Frustrated Home Depot employee shares photo of countless carts full of gardening products wasted for no good reason: 'Not our call'

372

I've noticed Lowes has started doing that! They used to have the same policy and same vendors, but it seems they have changed that.

Hopefully, the attention will force a policy change. And we can ALL save a ton of waste. It's insane how much fertilizer runoff, plastic waste, soil, water, electricity, etc. this profit scheme uses.

120

Lowe’s has had discount sick rack for over 7 years atleast I worked there for 5. Another thing people don’t know about Lowe’s is scratch and dent appliances and they will haggle with you on all discount prices. If your big enough buyer they will haggle on new materials at well. You wouldn’t believe how often I sold a 20k order that should have been 30ish with list prices because guy spends over a million a year at the store. We won’t drop below cost on new materials but will go down to a 10% margin or so. If you know anyone struggling financially and they need an appliance go to Lowe’s and ask for scratch and dent section I’ve sold new stover that are 799 with a little dent on the side someone returned for 4-500$ and sometimes lower for other employees

rya556

Yes! I bought stain master plank luxury vinyl flooring that was an online return. It was a color not offered in store and they let me have it for $9 a box if I bought all they had in hand. I still have the receipt because it was such a crazy find and it was exactly the right amount I needed.

ColinCancer

I got a gas tankless water that was a special order that got returned or something. It’s a nice Rinnai unit. Sticker was around half off so like $350 or so. I walked it up to the front thinking I was getting a deal. Lady scans the barcode and says “oh it’s been sitting a while price went down more”

I said “to what?”

She said fifty five.

I said “what?”

She said again “fifty five”

I was like Fifty five American dollars?

She said yes. Fucking A I got lucky that day.

Ohh ya if you see something on clearance check back weekly prices go down if it’s not go to a manager and say hey this clearance item been here for a month can I get it for x price a good chunk will say ya other chunk probably a counter offer

ColinCancer

I’m a contractor in a small town so I’m pretty much on a first name basis with all the lowes peeps. I definitely keep an eye on the discount stuff, I’ve got a lot of little old ladies that need stuff fixed on a tight budget and if I can wheel and deal at Lowe’s I can help them get their projects done much cheaper.

Always worth a try!

That’s dope I did specialty sales and account management for contractors at the pro desk new all my contractors and a bunch would do stuff like that all time we go for drinks etc sometimes after work as well.

I also got a 500$ electric tool set so drills impact sawza etc for 69$ I was so excited all bosche

privatepersons

Yes! For this and so many reason, I always shop Lowe’s over HD if able to!

JclassOne

People wonder why everything is more expensive. Its not trump or Biden its corporate/human greed!!! Profit at all cost is evil and immoral.

Amen! Citizens United is one of the worst things to happen to our country... The name is such a misnomer!

dawnconnor

the answer would then be to abolish the system that encourages profit over people (capitalism) and replace it with one that prioritizes people over profit :)

DifficultAnt23

Inflation is caused by $2 trillion dollar deficits by both Trump and Biden admins and respective congresses, and the Federal Reserve Bank buying trillions of dollars of bank and bond securities (paying the banks with cash/currency that the Fed doesn't have). All that money sloshing around has to be lent out. In other words the gov is buying trillions in stuff on the national credit card. You can "print" cash but you can't print houses, cars, and stoves. Something has to yin-yang give, and it's prices.

I love seeing non partisan truths! The divide is just how they get away with it. We have to unite, demand middle and lower class friendly policies that protect the planet and the people first. None of this dramatic polarized propaganda is going to fix a thing.

InspectorRound8920

Likely got a better price from vendors.

VerStannen

Ours has a compost bin outside the garden gate. We were there one night when they were filling it with plants.

We asked the gal what they were doing with them, and she said composting. She also said what happened after she left was no concern to her, so we drove around after she was done and loaded up.

