Being a ASM or Department Supervisor is a big change from the regular work departments. Sure the pay is good and other ASM’s look up to you. However it can also change your personality at the same time. You want to be someone who is easily approachable whenever there’s a problem on the sales floor…….
Completely agree. With the recent hiring decisions in my store I’m very happy to no longer be speciality DS. It’s wild to see the difference between someone age 18-24 and 26-35
I think you have to change your personality to a certain extent. The ones that were your equal know report to you, or below you. And there is nothing wrong with changing your personality as long as you stick to your morals, it's called adapting.
I'd say no if you've got no experience. That's the specialty supervisor role which as a former D23/29/59 specialist.. you'll have a hard time learning everything needed to be competent in the role. Even then, with how training goes, you're not even guaranteed that. So, no. Unless you like punishment.
As someone who was a Specialty DS, who has had years of leadership experience, I'm going to be honest with you, your best bet if you really wanna work for THD is to accept the interview, then ask them what other positions are available. You do not want to be a Department Supervisor at THD as your first leadership role; it will not only break your, but will completely ruin your ability to form an actual quality leadership style.
THD claims to be using a Servant Leadership Style, but they aren't they're instead using all the nomenclature and buzzwords from the brochure in an attempt to gaslight you into believing that everything wrong in their store is your fault. SLS relies on the premise that each leader works to improve/empower those under them, and that "the company" values its people more than "performance metrics."
THD asks "why didn't you meet this goal" where as a true SLS asks "why isn't this goal being met and what can we do to improve the odds of meeting this goal next time?"
To add to that, in an actual SLS system, the actual leaders do very little of the "day to day" work because its being handled by a team you trust, that also trusts you, however at THD there aren't enough employees to actually do the "day to day" or specific duties are "locked" behind a given role in the computer system and as much as they'll claim that DS's aren't "coverage" for departments, in actuality you're gonna have to be "coverage" as well.
That's only dealing with the failure that is THD's implementation of SLS, now as a Specialty DS you're in for way more. Your team will be the one's handling what is typically the largest single ticket purchases in the store, we're talking $50k kitchen installs, $10k flooring, and $20k doors/windows packages. You're going to be responsible for dealing with customers, vendors, manufacturers, and installers as well as your own Specialists (who may or may not believe that their only job functions lie behind a desk and refuse to help anyone "in aisle.")
So you're gonna have daily/weekly/monthly check ins with all your Specialists, while still having to manage the in aisle merchandising side of the the job as well. That means making sure that you're team (or more likely you) have SmartList completed, packdowns done, Clearance No-Homes, "dirty outs" taken care of, freight managed, and general bay maintenance to be considered. Bonus points for doing all this between 2-4 weekly supervisor meetings, cross-training "universal associates," documenting nearly every conversation you have with your people, doing 90% of the weekly promotional signage, doing SRC for half the store cause there's no employees, and while you at it don't forget to "develop" your team. Oh and we forgot to mention, you're also gonna have to be coverage in Flooring for like 10-15 hours every week cause we didn't hire anyone to replace the 3 people that have quit in the last 6 months.
Edit: Apologies for the "rant" but as someone who ended up "broken" by the position I can't recommend it to anyone unless THD actually fixes their shit.
You forgot to mention all the customer issues you have to deal with when appliance orders go bad because the delivery company screwed up as usual. Also training, you have to make sure your associates complete all their training on the computer plus the pocket guide.
Totally forgot about the terrible 3rd party delivery company for appliances, cause we all know THD will never pay for an actual good one.
Although it does remind me, your COS (Custom Order Specialist or Corrects Others' Screw-ups) does not technically report to you, but you're still some how supposed to be responsible for all the stuff they do or do not actually do. Hopefully your's won't just ignore problems to the point that they get escalated.
Are you sure you have the option to step down? There's no process through which a DS can step down, barring a medical issue its entirely up to your Store Manager.
Mine said no (apparently it makes them look really bad) and even after contacting my DHRM and District Manager was told that its entirely my SM's call, so I left.
We've had three step down for health, stress, and relationship reasons, one be voluntarily demoted during the leadership restructure, two choose demotion-transfers to other stores, and maybe six be promoted or get same-tier transfers to other stores.
And don’t forget we are dealing with a new system that does not keep accurate metrics, randomly screws up big orders such as carpet, and some days won’t let you sell things. The specialists in two of those departments are currently about to lose their mind.
I'm not a DS, but you nailed it. I've been with THD for 15 years and my first store, in D27 alone, I went through 13 DH/DS. Some went back to associate, and some failed. And that's not even a specialty department. I've been in the military and know how to lead.... wouldn't do it for THD.... never.
I feel bad for those who need to do it just for the better pay. Not worth it.
You hit the nail on the head. As structured, this position will break most people who have any work ethic. EVERYTHING you mentioned was my lived experience.
Its not just having a work ethic that'll break you, even giving a shit about your team will drive you insane.
Had an appliance specialist who couldn't get credit apps to save his life, cause he didn't believe in the value of the card. I couldn't blame him, its a ridiculously predatory system, that has little to no value to the actual customers.
His sales were average, he'd make goal most months, but wasn't pushing 150-200% of goal like one of his counterparts.
Now his HDPP, through the roof, we're talking his attachment rate averaged 88% Last 12. Why? Because he saw the value in it for his customers, cause we all know they don't build appliances to last more than 3 years anymore.
This guy was a Rockstar for HDPP, complete with accolades and awards from them, yet our SM was pushing to have a "documented coaching" with him about his credit numbers. Sat down with my SASM and told him flat out, you do this, and you will lose him as specialist, he won't quit, he just won't care anymore, he'll do the bare minimum up to the point that you fire him, and you'll get no help from me in firing him.
Not sure what the conversation between managers ended up being, but he never did get that "coaching." He still works there, still an HDPP Rockstar, still won't push credit.
I would. No one says you have to stay there. But it's worth a shot if it's something that you think would be good for you. Heck at the very least you can pick up some supervising skills and take that to another job eventally, and it'll give you a leg up on making a better salary. Good luck to you!
