# Home Depot doesn't do exchanges. I wonder if Lowes and Walmart is the same? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 30, 2012, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-depot-doesnt-do-exchanges-i-wonder-if-lowes-and-walmart-is-the-same/626768 "2012-06-30T02:31:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-depot-doesnt-do-exchanges-i-wonder-if-lowes-and-walmart-is-the-same/626768/21 "2012-06-30T16:28:35Z")
**Busted.** šŸ˜ƒ šŸ˜ƒ I had a pretty good rant going New Years eve. A combination of many, many factors. Tension at home with the wife, my boss had just assigned me to a crap two month project that I was _dreading_. Holiday traffic, crowded holiday shopping. Yeah, I was spoiling for a good rant that night and Home Depot set off the fuse. However, they are only 2 miles from my house. They do have great stock, especially their garden center. Lowes is 15 miles away and I only shop there when I have other errands in that part of town. Just wanted to say, I was not in the least upset about Home D not doing exchanges (they only do refunds). It simply struck my natural sense of irony. I quietly laugh at a lot of things that are regulated by Corporate or gov. rules. Usually I keep it to myself. My own little chuckle. Once in awhile I share it on the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-depot-doesnt-do-exchanges-i-wonder-if-lowes-and-walmart-is-the-same/626768/22 "2012-06-30T18:10:45Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I just exchanged a shirt (wrong size) for an identical one at Target. The clerk rang up the transaction on a single receipt as ā€œreturned: 1 @ $9.95ā€ then ā€œsold: 1 @ $9.95ā€. The net was zero. Worked perfectly and their inventory is just fine. As **fachverwirrt** pointed out, it does go through the computer then. But there is also a difference in the type of goods. I donā€™t know all the details, but I believe Target would purchase the shirts as a bundle containing multiple sizes, and they donā€™t keep track of the actual sizes, just the number of shirts. Eventually any left over shirts get moved on to more discounted outlets, and if they sell out, they arenā€™t restocked. At the Home Despot (sic) and similar stores items of different sizes are tracked individually and automatically re-ordered when the count gets low enough. The items would otherwise stay on the shelf until the line was discontinued. At that point theyā€™ll put everything at clearance prices. I took advantage of that the other day and picked up a 14" diamond saw blade at Lowes for $17. Iā€™m feeling sorry for \*\*Darryl Lict \*\*whoā€™s just looking for a [10" plastic cutting blade for almost $80.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15222648&postcount=10) ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-depot-doesnt-do-exchanges-i-wonder-if-lowes-and-walmart-is-the-same/626768/23 "2012-07-01T16:35:13Z")
[QUOTE=alphaboi867] I used to work at Home Depot, as long as you have both items to scan itā€™s possible to just process the return of the 1st item as a cash refund, then process the sale of the 2nd item, all without the cash ever leaving the register. You need to do this at the service desk itself, not dedicated return register right inside the door though. [/QUOTE] Of all the silly ideasā€¦ Why make it procedurally impossible to handle easy exchanges at the return register? Itā€™s things like this that make it obvious that the people in charge have never actually worked the front lines. I fully understand the idea of trying to keep inventory straight, but have you seen the pipe fittings aisle lately? I like how some stores have a bin every few feet so people can put things there for sorting after theyā€™ve looked at them, but most people just toss things back wherever they please, leading to madness when you need three half-inch left-hand PVC to IBM elbows and that bin is filled with IBM to PVC reducers, or more commonly in my experience, a box of drywall screws and a light switch. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-depot-doesnt-do-exchanges-i-wonder-if-lowes-and-walmart-is-the-same/626768/24 "2012-07-01T16:46:00Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > I fully understand the idea of trying to keep inventory straight, but have you seen the pipe fittings aisle lately? I like how some stores have a bin every few feet so people can put things there for sorting after theyā€™ve looked at them, but most people just toss things back wherever they please, leading to madness when you need three half-inch left-hand PVC to IBM elbows and that bin is filled with IBM to PVC reducers, or more commonly in my experience, a box of drywall screws and a light switch. stores are very smart to do that for plumbing, hardware and electrical. they should put up better signage so it gets used more. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-depot-doesnt-do-exchanges-i-wonder-if-lowes-and-walmart-is-the-same/626768/25 "2012-07-02T06:27:12Z")
> [@phall0106](#): > > I was once out of town (but within driving distanceā€“considerable driving distance) and visited an Ikea while I was there. I happened to see a shelving unit I wanted and it came in two different boxes. When I got home, I realized Iā€™d picked up two different boxesā€“same shelving unit, but two different colors. I tried to take back the one I didnā€™t want to the closest Ikea and exchange/refund. (No, it wasnā€™t the exact same store where I purchased it, althought it was an Ikea.) > > They wouldnā€™t let me exchange or refund it (even though I had the reciept.) > > So, I went to the next closest Ikea. Same thing. > > I ended up having to drive back to the way the f\*ck out of town Ikea to exchange the damn thing. > > And, if anyone is familar with the distances betweeen Ikea, theyā€™re considerable. Itā€™s not like driving to the next town. > > At each place, it was all about the inventory. Each Ikea store chooses which items to stock. Possibly the first two stores where you tried to return this did not stock the color you were returning. In that case, they would not be able to sell the 1 odd unit that you were returning (except as a overstock or some other discounted price). So they wouldnā€™t want to take it as a return, when they canā€™t resell it. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-depot-doesnt-do-exchanges-i-wonder-if-lowes-and-walmart-is-the-same/626768/26 "2012-07-02T06:38:27Z")
