3 cent charge on items at Home Depot?

[klpca]

So here's the skinny. It is a lumber fee, not a labor fee. Mr. KLP misinterpreted it. He was buying quite a bit and just realized that the fee was only on the lumber. I took a look and just below it it said "CA lumber fee". RIF. So there you go. Sorry for the wrong info. I knew that I should have fact checked this info.

My husband bought some lumber and other project items at Home Depot yesterday. For reference, our Home Depot has eliminated all but one staffed register, and has added numerous self checkouts that have a single snake line - you can't really get through there easily with lumber. He noticed that for every item the cashier rung up, there was a 3 cent charge so he asked what that was all about. It turns out that it is the labor charge for using the staffed check out lane. Obviously it isn't a big cost deal, but what is ridiculous is that Home Depot thinks that the customer should pay the charge, not them. Are the profit margins that tight at HD? We thought that the airlines were nickel and diming us, but Home Depot has taken it to new levels! And to rub salt in the scratch (because 3 cents is hardly a wound) the cashier made a mistake that she could not fix. He had to go over to the customer service desk and wait in line (again) to get the overcharge refunded. I asked him if he got his 3 cents refunded too for the mistake caused by the cashier, but he hadn't.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

Hmm, I have not noticed that on my HD receipts, but will need to check next time i use the staffed check out line.

What state are you located in? This seems like something that might roll our state by state..

 

[Talent312]

I would hope that there's a sign somewhere to notify customers of the 3 cent charge, , or a complaint may be in order to the FTC.

What I dislike self-checkout lines at HD (and Publix) where we live is that the receipts print out at crotch-level, instead of scan-level. I think it's sorta demeaning to reach down to get my receipt.

 

[klpca]

Hmm, I have not noticed that on my HD receipts, but will need to check next time i use the staffed check out line.

What state are you located in? This seems like something that might roll our state by state..

In CA. The change to the self checkout lines happened last week (we are frequent flyers at HD).

To be fair, we prefer the self checkout. The only time that we use the other lanes is when we have lumber or something that has to be measured, like door moulding for example. So it isn't going to affect us much, if at all. But to make customers mad for 3 cents per item seems like a dumb move.

 

[GetawaysRus]

I'm not greedy. I'll take 3 cents per Home Depot customer who uses a cashier.

My bet is that 3 cents per item will add up to quite a lot.

 

[susieq]

So they're punishing you for making them do their job??!! GRrrrrr............!!!

 

[Tia]

have to keep the profit line going up , wondered how they'd do it and now we are seeing

 

[klpca]

I am getting really tired of every company making *me* the unpaid labor (she says after spending the last two hours combing through pages and pages of EOBs from my health care provider so that I can unravel a mess of their making). It isn't right.

 

[clifffaith]

Since we’re now residing at the old folks home, trips to Home Depot are few and far between and usually involve the garden department where I’ve never seen a self check line. We will use the self checkout together (there usually seems to be something glitchy that takes four eyes and two brains to figure out), but prefer to wait for clerk check out.

3 cents is irritating, but not so much as the 10 cents per wine bottle that started in CA in January. We missed the memo, and never noticed it until June when no-longer-two-buck-Chuck is even more expensive when they tack $1.20 on to Cliff’s 12-pack. And just try to find a convenient recycle place to drag all those bottles back to — not happening.

 

[SmithOp]

Might have to switch to box wine, Cardbordeaux.

 

[dioxide45]

How is 3 cents going to come anywhere close to covering their labor costs? It seems like it is more likely to piss off customers than actually accomplish anything else. If they are paying $16 an hour for a cashier, 3 cents only covers about seven seconds at the register.

 

[BJRSanDiego]

Might have to switch to box wine, Cardbordeaux.

In California there is now a new Ca. redemption tax of 10 cents on a cardboard box wine and you get it back when you recycle it. Kind of a PITA.

 

[dioxide45]

In California there is now a new Ca. redemption tax of 10 cents on a cardboard box wine and you get it back when you recycle it. Kind of a PITA.

But don't you have to take it to a recycling depot? Or do the stores have the ability to process these? I suspect most boxers still just get tossed into the trash or into blue boxes resulting in the 10 cents not being returned?

 

[Passepartout]

How is 3 cents going to come anywhere close to covering their labor costs? It seems like it is more likely to piss off customers than actually accomplish anything else. If they are paying $16 an hour for a cashier, 3 cents only covers about seven seconds at the register.

When it's levied on EVERY ITEM that the cashier scans, across the whole company, that's gotta be some fairly sizeable jingle. Thanks @klpca for the heads-up. Makes me want to drop in at HD and run something by a cashier to see it in action.

Jim

 

[BJRSanDiego]

But don't you have to take it to a recycling depot? Or do the stores have the ability to process these? I suspect most boxers still just get tossed into the trash or into blue boxes resulting in the 10 cents not being returned?

You have to take it to a recycling center.

