will never regain it’s former glory until it cleans it’s house from the store level up. P.S. I have a giant boxing that BOB signed when he first came on board.He delivered a knock out punch alright.contact me at broderickt@bellsouth.net if you would like to purchase this bit of history.

By sagegirl

January 3, 2007 02:06 PM | Link to this

Stopped at HD over Christmas. The rude and completely uninterested “sales specialist” looked all of 16 and didn’t know the difference between a screwdriver and a nail. Finally found a “mature” gentleman to help me only to find out what I was looking for they no longer carried. What a joke! Ended up at Lowe’s where they actually were glad to see me and I got what I needed.

Sure hope Bob enjoys his $$$’s… cause he or HD won’t be getting any more from me.

By ms. nardelli

January 3, 2007 02:11 PM | Link to this

Nardelli has $15 million in HD stock, so by getting fired, he has made another $600,000 on the stock price increasing!

By ProudAmericanNationalist

January 3, 2007 02:12 PM | Link to this

One of my best friends works for HD, & says the store workers despise Nardelli & his greed. From what my pal says, morale has been falling over the past few years. However, the “golden parachute” mentality is rampant in most of Corporate America. These overpaid, self-important CEOs & top Execs make millions and shaft the worker bees up through (right under) middle management. From what I gather, HD was no different.

By 15 year SSC assoc

January 3, 2007 02:15 PM | Link to this

In August Nardelli fired 300 SSC associate; gave them a 2 month severance package. He leaves with 210 mil exit package; that’s fair isn’t it? Bob & Bob Derodes destroyed everything we loved about THD. And replacing Little Napoleon with one of his lieutenants will change nothing
Also Blank was lousy CEO

By Home Dumpo

January 3, 2007 02:18 PM | Link to this

Peter P,

You represent the reason why Home Depot is getting there a* kicked in by Lowes. You fit in well with all the other Nardelli “YES MEN” he had surrounding him. When a company has the arrogance that HD has, the employees start to think they are bigger than the customer. We all know what happens when customer service takes a back seat. We all start shopping someplace else.

Nardelli=Good Riddance!! (The only problem is there are 100’s more just like him at HD)

By Gary K

January 3, 2007 02:24 PM | Link to this

Bob Nardelli, Leo Mullin,et. al.. All birds of a feather. They bring their Ivy League degrees and their Six Sigma philosophies,proceed to run highly respected companies into the ground, screw the rank and file employees that made the companies successful in the first place and leave with hundreds of millions of dollars. As the former CFO of Delta did, some repeat their failures with other companies and further enrich themselves. Boards of Directors - please. They are generally composed of members of the same elite “club” of overpaid corporate execs. Sort of like foxes guarding the henhouse! I wonder how the HD board would act if it were primarily composed of HD employees who actually wore orange aprons and worked with customers

By 15 year SSC assoc

January 3, 2007 02:24 PM | Link to this

Good news NASCAR fans, no more Bob in voctory lane kissing Tony Stewart. And Peter P you are part of the cutomer service problem

By scubberConcerned THD Associate to Peter P

January 3, 2007 02:26 PM | Link to this

Peter P Your arrogance is overly apparent if you are indeed an employee of The Home Depot. Furthermore your ignorance is also to question as you should know that all employees who do not put the customer’s interest foremost above all else is subject to immediate termination. The Home Depot is committed to it’s customers and all associates from SSC to the retail stores know what is at task. I recommend that you change your tune and immediately correct your work ethic quickly or begin looking for another company to work for.

By Terry

January 3, 2007 02:29 PM | Link to this

Please understand, there is no such thing as a golden parachute. Today the standard is PLATINUM. And to think the fired ex-COO of JC Penney left with $10 million after 6 months. They worked hard for what they got.

By Chi

January 3, 2007 02:31 PM | Link to this

Stop being a bunch of bums. Get better jobs so you dont have to complain about Bob Nardelli making a lot more money than you do! If you want to have a bunch of help at hd then you go work there and cater to many rude people all day. That is all!

By Dave Bruemmer

January 3, 2007 02:36 PM | Link to this

Bob Nardelli raped Home Depot!!…and it all started with the Board allowing this type of compensation!

By Gary K

January 3, 2007 02:37 PM | Link to this

Peter P. - I don’t doubt that your point about DIY morons coming int the store is probably well taken, but I often find it hard to find a salesperson when I am in HD. Also, how can you scream about people who don’t understand capitalism when you are working an hourly job to be able to afford health insurance and your esteemed ex-CEO’s severance package is large enough to pay health insurance premiums for several thousand families for several hundred years?

By Peter P

January 3, 2007 02:38 PM | Link to this

Yes, Yes, I am part of the problem… sure, sure… You people don’t want professionals telling you the way things are. You want a bunch of sissy mary’s kissing your a&&* when you go into a store. Listen buddy, I have been installing hardwood, laminate and tile for 11 years. I started under my father’s company when I was 14. I learned by carrying boxes of tile and hardwood up 3-5 flights of stairs for the installers and I did that for 4 years. I didn’t touch a nail gun or a trowel until I could demonstrate that I could handle it. You people complaing about serivice and wishing for the “good old days” when retired pros, whatever the hell that means, were at the stores kissing your behinds. This is a construction store! You people coming into HD should have a pretty good idea how your project needs to work and what you need for it! If you are just starting to learn how to hold a trowel at 45 degrees and can’t even tell the difference between 1/8 or 1/16 inch grout line, you have no business doing any kind of a flooring remodel! At least the store I am at, there are CURRENT professionals, people with 10-15 years of experience in their fields. But you guys don’t have the patience to wait for us to finish with one customer, because we actually go into detail and show how to do something, you yell down the isle, “Hey, come here”. Well, you can go do it yourself then. When you learn to respect me as a professional, I will treat you with courtesy as a customer. The truth hurts, doesn’t it, weekend warriors…

By Paul

January 3, 2007 02:38 PM | Link to this

To: Peter P As a former ‘old culture’ officer at HD, you are extactly the kind of employee that HD can do without. Customers pay your salary and their choice to stop by is driven by your courtesy and patience with them. Your arrogance makes you no different than Nardelli!