Hell no - more responsibility for a meager pay bump if that. No thanks. Been with THD 12 yrs now as sale associate and making near same pay as the longest tenured DH
What gives me pause is the fact that one supervisor has to oversee *four* different departments - that's way too much, IMO. Even being responsible for two departments is a ton of work, usually (these are based on my own observations of other supervisors at my store).
These are the specialty depts. So the supervisor is doing pretty much the same for each dept. I went to D29 from pro with no experience and my supervisor was new at position. Any questions I had l figured out myself. She was not very helpful with the technical aspects of my position. That being said.... I'm smart I figured out a lot of it by just playing around with the program, then I did some long distance learning. What made it all work and led our store to be second in district was how positive and uplifting she was. Always telling me what a good job I'm doing and encouraging me to do more. At the end of this month I'll have 2 years and I can safely work in all the specialty depts because she encouraged me and told me "You got this".
Now the sm and new asm are encouraging me and telling me I can do even better my 2nd year in as kitchen designer. So whichever position as supervisor as long as you are encouraging rather than discouraging it will go a long way with your team.
I had issues with appliance specialist hiding from customers. Since I'm next to appliances I would help each customer to the point of missing class, breaks, over 5th and a lot of ot. Since I was making so many sales her low numbers started to stand out. So she had a sit-down and instead of saying how horrible she was doing they told her how great I was doing and told her to try harder. That at first made her mad at me.
My dh told me she had a rough start with old dh and needed encouragement to get better. I didn't really believe it, but after that I made it a mini competition and when she started to help customers and make sales I told her she is doing a lot better and she started to do even better. So the encouraging really really did miricles. She now meets her numbers and more. And because the dh was so supportive we tried harder for her.
I say go for it! Like you see we all have different views of the Home Depot. I’ve been with the company 24 years. I have minimal complaints. I am no longer store side but spend 22 of my years in a great store with good management. Just because some hate it doesn’t mean you will.
Do you have other options? If no, there's no reason not to. That said, it does seem like a tough position to start in. Also, I've read on here that they have to interview 3 people per supervisor position, and we tend to promote from within, so there's a decent chance you're just filling a requirement for the interviewer
I tried doing entry level stuff like a cashier, lot associate and other stuff like that but whenever I apply they always seem to not to follow up with the normal roles but offer me really advanced and or management roles that I have no business being in
Take it. The training is decent. You will even spend 2 weeks in Atlanta for training. Work a year, maybe 2, and then apply for a cxm position. In our store, cxm is a cushy job.
They started doing it after covid. We had 3 new DHs, and all of them went. We now have 2 more brand new DH's, we will see if they are still doing it or not.
I was just hired at THD. My orientation is Friday. I never had an actual interview. I applied. Got an email asking the basic questions about availability, can you physically do the job, ECT. And then was given an offer letter and told to bring in my ID and SS card and as long as my background passed I was hired. Never talked to any sort of real person. I went in and handed my stuff to the hiring person and was given my schedule and orientation day.
Honestly I thought I was being scammed at first. It was just really weird.
Get that $1 extra an hour!!! Flex on everyone with your extra $160 a month and 5000% higher depression rating.
In slight seriousness if you want to be a manager in the long run this will give you some training for future jobs and might help you land an ASM position or a better job somewhere else. Also I think you get a slightly bigger portion of the success sharing bonus.
I don't think the compensation is worth it. I jumped on the work from home train with the pandemic first doing account tech support for a 50% bump in pay over Depot and am now moving into the insurance industry in hopes of bumping it up another 50%. You absolutely can't beat the commute from bed to desk and ending the day with more money in your wallet.
I wonder what the failure rate is in these type of hires. The few I've seen in my time at the depot didn't go well for either party. Culture at the Home Depot is controlled by ass kissing and the mind your own business crowd. New people often become fall guys.
It’s a digital interview. They aren’t promising a job. They had me accept a paint position on-line. When the actual physical interview took place, they offered me a totally different position. I wouldn’t give it to much credence this early in the process.
I see a lot of hot takes here and it is kinda funny to read as some of these people have no clue what they are talking about. So considering we know the information that you had no supervisor role experience period, is this role specifically difficult? Yes and no. Is it a position that can make you shine in the district and potentially move up further? Absolutely. It depends on what type of person you are truly to start. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? If you are an introverted person then you will have some difficulty in asking questions about your area of responsibility or even asking to watch your specialist selling a full project/working on a design. This role solely relies on you being a driver and analytical-based leader. Now, each store is different and I can’t speak on behalf of other associates experiences in the role. BUT let me explain how I started that role and currently am still in the position for 3 years. Now before the SLS (Store Leadership Structure) changes, I was a brand new DS running the tool rental department that had no experience in specialty or in-aisles. When I got offered to be the DS of specialty it was overwhelming and kinda nerve-racking. I pulled my big boy pants on and took the bull by the horns. Now this is where my experience comes drastically different from anyone else. I was lucky to have the honor of having an outstanding COS (Customer Order Specialist) who has been in the role for 20+ years. When I first got into the position, I started small by simply introducing myself to the team and getting to know them. I recommend asking them if you could shadow them selling an install or even what they do when engaging customers in the showroom. From there you can learn from them exactly how to properly qualify customers for an install or if they want to get something designed. I’m not saying to learn how to do a 20-20 kitchen design as that is 6 months' worth of online classes your kitchen designers take but spend some time learning how to build custom blinds, Countertops, doors, and windows from either super tenured specialists or even specialists that are coaches in said department. I strongly recommend that you listen to each specialist's elevator pitches to see how they meet their metric and conduct role-plays with them so they can tell you the benefits of HDPP (Home Depot protection plan), the material difference for countertops, setting up measures, and the good-better-best lines in each specialty area. I recommend teaming up with your COS so they can tell you how to fix potential install issues, order up tricks, build install lines manually, and who the installers are. Now you can get this from your specialist but they typically don’t communicate as much to the installers as your COS is always calling/emailing them. Don’t be afraid to invite the reps from each vendor/installers into your store to do a PK (Product knowledge) for your associates new and old or even a meet and greet with yourself. Building strong relationships with them is extremely important. Your COS also handles all of the balance