This was a couple of years ago and we still check that bin every time we go by. We’ve gotten about a dozen hydrangeas that are now thriving in our yard, and countless other plants. Just recently picked up some sumacs that we planted and are doing well. There was some fruit trees in there one time, but they had busted the main trunk and we couldn’t revive them.

My wife calls them our rescue plants; they’ve been on death row and have gotten a second chance, so they’re thankful for life and try their best to survive and thrive haha.

PricklyBasil

Some do have them, some dont. It doesn’t seem to be a consistent policy. But those kind of piss me off anyway because why should I have to pay to fix their mistakes that they’re going to just throw away otherwise? The messed up ones should be free. But then again, that’s the whole frustrating point of this article, isn’t it.

JustExisting2Day

In my location, "Bonnie" plants, majority vegetables, cannot be discounted like the other stuff. This is at Lowes. I tried, they just toss them. It's because they are sold on consignment or something.

I would bet home depot has a similar contract.

They do this so they can make full profit and people don't buy at a discount.

brookilini

Honestly, I’m sure the sick bed is the staff trying their best to minimize waste. It’s highly likely they have the same practice as HD.

erleichda29

They do near me, or at least used to. I used to work at Home Depot and got a bunch of discounted plants.

satanlovesmemore

Mine does, or I ask the paint guy for a discount

sms552

I buy the ones on clearance at walmart. Most of the rose bushes around my house are from Walmarts clearance. They aren’t going to repot them and that about all most plants sitting on the shelf need. It’s sad really but paying $5 for rose bushes works for me.

ThePeasRUpsideDown

Ugh, my Lowe's did this for a bit.. now all they put there is DEAD plants.. to the point you're buying the soil.

KingsRansomed

That’s the only place I buy my plants now.

pgf314

My garden is chock full of $2 and $4 Lowe’s “sick bed” plants

Thequeefofthenight

I call it the plant orphanage

CapeTownMassive

They 100% do have them. Every HD I’ve ever been in has a sick plants rack

crowbar151

158

I work at a Canadian Tire and we had to throw a whole displayer of MacKenzie seeds out. When I suggested we donate them to a food bank or our library which does a seed exchange program, I was laughed out of the room. Fucking backwards... willing to get accolades for supporting community sports but not accolades for feeding our community.

0runnergirl0

I used to work at Canadian Tire, too, and we'd put the Mackenzie seeds in the lunchroom for employees to take home. We'd bag it all up in garbage bags until the Mackenzie Rep had left the store, and then take the bags up to the lunchroom. We'd do the same with plants that were struggling and weren't likely to be purchased - staff freevies.

Moranmer

Wow, that makes me sooo angry. What awful waste. I hate that mentality, "if we can't profit off these, no one can have them".

Madness.

crash7800

For my American bretheren - I am here (as a former Canadian resident) to inform you Canadian Tire is basically Canadian Walmart. They also have Walmart. But Canadian Tire is kinda more vertical usually. And often nicer. But the self checkout is always broken. But they employees are nice.

I like to call it Can-Tie.

CoBudemeRobit

this makes me think there should be a anonymous current employee tip app that lets divers know when some loot has been disposed of cause of corporate policy

pandabearak

189

Seriously - check out the dumpster at a Home Depot once in awhile. It’ll be filled to the brim with unsold plants. Don’t buy the plants, just dumpster dive for them!

Usually we had to compact them in store. How often do you seem them untended outside? I will definitely go!

pandabearak

I live near 3 Home Depot’s and go frequently for work. I would say that the dumpsters have unsold plants in them once every two weeks or so. Luckily, I can drive by the dumpsters and see what’s inside without actually stopping, so it’s not so obvious I’m looking. But there’s definitely a day or two a month when they cycle through plants, and need to get rid of ALL the unsold plant inventory and the dumpster is practically full of plants.

linniex

When I first moved into my house, I realized that our Home Depot was throwing out a ton of great plants, and I was super excited to go and take them. It was such a big deal to me that I bragged to the family, and sure enough my brother-in-law’s girlfriend decided to start doing it as well and wound up being arrested. Spoiler alert: It was fine to take things from the dumpster, but it was not fine to take the entire rack that was on wheels right next to it.

