Home Depot

It does seem as if there is legitimate apprehension about this advertising move. People have raised issues that didn't occur to me at first.

Dave, since subscribers drive this site with content & purchasing power & actual dollars, is there any possible scenario under which subscriptions could support the site & preclude corporate participation that made the subscribers uncomfortable?

summerkid, the income we derive from advertising is many many times more than what we get from subscriptions.

Howdy, Folks!

I, like many others, have always supported the 'little people' (Mom/Pops stores, family operated stores, community-oriented stores, keeping "our" money in town, etc) but this past year I had to take a larger view of things.

Our farmers' mkt, going on its 23rd year now, has recently moved into a Home Depot parking lot. At first I wondered about the location itself and then about us (the farmers mkt) appearing to support a big box which for me and others was a no-no. Fortunately, for all involved (vendors, customers, travelers, and HD) the move seems to have become a very positive situation.

Our HD has really reached out into the community, offering us as much room as we need (quite a lot for 50-60 vendor/membership), electricity and cables (for our events and music tent), storage area for our supplies, etc, and a "whatever you need, just holler" attitude, and they've done so to support a farmers' market. I came to the realization this is a bold move and perhaps a first in the Nation where a big box store (and supposed competitor) has joined forces to support in an active way the local residential community as well as our local farmers, nurserymen, craftsmen, artisans, etc. It's working out very well, too!
Hey, who knows, maybe one day Home Depots across the country will set up farmers' mkts in their parking lots, encouraging the "buy local" movement, eh?

I still recommend (and remind) my customers to visit and support locally-owned shops, garden centers, etc for particular supplies and goods and there are folks who prefer doing just that. There will always be those who will visit HD, also. There are also folks (like me) who will choose to visit both, depending on needs or availability of items, not necessarily always determined by the price. (As for quality of goods, that varies in either area, be it a family-owned store or a box store so for me that is not an issue that comes into play. Fortunately many stores offer a low-to-high quality and price range so stating that one or the other place always sells cheaper (or cheaply made) goods is not always a given these days, thank goodness.)

I hope this viewpoint helps to open another perspective, Folks. And trust me, I am one of those who for years was anti-box store be it WalMart, Home Depot, corporate chain grocery stores and shopping malls. :>) I suppose they each have their place and contribution though and hopefully we help to make them positive ones.

Dave, I don't mind Home Depot helping to support DG at all. Without someone supporting DG we'd all be lost. (I remember it wasn't too many years ago when you supported DG out of your own pocket and did so for years.) And what better box store to allow to contribute to DG. They offer gardening goods, tools, everything the "do-it-yourselfer" might need, etc. At least they are in line with the same interests that Dave's Garden members have, eh?

All in all, I'm seeing a side of Home Depot I hadn't witnessed in past years and I hope the rest of their stores (not just our local one) will follow suit by actively giving to communities. Dave's Garden might be able to encourage them to do just that!

Then again, I'm one (probably the only one!) who think it would be great to see DG sponsor Farmers' Markets across the Nation! Can't ya just see it, Folks!? A special banner flapping in the breeze at approved farmers' markets stating "A Dave's Garden Approved/Sponsored Farmers' Market." People far and wide will no doubt continue to equate "quality" with DG and there you have it, yet another juggernaut (a favorite Dave word!).

And now my long-winded fingers are off to replace this clicking keyboard with a seeder and get some butter beans in the ground. Ain't nuttin' better for ya!

Happy Growing in all the Gardens of Life!
Shoe

I still think that you should figure out a way for us to get a daves card and have HD give us a discount at the garden centers

I agree with those that know if you are not there when the plants are unloaded from the growers they will soon be so stressed they will never recover. Sadly, the live plant spots are leased....just the square footage. The HD staff could care less what happens to the plants because the dead and dying are just loaded into trash cans and picked up by the growers. HD looses nothing, nothing, nothing from lost plants. The grower foots the whole bill. I have had many a talk with the store manager of the HD nearest my home. I will drive 10 miles out of my way to shop elsewhere. While I know NameMedia has made a coop, the gardners have lost yet again.

Christi

I have to say that I have had some amazingling good stock from Home Depot this year. Other than Lowes and the odd garden sale in Sararota, I don't have too much selection in this area. I usually go on a Friday night and I've been very lucky finding such healthy plants and some very unusual varieties that I would never expect to find at HD!