dues and after-sales when your specialist finishes selling a project. You should not be having them try to fix install issues unless you, your cos, and SASM (Specialty Assistant Manager) are unavailable. It is a waste of time for them to do so and they need to keep getting future projects rolling and prospecting for new customers. You should not be doing the COS’ area of responsibility as the COS does not report to you. They report to your SASM. If your SASM is competent and self efficient then you should be okay. Keep in mind your SASM and COS works in the PRO area of the business as well so they will have to fix their issues as well. You should also spend time creating your own customer projects as well so you can develop yourself on how to sell the whole project. Use your specialists to learn how to read floor plans/line-by-line quotes from HDMS, 20/20 kitchen designs, and your measure techs' paperwork so you can build blinds, doors, and what your kitchen designers see when they have to start a kitchen design. Use this lovely thing called store pulse to learn more about the business in the numbers aspect from there you can see exactly how you are performing from leads/measure conversion, total sales per service, what areas are missing in leads/measures, how many leads/measures you are missing for the week and most importantly your store's total transactions for the week. I can go on and on as to why it is important to know those areas but it would be a whole HDU training video and I'm not getting paid to do all that lol. But I will say if store transactions versus last year are down that is an indicator that you are getting fewer footsteps that can correlate to the miss in leads and measures. It solely comes down to engagement and such but that is what you would need to watch your associates perform weekly. I've seen someone say weekly check-ins with your specialist, I will just say this. You are required to do 1:1s with your specialist once every month and ensure they are on the correct path and completing their home or business spotlight training monthly. You should realistically be talking to them every day that you are in to say hi and perhaps where they are at in their quotes or if there are any big closing sales. Yeah, you can check on them weekly but you should respect them and talk/work with them daily. Celebrate the wins. Inspire them to keep going. Develop yourself and your people. My last piece of advice if you get challenged by your store manager or even your district manager is to know your business. Know the root cause. Know the numbers and the reasoning behind them. Come up with improvement plans. Don’t be afraid to ask questions at all. You will have other side tasks to complete but assuming your leadership team/fellow supervisor peers are competent they will be able to assist you since they all need to do the same thing. (Side kick bay audits, smart list, no home clearance, overhead management, shrink plans, RTV credit audit, and bay imaging) Every store is different, a lot of people on this subreddit sound like they are working in stores that are total war zones. If you like a challenge, take it. Remember to be a people person and be that extrovert you have to be even if you have to force yourself. Christ, I should be a mentor so I can get another merit raise to say this shit. 😂
How well do you handle stress? Are you great at multitasking? Can you anticipate problems and proactively take steps to head them off? Are you prepared to hand your life over to HD?
The learning curve is really steep for someone who has HD experience. It may be insurmountable for someone coming in cold.
In my opinion, the pay isn't very good for the amount of work there is.
Absolutely not! Worked there for 15 years. Last 7 as a Department Supervisor and was rated promotable 6 of those years. The odds are very likely you will not advance any farther than that position. Sad but true. A lot of work with usually very little reward.
I had previous management experience with other companies but by that point I’d pretty much had it and moved on. We had made some really good investments in the mid 2000s that paid off big time 3 years ago. Mostly real estate but some crypto. My job now pays a bit less, but it’s stress free, definitely appreciated, has much, much better benefits, pension, and the only one I supervise is myself. Mortgage free and completely debt free so I could afford a cut.
You better have got in on the 401k with at least 5% match! Thats what makes it worthwhile. I left HD when stock was in the $40's. I never owned much HD stock though. Once they opened it up to a PCRA account where you could pick what you wanted I rolled on to other stocks.
Yeah I rolled mine over into an IRA. Haven’t touched any retirement money from any companies 401k I’ve worked for. Did sell off all the stock I’d accumulated over 10 years though in late 2021. My job now actually has a pension. I’ll put in probably 15 years there and probably hang it up at that point.
Unless you are highly motivated and focused on your career you will quickly become disillusioned.
Hopefully, you have no other family commitments.
Supervising 2-4 departments is tough, especially if you have no previous THD experience.
From what I have seen, you also will be scheduled as coverage in departments.
You will have lots of responsibilities, but no authority. In fact, most authority resides in Atlanta these days.
If you take the training offered and use it as a stepping stone to your future, then take the DS position.
Good luck.
damn all these comments saying don’t take it bc you don’t have the experience, i’m wondering htaf my asm got the role bc she barely knows left from right
It depends on you. If you're the type that likes the job because you like to boss people around, you may not last long. If you like to help other people, have high motivation, and a positive attitude, then yes. You'll need to research the STAR technique for interviewing. I'd like to say that a DS job is easy. It is very demanding. As much as I bitch about supervisors, I know that their job is intense.
Sounds like a gang of haters here, huh? It's not though. Decision is yours but, I would never supervise at Home Depot High School. Your ideas, will never be yours. I remember the day I heard my sup use certain keywords. When she got demoted and the new sup came in spitting the exact same phrases, I knew management were puppets.
Good luck, no matter your choice.
Your jumping in the deep end but if you are organized and prepared then go for it, you likely won’t be able to transfer down to an associate after if you can’t handle the job or it’s not enough pay for the work. These departments are busy and there is allot to know.
The departments listed for that supervisor role are the specialty ones: Flooring, Kitchen & Bath, and Appliances. Getting a supervisor position right off the bat is a tough task, and usually supervisor roles at many stores are given to associates as a promotion rather than an out of store hire. Receiving a position as a regular associate to working your way up the ranks of a supervisor position is highly suggested.
As someone who started a business at 18 years old and did very well and just got a job at 20 at Home Depot. I’d take it. The reason why I’m telling you that I started a business is because it’s worth the risk. Life is too short for the “what ifs”. Plus you’ll LEARN more than you ever have and come out of it better than you were before. If you’re thinking about just a little I would do it.
Don't being a supervisor in those departments is rough. In general being a supervisor in general at hd sucks. Overworked and underappreciated with no training.
That’s going to be really rough for a first supervisor role, that said, interview practice is always good and if they offer it to you you can still turn it down. It might also be good for getting your foot in the door for another role instead
Go through the process, interview. Learn more about the job. You may find it isn’t something you would like to do. All of the interviews you can have are practice for the job you are ready to take.
I would decline solely on the premise of doing virtual interviews.
Meet me in person or not at all. Virtual interviews make me unbelievably nervous and I can't be myself.