As for the culture, it lives no longer and will take years to rebuild if the new leadership even wants it to return. Nardelli and crew effectively killed the culture and replaced it with individual rewards exclusively for top management long ago.

Every picture of Bob Nardelli in the SSC should be stripped away just like he commanded Arthur Blank’s pictures be removed upon his arrival.

By Reggie Mc Cray

January 3, 2007 02:39 PM | Link to this

Customer Service when Home Depot first came on the market there were knowledgable people will to help, that has disappeared. The long wait in line in the California Stores and the inventory in hardware does not reflect what the customer needs.

By Peter P

January 3, 2007 02:42 PM | Link to this

Thank you. Finally, someone who understands that it is not the employees that are the problem. And scubberConcenred, you have some nerve. I make it a point every time I put that apron on to give 110% to each and every customer I talk to. Besides, the hell do I care about you people… I got better things to do then to debate with you weekend warriors…

By The real Bob Nardelli

January 3, 2007 02:47 PM | Link to this

Hello suckers !

Now that I am gone,you might be comforted to know that you could have taken a bum in the Fulton county jail,put them in charge of Home Depot for the last 5 years and paid them $100 million AND CAME OUT $300 MILLION AHEAD ! Now that I am gone,presumably,the secrets that my a$$ kissing,slack jawed,ever nodding sycophants have been keeping will come to light.Too late for you HD vets that I let go and ran off so that HD coud “remain competitive” “respond to customers” and “build shareholder value” (snicker)…You dumb shareholders really believed that I would lead you to the promised land,didn’t you ? You thought that firing the experienced staffers and customer service champions that made this company great would save money that I could use to go into other,unrelated businesses that HD would soon dominate.This despite the fact that the average HD is always out of stock of critical supplies and forces customers to be unpaid employees by making them check out their own merchandise.Fooled you again ! The fact is,the owners (shareholders) took over $400 million dollars that the employees of this company earned and transferred it to ME over the course of my disatrous tenure.The board of directors (who should have neen watching out for the owners)approved every last dime that I have have carted off the premises.BTW,look at the parking lot of any HD location next Saturday morning.See anything different ? That’s right - fewer customers than the nearby Lowe’s.That’s because of my policy of “delivering shareholder value” by “p#ssing off the customers” and causing them to shop somewhre else.Now you owners (and employees) will have to spend the next 5 years cleaning up the damage that I have done to a great american success story.

See you on the beach,

Bob

By Phil

January 3, 2007 02:47 PM | Link to this

The board should be replaced for allowing not only the CEO compensation package but his termination agreement. The excess and greed present in corporate America is an embarrassment. God help whatever company hires Nardelli - I only hope it is one outside the US.

By Art

January 3, 2007 02:48 PM | Link to this

A retailing giant needs a retailing CEO, not a manufacturing one. Follow the lead of Sam Walton at Wal_mart and hire for the indusrty that we are in.

By Mike

January 3, 2007 02:51 PM | Link to this

I remember when THD came to Atlanta.They had customer service.They claim that the people that work there can help you solve your problems,NOT.They run from you whenever they see you or point to someone else.I pay a little more but I shop at Ace Hardware stores.The one in my community has employees that have been there 5-20 years.They know most of their customers by name.That it what THD needs to do or get out of business.I am sick of our (help yourself attitude!)I am ready for a change in how American businesses treat us as consumers.

By Home Crapo

January 3, 2007 03:05 PM | Link to this

Hey Peter P,

We need a price check on aisle #5. Get your a* to work LOSER!

You represent your industry well. You say you work at HD for the insurance but with your customer service skills its not hard to see that your flooring company sucks because you probably didn’t return phone calls and made a habit of ripping people off. You probably had more floors buckling than Madison Square Garden!

Shut your piehole you Nardelli yes man!

Here’s to HD going under! Bring back the Mom and Pop stores!!

By To Peter P

January 3, 2007 03:07 PM | Link to this

I do this for your concern. Hopefully Peter P is a pseudonym and not reflective of your real name. I assure you that the RMs will be aware of what has been written by those who claim to be current employees and offer the type of dialogue that you submitted to this forum. You are a fool and no matter how much experience that you have to offer to THD you are a flagrant liability to the customer and the company.

Just like private practice where you cut your teeth as a floorer, the retail business is above all else about giving the customer the best product at the best price that affords the business a profit. As a corporation, there are literally hundreds of thousands of people who share this committment as shareholders, associates, vendors and families of either. You jeopardize the well-being of everyone in the company when you offer this garbage so matter of fact in a public forum and disgrace us all.

My hope for you is that you too have a golden parachute that you can survive on after your termination.

By chi

January 3, 2007 03:07 PM | Link to this

Well Peter P, I would appreciate it if you did not try to tell us what you have done for your company. It doesnt take onw person to change a business, it takes EVERY employee!You might as well not even go to work because you dont matter in the long run. So how about you stop talking to us “WEEKEND WARRIORS” and go try (and I use the word try loosely) to get a CLUE?