Thanks horseshoe for that interesting post you made. I have never heard of Home Depot (or anyone else for that matter) reaching out to the local community the way yours has. I'd love to see that happen more and more around the country.

LouC:

Up here they vary from amazing to horrid. If I drive an hour to the one in a distant city, it is an amazingly well kept store. I believe it is a privately owned franchise...owned by a real person. They care about everything that comes into the store. The one nearest me is a horrid, horrid store...it is owned by a corporation...they have a small amount of mealy infested plants, some violets are so infested you can't tell what they are!! When I spoke to the manager he said they were going to get out of plants altogether, but the plants are the least of his worries...skids upon skids of broken and damaged items in the isles...terrible store compared to the one an hour away, like night and day.

I believe the difference is in who owns the store. Which can be said for any business anywhere.

We've had a lot of small scale dealings with Home Depot over the last couple of years or so. What I have found is that, while the local people (the good kind, mind) are very conscientious and will do whatever they can to "be a positive local influence" -the management decisions made off premises can frequently affect the quality of what HD is able to provide.

So for me all that has to happen is a framework which maintains "Dave's" standards and not the reverse. And Hey -I'd like to see Home Depot improved upon...wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit, lol.

(feel like I've just been awful cheeky, but -it's my two cents worth...)

Kelly

i love the Home Depot here, it is clean, the employess are helpful and their prices are competitive. i must say that i have never ventured into the plant section though. from now on, before i consider buying a plant, i will visualize having to dig a hole for it! lol...my aching back

Shoe....I loved your post! May I print it out and take it to my local HD manager? You know how much I just love making WAVES...I call my Congresspersons...Wal-Mart's Home Office...Hershey's Home office... , my local Zoning Board, highway department...anyone that needs a "heads up" on how they should run things....that is what us retired people are good for!! LOL

It's great to have a nationwide sponsor, right? Home Depot is good for me on seedstarting supplies, and the odd 6-pack of flowers for the kids. Don't get me started on the people in the plumbing section, though! I do wish their prices were more reasonable. But, like mona mentioned earlier, maybe - eventually - a DG discount program could be put in place.


One step at a time . . .

actually home depot is north america wide since they are all over canada also my area has five of them for about 900 thousand people and another coming soon down the road from me lol maybe I will apply to be the seasonal manager for plants

Hehehe, sure, Jo/RR, go for it. Help yourself, ya never know what can happen, eh? (Wish I could retire someday, I'd help ya!)

Shoe

Shoe....You don't really want to retire...it keeps you too busy....someone at Church said the other day...You retired people make me mad...saying you have less time than you did when you worked...IT'S TRUE!! Jo

to be honest, i only popped in on this thread to read shoe's post because i love reading anything he writes but after reading the whole thing, i have to say, "congratulations" not just to dave but to all of us. i see this as a big first step in so many ways. sure, the box stores have their faults in the plant department but our local HD is putting food on the tables of hundreds of employees, the prices are reasonable, the people are friendly and helpful (yes, i live in a small town where this is a reality, not a dream), and why not be associated with a big name? dg hasn't changed for the worse with any of the decisions dave has made so far.

one of the first steps i referred to is that maybe with dg'ers help around the usa, HD could stop selling cypress mulch-a huge step forward for our eco-system. there are other mulches out there, people. if enough of us impress upon HD and others that there are alternatives, who knows what could happen?

anyway, not meant to be a soapbox for my own grievances, just wanted to say that i think it's great.

kudos to you, dave

I still don't see Home Depot listed in Watchdog.
Wouldn't it be reasonable to expect a sponsor to be rated?
If they had a poor or mixed rating would they still sponsor DG?

Companies get listed when users list them so if you would like to review HD, list it.

Watchdog is only for mail order companies--so if you've bought garden things from them online then it could be appropriate to put them in there, but for local companies that you physically go to to buy things you should use Go Gardening instead. I'm not sure how Go Gardening handles big chains like Home Depot--I know there are a couple nursery chains out here that are in there and there are individual listings for each location so I assume it would be the same since I'm sure there are individual HD's that are better and worse than other.