No-Strategy-818

Ask the dumpsters around here are locked

invaderzim257

most Home Depots usually have signs posted that the trash/pallets are still their property and taking them is considered theft

2roK

I'm so sick of this fucking system

LikeATediousArgument

“You can’t have our garbage either, fuck you.”

This is such an insane world. They’d rather it be tossed in a dump, and I’m sure it’s just a fear of some corporate liability.

78765

corporate liability.

It is more than that. It is also lost sales and dumpster divers leaving a mess and potential injury, etc.

This problem could be an opportunity if approached as a simple solution for the store.

befay666

134

Every retail situation I’ve ever worked at has destroyed unsold product. Barnes and Noble rips covers off books to mail back to publishers to prove they weren’t stolen and then the books are destroyed. Ulta smashes up makeup pallets before throwing them in the dumpster. Love it here

UnicornPonyClub

Petsmart cuts leashes and collars, slices every bag of food and pours it out, etc

MarionberryIll5030

What?? I thought they donated all of that stuff??

Rare_Background8891

It’s seriously disgusting. I’ve seen places cut up unsold clothing with scissors. This is awful.

Unafaye

Victoria's secret, Liquor stores, Weed shops. I hate it here

virtie

182

I was forced to throw into the compactor over 1000 seed packets because the brand updated their packaging. I got all the store management involved because I was so outraged but they said nothing they can do, throw it away.

Stravven

Strange, here most stores will simply sell the old packaging first and only then put the ones in the new packaging in the store. A recent example are small tins of tomato paste that were redesigned for some reason.

virtie

This was in 2017, I was on the merchandising team and we had a new display coming and they had us completely toss the display, seeds and all.

zeatherz

Was that really the reason or is it because they were seeds picked for the previous year? Older seeds have a worse germination rate so less people will want to buy them. Small local places will sell them discounted but I could see a big company just throwing them out

Queen__Antifa

If they’re vegetable seeds they could be donated to a food pantry, and the store could get a tax write off.

FanClubof5

-2

What would a good pantry do with vegetable seeds? It's not like they are going to start farming.

PracticalWallaby4325

Community gardens come to mind, we have 2 that I know of in our community (& we live in zone 6 high desert so not exactly a growers paradise).

They could also give them out to anyone who is interested in growing their own food.

quartz222

well we’re talking about food pantries?? they don’t have time to distribute seeds around

PracticalWallaby4325

Why not? Put them out on a table with a sign that says "Pick 2" or however many they prefer. It isn't that complicated.

quartz222

you’re right even tho people are downvoting. food pantries don’t want seeds

seqoyah

For people utilizing the food pantry to have the option to grow their own vegetables and lessen food insecurity

cat8mouse

Home Depot is also famous for “pay by scan”, meaning the nurseries that supply the plants only get paid for plants that are sold. Those going into the dumpster are a loss for the suppliers.

Shrubberer

So unless the government steps in or the nurseries unionize this situation is here to stay sigh

Iceeman7ll

The city officials should fine Home Depot for a million dollars … for methane pollution. That would change their mind.

Right now, corporations are free to pollute. If they get fined or pay a penalty, things will change.

Wouldn't it be something? Actually make the corporations or the decision makers to hurt their own bottom line or do the right thing. Nordic economy relies on that principle and it works.

TheRealTK421

...make the corporations or the decision makers to hurt their own bottom line or do the right thing.

Consumers will have to take on such a... 'project', en masse and ongoing.

It's pretty clear (now) that no other method of oversight, accountability, nor severely punitive consequences, will ever occur if the citizenry relies upon an institution, other than themselves, to take this on.

Before you naysay it, look into the Nordic methods of managing their corporations. It does work.

TheRealTK421

I don't naysay any potential root-cause solutions -- if they are based on rational, ethical, empirically supportable results.

