How many does it take??

So how many Home Depot employees does it take to help me return a broken hose?

Well let's count. I believe the answer is 7.

Employee #1 was the guy at the return counter, who stared at me blankly when I explained this was the second hose of the same brand that I was returning, because both had developed a rip/hole. And I don't have a receipt. He continued to stare at me blankly and said he needed to call a head cashier because (said in an accusing voice) "you don't have proof of purchase". I kindly explained that I received store credit the last time I returned the same brand of hose with no "proof of purchase".

I even memorized the SKU number because I went to the hose aisle before I went to the returns desk. 374-975. See? I still have it memorized. A $14.00 hose on clearance from $19.99. What more do they want from me? At this point, my blood is getting warm.

The head cashier never came. 5 minutes go by and the kids are getting restless. He finally asks employee #2 to help. She asks the situation and he motions to me and says sarcasticaly that "she wants to return some hose but has no proof of purchase." She shrugs her shoulders and walks off. My blood is starting to get hot.

Employee #3 comes by and has the same question but asks me directly. I explain the situation to him, and he looks at me even more blankly than employee #1. "You don't have a receipt?"....another blank look. He walks away. My blood is simmering and starting to boil. By now, I've been standing at the returns desk for 15 minutes and my children are getting very restless.

Employee #4 (maybe the head cashier that was originally paged)comes over and he looks like a man of action. I breathe deeply and explain the situation and even rattle off the SKU number again. "No problem", he says. What?? Seriously??!!!! He takes my credit card so he can give me store credit and as he hands it back to me, we both mess up the passing of the baton, and my credit card falls in between a wall and the cash register.

Employees #5, #6, and #7 all arrive from various departments with drills and tools to dismantle the very large returns desk wall to retrieve my credit card. Two employees are holding the wall, one is underneath the desk holding the bolts on the other side, and one employee is using the power drill to unscrew the screws. 10 minutes later I have my credit card and my $14.00 store credit in my hand.

So 30 minutes after arriving at the returns desk, I was frazzled, and we left. We got home and I realized that I forgot to buy a new hose sprayer, which was the real reason we went to Home Depot in the first place.