By HD shopper

January 3, 2007 03:16 PM | Link to this

Peter,

Just a question and an observation. It is doubtful that you are giving 110% to each and every customer if you think we are all a bunch of no knowlege idiots that really, in your mind, have no business even trying to do any type of home improvement.

When I go into a HD, I want to be treated like I matter, that my questions matter and that it is important that I have taken the time to come into YOUR store and spend MY money. I do not want to be ignored or acted like I do not matter simply because you have people waiting for your “expert” advice. I would simply like for someone to acknowlege my existence in the store.

Your condescending attitude would not be tolerated by me if I was to come into your store and believe me you and your manager would hear about it. If you don’t like dealing with people - then get out of the customer service industry.

BTW, say you went into a business that you had little knowlege about the products or options left to you? Would you want someone with your venom (reread your post) taking care of you?? doubtful…

By bill D

January 3, 2007 03:32 PM | Link to this

This is how screwed up CEO compensation is: Dick Grasso was taken to task by Elliot Spitzer over his $160M + payout at the head of the NYSE but the directors can ok $210M sev? Maybe Nard had an air tight sev . Nardelli had no idea how retail worked and over built way to many stores which cannibilized sales at its other stores!

By IsmellTruble

January 3, 2007 03:34 PM | Link to this

“YOU CAN DO IT, WE CAN HELP”

HOGWASH!!!

Peter — please… please tell us what store you’re in. You got a lot a splainin’ to do!

By Ceno

January 3, 2007 03:34 PM | Link to this

For a long time now, the service at ALL Home Depots has been horrible. Ever try finding someone to ask for help? The attitudes and morale of employees is terrible? Start with customer service; and get into the stores to see what it is really like from a shoppers’ point of view. I’d venture to say that Home Depot has helped Lowe’s, Ace Hardware and others because shoppers are looking for a different kind of experience than that delivered by Home Depot. Here’s my question to other readers, commenters and Home Depot? What sort of world are we living in when someone can walk away with $292 million dollars for doing a BAD JOB? And businesses want to complain about increasing minimum wage? Give me a break!

By count_schemula

January 3, 2007 03:40 PM | Link to this

The story is not all that complicated.

HD did grow too big for Arthur and Bernie. They freely admit this. As they tell it, getting to $50b in sales was pretty easy. Getting beyond that was beyond them.

The company did need a real CEO, but, under Nardelli, morale tanked, green college grads with shiny hair replaced people with personality and decades of experience. The focus was more on Six Sigma, metrics and squeezing suppliers than with the customer. The quality of the goods declined, variety of selection declined, and really, anything that differentiated HD from any other box box retailer vanished.

When I first starting working with HD, Bernie and Marcus were still in charge, and basically, you liked these people. No wealth envy, you just liked them. They were personable people, who worked hard and loved the company they built.

Nardelli, Donnovan, and the rest of the GE team were not liked, and therefore not respected. It’s not that they did not need to shake things up, it’s just the way they did it.

It’s sad really. On some level, something had to give. HD did become an accidental Fortune 50 company. However, they flat out sold their soul to try to get bigger.

In less than a decade, HD went from loved to practically hated, and not only is that startling in and of itself, it’s going to be very hard, if not impossible to turn that around.

You can run fancy TV commercials with glow filters, you can support NASCAR, you can expand into China, but money can’t buy you love.

By Lynn

January 3, 2007 03:43 PM | Link to this

Let me get this straight, Nardelli receives $210 million as an exit gift? It just becomes more and more clear that CEO’s are protected with a golden-parachute so they can “land safely”…while employees are perceived as nothing but collateral damage and nobody gives a d_mn where or how hard they fall!

By TablesTurned

January 3, 2007 03:50 PM | Link to this

Thug paradise.

By Carter

January 3, 2007 03:53 PM | Link to this

The culture of a company, any company, is the foundation upon which all else is built; Nardelli systematically changed the culture and in so doing created a situation where turnstiles should have been placed at each door - not for arriving customers, but for the employees leaving.

His predecessors spent their time in the stores, knew many of their team; Nardelli had an executive dining room built, boasted of his mansion in the daily and appeared more motivated by greed than real growth.

The profitability he created may not be sustainable; he took his eye off the ball and went on acquistion sprees outside HD’s core business, making competitors of many who, previously, had been customers.

His final act of arrogance was choreographing a Board meeting with no Board members and no questions. Home Depot shareholders will be best served if his GE lieutenant follows Nardelli out the door with his rubber-stamp Board in lock-step close behind.

By crackbaby

January 3, 2007 03:53 PM | Link to this

Just go to Lowe’s.

By Mark

January 3, 2007 04:09 PM | Link to this

Bobs exit from Home Depot came none too soon, however I do not hold out much hope for the future with a person with a law degree as his replacement. I know little of Frank Blake, he may be a very intelligent man. He may have made a great lawyer, a fine politician or maybe even a good neghbor. I do not see the retail background that is desprately needed to have any chance of turning Home Depot around. People form the manufacturing buisness, and politicians do not have the skillset or personality traits to effectivly run a retail organization. They may be bright people but it is like asking a pediatrician to perform heart surgery.