Again, check out Nordic methods toward forcing companies to act sustainably and toward the best interest of the consumer, esp. concerning their moves toward their oil manufacturing facilities. Top 4 producer on the planet and the govt handled them nicely. So, plenty of ethical and empirical results to peruse.

TheRealTK421

Today of all recent days, I'd have to say the likelihood the US ever takes up such initiatives is quite near nil.

Some serious upheaval would be required to make that a thing here, unfortunately.

Training-Context-69

A pollution or methane fine sounds like an absolutely great idea to combat this kind of waste. But the fines need to actually make sense. A typical traffic fine affects the average American more than a EPA or FTC fine affects corporations. Which is why traffic fines do very good at deterring bad driving behaviors while most government fines are seen as a cost of doing business to corporations not an actual punishment. The fines need to put a noticeable dent in their profits to have any desired affect.

onimush115

This isn’t related to plants but I’ve seen the crazy amount of waste in a Home Depot first hand. I worked as an over night stocker for one in the early 2000’s.

Our store was smaller than a normal store and we always had issues with getting in items that we just didn’t carry. There was no where to stock them.

One time we got in pallets of vanity sets. So it was like a mirror, sink and vanity cabinet in a box. They sat up in the racks for months because it was a sku our store didn’t carry, but we got sent a bunch as part of a promotional sale.

One night we were told they were written off. The manufacturer did a return but didn’t want them back due to shipping costs. So one by one we just sent them down the compactor chute. Pallet after pallet. Such a waste.

saltedshark

Back when I worked retail my coworkers and I would replant the "waste product" plants into the otherwise atrocious landscaping. It felt way better than tossing them since we couldn't sell them because of policy. The suppliers were happy for the free advertising too!

Raymond_Reddit_Ton

This is why I walk right out with plants.

If you aren't taking from a small nursery or the wild, AND you don't kill it, I no longer fault you, they apparently make a profit from this. 5 fingers discount is better than the 2 hands to the crusher.

PricklyBasil

r/proplifting

crazycatlady331

I won't do this from a small mom and pop nursery, but I have no issues proplifiting from a big box.

Loud_South9086

There’s one particular store I’ll take succulent pieces from because they just roughly jam all the pots into this one area and crush them together causing bits to drop off.

Above it there’s a sign that says “PROPLIFTING IS SHOPLIFTING!!!” and I like to glance up at it and say “you’re so right” whilst slipping bits into my pockets

DisastrousLeopard813

I'm going to start...I generally wouldn't buy plants from a box store but I will rescue them for free

dadlerj

Unfortunately, nearly 0% of the plants sold by box stores are going to be native to your local region, which means that introducing them to your garden is going to have low ecological value at best (really only benefitting generalist pollinators), and becoming invasive and damaging native plant and animal ecosystems at worst.

Sadly, in many, many, many cases, the trash is the best place for big box store seeds.

r/nativeplantgardening (or your region’s equivalent sub) feels spiritually similar to this sub, and I’d encourage anyone who is interested in anticonsumption for environmental reasons to spend time there.

Lovely message. That's what I did for a living in my real job. I built habitat and repaired streambanks, but my first and biggest love was propagating and teaching natives. Big love to you!

the68thdimension

User name checks out.

Responsible-Fun4303

My husband and I both used to work at Home Depot and when we worked there it was the vendor not Home Depot themselves that wanted it tossed. Not sure if it’s still that way. It’s been quite a few years since either of us worked there. I always thought how nice it would be to bring them to a nursing home or something!

-1

My experience was limited, as I quit. Grower, not killer. But, HD management was involved, maybe just because of moms day.

Dependent_Compote259

Adopt a plant, dont buy from the plant farms😣

Leadgutfrog

Sprout mills

Tik__Tik

The store can count those plants as a loss and get a lower tax burden at the end of the year. Just so everyone is clear as to why the store does this.

horrorgoose99

My local nursery has a recycling program where you can recycle pots and the starter pots they come in.

