HD incident

[fanaticactus]

I was browsing yesterday in a HD to see what new cacti they had on display. What was funny about my experience there was that at least four clerks, trying to be friendly and helpful, asked, "May I help you with anything?" Keep in mind I was only looking looking at the rack of cacti. Eventually I found this question so humorous that I came very close to saying "Yes, thank you. I'm looking for a Gymnocalycium gibbosum (or whatever genus/species popped into my mind at the time). Do you have one?"

Soon I located a nice (but small) Pachycereus (or is it Stenocereus now?) marginata, which I was glad to add to my collection. I like its straight-as-a-rail growth and the looks of the closely set areoles. I know I'll have to wait forever, though, for the large white nocturnal flowers.

[Harriet]

I had a pleasant experience in HD yesterday. One of the more knowledgeable outdoor sales people and I got into a discussion of xeriscaping and cacti. He actually picked my brain, and asked a lot about cactus soil and culture. I'm no expert, but it was fun to dispel a myth or two...

[fanaticactus]

Your experience was definitely a positive one, Harriet. Thanks for taking the conversation in the right direction!

[Peterthecactusguy]

I don't like Lowes because of an incident there. I was looking for something specific I forget what now, and my Ex-wife was with me. We were going to go out to a movie and dinner and she had a nice dress on. Well most of the staff at the Lowes ignored me and were asking my Ex for her number, and crap like that. After I didnt get the help I needed I told her we are going... And we left. I have never gone to a Lowes again, because they sure proved that they really didn't want my business.

[fanaticactus]

I don't like Lowes because of an incident there. I was looking for something specific I forget what now, and my Ex-wife was with me. We were going to go out to a movie and dinner and she had a nice dress on. Well most of the staff at the Lowes ignored me and were asking my Ex for her number, and crap like that. After I didnt get the help I needed I told her we are going... And we left. I have never gone to a Lowes again, because they sure proved that they really didn't want my business.

That's definitely disturbing and very weird, Peter. I don't blame you for not returning. Here in the northern 'burbs of NYC, we have plenty of HDs but no Lowe's; they are further into CT & NJ. HD seems to have a stranglehold in this area. But we have both a HD and Lowe's, both huge, in my area in VT. I find there is a difference in the stores, but it's more in their presentation. HD is more warehouse-like & just kinda dull. Lowe's seems like more of a showroom: brighter, more attractive displays and layout. The help in both places is quite nice, but that may just be because it's Vermont. In my travels, tho, I find there are some better HDs & worse Lowe's and vice versa. I can see how your experience with one can tarnish the reputation of all. It might have been worth a letter to the manager. Anyway, I've found some really nice cacti at both places.

[Peterthecactusguy]

I doubt their manager would have done anything, but they made my ex-wife and me very uncomfortable. Someday I might check out their plants, but I will go alone, even if I have a gf/wife or whatever. It seemed to me that they were seriously unprofessional. As for how the lowes/HD is in some places, I realize that both HD and Lowes have their pockets of dominance. Around here since everything is so new each HD has a Lowes within a few miles of it. They use population as to where to build them tho, so some areas of AZ don't have anything. MY store was the closest to N. AZ when I worked for Home Depot and so we got a lot of people that drove 90 or so miles to get to our store. They would be cranky if they looked things up on-line and we didn't have them.

[Buck Hemenway]

The name of the plant is Pachycereus marginatus, but don't be looking for big white blooms from this beauty. The nicest one I've seen was in a nursery in South Africa. Some have yellow and some red.

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