We have steered clear of adding the big, nationwide chains to Go Gardening because of the time and effort involved in manually adding the thousands of stores. And the end result would be that the smaller, locally owned businesses would get crowded out in your search results.

Home Depot and Lowe's are also not in the Garden Watchdog because it is a directory of mail order gardening companies--they don't really fit that qualification.

I enjoyed your post Shoe! GREAT story, as always :-)

Our HD is fantastic. They have shrubs, trees, veggies, flowers, and all the stuff you need to keep them growing. And the help is very helpful :-) If you ask for anything, they stop what they are doing and take you to it.

Congratulations Dave but in my book, DG has always been big time :-)

I don't know if everyone else has seen this, but I joined HD's garden club today. You can go here to do the same:

http://www.homedepotgardenclub.com/Home.aspx

Hi, All----

Having worked at my HD for 11 years--I have seen so many changes it blows my mind.....

My first 5 yrs. were spent as the person in charge of the WHOLE Greenhouse....I knew plants...I loved plants...and i did a great job at it....Eventually--it became the best G-House among all the HD's in the area.....THEN--I had to leave this position and become a Phone Operator......BORRING....CONFINING......BUT--NO stress.....

NOW--as for garden plants...HD has absolutely NO control of the annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, sod, or anything else that is brought to the store....
It is all in the hands of a local Nursery/Provider and none of the material ever appears as HD stock....It does NOT exist in our system! They merchandise it--deliver it--and water it--and take the mark-downs if things die.
They are also feeling the financial crunch--and so--they now only have ONE person there any given day that is responsible for maintaining--watering--and culling any and all the plants....Quite a burden on that one person--don't you think? SOOO.....

This year--they have modified the "arrangement"--so now..they will take care of ONLY the flowering stuff--HD employees will have to water and care for all the G-House plants, the Shrubs and the Trees....etc...
There is NO ONE that has been scheduled to do so----so now they have to assign people from other departments to water all the plants.....Do they know anything about plants???
Not always....Lucky if they do!

In our store--one of the Phone Operators is responsible for this job....Not really fair! She may NOT know what needs watering when...or HOW---She does the best that she can.....

One has to really acknowledge the magnitude of this job when it comes to plants--and there is ONLY one or two people that are assigned to do the job! It is impossible!

Of course--we are a "Low Volume" store--which also means that we barely have ONE associate in any given department. Garden may have 2 or 3 this time of year!

How well cared the plants are in any given HD is really the result of WHO is there to do it. This time of year, they hire a bunch of PT'ers--young kids--to be there--- to physically....load cars....help lift bags of rocks and mulch and all that----but, they do not know a Pansy from a Geranium! They run all over the place and do their best--but do not really provide the kind of customer service one would expect in a Garden Dept.

I CAN! But I have now been a Phone Operator for 6 years.....because of my advanced age---having had 2 knee replacements---and having gone part time because of it all....I can no longer take the physical stress that working in Garden demands....
Still--I work in Garden on Sunday mornings--as a favor to my Manager--as i am the ONLY person in my HD that knows anything about gardening......to any great extent.....

Those of you that complain about the ignorance of the garden associates----I am so sorry! It all depends on WHO is out there and how much they know. Please realize that they may just be Seasonal hires and have NOT had any experience in gardening!
PLEASE don't expect some 18yr. old to give you gardening advice! They just do not know! Yet--that is who they are now hiring to pay bottom wages and save on not having to provide full benefits.....Even HD has to cut corners in this economy! YES they do!!! And--YES! They have!!!

IF you shop at a HD where there is an experienced, knowledgeable associate in Garden--you are fortunate! It is because THAT person LOVES gardening and will always tell you what they know to the best of their abilities....I would patronize THAT store even if you have to drive a couple extra miles......

As far as coupons and discounts------FORGET IT!
HD employees have NEVER had a discount--and never will! Why would DG people shopping there have one???? Ain't gonna happen!!!

So--People--you can always shop around and get the best deals wherever you find them.....HD may be great for some things--but NOT for everything....

