Like many big boxes most of my local ones are fairly empty if employees. Home depot used to have somewhat knowledgeable people in each zone. Now something like 2 guys cover the entire store. It takes an hour to get a pallet of wood down. Answers they provide are often wrong, even about their own inventory. It has become a shopping hell. But nothing else is open Saturday at 9pm when the water heater breaks.
90% of the time the only option is self check out. The employee there is also covering the tool area and cleaning and who knows what else.
So I have to work for free to check out my own stuff, watch to see if prices are right etc? I didn’t sign up for that gig. So I pay myself a little something most of the time. A nice paintbrush, a new pair of pliers, plumbing fittings, a box of staples, a nice parting gift feels appropriate for the hour of my life I will never get back because you refuse to staff adequately.
I absolutely shop at the actual plumbing supply house when it is open. The guys there know their stuff and help out whenever possible. They seems like they get a living wage. Unfortunately the local hardware place pays even worse. The electrical supplier only does commercial.
I’m stuck with homeboy, but I don’t work for free.