Nice surprise at Home Depot

[AZjeff]

I need to be able to test some start capacitors and my cheap Craftsman multimeter doesn't test capacitance and got nobody to borrow one from or test for me so I looked around to see what I could find locally. Home Depot has the Klein brand, 3 models from $49 to $99, priced the same as Amazon and decent reviews. I decided on the middle model for $69 and checked the store online and it said 2 in stock. Got there and the hook between the low and high models was empty. An associate walked by so I asked him if they had some back stock because online it shows 2. He looked around up and down and couldn't find any and offered me the $99 model for $69, $30 off. I thought for 1/2 second and said sure thank you very much. He took it up to the lady minding the self check-out and asked her to take $30 off since the website was wrong. She scanned it in and took another $15 off and said sorry for the error. Couldn't believe it. Autoranging, thermocouple attachment, higher capacity, more features than I'll ever use.

Never had this happen before but a heads up if you're at HD and something you need is out of stock ask an associate for help.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Score!

 

[greenjp]

I had something similar happen once at HD. I was looking for a very particular screw, which the website said they had a 50 pack or whatever of in stock. Couldn't find it, asked the employee in the section, he said "eh take this one (the box of 500) and tell 'em Jerry said to charge the price of the 50 count box". No questions asked at the register.

 

[ctechbob]

They were probably so shocked that you didn't go full Karen on them for something out of their control that they did it in appreciation.

I only say that because not a week ago I was standing in HD waiting to return something listening to this person go all in on the poor girl behind the counter over something that wasn't her fault, and really had no solution.

I'm really glad I haven't had to work retail in about 30 years.

Great score though, always love it when stores take care of people, going above and beyond.

 

[AZjeff]

Yeah, I was standing there trying to decide if the lowest model would work not wanting to spend $99 and ended up with the $99 for $54.

I left retail in 2005 and wouldn't mind something to do a couple of days a week until my wife retires but retail isn't going to be it.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

Good score.

I have a Fluke Meter and can check Capacitors on it.
I check my furnace Capacitor once a year.

 

[Eddie]

HD is my go-to shore because of the store associates knowledge and helpfulness. Ed

 

[RooflessVW]

That's a pretty good meter, I bought the same one when my Mac meter died.

 

[ragtoplvr]

Just be aware that you are only using a voltage of 1 or 2 volts to check a several hundred volt capacitor. The test is not 100%. These capacitors go bad, some have an internal fuse element that opens, your meter will find 100% of these. Not all of them must have that fuse since bulged cases and ruptured pressure disks are common. So even if it tests good, it the case looks bulged I replace them. Since they often do not last and are cheap compared to the cost of the equipment, , and they tend to fail at the worst time, I simply replace mine during the presidential election season. Saves the extra strain on the motor of attempting to run with a bad capacitor.

 

[AZjeff]

Thanks for the knowledge ragtoplvr. Not 100% but better than 0%. Capacitor as a wear/maintenance item, never gave that a thought. Gotta go check the cap on my old old Craftsman table saw now.

 

[Job]

I saw some boxes of nice German lag bolts at HD in the clearance. I use these a lot. They are about a dollar each, the good stuff. I went with a few and they were one cent each. I went back and cleaned it out, I think I got over a hundred for like a dollar. Used a lot already. Another time there were some $39 under cabinet light sets for $17. I took one to checkout, one cent. Got all of them, like twenty for twenty cents plus tax of about three cents. Haven’t seen much there for a year or so, people get it all and sell on ebat.

 

[Silver]

I'd say dealing with the "associates" is worth about $45.

 

[Job]

What associates, at my store it is hard to break the group of them chewing the fat off in a back aisle somewhere. Others, when I don’t need help and am walking fast to leave ask “can I help you find something.”

 

[BigMoneyGrip]

Nice!
My wife and I were in HD recently and she was looking at rugs. She found one she liked but it didn't have a price on it. She asked a guy how much it was and he didn't know. All the others on the rack were $200. So he gave it to us! That was nice.

 

[Wolf359]

I was there once looking for a six pack of GFCI receptacles that was on clearance. Their website said they had them but none seen on the shelf. I did the same and ask a guy and he actually let me have a different type that was close but actually nicer and let me have them for the clearance price. I was floored as the clearance price was 1/6 of list price so they lost their shirt on that sale. But I spend thousands there every year so it's not bad.

 

[MattPersman]

During c19 heaviness last year had a landscape light go bad. Since Hampton bay is their company I took it to them to get warrantied. The manager just let me go back there and get a new one no paper work needed etc.

Have always had good experiences at HD

 

[ragtoplvr]

Thanks for the knowledge ragtoplvr. Not 100% but better than 0%. Capacitor as a wear/maintenance item, never gave that a thought. Gotta go check the cap on my old old Craftsman table saw now.

Your old cap will probably be good forever. The new stuff, like so much new stuff, is not reliable.

 

[HangFire]

Your old cap will probably be good forever. The new stuff, like so much new stuff, is not reliable.

I just replaced the start cap in my Baldor grinder a few months ago. It didn't last forever, but 40-some years is not too bad.

 

[another Todd]

Good score.

I have a Fluke Meter and can check Capacitors on it.
I check my furnace Capacitor once a year.

Wait, you check your capacitors as a PM??? Never heard of that being done. Do they go out of specs before they fail completely?

 

[JimPghPA]

One of my cousins daughters works at a HD. She said there store made millions more than there yearly anticipated amount last year with so many people doing home improvements. I can see the store policy being a little lax and having the employees being able to cut a few deals for the customers to keep them happy when they are having record profits like that. If it were a store that was barely staying afloat financially, there is a good probability it would be a different outcome.

BTW, if you are ever having trouble finding motor capacitors, McMaster-Carr has an online catalog, and also good phone customer service, and they carry them.