The Home Depot — Local services in Tukwila

Well, I know I’ve got some time, so I’ll relax and unwind in one of these apparently plywood seats, and regale you all with the saga of my struggle in securing cellular blinds at Home Depot as I wait for an employee to arrive and assist me.

It was a cold and somber October night, but the only thing more chilling than the crisp, dry air, was the abandoned ghost town that had become the Home Depot Flooring section.

I had slowly seen its demise over the years; perhaps the advent of online shipping had finally begun to take its toll. A place of excitement in my younger years, filled with magical objects that granted one the power to fell trees, move water, and light up the sky through electricity, had become a much more melancholy experience as an adult.

Distant memories echoed through the recesses of my mind, hazy as though cobwebs had taken up residence on the looking glass of my recollection. An abundance of orange aprons, smiling at the child that was me, offering help and sagacious wisdom honed through years of labor.

“Where are these sages now?” I asked myself under my breath. Why I kept my words quiet was a mystery even to myself- I could have screamed them out and the only thing to hear them would have been my own ears, as they echoed back through vacant halls of tile and stone.

I watched the sky grow darker through the maw of the oversized roll up doors for what seemed like an eternity. Time seems to distort here; I imagine all things dying experience their last hours in a manner different than those of us who are to walk yet longer among the world of the living. Surely, skeletons in their earthen homes perceive time and its passing in a manner foreign to us. And perhaps it is they who I should envy. Their time is done, and they have no projects left, binding them to this existence.

I however, still have blinds to hang, and despite my numerous requests for assistance in getting them cut to size, I remain. Ever adrift, haunting the flooring kiosk as a ghost, searching for closure on the project that brought him to this spring of endless restlessness.

I wish this were the first time I had experienced this sort of dystopian distortion of time. I wish that there were other places that could perform the duties I need so badly performed. But The Home Depot is all I have, and in my steadfast foolishness, I had already purchased the blinds here. Lowes would refuse me at their doors should I be so bold to even ask. The HardWars had taken so many, and we would all be fools to incite another. I pushed the treasonous thought out as I returned to my waiting.

Perhaps it is time that I take matters into my own hands. The cutting machine isn’t so sinister as to prevent me from attempting to use it. I have seen it done dozens of times before, in those younger days. Could it be so difficult?

I grow bolder by the minute. My heart races as the realization that I can seize my project and reclaim my time washes over me. Maybe the time spent in this graveyard and testament to the ways of old has all been a trial in self reliance? Could it be that the entire purpose of the wait is to discern those who grasp their desires, from those who are content to be forever at the whims of others?

Home Depot. I thank you for the trial. I thank you for giving me the courage and clarity needed to cut my own blinds. Perhaps someday, after this deed is done you can grant me an orange vest as symbol of my passing of the ritual. But today- I cut my own blinds.

Fellow adventurers, if I fall, see that my personal effects be returned to my loving wife- I will be in aisle 10, 20 paces west from the kiosk.

I wish you all well, and I wish you fair enough fortune to avoid entrapments that would lead you here. For if you value your life, which is nothing but the aggregate of the time you spend on this earth, you would do well to avoid coming...