By Mary

January 3, 2007 04:20 PM | Link to this

I stopped shopping at Home Depot years ago for many of the same reasons expressed in previous posts: poorly lit stores; pallets of merchandise blocking aisles; and awful customer service. A HUGE systemic problem in America’s young workers is a total lack of understanding of the concept of customer service. This dilemma is rampant at Home Depot.

By braveslifer

January 3, 2007 04:30 PM | Link to this

It’s amazing how stupid some people are. You’re just jealous because Nardelli got what you’ll never have. He didn’t “steal” money from anyone. He took advantage of capitalism. And for the idiot who commented on how 300 employees were fired and given 2 months severance pay: are you sure about that? Is that a fact? Because I know, for a fact, that employees were given severance based on their years of service and their current salary; which is how ALL companies dole out severance.

And for everyone of you that gives your sad story about how you used to go to HD and you live close to one of the original stores and you remember the good old days and blah blah blah…for all of your sob stories about poor customer service, there are countless others that are positive. Take your business to Lowe’s. As evidenced by Home Depot’s profits, they’ll do just fine without you.

By drew

January 3, 2007 04:32 PM | Link to this

Home Depot SUCKS… I have never been to any of their stores that didn’t have a long checkout line. Customer service is obsolete. Lowe’s isn’t much better. Just BIG business getting bigger while we get screwed.

By G

January 3, 2007 04:41 PM | Link to this

Peter P, if you’re such a professional, why can’t you make enough money to pay your own insurance? If I’ve been working 10-15 years at something and I still can’t afford insurance, I’d find something else to do.

I’m curious if Home Depot has lowered there hiring standards of what an employee is required to know? B/c in my experiences it comes down to which employee you get, my HD has both good ones who know ther sh#t and people without much knowledge of there products. No different than getting a career waitress versus someone who’s doing it on the side or just started. I don’t hold HD accountable for the fact not every employee can have 10+ years knowledge of the business.

By diogenes jones

January 3, 2007 04:47 PM | Link to this

It’s all very simple — if HD and its Board of Directors will willingly pay $210 million for poor performance at the top, then it is not a company I wish to do business with. I’ll never shop there again. And to all my relatives — make sure the gift cards next Christmas come from Lowes, not HD.

By FormerCustomer

January 3, 2007 04:47 PM | Link to this

First to “Peter P” and others of his ilk. You truly are ill suited for HD or any retail store like it. I too am a (former) contractor, now with a degree I have moved on. I know your type all too well, grumpy, know-it-alls with little or no experience or aptitude in dealing with people, a skill that is an absolute must in customer service. You might also seriously consider your decision to work in a DIY store (as advertised) when you seem to have such an issue with what you call “weekend warriors.” I can only assume you are afraid of being outsourced by the folks that choose to give it a go for themselves rather than risk dealing with surly contractors like yourself. Frankly, you should be afraid.

Also, I wouldn’t brag on your uber-contracting skills too much, if you really were that good I doubt you would be working at HD for insurance and I would bet the way in which you deal with homeowners is partially to blame for your own business failures.

HD did loose its soul when it moved away from hiring and keeping personable, knowledgeable associates in the stores. The staff I see in HD now is more likely to be found in the back room swinging mops at each other than taking any sort of proactive approach to serving the customer.

Also HD should not under estimate the damage it did when it moved into the Pro biz. That infuriated many I know still in the business and does to this day. Most have moved on to Lowes or back to the old school supply yards.

I just went to a local HD twice over the break and both times was blown away by the horrible service and lack of knowledge of the majority of the staff. There (thankfully) were one or two diamonds in the rough but not enough to keep me coming back.

A new Lowes opened closer to my home and the difference in service as well as the overall shape of the stores is stunning. It’s Lowes for me until HD gets rid of the Peter Ps, his dopey co-workers, and clean the dang stores already…they are filthy!

By Home Crapo

January 3, 2007 04:49 PM | Link to this

Braveslifer,

You sound like you know what you are talking about. Someone with that kind of insider knowledge must be really moving up the HD ladder. You are probably the toilet cleaner of the year at Store #413. Keep up the good work, you might even make it to $10 bucks an hour. You are the kind of “HD Zombie” that Nardelli made his living on. And while he is living the high life on the beach you will still be licking the toilet seats!

By Former Happy HD Customer

January 3, 2007 04:59 PM | Link to this

I hope someone at Home Depot is taking a look at the passion and number of comments posted to this board in support of dumping Nardelli, and restoring the culture of the old HOME DEPOT we customers used to know and love. Bring back the culture of Bernie and Frank. They made us happy to shop at HD, employees happy to work at HD, and shareholders happy to own and profit from HD. What happened at HOME DEPOT is simple and typical - Nardelli took his eyes off the customer and put it on only what Wall Street demands - to the detriment of both the customer and Wall Street, and to the misery of the employees that helped make HD the preferred place to shop for home improvements. Goodbye and Good Riddance! HD execs and board -please come to your senses and change course - bring back the place I want to shop. For now, it’s the blue store for me!!

By Play that funky music whiteboy

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

I’ve never seen a CEO kill a culture as fast as Bob Nardelli killed the one at Home Depot. When I was in MBA school HD was a case study for their financials and fundamentals - now they will be a case study for something else.

Let this be a lesson to all you “business book” sheep - one approach doesn’t fit every situation. The “Welch Way” in it’s essence works in a diversified enterprise of Billions and Billions of dollars, not in a retail operation where there aren’t any layers between you and your end customer.

Bob Nardelli also never gave anything back to this town or this state - please get out of town Bob, you overstayed your welcome by about 5.5 years.