I recycle all of my aluminum cans but just toss the empty boxes. Too much bother and bulk for ten cents.

The other day, I took used drain oil to a recycling center (an auto store). They took the oil but made me take the empty containers. So, with the next batch of drain oil, I went to another recycling center (another auto store). Same thing happened: they drained out the oil and handed me back the empties. So, I did a Google search and found that there are some auto stores/recycling centers where they WILL take the empties. But, it doesn't really work that way as both of the stores that wouldn't take my empties were on the authorized Ca. list of places that "should" take the empties.

 

[klpca]

How is 3 cents going to come anywhere close to covering their labor costs? It seems like it is more likely to piss off customers than actually accomplish anything else. If they are paying $16 an hour for a cashier, 3 cents only covers about seven seconds at the register.

I suspect it is just to move customers into the self checkout lanes - you know the ones with free labor. You would have thought the length of the line with the checker would have been enough disincentive (I saw it on Friday but we were headed to self checkout) but apparently not.

 

[susieq]

I suspect it is just to move customers into the self checkout lanes - you know the ones with free labor.

Exactly what I was thinking!!!

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

This is an interesting thread. Some more thoughts below;

Anyone ever seen a discount offered in the check out lane if you use cash instead of a check, debit or credit card?

Anyone ever seen a discount offered if you use a credit/debit card instead of cash?

Many gasoline stations routinely charge about 10 cents more per gallon if you do use a credit card.

By the way, electronic transfers (i.e. credit or debit) is far easier and much safer for the retailers but some retailers want to charge more for that convenience (think gas pumps).









.

 

[PigsDad]

I think I might just have to act like an idiot (some might argue there wouldn't be much acting involved... ) in HD's self-checkout line and constantly call for assistance for finding the bar code, asking if the price is correct, etc. If everyone did this, it would back up the lines and might even get a good 'ole mob scene going.

Kurt

 

[TolmiePeak]

In California there is now a new Ca. redemption tax of 10 cents on a cardboard box wine and you get it back when you recycle it. Kind of a PITA.

Really? I get box wines at Tablas Creek and they have never charged me the 10 cent deposit.

 

[dioxide45]

You have to take it to a recycling center.

I recycle all of my aluminum cans but just toss the empty boxes. Too much bother and bulk for ten cents.

The other day, I took used drain oil to a recycling center (an auto store). They took the oil but made me take the empty containers. So, with the next batch of drain oil, I went to another recycling center (another auto store). Same thing happened: they drained out the oil and handed me back the empties. So, I did a Google search and found that there are some auto stores/recycling centers where they WILL take the empties. But, it doesn't really work that way as both of the stores that wouldn't take my empties were on the authorized Ca. list of places that "should" take the empties.

Kinda like my trip today to Ralph's in Palm Desert. I forgot to grab reusable bags on the way out so I had to pay 10 cents each for two bags at the store. Perhaps the 10 cents prevented me from using three if they were free, but each bag are so heavy they are probably the plastic equivalent of at least 10 standard grocery bags I get outside CA. Will I reuse them, perhaps but I would have reused the regular grocery bags too.

 

[klpca]

I actually reuse those. The super thin ones always had holes in them and weren't useful for anything except blowing in the wind. I remember the first time that I received one of those instead of paper. I was horrified because I needed to walk back to my apartment and there were multiple bags and they were uncomfortable to carry. Everything would have fit in a single paper bag. But I have been using canvas bags from Trader Joes for years, so it hasn't been a difficult change for me. Every once in a while, I miscalculate the number of bags I will need and have to pay for another bag, but it isn't too often. They are great bags for when you make donations to Goodwill or Amvets. That's what I use them for at least.

 

[zentraveler]

have to keep the profit line going up , wondered how they'd do it and now we are seeings

Shareholders want to see their stock profits rising. Just ask Elliott Investing about their interest in SWA.

 

[klpca]

Ok I am going to edit the first post. I had Mr. KLP take another look. LBR=lumber, not labor.

So only the lumber gets the 3 cent charge. I got everyone all worked up for nothing - and at 3 cents, it *was* always nothing. I have no idea what the fee is for. What, are we supposed to recycle the lumber or something?

 

[GetawaysRus]

Kinda like my trip today to Ralph's in Palm Desert. I forgot to grab reusable bags on the way out so I had to pay 10 cents each for two bags at the store.

10 cents a bag. An example of Kamala's hated price gauging.

I still reuse those thick bags that were handed out for free during the early stages of Covid. Back then, any bag that you brought to the store yourself was considered heavily contaminated with cooties.

From what I have read, I believe those super thick plastic bags are on the way out. California politicians are starting to realize that this program is a total failure and has actually backfired. The hope was that people would reuse the thick bags, thereby reducing plastic waste and saving trees by eliminating paper bags. But most people just throw them away, so actually the plastic bag pollution problem has gotten worse. So I suspect that we are someday headed back to paper bags, but most likely they will now cost 10 cents a bag.