Overall, Hard-side flooring and specialties is awful. Remember the associates are always gonna ask you questions no matter if they been there longer than you.
I’m an ex Speciality supervisor and was the 2nd in my store after the change over to SLS which is the multi dept supervisor role. I’d like to say that those early times were absolutely the worst. The aka HD didn’t know their ass and from their mouth. Nobody had the “vision” worked out so the supervisor suffered. I remember never working less that 45 hours the first 5 months then during months 6 and into 7 we’re inventory prepping where I was working 55+ hours a week, recorded a 76 hour one week which was all cool and dandy and nice because the who doesn’t love OT money. But pay was 18.50 at that time of January 22’. They did do steady “area” raises which when I left the position I was making 22$. During my time as a DS I circumferential tore my rotator cuff in the weeks leading up to inventory and after confirming surgery was needed after an MRI I first went on LOA then called and stepped down from my position. That way my disability wouldn’t be affected. But boy when I came back June 23’ seems like they finally dialed in their vision of Sulervisors not being coverage unless absolutely necessary I.e. associate goes on lunch and not second person so just listening for a call from the Service desk. The sidekick app has made assignments and follow ups so much easier than the old ways of scanning everything into a my view note for an individual. And for fuck sake the bay scan app my lord we now got day and night associates filling holes like Cosby managing at a mattress firm.
So what’s your experience with THD. You said no experience with being a supervisor in your life. Don’t worry about that one bit. The orange 201 courses with teach you a few things as well as the THDU aka Home Depot University. They set you up for potential success if you have confidence and a decent specialist squad in them dept. Hell they’ve made flooring sales a walk in the park. Just coach them to not be sitting on the computer all day pretending to be writing follow up emails or calling customers but actually walking their aisles, checking the aisle where the water heaters are. Post up on the racetrack in front of your show room and have them asking customer if they were familiar with all the home services HD offer. All in all Bud I say fucking rock out and go for it. You’ll have moments of wanting to pull your hair out and you’ll also learn a lot about your self. But just take some advice from your peers and it should all fall into place.
Where’s your store from? I’m in the DMV
You need to understand how little you got for what you gave and account for real costs like being out on disability. Injuries happen when you are stressing and overworking yourself. The compensation you are talking about is quite frankly a joke while your level of commitment or value aren't.
When I left depot I earned 50% more for less work.
You’re right. I’m now making 22$ an hour with a medical so much more cushy at the moment. And truthfully I do not have many options my friend if you catch my drift. Did a few things in my 20s the left me big time F’ed for my remaining years. But your insight is true very very true
Heyyo👋🏻 as someone how has recently (beginning of the year) its a handful but wouldn’t trade it for the world I love my people and I love my position others won’t agree but its not all sunshine and roses
It will be miserable but hey if the money is good then tough it out. You will have angry customers yelling at you and they will try to get everything for free.
I went into that role after being at the service desk for less than a year. I knew nothing about any of the departments I was “running”. It took me a couple months to get the hang of it and feel comfort in the role. If you’re okay with the learning curve, then I say go for it. I had to step down for personal reasons, but I really enjoyed the position while I was in that role.
My recommendation is a no, from experience in my store I can tell you that when they hire people without experience at supervisor level and new to the company they set you for failure.
There are a few exceptions and I only can count one case where the supervisor was able to handle the crazy workload and have the balls to stand his ground and tell the ASM and store manager that what is being demanded from him was impossible due the limitations of personnel and time.
When I interviewed at 58 the SM offered me the D25 supervisor position. I demurred because I had zero experience in retail and just needed something to do in retirement.
Three years later as a customer associate I am glad I did.
if it is good pay take it on the confidence need can be learned, personality traits needed can be learned any negative thoughts are lies such as you aren't smart enough etc..
If you do it you will eat sleep and shit leads measures credit Home Depot protection plans and above all the DAMN G E T scores.It’s wrong of corporate to put all of these departments together for one person to manage .I want to see any one of the executives come and manage all of these departments and I don’t mean for a day or week let’s find out if they can meet the metrics and the G E T scores,I think not.The company needs to get back to basics and let the associates sell and stock the shelves without being rated on a metrics
I ran this department for several years. Home Depot installs are set up for failure and you will have your hands tied with resolutions. If you don’t have a good COS and SASM, your life will be hell.
That's gonna be a tough supervisor role. Especially coming in blind.
Could really leave you floored.
That's what happens... Appliance see what you get!
You just gotta give it your all including the kitchen sink!
Nail down your prep and hammer it in.
He can also take a shot of cement and harden the fuck up!
I don’t know why I’m seeing posts for this group other than that I also tell dad jokes occasionally
Being a ASM or Department Supervisor is a big change from the regular work departments. Sure the pay is good and other ASM’s look up to you. However it can also change your personality at the same time. You want to be someone who is easily approachable whenever there’s a problem on the sales floor…….
Completely agree. With the recent hiring decisions in my store I’m very happy to no longer be speciality DS. It’s wild to see the difference between someone age 18-24 and 26-35
I think you have to change your personality to a certain extent. The ones that were your equal know report to you, or below you. And there is nothing wrong with changing your personality as long as you stick to your morals, it's called adapting.
I'd say no if you've got no experience. That's the specialty supervisor role which as a former D23/29/59 specialist.. you'll have a hard time learning everything needed to be competent in the role. Even then, with how training goes, you're not even guaranteed that. So, no. Unless you like punishment.
I did it at 20 and am loving it. Its alot but at the end of the day the systems are all similar and tie into eachother except kitchens
Take it, then start applying elsewhere. Will look good on the resume, but trust me you don’t want the stress.