By Marie

January 3, 2007 05:10 PM | Link to this

When I started with HD, Bernie & Arthur was the insperation. You could hold your head high and be proud you worked for HD. But associates have been stripped of the pride under Nardelli. I can’t see it getting any better with another x GE at the helm. The board needs to realize that the future of HD is it’s associate’s on the frontline. They need to re-instill the pride in the associates. Build the morale, hire knowledgeable associates and get back to the REAL basic’s of customer service. HD please fix the frontline and the rest will follow.

By Christine

January 3, 2007 05:30 PM | Link to this

Dennis Donovan (smug pig #2) - your pathetic days are numbered now that your boy is gone. Have you started stealing the office supplies on your way out the door?

And for the person who wrote: Every picture of Bob Nardelli in the SSC should be stripped away just like he commanded Arthur Blank’s pictures be removed upon his arrival. —You couldn’t be more on target. Bastard Bob needs to be wiped clean so we can forget his nightmare reign. The arrogance is phenomenal. Get the f outta town dude.

By Mark

January 3, 2007 05:45 PM | Link to this

I stopped shopping at Home Depot when on my last visit the only three employees who spoke to me tried to push a credit card application in my face. They have a lot of changing to do before I will return as a customer.

By Don

January 3, 2007 06:03 PM | Link to this

I used to love going to Home Depot back in the late 80’s to mid 90’s. Something happened to Home Depot after Nardelli arrived. They lost their soul or perhaps sold their soul to the devil. It’s not fun going there anymore. There’s nothing new, the aisles and shelves are cluttered and the service is mediocre at best. How in the world does Nardelli justify a severance package of $210 million? The Board should be fired.

By John

January 3, 2007 06:12 PM | Link to this

As a Delta employee I could see it coming. GE style of management favors limited supply, little regard for the customer and “I know the system better than anyone else”. And having the board okay the package is a slap in the consumer face. As I have in the last 12 months…pass Home Depot to shop at Lowe’s.

By steve

January 3, 2007 06:16 PM | Link to this

As an Atlanta native, and long time customer, I owned HD stock for 27 years. I sold it all and shop exclusively at Lowe’s.

Nardelli has no Atlanta roots, connections to, nor cares about the employees at HD. He is from the Jack Welsh mold at GE, and only the bottom line(his own)matters.

I’m afraid the stench at HD will never disappear.

By bobby

January 3, 2007 06:23 PM | Link to this

No one’s worth 200 million. But it is America and if that is what the Board paid then that is that. Instead of getting rid of the CEO get rid of the one’s that paid him that much.

I really find it funny that anyone thinks that there is a limited supply of good business leaders. They are a dime a dozen. One persons wonder child is anothers dummy. It will happen again tomorrow and the next day. This is just a repeating story.

By gunznguitarz

January 3, 2007 07:11 PM | Link to this

he needs to be hung like saddam..videoed with a phone, of course

By RatFink

January 3, 2007 07:21 PM | Link to this

St. Martin’s School would like to thank Bob for all he has done in return for us employing his daughter, Christine. We love the new room!

By crazedorange1

January 3, 2007 07:21 PM | Link to this

By Marie

January 3, 2007 05:10 PM | Link to this

When I started with HD, Bernie & Arthur were the inspIration. You could hold your head high and be proud you worked for HD. But associates have been stripped of the pride under Nardelli. I can’t see it getting any better with another x GE at the helm. The board needs to realize that the future of HD is it’s associates on the front line. They need to re-instill the pride in the associates. Build the morale, hire knowledgeable associates and get back to the REAL basics of customer service. HD please fix the front line and the rest will follow.

I AGREE WITH THIS 100%

By CJ

January 3, 2007 07:50 PM | Link to this

All big companies that’s paying these CEO all this money need to stop! The stores are dirty, items are in the isles, and the workers are just getting by on their little salaries checks. No wonder they are running away from helping customers, they might be feeling like since I’m not making much, I can’t answer questions for the customers, who knows! But I do know these CEO’s are living like kings and queens on the shoulders of these poor little workers…try asking them a question about a product and I’m sure they would not even know what you’re talking about.

By lakeman

January 3, 2007 08:04 PM | Link to this

nardelli belongs in jail…not a bit of difference between him and mullin at delta…they both raped the companies…the hd board of directors are complete idiots to allow this man to pillage this good company…disgusting, disgusting…if it any wonder that despite being a hd stockholder, i tend to enjoy shopping at lowes…

By overjoyed Bob's gone

January 3, 2007 08:06 PM | Link to this

After 6 years of Nardelli rule (and former GE employees) let’s review what has happened to HD “front line” employees. In summary: less pay and and benefits. A) Demise of longevity bonuses B) Merit Badge payouts for customer responses to excellent customer service C) Shift from 60% full time 40% part-time help in stores to 40% full time 60% part-time help (the experienced help abandoned ship) D) the shift from annual raises to a “lump sum” payouts for those employees at the “peak” of their “pay bands”. D) Layoffs at Store Support reducing the response to store needs. Take away the incentives to employees, and customer service will follow. Dick Donovan (HR Director/VP)needs to follow Nardelli out the door. Nardelli didn’t heed the words of the founders when they said “take care of your customers and associates and good things happen to the bottom line”. Now, GE stands for “Grateful Exit” at the HD.