They get a star for consistency. The staff is consistently incompetent and unprofessional. I've got 4 pretty good examples out of my last 6 interactions with the staff to substantiate that statement but I'll just go with the latest one. In this adventure with the minions of inefficiency, I've placed a online order for landscaping blocks to make a wall, a stack of lumber and 100' of drainage pipe. Too much to haul myself I pay for the $79 for 'Express' delivery service and choose the option, 'leave it outside' during checkout. Now I'm pretty stoked, I've order a weekend's worth of landscape material that'll be in the driveway and the entire transaction...no interactions with anyone from the orange smocked army. How naive of me. Saturday I rise at 9am to find 2 voicemails from the horde of hardware, the first is at 6:05 stating that my order was on it's way. Followed by a 6:15 voicemail saying since I'm not at the door to receive my order that I should expect an email regarding rescheduling my delivery. Ok, no big deal, the driver of Depots' despair can do his worst, nothing a phone call can't fix. So naive of me. 20 minutes on hold to have the call dropped. Add in another 20 minute of on hold and it equals 40 minutes of hits from the 70's followed by the deceptively chipper voice of one of the Depot Desperados. I explain the situation and am transferred, I explain my situation and am transferred, I explain my situation and am transferred. This time I have the manger of 'Logistics', who says its noted in the system the the delivery was incomplete due to the receiver being unavailable. To which I ask, if one wanted their order dropped off, how would they do that. He replies by saying 'they would choose leave outside at checkout'. I tell him you would think so but I did that and my stuff is not here. A pause then, 'oh, I see that, let me get hold of the driver', long pause then 'i can't get hold of him but when I do I'll let you know'. Two hours later I get a call, they say they still cant reach the driver. An hour later I'm told, they've got my order and it's on it's way. 2 hours later and no truck so I call. Oh how naive of me. An hour on hold and all I have is a sore ear and empty stomach. So check the order status online which says it's in process and will be arriving before 11pm. Bummer, its 3pm and if too late I may lose a days work but no more sitting on hold at least. It's now 11:30pm, no truck, no call, no email. Foolishly I thought 15 minutes on-line filling out the order form and paying to have my material in the driveway would get me a Saturday of fun in the yard, instead I got 2 hours of on hold and the inaccurate ramblings of 'staff'. To the point. You may think you can escape the wrath of the orange one's but you can't. They're insideous and despite corporate attempting to get you service without coming into any contact with their 'employees' at all, they find a way and compound the punishment for having tried to escape angst in person. What the future holds, will I ever see my landscaping material again, I don't know. There's no way to know. I can say, next project, will...

Outstanding Teamwork and Service at Its Finest

I don’t usually leave reviews, but the team at this Home Depot absolutely deserves the recognition. I had a truly standout experience here, and the level of care and professionalism from multiple associates made all the difference in a moment where I really needed help.

On 7/31/25, I had just purchased a rooftop tent off Facebook Marketplace and was in the middle of fabricating a mounting system with some super strut. Mid-project, my bandsaw broke during a cut, leaving me stranded and with no way to finish the job safely. I had to ratchet strap the tent onto my truck (very sketchy) and drive slowly over to this store, hoping to pick up a new saw.

I’d seen a bandsaw + battery bundle online for $299, but when I got to the store, only the tool-only version was in stock. I went to the Pro Desk (I’m a Pro Xtra member) and explained my situation to Scarleth, who immediately understood the urgency. She genuinely wanted to help but needed management approval.

Enter Farb (Store Manager or Assistant Manager — either way, an absolute star). Without hesitation, Farb stepped in and ensured I could walk out with the saw and batteries at the online bundle price. No delay. No red tape. Just solid customer service.

Farb walked me up front where Chris, the Front End Supervisor, processed the transaction with the custom pricing applied. Everything was seamless.

I wanted to leave a review right then and there to shout these folks out, but the email receipt didn’t include a link. So — no exaggeration — I came back the next day (8/1/25), bought more items, and made sure to try again, because people like this deserve to be recognized.

This time, Mary, a Front End CSA, helped me with scanning issues and was so genuinely cheerful and helpful — not overbearing, just perfectly attentive and kind. I asked if I could speak with Farb again, and he came right up. Although he told me he couldn’t manually send the review link, he humbly thanked me and told me what mattered most was that I felt taken care of.

Well, mission accomplished.

These four people — Scarleth, Farb, Chris, and Mary — went above and beyond. I passed other Home Depots just to come back here and say something, because their service isn’t just good — it’s exceptional. They turned a stressful situation into a smooth and memorable experience.

To whoever reads this: Please value these individuals. They represent everything that makes a store worth...