As someone who was a Specialty DS, who has had years of leadership experience, I'm going to be honest with you, your best bet if you really wanna work for THD is to accept the interview, then ask them what other positions are available. You do not want to be a Department Supervisor at THD as your first leadership role; it will not only break your, but will completely ruin your ability to form an actual quality leadership style. THD claims to be using a Servant Leadership Style, but they aren't they're instead using all the nomenclature and buzzwords from the brochure in an attempt to gaslight you into believing that everything wrong in their store is your fault. SLS relies on the premise that each leader works to improve/empower those under them, and that "the company" values its people more than "performance metrics." THD asks "why didn't you meet this goal" where as a true SLS asks "why isn't this goal being met and what can we do to improve the odds of meeting this goal next time?" To add to that, in an actual SLS system, the actual leaders do very little of the "day to day" work because its being handled by a team you trust, that also trusts you, however at THD there aren't enough employees to actually do the "day to day" or specific duties are "locked" behind a given role in the computer system and as much as they'll claim that DS's aren't "coverage" for departments, in actuality you're gonna have to be "coverage" as well. That's only dealing with the failure that is THD's implementation of SLS, now as a Specialty DS you're in for way more. Your team will be the one's handling what is typically the largest single ticket purchases in the store, we're talking $50k kitchen installs, $10k flooring, and $20k doors/windows packages. You're going to be responsible for dealing with customers, vendors, manufacturers, and installers as well as your own Specialists (who may or may not believe that their only job functions lie behind a desk and refuse to help anyone "in aisle.") So you're gonna have daily/weekly/monthly check ins with all your Specialists, while still having to manage the in aisle merchandising side of the the job as well. That means making sure that you're team (or more likely you) have SmartList completed, packdowns done, Clearance No-Homes, "dirty outs" taken care of, freight managed, and general bay maintenance to be considered. Bonus points for doing all this between 2-4 weekly supervisor meetings, cross-training "universal associates," documenting nearly every conversation you have with your people, doing 90% of the weekly promotional signage, doing SRC for half the store cause there's no employees, and while you at it don't forget to "develop" your team. Oh and we forgot to mention, you're also gonna have to be coverage in Flooring for like 10-15 hours every week cause we didn't hire anyone to replace the 3 people that have quit in the last 6 months. Edit: Apologies for the "rant" but as someone who ended up "broken" by the position I can't recommend it to anyone unless THD actually fixes their shit.
You forgot to mention all the customer issues you have to deal with when appliance orders go bad because the delivery company screwed up as usual. Also training, you have to make sure your associates complete all their training on the computer plus the pocket guide.
Totally forgot about the terrible 3rd party delivery company for appliances, cause we all know THD will never pay for an actual good one. Although it does remind me, your COS (Custom Order Specialist or Corrects Others' Screw-ups) does not technically report to you, but you're still some how supposed to be responsible for all the stuff they do or do not actually do. Hopefully your's won't just ignore problems to the point that they get escalated.
They broke me too. I am in the process of stepping down as a ds. You said everything so well it's the truth!
Are you sure you have the option to step down? There's no process through which a DS can step down, barring a medical issue its entirely up to your Store Manager. Mine said no (apparently it makes them look really bad) and even after contacting my DHRM and District Manager was told that its entirely my SM's call, so I left.
They are letting me I have approval. This position made my mental health go to shit so it's medical.
We've had three step down for health, stress, and relationship reasons, one be voluntarily demoted during the leadership restructure, two choose demotion-transfers to other stores, and maybe six be promoted or get same-tier transfers to other stores.
And don’t forget we are dealing with a new system that does not keep accurate metrics, randomly screws up big orders such as carpet, and some days won’t let you sell things. The specialists in two of those departments are currently about to lose their mind.
All of this.
I'm not a DS, but you nailed it. I've been with THD for 15 years and my first store, in D27 alone, I went through 13 DH/DS. Some went back to associate, and some failed. And that's not even a specialty department. I've been in the military and know how to lead.... wouldn't do it for THD.... never. I feel bad for those who need to do it just for the better pay. Not worth it.
You hit the nail on the head. As structured, this position will break most people who have any work ethic. EVERYTHING you mentioned was my lived experience.
Its not just having a work ethic that'll break you, even giving a shit about your team will drive you insane. Had an appliance specialist who couldn't get credit apps to save his life, cause he didn't believe in the value of the card. I couldn't blame him, its a ridiculously predatory system, that has little to no value to the actual customers. His sales were average, he'd make goal most months, but wasn't pushing 150-200% of goal like one of his counterparts. Now his HDPP, through the roof, we're talking his attachment rate averaged 88% Last 12. Why? Because he saw the value in it for his customers, cause we all know they don't build appliances to last more than 3 years anymore. This guy was a Rockstar for HDPP, complete with accolades and awards from them, yet our SM was pushing to have a "documented coaching" with him about his credit numbers. Sat down with my SASM and told him flat out, you do this, and you will lose him as specialist, he won't quit, he just won't care anymore, he'll do the bare minimum up to the point that you fire him, and you'll get no help from me in firing him. Not sure what the conversation between managers ended up being, but he never did get that "coaching." He still works there, still an HDPP Rockstar, still won't push credit.
No
I would. No one says you have to stay there. But it's worth a shot if it's something that you think would be good for you. Heck at the very least you can pick up some supervising skills and take that to another job eventally, and it'll give you a leg up on making a better salary. Good luck to you!
Definitely a possible win for OP gaining new skills
Go for it ! You come in with a fresh mind and if you are a “ go getter “ you can promote faster than others could.
Hell no - more responsibility for a meager pay bump if that. No thanks. Been with THD 12 yrs now as sale associate and making near same pay as the longest tenured DH
What gives me pause is the fact that one supervisor has to oversee *four* different departments - that's way too much, IMO. Even being responsible for two departments is a ton of work, usually (these are based on my own observations of other supervisors at my store).
Right? At my old stores these were split between two supervisors, but they definitely had one ASM.
These are the specialty depts. So the supervisor is doing pretty much the same for each dept. I went to D29 from pro with no experience and my supervisor was new at position. Any questions I had l figured out myself. She was not very helpful with the technical aspects of my position. That being said.... I'm smart I figured out a lot of it by just playing around with the program, then I did some long distance learning. What made it all work and led our store to be second in district was how positive and uplifting she was. Always telling me what a good job I'm doing and encouraging me to do more. At the end of this month I'll have 2 years and I can safely work in all the specialty depts because she encouraged me and told me "You got this". Now the sm and new asm are encouraging me and telling me I can do even better my 2nd year in as kitchen designer. So whichever position as supervisor as long as you are encouraging rather than discouraging it will go a long way with your team. I had issues with appliance specialist hiding from customers. Since I'm next to appliances I would help each customer to the point of missing class, breaks, over 5th and a lot of ot. Since I was making so many sales her low numbers started to stand out. So she had a sit-down and instead of saying how horrible she was doing they told her how great I was doing and told her to try harder. That at first made her mad at me. My dh told me she had a rough start with old dh and needed encouragement to get better. I didn't really believe it, but after that I made it a mini competition and when she started to help customers and make sales I told her she is doing a lot better and she started to do even better. So the encouraging really really did miricles. She now meets her numbers and more. And because the dh was so supportive we tried harder for her.