We recycled ours too. It's stupidly easy. It's a 10% bleach solution and it saves a huge amount of money on reordering. It just requires more space and management. Plus, we grew very disease susceptible crops like native azalea and it still worked.

the68thdimension

Now multiply this over the entire economy. How much waste is incentivised by the profit motive? Fucking capitalism, man.

Edit to say: this could so easily be regulated against. Just like supermarkets in France have been regulated against throwing food away, we could apply the same regulation to all companies. It’s really not even that complicated: no throwing away to waste of products that could still be used, and no destruction of still usable products to make them unusable.

Apply that to all companies, and see how much changes.

Right? It seems so simple to fix, when you look over all the cronyism, corruption, manipulation of market and taxation, etc. Also, imagine when the market gets cleared out and back to companies that rely on BMP instead of profit manipulation.

veda1971

Meanwhile small independent greenhouses spend all their time and labour $ keeping plants looking gorgeous through the season only to hear “it’s cheaper at home depot”. Stop shopping big box when you could support local.

relevantusername2020

the 2020s will be remembered as the decade when goodhart finally went to the doctor to get that pain checked out and discovered he had actually been having a heart attack for like 20-60 years straight, somehow

Everyusernametaken1

Also this in Ct ... well guess what ? My local nursery got my money this year. Home depot plant prices were crazy. Fk that. And it's not just Home Depot . All the crappy chains. They used to be a bargain... but now they turned it. Don't get me started as to how much more Goodwill is now compared to TJ max .

Support your local nurseries and your local plants!! Start looking for small, new start ups that supply straight species natives and you will be able to know from the get go that they have a good, conscious growing method.

FreyjasMom

Wait till you learn what we do with the animals 🫣

teamsaxon

Already know, don't contribute, don't want to think about it.

Zerthax

Our species truly is a disgusting lot

InformalReplacement7

All retail is so disgustingly wasteful.

So much cardboard, styrofoam, plastic and countless other shit all mixed together, headed straight for the dump, simply because it couldn’t sell when it made its way to clearance. .

Zerthax

If it's cheaper to waste product than to miss out on making a sale, they will choose waste.

seaurchinthenet

I live near many small local farmers. They were decimated by a tomato blight that came from big box stores selling tomato plants. If you can contain the plant and make sure the sick plant doesn't make it back into the eco system - great. But don't take one in and then put it in the compost pile where the blight can proliferate.

RealCalintx

I just swipe them idc lol. Most employees just look the other way. The other I tell to fuck off and their coworkers laugh. I'm okay with the idea of having a record from rescuing condemned plants 😎

gorillagangstafosho

Home Depot exists mainly for stock holders. The stock is a significant portion of the index. Anything to prop up the stock price and keep it propped up is the only goal.

PracticalWallaby4325

Home Depot's entire plant section needs to be shut down. Not only do they refuse to discount anything & randomly kill good plants, they've also begun putting ordinary plants in "designer" pots & up charging them like $20.

teamsaxon

Seeing all those flowers in the trolleys just discarded like trash makes me so sad. Poor plants. The hardware stores that sell plants here just put the flowers/herbs/veggies on clearance if they need to move on some seedlings. We take a few at a time to see if we can help them along.

lawrow

Go to a local nursery that sells native plants that support your ecosystem and avoid Home Depot!

Yes!Yes!Yes!

I work at a place like this :) we sometimes have to throw stuff out too but it's never "perfectly good stuff". Plus us employees can take that stuff home if they want lol. I love working there!!!! AMA

Training-Context-69

This is why I don’t feel bad about the current shoplifting epidemic affecting some areas. Retail giants claim that’s the issue when in reality they waste so much more than can ever be stolen.

Unfortunately a shop lifting protest would get hijacked too easily, but if done right and with a lot of support, it would be interesting.

I wish we could do it with somber, quiet and dignified, unified masses focused only on the companies that reported massive profits. It would send a hell of a message.

