Home Depot employees can't have knives?

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crom

crom

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I went there yesterday for a tree. I loaded it into the wrapping contraption, pulled it through and it was time to cut the nylon netting. The employee took out a utility razor that was literally too dull to cut. I tried to hand her my Vic Soldier and she said "I can't be seen using that". I would have done it myself but didn't want to get her into trouble if it's a store policy etc. We waited a few minutes until her supervisor came with her equally dull utility razor. What gives? Is this store policy? Seems ironic that a store selling just about every kind of hardware item won't allow its employees to carry a pocket knife. I didn't think to look but I wonder if they sell knives of any sort.
 
I had a similar discussion with one of their employees before. Yes, they are prohibited from using anything other than the POS utility knives they are issued. I was disgusted. My initial reaction was to complain to a manager, but I'm sure it's another example of corporate idiocy.
 
The problem is not with the policy but with the failure to change the blades in the utility knives.
 
It blows the mind that bureaucracy would have one believe that a knife is primarily a weapon. For god's sake... anyone with malintent could grab a nice 22oz. hammer and go to town on folks. At best it is treating the symptom and not the problem... at worst it is our Govt. and industry poisoning good people with irrational fear.
 
The company's policy is quite rational. Every day, we see posts here about sheeple reacting badly to what we consider to be useful tools. Why should a company let its employees decide how the customers will react to the employee's choice of cutting implement?
 
Swedge, these sound dangerously like troll posts, especially on a forum like this. We're talking about a company that specializes in home improvement products, including knives and tools. The worker I spoke to talked to me about how much he hated leaving his Leatherman at home (a model they sell, I believe) because of this policy.
 
Swedge said:
The company's policy is quite rational. Every day, we see posts here about sheeple reacting badly to what we consider to be useful tools. Why should a company let its employees decide how the customers will react to the employee's choice of cutting implement?
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Of course! Instead of taking the time and decency to handle that situation with care and knowledge we should just nurture irrational insecurities. Just ignore a REAL problem, eh? Give away freedom because it makes life easier for someone with a truly insane outlook?
 
It may be more of a situation in which the corporation tries to limit recordable accidents and thus reduce their insurance rates. Hand cuts are pretty common "line of fire" accidents, but OSHA recordables nonetheless. Maybe the company feels that the 1 inch of usable blade on a box cutter is an acceptable risk. Stupid? As a knife person, yes. Hell, I'm required by my company to put on kevlar gloves when using any open blade for the aforementioned reasons.
 
eojk said:
Swedge, these sound dangerously like troll posts, especially on a forum like this. We're talking about a company that specializes in home improvement products, including knives and tools. The worker I spoke to talked to me about how much he hated leaving his Leatherman at home (a model they sell, I believe) because of this policy.
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I disagree with your opinion, and I'm a troll? I have 300 posts here. Look at them and see how often I have baited people. Impugning my motives does not improve your argument.

I certainly agree that Leatherman tools would be useful to workers, but that doesn't mean requiring employees to use only utility knives is a bad policy.

Instead of reacting emotionally to a policy you disagree with, how about looking at it from the other guy's perspective? What reasons might there be to have such a policy?

I have mentioned one, customer reaction.

How about worker's comp claims? An employee is less likely to cut himself with a utility knife than with a folder. Again, looking just at this forum, there are numerous posts of people injuring themselves, sometimes severely, with knives. Often the original poster himself will say, "Boy that was stupid what I did." But with worker's comp, the employer pays whether or not what the employee did was stupid or negligent.
 
eojk said:
Swedge, these sound dangerously like troll posts, especially on a forum like this. We're talking about a company that specializes in home improvement products, including knives and tools. The worker I spoke to talked to me about how much he hated leaving his Leatherman at home (a model they sell, I believe) because of this policy.
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i obviously dont agree with it being okay that they arent allowed to carry knives but he has a very good point in regards to the blades.

the truth is that if they changed the blades when needed then the OP probably wouldnt have made the post in the first place. its sad that they cant carry their own knives or multitools at the least but i dont see why you see that comment as an attempt at trolling.
 
archieblue said:
Of course! Instead of taking the time and decency to handle that situation with care and knowledge we should just nurture irrational insecurities. Just ignore a REAL problem, eh? Give away freedom because it makes life easier for someone with a truly insane outlook?
Click to expand...

Actually, the decent thing to do would be consider the other person's perspective with care.
 
I understand the policy.
If people are scared of the employees they'll go somewhere a bit more politically correct and huggy.
Home Depot wants to make money in the land of sheeple.
Don't get mad at Home Depot, get mad at the media that is trying to pussify the population so that we'll be dependent on the govt instead of ourselves.
There is a massive pussification campaign in action at the moment.

The elite don't like the 'dangerous class' to be too free (refer to history).
We live in interesting times... I feel sorry for the world your kids are going to inherit.
 
I used to work there years ago, they have a strict policy regarding this. Not sure if they still do, but we used to have to use utility knives that would not lock in the "out" position due to safety concerns. They were actually spring loaded to retract the blade as soon as you took your thumb off, kinda silly but I am sure it reduced the workman's comp claims.
 
Pvt.snoballz said:
the truth is that if they changed the blades when needed then the OP probably wouldnt have made the post in the first place. its sad that they cant carry their own knives or multitools at the least but i dont see why you see that comment as an attempt at trolling.
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It's probably because I put too much trust in the common person to not hurt themselves using tools with which they are familiar. In my case, I use a Delica as an EDC, and for me, it is safer than my folding Husky utility knife.

I always hate these sorts of threads for personal reasons. My employer has disallowed me from carrying my Delica at work because it is "scary." This, of course, is in the vicinity of numerous hanging chef knives, cleavers and such. It is rampant ignorance and little else in this case.

I acknowledge that insurance claims are a viable reason for a company to enforce such a policy, but it also appears that new blades are not issued, or the employees are not instructed to change them in a prudent manner. There's a fundamental disconnect somewhere here...
 
It's quite common that companies like Home Depot and Walmart deny their employees the use of knives and require them to use box cutters.

I have often been to these businesses and needed to open boxes to make sure all the parts are there or the contents undamaged. Most often, employees use their keys to cut the tape on boxes. I have at times been asked to wait while they go in search of something to cut boxes open with, and I've cut the boxes open myself while they were gone.

Store policy is store policy.

Andy
 
dont think its as much a disconnect as it is the ignorance of the employee to change the blade. i mean, if i see my blade is dull, i dont need to be told that to get it sharp again i need to change out the blade.

ive had plenty of experiences at home depot, and they definitely dont hire the smartest of anything....

there are always exceptions but the majority of employees that have helped me werent very bright.
 
I retain my opinion and disgust with corporate policies/"sheeple" fears. I'm beginning to see the justification for these things when I look at people differently.

Apologies to Swedge. :(
 
If people would just hold back and work ONLY for people/companies that they respect we would be in a better place. "The" people would have the upper hand because we would demand respect...both ways. If we all called BS BS we would be in a better place... "You looked risk in the eyes and you hurt yourself... who's to blame?" The fact that we are living in sad times does NOT mean that we are NOT sitting at the wheel of our own lives. My advice is... TAKE IT BACK!

Mods, this thread needs to be moved to the political forum.
 
In theory they should be able to carry pimped out custom bead blasted Titanium box cutter's made with a resharpenable S35VN blades then right? :D
 
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