By FedupinAtlanta

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

When I first started going to HD, it was wonderful. The people in all departments were former pros who could not only answer questions, but could guide me in projects and anticipate what I might need. Now I find people staffing departments and telling me they know nothing about the products or projects requiring use of the products. “Oh, I used to work in paint but I got hardware today…” It is totally unhelpful and I have lost loyalty to them long ago. I was told by employees that it was the new CEO, Nardelli, who had the idea to hire salespeople rather than knowledgeable ones.

By tom

January 3, 2007 08:29 PM | Link to this

First the Falcons now Home Depot! Say it isn’t so King Arthur!!!

If this was the 1800’s we would all go out and hang Nard from the highest tree and burn down his 15 million dollar house!

By phil

January 3, 2007 08:31 PM | Link to this

Frank Blake-We called him Franky at the HD headquarters, he is a very good friend of the big Bob, Bob brought him over, what a joke, another guy who is going to be loaded with $$$$$$, america wake up!!!!

By FormerCustomer

January 3, 2007 08:46 PM | Link to this

New guy?

Nothing to see here folks, get back to work - http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2007/01/03/0103bizblakememo.html

By Peter

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

I admit that Home Depot certainly has problems, and the pay package given to the now departed CEO was pretty nutty, it seems.

However, I would not recommend Lowe’s to anyone, based on my experience. I would up having to finish my home improvement project at HD since the service I received from Lowe’s did not come close to satisfying me, it was a nightmare.

In the future, I would be open to using someone other than HD, like a smaller company if the service was good, but there is no way I would ever try Lowe’s again.

By John

January 3, 2007 10:58 PM | Link to this

HD is a joke. 210 million for the guy leaving. Give me a break. That’s nothing short of stealing. Time to sell the stock.

By Chris

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

Let’s not forget the Board that approved this absurd severance package is still in place, one last chance for Mr. CEO to pillage this company.

By ann

January 3, 2007 11:25 PM | Link to this

HD, at one time one of favorite places to hang out, can no longer provide me with basic and acceptable customer service. During the past year I’ve experienced lost orders, multiple disconnects during telephone inquiries,45+ minute waits to find someone whom I could ask for help only to be directed to someone else who already had several increasingly upset waiting customers, etc, etc. I now go across the street to Lowe’s.

By CDPuzon

January 4, 2007 12:06 AM | Link to this

Service in the check-out area must improve. I do not like the self-check out lanes.

HD’s prices aren’t so low I’m willing to put up with self serve scanners or go looking for a scanner gun for 20 pound bags of whatever to pay them money for their products.

By Leslie

January 4, 2007 12:20 AM | Link to this

The CEO was making that kind of money when employees are earning $10.00 per hour (in California) and working like slaves! That’s disgusting and I bet it won’t change.

By mel

January 4, 2007 01:03 AM | Link to this

This guy takes down Home Depot’s stock price, gets millions each year, and leaves with a payout of $210 million???? Are you serious—-for what? What a #%^## waste of shareholder money. No wonder Home Depot’s service sucks these days—they are wasting money paying nonperforming execs. I gave up on Home Depot and will now go to Lowes. At least someone there will help you find something and knows half of what they are talking about.

By MOT

January 4, 2007 02:28 AM | Link to this

Don’t y’all see the pattern here? It has happened to some of the best of American Companies: company excels, but the big wigs want more money more expansion more everything, so big bucks buys big names to replace CEO’s who come in, and raise prices, lower moral, and generally trash the company, and then rob it blind on their way OUT the door with their multi million dollar “parachute” package that is downright IMMORAL!!! When will the idiots that pull the strings learn 1.These folks aren’t worth it, 2. They can hire much better talent who will love and respect the company to run it successfully without the nauseating packages, and 3. that these big names they bring in are there to experiment, and play power games and I do believe some come in with the goal of: how much money can I rape from this company and how much damage can I leave in my wake as I walk away from it all on my way to the bank in the shortest amount of time?

I can’t even name all the rapists of the original AT&T from start to finish but it’s pathetic history is in LARGE part what destroyed the company. (What was the name of the most stupid CEO that turned his thumb down on the earliest of cell phones saying, “who wants to spend time talking on the phone just anywhere” ?????? And how much money did he lose the company for that great “prophetic” decision before he ran with his parachute??? The government helped in the demise of AT^T, and ironically now the government is allowing the Bells to come back together under the AT&T name. It will be intersting to see if anyone has a brain at the head this time.

Don’t know why anyone is surprised that Nardelli did what he did. What is sad and amazing is that NO one UP THERE seems to think it is wrong!!!

By Brison

January 4, 2007 02:48 AM | Link to this

Isn’t the definition of insanity: Repeating the same mistakes, but expecting different results?

GE-HD isn’t in touch with the shareholders, much less their consumers. The New Yorkers at the helm are eviscerating HD by devaluing their customers.

Customer service and the quality of the home decor products steadily dropped after the departure of Bernie and Arthur.

Bernie & Arthur put their heart and soul into HD. But to Nardelli and his GE hires, HD is just a well-paid pit stop on the way to the next village to be ransacked.

Atlanta’s beloved Georgia Lighting, and Masterpiece Lighting are just a few of the stores that suffered harsh legal harassment under the ruthless Nardelli.

We are glad to see Nardelli go, have no expectations that Blake will be an improvement.

By Dazed and confused

January 4, 2007 05:49 AM | Link to this

I remember the days at my local HD when I had a project, I could always go to “Richard” the retired contractor that worked there and could get all the help and advice you could ever want on a project. Same thing in Gardening where “Pete” the retired landscaper worked. These guys were always excited to help and to share their knowledge. Now you go there and talk to Julio or Hop Sing that can only tell you how to make tacos or fried rice in broken english.The big box stores have fallen into the lowest price syndrome and lost their ability/desire to be service oriented. Something is flawed with this model. What ever happened to the “voice of the customer”?