Same with the houses sitting off market during the crisis. Would be lovely to escort homeless families into them as a community and guard them from the police, 100 strong, all night long.

BigBradWolf77

must keep prices high at all costs 🤦‍♂️

Jane_Holstein

My mom goes all the time and gets cheap half dead plants she nursetback to life

cardie82

I’ve got daisies and roses that I bought at Home Depot at a steep discount because they were in poor condition. They’re thriving now.

No_Translator2218

Gardens and other places won't spend money if home depot gives this away free. Supposedly.

Same reason walmart throws out millions every day in fruit and vegetables and baked goods.

If you give it away, then people may not need to spend money at walmart.

Same with unused medical equipment. Even sealed, it can almost never be freely given even to other countries or facilities in need.

avery_mads

To add to this, my local Home Depot doesn’t take care of their plants and leaves them to dry out or to rot in water. Not too long after their shipment, they die and they always tell me I cannot get a discount on the dying plants.

Agreed. I've even pointed out plants that needed watering and received shrugs as a response.

Disastrous_Arrival81

They are the worst, I used to be on the Met team. Christmas decorations and seasonal merchandise marked down and thrown into a big outside bin or compactor. God forbid if we asked if we could buy the item and donate it to the fundraising. They would look at us as if we keyed their car. Shameful place

arockingroupie

I asked if they had discount plants like Lowes but they said no. Imma dumpster dive for them now…this is so shameful though

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No_Release7261

The 2 perspectives here are 1. Consumerism, 2. Anti-consumerism. Merchandisers or marketers or the goods & service providers they are the decision makers or strategists they planned for profitabilities or the best outcomes in their best interests, they reduced or removed consumables from their shelves in part due to compromised products' shelf life, constrained floor spaces, suppliers contractual obligations & other instore perishables handling policies etc. In accounting, these write-offs by discarding, disposal or scrapped materials will be transparent instead of discounts or some other variations of a retail pricing reductions as the IRS might questioned any disputable inconsistencies. Anyway, it's sure a darn shame usable products be wasted like that.

Over-Accountant8506

They already wrote an article about this sub lol. I read it and saw they commented about reddit

the68thdimension

Who’s ‘they’ here?

Brilliant_Victory_77

I did a summer at one of the greenhouses that supplies home depot. They sell plants more like consignment where the greenhouse only gets paid if the plant sells, so scrapping these plants likely costs them nothing beyond their usual labour costs.

River1947

Why do these companies destroy their own products?

Fat-Tony-69

I work at a local nursery, it’s not that much better here, we get rid of so much plant material and the owner is a total cheapskate so she won’t let employees take things home, later in the season I just give away plants we’re going to toss when she isn’t here. It wouldn’t be so bad even if we just had a compost pile but it all goes right into the dumpster. And don’t even get me started on those awful plastic pots

That's terrible. At our nursery we kept a cull spot. For us, for friends, and we gave a ton away to worthy causes. Often, a plant just needs to get out of irrigation cycles and be hand watered to recover. Plants are living beings. No grower should run a nursery without recognizing that. And I have managed huge nurseries. I'm not at all idealistic. There are so many avenues to send your less than perfect plants.

Metal-Goddess-2791

Why can't they sell the less desired plants at a deep discount or donate them? This is absolutely nauseating and so many stores besides HD throw perfectly good items away. Something needs to be done about this. Some of the items can be donated to homeless shelters or a discount store.

They'd never sell at a discount. There's a limited number of customers, and they're already able to offer it cheaper than any independent garden store.

That's because they pay their laborers bottom dollar and grow easy, mass produced crap. You should check out their reviews on glass door.

I managed two native plant nurseries. We did NOT throw plants away under my tenures! We donated, rehomed, had a full section of cheap plants, but never killed. We also paid well and searched out educated candidates who loved plants. We propagated straight species and supplied a lot of great projects around the country. Support your local nurseries!

Absolutely!!! I work at an independent nursery :)

Lovely! What kind?