I, personally, support all my local Nurseries and buy my plants in many different places. VERY seldom at the HD I work for. For me--their prices have gotten TOO high!!!! Their plants are NOT always the best.....
SORRY!!!! I like more of a variety......Quality..and all that......
DON'T tell my Manager i said that!!!!!.......OK?.........:o)

Gita

I just dont go on the weekend I usually will go on a wednesday or tuesday morning when its slow and usually one person will know something about the plants but what I find funny is most of the people on this site know what they want and dont really need any help from the staff, most of us know more than even some of the owners of local garden centers hahahahah I have been gardening for over 20 years

I'm not real sure where we expect these stores to find knowledgeable and experienced people to hire. It's not like there are a lot of vocational and garden programs available in our schools or anywhere else our kids learn. These are mostly on the job training spots. I would imagine most managers consider themselves very lucky to hire people who are interested. The private garden centers are usually a family business and a labor of love. These people charge what they need to make a living. It is not always cheaper to "grow locally". We each have to look at our own needs and budgets and make decisions about where we will shop. HD in our area has a nice selection and the best "Garden center" is at an ACE Hardware. Employees only work so many hours. Doesn't mean they don't care only means they have their own lives to take care of after work. I am glad to see some sponsors here. Like the rest of us Dave's family likes to buy a few plants!

very good post, gitagal.

when i go to hd or lowes or even my local nurseries, i try to be armed with as much knowledge as possible beforehand. i take my favorite garden book so i can look plants up that i am not familiar with. i never ask for plant info from anyone who works at any of these places. even the local professionally run nursery here does not always give correct advice or know what they are talking about.

hd is what it is......and i'm satisfied.

I noticed back this winter that my HD was advertising their own garden club, and I finally signed up. I thought it was only for my area, but the cards listed a site where anyone can join. Here is the link for anyone interested:

http://www.homedepotgardenclub.com/Home.aspx

Gitagal, you have explained quite nicely what I have always suspected about HD, and think much is the same at Lowe's.

Of the big box stores, I frequent Lowe's much more than Home Depot, just because Lowe's always has a mark down rack with lots of plants. I have picked up loads of plants for 0.25, 0.50, and $1.00 at my local Lowe's. I don't know a lot about plants, I know what I like, and what grows for me. If I was looking for something specific, or had a real question, HD or Lowe's is not the kind of place I would go for answers.

Last weekend I was at my Lowe's and an older man came up to me (my cart was loaded with mark down plants, and maybe I looked like I had a clue), and asked me if I knew what a plant was he had in a pot. It was an osteospermum, and I have grown them in the past, so I told him what it was, and how I've grown them, he went and brought his wife over, and we talked about the plant for a while. Before too long, there was a small group asking questions and discussing plants amongst ourselves! One of the most enjoyable trips to a big box store ever!!

Deb

deb,

That is pretty much what my Sunday AM stint in Garden is like--for 4 hours straight!

I can tell you--there is SO much misinformation and ignorance out there just from what I hear from customers...Sometimes, if I see someone pushing a cart full of bags of top soil (the yuk stuff), and they also have tomatoes and other plants in the cart, I will just stop them and say: "May I ask what you are going to use that soil for?" The reply will usually be--"My vegetable garden..." Then I explain to them that this kind of "top soil" is for filling holes in the lawn and then direct them to bags of Garden Soil and a couple bags of Humus with dried cow manure. Top soil goes back on the pile and they go home with the right stuff.....
I LOVE "setting them straight".....LOVE educating them!
I talk plain and never try to just sell them something....I talk about my own experiences and if we don't carry something--I try to direct them to another place--even Lowes--if they have something that we no longer carry....like "Snakeaway".....

Or--people will have a bag of Crab Grass preemergent in their carts AND a bag of grass seed.....They do not know that you cannot use both....

As I talk to them, you can see, ever so slowly, that "AHA" look in their faces.....and then the questions start coming....THAT is my reward.....:o)

Gita

Here I am at my table last Spring.....

I like answering question also and giving advice that is why I spent five hours today at the table of the ontario hurticultural society and the ottawa bloom show six of sat there and people would come and ask about their garden concerns some even showed us landscaping plans and plant list asking to look and see if the plants made sense in the locations marked it was great fun

Our HD sells named varieties of tropical hibiscus. Whereas the "other" place just sells them as "Sun Variety". I found my Elephant Ear hibiscus there as well as Gator Pride. I haunt that place.

Anne

Congrats, Dave. You did it again. Please, just keep our family going.

BTW, My HD is the greatest!!!


Hap