"How in the world do you work in a garden center and not know what a begonia is."
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Ha - "big box" stores.
I've been retired for several years, and when they built a new Lowe's store here in our town I worked for them part-time for a year and a half to make a little extra money and have something to do. Then I decided I'd rather be retired again.
It was fun - I enjoyed talking to people there, both employees and customers. The store put me in "hardware" and that was a good match because I've been around construction, tools, and hobby woodworking all my life. I was able to help a lot of people, and I learned a lot more from some of the customers who are professional builders.
But it's just amazing how some people think you're an expert because you're wearing a vest and working a near-minimum-wage job. The lady who was helping you in "lawn and garden" may eventually learn what a begonia is from customers like you, but that's it - there's no training that amounts to anything. Also, she may have been flipping hamburgers for a living last week, or she may be flipping hamburgers for a living next week - employee turnover in those big stores is about 50% annually.
Some employees who work in those stores actually know something about the products and sincerely want to help customers, many others don't. The fact that the gal was working in a garden center just proves that she figured out how to find that department that morning, nothing more. lol
What happened to Miracle Grow
LOL! How true, how true! I went to our Lowe's looking for Sphagnum Moss, NOT Sphagnum Peat Moss. Well, guess what they tried to sell me? I spoke with four different individuals, including the manager of the lawn and garden dept. When I told them the peat wasn't what I wanted the manager actually told me sphag didn't exist any other way...and then offered me a great deal on some bags that had ripped open. What the heck? They even looked in the register under the UPC code thingies and told me they didn't carry it.
After I left the outdoor part of lawn and garden I went inside to look at some containers. Right beside the containers I found a bunch of little bags of Sphagnum Moss. You know, the stuff that doesn't exist and that they don't sell. Unbelievable.
And that speaks of our position and attitude these days. It does not get better. It's a road with no return that I can see. Not a single honest gardener in either of our big box stores. When there was one she was to good and talked to the customers to much. Her assigned floor cleaning and shelf stocking never got done and ultimately got her fired shortly after the busy season. She is back to flipping hamburgers as someone above indicated.
I've just jumped in on this thread and want to comment on the lack of knowledge at the big 'box' stores. What I want to tell all these employees before I even ask them a question is this: If you don't know the answer, please don't guess, just simply tell me 'I don't know, let me find someone who does'. I was at a store one time and overheard an employee telling a young couple looking at shrubs, they asked how far apart to plant them. He, without hesitation said, oh about 1 ft apart. Being the personality that I am, I politely told the couple to check the tag, if they grow 3 ft wide, the plant them at least 3 ft apart. The employee was amazed to learn that! Interviewing and training is everything!
Carolyn
It's a matter of "you get what you pay for". The big box stores tend to be a lot cheaper than private little nurseries.
My buying plants at Home Depot or the like is dependent on my own knowledge of said plant. If I don't know I would most likely not buy. I'd go to a more expensive nursery if it was something important to me. I probably wouldn't risk much more than a couple of dollars.
Now I grow most of my own plants by wintersowing and enjoy it. too.
My garden purchases at big box stores are pretty much limited to potting mix that I know, trowels, garden hoses, etc.
Karen
I guess we shouldn't expect much at the "box stores", but you'd think they would at least give them a quick tour to tell them what plants were. But, I know they could have been working in the Frozen food section the day before.
I called the garden dept. at wal mart and asked if they had the Expert potting soil. Yes ma'm, it's right here. Ok, so my daughter went in, came back without it and swore it was not there. Did this a couple more times with diff. people. They kept telling me on the phone, they had it.
I finally just went myself. She led me over to "it" and it was garden soil.
You especially hate it when you know more than the manager in that dept. Guess I could quit griping and just go to a nursery, but Wal mart is just so cheap (lol
Well, that's it. Big-box stores use their tremendous buying power to buy goods in enormous quantities very cheaply. They're going for the main 80% of the market only - if they can't sell a million units of an item, they won't carry it and they'll let smaller businesses fill that niche.
That saves you money if you know exactly what you need and if they have it. The employees' and even department managers' main jobs are to keep the merchandise organized, get incoming freight put away, downstock to keep the holes on the shelves filled, and keep their department clean. A customer with a question is an interruption to these jobs that they have to get done before the end of their shift.
It's not that they don't want to be friendly, give good service, and help customers - they do. But they're helping out in all departments of a store that has 48,000 products. The person who doesn't know what a begonia is may be a lot more knowledgeable about concrete, window shades, or washing machines - but mostly they've gotta get this pallet-load of stuff put away in the next two hours, and there you are asking about some special kind of potting soil. LOL
I understand and that is Wal-Marts fault. Guess we'll have to picket for more helpers in all the departments! lol
BTW, I bought potting soil there yesterday and intended to get the expert, it and the Miracle was the same price. I walked out with Miracle Grow. I guess cause I'm just used to that green bag. (yes, I went back up there and told them so they could change it)
Anyway, I opened the bag and there actually weren't as many sticks as there was in last 2. Just thought I should let ya'll know. I probably got the only bag that didn't
I'm transplanting my pepper plants tonight, and I picked up another 8 quart bag of the MG Organic Choice today. That's what I used to transplant tomato plants a couple of days ago, and I liked it pretty well.
I traded a bunch of my extra tomato seedlings to a local nursery, and they provided the flats and cells already filled with potting mix for me to transplant into. I'll have to ask what product they use. I really liked it - no "forest products" at all, and it had a lot of those little round white particles in it (perlite?). It was a lot easier to work with than any of the MG mixes I've tried.
Yep, it's perlite. Now, don't anyone tell me I'm wrong, I'll cry.
Please let us know the name if you find out.
What kind of flats did they use. Just wondering.
"What kind of flats did they use. Just wondering."
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Black plastic trays. Each tray holds 18 insert cells that are 3" square and about 2" deep. The inserts are the kind made of light plastic and they're barely attached to each other. Customers break them apart to buy a plant.
I got 4 of those trays and insert sheets from them, and that's what I transplanted my tomatoes, peppers, and tomatillos into. With six more peppers in plastic cups at one end, that gives me 78 seedlings under three 48" shop lights, and it worked out real well.
Thanks,
I hate the Jiffy peat things and have been using flats without any pots, just potting soil ok, but I'd like to find out all I can about which ones to use.
Miracle Grow potting mix - I wonder if they have different qualities of bagged products depending upon who they ship to? I buy mine at Sam's or Costco and the quality has always been great: no sticks, no twigs.
Carolyn