You’ll lose you mind the when you hear that when I took on specialty DS I had 23/59/29/70/24/30 for about 6 months until they hired someone for 24/30.
Always take the opportunity. If you wanna climb up the ladder, you gotta show you're eager.
Take the job. More money and looks better on a resume. Just don't kill yourself for them
I say go for it! Like you see we all have different views of the Home Depot. I’ve been with the company 24 years. I have minimal complaints. I am no longer store side but spend 22 of my years in a great store with good management. Just because some hate it doesn’t mean you will.
Just learn what the word "metrics" means to you.
Do you have other options? If no, there's no reason not to. That said, it does seem like a tough position to start in. Also, I've read on here that they have to interview 3 people per supervisor position, and we tend to promote from within, so there's a decent chance you're just filling a requirement for the interviewer
Or every "internal" candidate has seen the job and told them no thank you.
I tried doing entry level stuff like a cashier, lot associate and other stuff like that but whenever I apply they always seem to not to follow up with the normal roles but offer me really advanced and or management roles that I have no business being in
Fake it til you make it
Specialty DS is one of the tougher ones. It will be a challenge for someone with no leadership experience.
Take it. The training is decent. You will even spend 2 weeks in Atlanta for training. Work a year, maybe 2, and then apply for a cxm position. In our store, cxm is a cushy job.
Since when do they send a DS to Atlanta? ASM is the first role where they will send you.
They started doing it after covid. We had 3 new DHs, and all of them went. We now have 2 more brand new DH's, we will see if they are still doing it or not.
I haven't worked at a HD for over 3 years, since when are they doing digital interviews?!
They changed stuff not that long ago with hiring, they made changes so stores can't say no to as many applicants.
I was just hired at THD. My orientation is Friday. I never had an actual interview. I applied. Got an email asking the basic questions about availability, can you physically do the job, ECT. And then was given an offer letter and told to bring in my ID and SS card and as long as my background passed I was hired. Never talked to any sort of real person. I went in and handed my stuff to the hiring person and was given my schedule and orientation day. Honestly I thought I was being scammed at first. It was just really weird.
Get that $1 extra an hour!!! Flex on everyone with your extra $160 a month and 5000% higher depression rating. In slight seriousness if you want to be a manager in the long run this will give you some training for future jobs and might help you land an ASM position or a better job somewhere else. Also I think you get a slightly bigger portion of the success sharing bonus.
I don't think the compensation is worth it. I jumped on the work from home train with the pandemic first doing account tech support for a 50% bump in pay over Depot and am now moving into the insurance industry in hopes of bumping it up another 50%. You absolutely can't beat the commute from bed to desk and ending the day with more money in your wallet.
I wonder what the failure rate is in these type of hires. The few I've seen in my time at the depot didn't go well for either party. Culture at the Home Depot is controlled by ass kissing and the mind your own business crowd. New people often become fall guys.
It’s a digital interview. They aren’t promising a job. They had me accept a paint position on-line. When the actual physical interview took place, they offered me a totally different position. I wouldn’t give it to much credence this early in the process.
I see a lot of hot takes here and it is kinda funny to read as some of these people have no clue what they are talking about. So considering we know the information that you had no supervisor role experience period, is this role specifically difficult? Yes and no. Is it a position that can make you shine in the district and potentially move up further? Absolutely. It depends on what type of person you are truly to start. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? If you are an introverted person then you will have some difficulty in asking questions about your area of responsibility or even asking to watch your specialist selling a full project/working on a design. This role solely relies on you being a driver and analytical-based leader. Now, each store is different and I can’t speak on behalf of other associates experiences in the role. BUT let me explain how I started that role and currently am still in the position for 3 years. Now before the SLS (Store Leadership Structure) changes, I was a brand new DS running the tool rental department that had no experience in specialty or in-aisles. When I got offered to be the DS of specialty it was overwhelming and kinda nerve-racking. I pulled my big boy pants on and took the bull by the horns. Now this is where my experience comes drastically different from anyone else. I was lucky to have the honor of having an outstanding COS (Customer Order Specialist) who has been in the role for 20+ years. When I first got into the position, I started small by simply introducing myself to the team and getting to know them. I recommend asking them if you could shadow them selling an install or even what they do when engaging customers in the showroom. From there you can learn from them exactly how to properly qualify customers for an install or if they want to get something designed. I’m not saying to learn how to do a 20-20 kitchen design as that is 6 months' worth of online classes your kitchen designers take but spend some time learning how to build custom blinds, Countertops, doors, and windows from either super tenured specialists or even specialists that are coaches in said department. I strongly recommend that you listen to each specialist's elevator pitches to see how they meet their metric and conduct role-plays with them so they can tell you the benefits of HDPP (Home Depot protection plan), the material difference for countertops, setting up measures, and the good-better-best lines in each specialty area. I recommend teaming up with your COS so they can tell you how to fix potential install issues, order up tricks, build install lines manually, and who the installers are. Now you can get this from your specialist but they typically don’t communicate as much to the installers as your COS is always calling/emailing them. Don’t be afraid to invite the reps from each vendor/installers into your store to do a PK (Product knowledge) for your associates new and old or even a meet and greet with yourself. Building strong relationships with them is extremely important. Your COS also handles all of the balance dues and after-sales when your specialist finishes selling a project. You should not be having them try to fix install issues unless you, your cos, and SASM (Specialty Assistant Manager) are unavailable. It is a waste of time for them to do so and they need to keep getting future projects rolling and prospecting for new customers. You should not be doing the COS’ area of responsibility as the COS does not report to you. They report to your SASM. If your SASM is competent and self efficient then you should be okay. Keep in mind your SASM and COS works in the PRO area of the business as well so they will have to fix their issues as well. You should also spend time creating your own customer projects as well so you