I love Home Depot. I go there at least 3x a weekā€¦ usually more. I frequently buy more than I need and return the rest. As has been pointed out you donā€™t even need a receipt. For exchanges, I take the receipt (or show the customer service person Iā€™m bringing in an item), go get the part I need and take them both back to CS. Or just present the credit card I bought it with and they take care of everything. Easy peasy. I do this a LOT. The difference between a big box store and a mom and pop store is size. BBSs have a lot more inventory and they need computers to keep track of it all. It makes perfect sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![that\_darn\_cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/59ef9b/32.png) [@that\_darn\_cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that_darn_cat)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-depot-doesnt-do-exchanges-i-wonder-if-lowes-and-walmart-is-the-same/626768/27 "2012-07-02T13:54:25Z")
While weā€™re ranting about people not being able to put things back where they belongā€¦it is not cool to open every bulk bag of hardware in the goddamn hardware aisle. Some of us actually want to buy 25 fender washers and would appreciate if you assholes would take your 3 from the little bin of lose washers and not open the bulk bags! Use your eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-depot-doesnt-do-exchanges-i-wonder-if-lowes-and-walmart-is-the-same/626768/28 "2012-07-02T14:11:10Z")
Working in retail in the past you wouldnā€™t believe how quickly a coustmer can turn their shopping into a complete clusterf\*ck of receipts, returns, exchanges, etc. that itā€™s up to the store to keep straight. Somebody buys their pc and monitor and with it they get a free printer. They also have mail in rebates with it. Then a couple days late they want to exchange the monitor for a biggger one. But two days earlier the bigger one was on sale so they want that price. But they also already sent in their rebate and removed the upc from the box. And somehow they messed up their printer and want a new one. But the store ran out of that one and now they want a substitute. And if they are getting a substitute they also want their money back on the ink cartridges they already opened but donā€™t fit in the new printer. A week later they have a virus on the pc. They scream and cry because they NEEEED the pc for their thesis which is due in few days and they just canā€™t waitā€¦ it just goes on, and on, and on. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-depot-doesnt-do-exchanges-i-wonder-if-lowes-and-walmart-is-the-same/626768/29 "2012-07-04T20:26:27Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > As **fachverwirrt** pointed out, it does go through the computer then. Of course it goes through the computer. So would any other exchange. The point is that thereā€™s no reason for returning the goods and getting the new goods to be a separate transaction. Itā€™s just bureaucratic inefficiency. Even if itā€™s caused by inferior computer software. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-depot-doesnt-do-exchanges-i-wonder-if-lowes-and-walmart-is-the-same/626768/30 "2012-07-04T20:38:34Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Of course it goes through the computer. So would any other exchange. The point is that thereā€™s no reason for returning the goods and getting the new goods to be a separate transaction. Itā€™s just bureaucratic inefficiency. Even if itā€™s caused by inferior computer software. As a former designer of inventory, shipping and light accounting software, I disagree, and hereā€™s why. Letā€™s say you have the sales figures, by product, for last week, on the CEOā€™s desk. The next day, someone brings in an item to exchange, and you want the old sales figures to be altered? Should the CEO toss the report and you reprint it? How about the next week, and the next? Much better to enter a new, negative sale for Product A and a new, positive sale for Product B. Now your computer database bottom lines are correct, and old spreadsheets donā€™t have to be trashed and replaced. Itā€™s a classic software problem. Once data is entered, it tends to be ā€œfrozenā€; other data is derived from it, and if the original must be changed, all derived data must be re-computed. Editing a previous entry is a software nightmare. And then thereā€™s the audit trail. If you replaced a previous sale with new data, how do you keep track of it? Believe me, you do NOT want to wipe out all evidence of the original transaction, which invites fraud. You want to keep track of each step, and a reverse entry followed by a new one cleanly satisfies that requirement. Thatā€™s pretty much established in standard bookkeeping procedure. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-depot-doesnt-do-exchanges-i-wonder-if-lowes-and-walmart-is-the-same/626768/31 "2012-07-04T20:51:49Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Believe me, you do NOT want to wipe out all evidence of the original transaction, which invites fraud. You want to keep track of each step, and a reverse entry followed by a new one cleanly satisfies that requirement. Thatā€™s pretty much established in standard bookkeeping procedure. Ahhh, from time to time my accountant will send my some entries to put into my accounting software. Weā€™ll then compare notes and if something doesnā€™t match, weā€™ll fix it. Sometimes, I entered something wrong, sometimes she sent me a wrong entry, usually itā€™s no big deal. A misplaced decimal, an entry into a wrong account, etc. I always wondered why instead of saying ā€œOh, there it is, just go back and change 12500.00 to 125.00ā€ sheā€™d email me two entries. One to back out the 12500.00 and one to re-enter the original 125.00. I never considered it from the transparency side of things. I know all the entries are recorded in the audit trail and I suppose if someone were to look at it, they might question why 12500.00 was changed to 125.00, but I didnā€™t know that wasnā€™t a GAAP. I just figured I could say it was a mistakeā€¦see hereā€™s the emails back and forth from the accountant (I save all of those). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-depot-doesnt-do-exchanges-i-wonder-if-lowes-and-walmart-is-the-same/626768.md?page=1)