By design_john

January 4, 2007 06:19 AM | Link to this

I had a problem with a major HD purchase during the summer and called the customer service number and it was routed to India. I aksed for the number to corporate since I live in Atlanta and they would not give it to me. So being the persistant jerk that I am, I managed worm my way into the voicemail of the retail President. After talking with this, “too busy for customers”, non caring guy, I started shopping at Lowes.

By Ripped off Joe

January 4, 2007 07:00 AM | Link to this

I too, am a REFORMED HD shopper…extremely poor customer service, my father being ripped off on a gift card from his Sunday School class and just down right incompetence drove me down the street to the cleaner and much better stocked Lowes. I don’t care who runs the company..I will never pass thru their doors again.

By cowboy

January 4, 2007 07:58 AM | Link to this

Bob DeRhodes, Barbara Sanders, and the other people that came here from Texas, never established a residence, and then transferred the data center operations to Austin… Sounds fishy to me… They should be the next to leave.

By Debbie

January 4, 2007 08:34 AM | Link to this

There customer service is the worst. I drive 20 miles out of my way to go to Lowes as the HD 2 miles from my house is terrible. It is so bad that I had someone who was mixing my paint put it on the mixer, walk away and never come back.

By 15 year SSC assoc

January 4, 2007 08:47 AM | Link to this

Yes braveslifer I know for a fact the package that the 300 laidoff emplyees got was 60 days pay. I was there and watch as half my team walked out the door.

By jeff

January 4, 2007 10:22 AM | Link to this

just like a lot of the other people that have blogged, i own some hd stock. i hate to see it go down the drain because of nardelli’s letting hd become the ghost of what it was under the founders. just like coca cola when gozuetta died the ones who cared for the company are gone. i hate to shop at lowes when i own a good bit of hd stock but i have to go where i get service.i keep hoping the stock will go back up so i can dump it. the board of directors should have to give him the severence package out of their pockets

By Kacie

January 4, 2007 10:30 AM | Link to this

The number of stories about employee layoffs and “mysterious departures” are too numerous to mention. One of my fellow SSC associates was recently let go after 9 years in management and working in 4 cities for THD… and all he got was his 2-day sick pay. The upper management team cuts people without mercy and some of my co-workers were given NOTHING. I don’t think you can find one contented employee on my floor at the SSC.

When I resigned recently, it was because I could no longer work there in good conscience. I could not work for a company that does not support its people (and most there at the SSC are hard-working, bright folks) and paid ridiculous amounts to the top people. They put vendors out of business with ruthless tactics and are so slow to pay bills that many companies can’t afford to “bankroll” them, so they have to give up their relationship with THD. If the merchants find a product they like, they just find someone overseas to make it cheaper and dump the original vendor. It was just too unethical there, so I left. And so did MANY others. My friends who are still there are trying to leave. It’s a nightmare there. In 30 years, I’ve never worked in a place where everyone is miserable and wants to change things, but there is only power at the very top. And it’s ruthless. What a freedom I felt when I walked out that door for the last time!

By jojo

January 4, 2007 10:59 AM | Link to this

what a deal he got, I wish the board would pay the hourly employees (the ones that actully do the work) that much to leave. Its really an insult to the general stock holders and a slap in the face to the real workers

By c rat

January 4, 2007 11:11 AM | Link to this

My husband, a Home Depot employee, hasn’t had a raise in six years. Unknown to most folks Bob Nardelli put a wage freeze on most employees, we think, to get rid of longtime, experienced, higher compensated employees. And you wonder why moral and customer service is so low at the stores. Now with the $210 Million+ departure of Mr. Nardelli, we think that there goes the next six years’ raises!!!! Good going Board of Directors!!!!

By Brison

January 4, 2007 11:56 AM | Link to this

The HD ship is sinking and the Board of Directors only rearranged the deck chairs with more rotten GE leadership.

These robber barons have given GE and Home Depot a bad name. Surely the SEC or IRS will find charges to bring against Kenneth G. Langone, Nardelli, and the HD Board of Directors. It was Langone who strong-armed Arthur Blank to step aside so that Langone’s friend, Nardelli would join HD as CEO.

Get rid of those self-absorbed GE C-Level executives and the bozos in their back pocket: the HD Board of Directors. Need we remind you to send them packing without the platinum parachutes?

That crowd at HD played everyone for suckers. Send them and their cronies packing to the stand in the unemployment line for a feel for the real world.

By Brison

January 4, 2007 12:04 PM | Link to this

The HD ship is sinking and the Board of Directors only rearranged the deck chairs with more rotten GE leadership.

These robber barons have given GE and Home Depot a bad name. Surely the SEC or IRS will find charges to bring against Kenneth G. Langone, Nardelli, and the HD Board of Directors. It was Langone who strong-armed Arthur Blank to step aside so that Langone’s friend, Nardelli would join HD as CEO.

Get rid of those self-absorbed GE C-Level executives and the bozos in their back pocket: the HD Board of Directors. Need we remind you to send them packing without the platinum parachutes?

That crowd at HD played everyone for suckers. Send them and their cronies packing to the stand in the unemployment line for a feel for the real world.