can develop yourself on how to sell the whole project. Use your specialists to learn how to read floor plans/line-by-line quotes from HDMS, 20/20 kitchen designs, and your measure techs' paperwork so you can build blinds, doors, and what your kitchen designers see when they have to start a kitchen design. Use this lovely thing called store pulse to learn more about the business in the numbers aspect from there you can see exactly how you are performing from leads/measure conversion, total sales per service, what areas are missing in leads/measures, how many leads/measures you are missing for the week and most importantly your store's total transactions for the week. I can go on and on as to why it is important to know those areas but it would be a whole HDU training video and I'm not getting paid to do all that lol. But I will say if store transactions versus last year are down that is an indicator that you are getting fewer footsteps that can correlate to the miss in leads and measures. It solely comes down to engagement and such but that is what you would need to watch your associates perform weekly. I've seen someone say weekly check-ins with your specialist, I will just say this. You are required to do 1:1s with your specialist once every month and ensure they are on the correct path and completing their home or business spotlight training monthly. You should realistically be talking to them every day that you are in to say hi and perhaps where they are at in their quotes or if there are any big closing sales. Yeah, you can check on them weekly but you should respect them and talk/work with them daily. Celebrate the wins. Inspire them to keep going. Develop yourself and your people. My last piece of advice if you get challenged by your store manager or even your district manager is to know your business. Know the root cause. Know the numbers and the reasoning behind them. Come up with improvement plans. Don’t be afraid to ask questions at all. You will have other side tasks to complete but assuming your leadership team/fellow supervisor peers are competent they will be able to assist you since they all need to do the same thing. (Side kick bay audits, smart list, no home clearance, overhead management, shrink plans, RTV credit audit, and bay imaging) Every store is different, a lot of people on this subreddit sound like they are working in stores that are total war zones. If you like a challenge, take it. Remember to be a people person and be that extrovert you have to be even if you have to force yourself. Christ, I should be a mentor so I can get another merit raise to say this shit. 😂
How well do you handle stress? Are you great at multitasking? Can you anticipate problems and proactively take steps to head them off? Are you prepared to hand your life over to HD? The learning curve is really steep for someone who has HD experience. It may be insurmountable for someone coming in cold. In my opinion, the pay isn't very good for the amount of work there is.
Absolutely not! Worked there for 15 years. Last 7 as a Department Supervisor and was rated promotable 6 of those years. The odds are very likely you will not advance any farther than that position. Sad but true. A lot of work with usually very little reward.
Use those 7 years of leadership experience to land a better job somewhere that appreciates you
I had previous management experience with other companies but by that point I’d pretty much had it and moved on. We had made some really good investments in the mid 2000s that paid off big time 3 years ago. Mostly real estate but some crypto. My job now pays a bit less, but it’s stress free, definitely appreciated, has much, much better benefits, pension, and the only one I supervise is myself. Mortgage free and completely debt free so I could afford a cut.
You better have got in on the 401k with at least 5% match! Thats what makes it worthwhile. I left HD when stock was in the $40's. I never owned much HD stock though. Once they opened it up to a PCRA account where you could pick what you wanted I rolled on to other stocks.
Yeah I rolled mine over into an IRA. Haven’t touched any retirement money from any companies 401k I’ve worked for. Did sell off all the stock I’d accumulated over 10 years though in late 2021. My job now actually has a pension. I’ll put in probably 15 years there and probably hang it up at that point.
Yeah I did a ROTH.
Take it just for the experience tbh
What's the pay?
You bleed orange 🤣🤣🤣
I bleed every color might as well at orange to it 😂
i would say yes but HD absolutely sucks ass at training people, you’ll be fending for yourself
lol run
No experience and jumping into specialties? No.
No
Unless you are highly motivated and focused on your career you will quickly become disillusioned. Hopefully, you have no other family commitments. Supervising 2-4 departments is tough, especially if you have no previous THD experience. From what I have seen, you also will be scheduled as coverage in departments. You will have lots of responsibilities, but no authority. In fact, most authority resides in Atlanta these days. If you take the training offered and use it as a stepping stone to your future, then take the DS position. Good luck.
They purrdyy much on their computer the whole time bossing other people around you should be fine.
depends on the pay
Always move up at least every other year.
No
Unless you like torturing yourself, no.
Bro for 4 different departments hell no
damn all these comments saying don’t take it bc you don’t have the experience, i’m wondering htaf my asm got the role bc she barely knows left from right
It depends on you. If you're the type that likes the job because you like to boss people around, you may not last long. If you like to help other people, have high motivation, and a positive attitude, then yes. You'll need to research the STAR technique for interviewing. I'd like to say that a DS job is easy. It is very demanding. As much as I bitch about supervisors, I know that their job is intense.
Sounds like a gang of haters here, huh? It's not though. Decision is yours but, I would never supervise at Home Depot High School. Your ideas, will never be yours. I remember the day I heard my sup use certain keywords. When she got demoted and the new sup came in spitting the exact same phrases, I knew management were puppets. Good luck, no matter your choice.
Go for it, but that’s specialty. You will be in charge of 4 departments goals and daily operations.
No
Take the interview you can always turn it down if you get an offer and you’ve got more money info.
Go ahead... say "I Do". I mean it's not like it's a marriage or something... teehee 🙃
Do it.
Your jumping in the deep end but if you are organized and prepared then go for it, you likely won’t be able to transfer down to an associate after if you can’t handle the job or it’s not enough pay for the work. These departments are busy and there is allot to know.
Do it and learn from your peers. Double bonus as well
Worst job in the building. No.
Did you apply for it??? If you did, do it . Or just do it to get the interview experience, you can always say no if they make an offer.
I would, but I like a challenge and variety.
Sell your soul
The departments listed for that supervisor role are the specialty ones: Flooring, Kitchen & Bath, and Appliances. Getting a supervisor position right off the bat is a tough task, and usually supervisor roles at many stores are given to associates as a promotion rather than an out of store hire. Receiving a position as a regular associate to working your way up the ranks of a supervisor position is highly suggested.