By PBrown

January 4, 2007 12:13 PM | Link to this

Quit going to Home Depot about a year ago; now only for batteries—if I really need to restock them. The staff in Decatur (Wesley Chapel) AWFUL!—all others locations in Decatur/Lawrenceville not any better; there’s never anyone to assist you. They all run away if you look like you need help. And like others have said—they’re all too young to build anything! Get some qualified people who know about homebuilding, remodeling, painting; installations, or just know where the mechandise is in the stores. I’ve found Lowe’s to be much more helpful—esp. the one in Conyers Hwy 20.

By Tim

January 4, 2007 12:28 PM | Link to this

ITS ABOUT TIME. AND IT TOOK TOO LONG. NARDELLI CREDITS: 1. DEMORALIZING THE ENTIRE COMPANY 2. RAILROADING OUT THE DOOR THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT THE COMPANY BETWEEN 1998 and 2000. 3. ZERO SHAREHOLDER VALUE OVER 6 YEARS

NARDELLI TRIED TO PROVE TO JACK WELCH THAT HE MADE THE WRONG DECISION. WELL GUESS WHAT? WELCH WAS RIGHT. NARDELLI’s CAREER WAS RIDING THE COAT TAILS OF OTHERS AND WHEN ON HIS OWN FORGET IT.

GOOD RIDDENS AND BURN WITH ALL YOUR ILL GOTTEN FILTHY MONEY. YOU HAVE DESTROYED LIVES AND DESTROYED ONE OF THE BEST COMPANIES EVER CREATED.

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED SUICIDE BOB ?

By Ms. Brown

January 4, 2007 01:30 PM | Link to this

Customer Service at the Home Depot retail stores is horrible - some of the worst I’ve ever experienced. The sales people are not as knowlegeable or helpful as they were during the early growth of the stores.

I dread when I have to go to a Home Depot store. I had a salesperson comment about how the weekend customers were crazy and didn’t deserve good service…I left and swore not to ever return - and I haven’t

By CM

January 4, 2007 02:11 PM | Link to this

The first thing Home Depot needs is better leadership. The board is self serving and negligent in its granting of Nardelli’s compensation and severance package. It has turned a blind eye towards the problems at the company for years.

Nardelli’s inability to lead a retail organization has been visible for at least 3 years. The turnover at the executive level has been staggering. Nardelli’s cost cutting has meant no aprons on the salesfloor. Two months ago Nardelli told Wall street that he was putting 550 m additional man hours on the salesfloor. Those of us in the stores saw that was in reality a 15% cut in hours. Stretch goals have meant no bonus for store managers and no incentive to drive sales. Morale is in the toilet.

Placing Blake in charge will mean little if anything changes. It just means there is a new head hog at the troff. There is no talent left at the executive level. None of these people know how to put on an apron much less sell something. Fat Cat Dennis Donovan will be the next golden parachute. There is not an inspirational leader in the bunch.

Get rid of the board !

By Susan

January 4, 2007 03:40 PM | Link to this

There is a lot to be said for being in the right place at the right time. HD grew when populations were exploding and housing was booming. Even back in the early days, customer service was not 100%. A co worker of mine would say that the only way you could get waited on at HD was if you were a 20-something blond wearing a tube top. They relied on many customers knowing what they wanted and already knowing how to do the job. If I recall at one stockholders annual meeting, even Bernie was brought to tears by shareholders compaining about poor customer service. If I went shopping in the garden section, I would always be amazed that any profits could be made there because most of the plants were dying from lack of care. The kitchen design center and the Home Expo stores were never concerned about waiting on customers. If they had one live one, they held onto that customer unitl closing; never even making eye contact with other customers trying to get assistance. So, when a pattern is evident, customers begin drifting to other vendors - Loewes, Ace, independent garden centers, etc. This takes time, but it is happening.
because of service.

By Current SSC-er

January 4, 2007 04:12 PM | Link to this

BRING TOMMY BACK, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS MIGHTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By RDJ

January 4, 2007 06:11 PM | Link to this

Nardelli or Blake - unless someone fixes things at the store level, I won’t darken the doors for 5 years. Awful, awful store environment. I will be at Lowes if you are looking for me.

By dana

January 4, 2007 08:10 PM | Link to this

As an employee of HD in Washingto state, I am not shedding tears that Nordelli has left. It is too bad that he has raped and pilfered the company and employees . The company sets aside at least 30 million , rewarding employees who excell in customer service. That is a drop in the bucket , when you think that Nordelli took 7 times that much in severance pay. I think what needs to change, is to above all, put the customer first, and to train or recruit employees with the experience and background in the industry. It is too bad, that alot of times, service to the customer is not there. A funny thing is , my oldest sister works for Lowes. Lowes does seem to treat their employees with more respect and quality.

By SANDY

January 6, 2007 01:04 AM | Link to this

THE OPPOSITE OF ARROGANT——HUMILIATION HD HAS WATER DOWN THERE STANDARDS.. IT TOOK THIS LONG TO SEE HOW LARGE OF SPLASH THEY MADE..END RESULT…..STRANDED…

By Jerry Schull

January 6, 2007 08:44 AM | Link to this

I’ve noticed the same thing as much of the comments posted. As a mater of fact I WAS an exclusive HD customer. Now I just go to Lowes. They have more inventory. They are no better in the customer service department.

The advantage HD had was customer support (by pros). This is lacking today. Bring back the customer support (BY PROS, not temps), increase inventory AND stabilize your product line and I will once again choose HD first.

By Bobbie

January 7, 2007 09:36 PM | Link to this

Large companies need to stop letting the people at the top walk off with all of the profit. It’s not a pretty picture.