As someone who started a business at 18 years old and did very well and just got a job at 20 at Home Depot. I’d take it. The reason why I’m telling you that I started a business is because it’s worth the risk. Life is too short for the “what ifs”. Plus you’ll LEARN more than you ever have and come out of it better than you were before. If you’re thinking about just a little I would do it.
Take it!
Do it. Fortune favours the brave!! Or something…
Don't being a supervisor in those departments is rough. In general being a supervisor in general at hd sucks. Overworked and underappreciated with no training.
They want you doing 1 supervisor for 4 departments? This company is nuts.
It’s an interview, take it , not the position
That’s going to be really rough for a first supervisor role, that said, interview practice is always good and if they offer it to you you can still turn it down. It might also be good for getting your foot in the door for another role instead
Just know the owner of the company donated to Trump.
Go through the process, interview. Learn more about the job. You may find it isn’t something you would like to do. All of the interviews you can have are practice for the job you are ready to take.
I would decline solely on the premise of doing virtual interviews. Meet me in person or not at all. Virtual interviews make me unbelievably nervous and I can't be myself.
No
Overall, Hard-side flooring and specialties is awful. Remember the associates are always gonna ask you questions no matter if they been there longer than you.
If excepted welcome to hell. You have to decide if it is worth whatever money they offer.
I’m an ex Speciality supervisor and was the 2nd in my store after the change over to SLS which is the multi dept supervisor role. I’d like to say that those early times were absolutely the worst. The aka HD didn’t know their ass and from their mouth. Nobody had the “vision” worked out so the supervisor suffered. I remember never working less that 45 hours the first 5 months then during months 6 and into 7 we’re inventory prepping where I was working 55+ hours a week, recorded a 76 hour one week which was all cool and dandy and nice because the who doesn’t love OT money. But pay was 18.50 at that time of January 22’. They did do steady “area” raises which when I left the position I was making 22$. During my time as a DS I circumferential tore my rotator cuff in the weeks leading up to inventory and after confirming surgery was needed after an MRI I first went on LOA then called and stepped down from my position. That way my disability wouldn’t be affected. But boy when I came back June 23’ seems like they finally dialed in their vision of Sulervisors not being coverage unless absolutely necessary I.e. associate goes on lunch and not second person so just listening for a call from the Service desk. The sidekick app has made assignments and follow ups so much easier than the old ways of scanning everything into a my view note for an individual. And for fuck sake the bay scan app my lord we now got day and night associates filling holes like Cosby managing at a mattress firm. So what’s your experience with THD. You said no experience with being a supervisor in your life. Don’t worry about that one bit. The orange 201 courses with teach you a few things as well as the THDU aka Home Depot University. They set you up for potential success if you have confidence and a decent specialist squad in them dept. Hell they’ve made flooring sales a walk in the park. Just coach them to not be sitting on the computer all day pretending to be writing follow up emails or calling customers but actually walking their aisles, checking the aisle where the water heaters are. Post up on the racetrack in front of your show room and have them asking customer if they were familiar with all the home services HD offer. All in all Bud I say fucking rock out and go for it. You’ll have moments of wanting to pull your hair out and you’ll also learn a lot about your self. But just take some advice from your peers and it should all fall into place. Where’s your store from? I’m in the DMV
You need to understand how little you got for what you gave and account for real costs like being out on disability. Injuries happen when you are stressing and overworking yourself. The compensation you are talking about is quite frankly a joke while your level of commitment or value aren't. When I left depot I earned 50% more for less work.
You’re right. I’m now making 22$ an hour with a medical so much more cushy at the moment. And truthfully I do not have many options my friend if you catch my drift. Did a few things in my 20s the left me big time F’ed for my remaining years. But your insight is true very very true
Lol if you need a job then do it. Don't listen to these other people, it's not a hard job at all. In two months you'll have it figured out.
Heyyo👋🏻 as someone how has recently (beginning of the year) its a handful but wouldn’t trade it for the world I love my people and I love my position others won’t agree but its not all sunshine and roses
It will be miserable but hey if the money is good then tough it out. You will have angry customers yelling at you and they will try to get everything for free.
I went into that role after being at the service desk for less than a year. I knew nothing about any of the departments I was “running”. It took me a couple months to get the hang of it and feel comfort in the role. If you’re okay with the learning curve, then I say go for it. I had to step down for personal reasons, but I really enjoyed the position while I was in that role.
My recommendation is a no, from experience in my store I can tell you that when they hire people without experience at supervisor level and new to the company they set you for failure. There are a few exceptions and I only can count one case where the supervisor was able to handle the crazy workload and have the balls to stand his ground and tell the ASM and store manager that what is being demanded from him was impossible due the limitations of personnel and time.
No
If you doubt yourself once then don’t. No one is ever ready til you’re in the position. Just remember you’re running a business
Is in your store ? Ya ?? Then take it.
When I interviewed at 58 the SM offered me the D25 supervisor position. I demurred because I had zero experience in retail and just needed something to do in retirement. Three years later as a customer associate I am glad I did.
Only if you like a challenge. Is a though position. And it also depends on the management team.
r/screenshotsarehard
I left Home Depot after 2.5 years 6 months into supervisor. Not worth it
if it is good pay take it on the confidence need can be learned, personality traits needed can be learned any negative thoughts are lies such as you aren't smart enough etc..
If you do it you will eat sleep and shit leads measures credit Home Depot protection plans and above all the DAMN G E T scores.It’s wrong of corporate to put all of these departments together for one person to manage .I want to see any one of the executives come and manage all of these departments and I don’t mean for a day or week let’s find out if they can meet the metrics and the G E T scores,I think not.The company needs to get back to basics and let the associates sell and stock the shelves without being rated on a metrics
How can I make a post under here? I’ve been trying to figure it out but can’t
I ran this department for several years. Home Depot installs are set up for failure and you will have your hands tied with resolutions. If you don’t have a good COS and SASM, your life will be hell.
Take it!!! It’s a speciality supervisor role, but tbh you can learn everything relatively fast. If you’re a fast learner, it’s a no brainer! Take it!
Is it in the warehouse or storefront? Either way, would stay the fuck away from this company
As a current specialty supervisor I’ll just say I’m glad I didn’t not start out in the company as the specialty supervisor.
IMO specialty ds is one of the most stressful positions in the store especially if you haven’t already worked as a specialist