Home Depot -- 3 Forms of ID Please

For an annual holiday work function, we have a raffle of sorts and we raise money from people by selling chances to win valuable prizes. This year was no different. I was charged with buying six of the gifts. so I set out to buy these gifts.

My first stop was Dick's Sporting Goods. Three minutes later, I had a pretty expensive gift card in my hand. There were no issues.

My second stop was Best Buy. At Best Buy, I had to buy a portable DVD Player, a digital camera, and an expensive gift card. 8 minutes later, I was out of the store -- once again... NO ISSUES.

My third stop was Barnes and Noble. I was relieved to see that no one was on line so I got to the register and purchased another hefty gift card. 3.5 minutes later, I was out of the store with .. you guessed it... NO ISSUES.

My last stop was on the way in to work the next day. I went to Home Depot to get another generous gift card. I like to go to Home Depot at about 8:00 am as I find the contractors have already hit the place up and the regular people haven't shown up yet, so the staff is attentive, awake and usually helpful.

As I approached the only open register, I thought that I was in heaven as I thought... HOW LONG CAN IT TAKE TO PURCHASE A GIFT CARD? My first thought was that it would take a couple of minutes. How could I have known that it would have taken 16 minutes to purchase a gift card?

When I told her the amount I wanted, she sighed and immediately picked up the phone next to her register. 5 minutes later with a line of people 6 people deep, she finally reached someone who said they would be right up. I told her to take other people while we waited for the manager, but she was adamant that the person would be RIGHT THERE. 8 minutes later and with a line that was now 9 people deep, the manager arrived and gave her the approval to ring up my gift card.

There was a caveat. I needed to show two forms of ID in addition to the credit card I was going to use. 3 minutes later, I was out of the store. It took her 2 mintues to examine all my ID's and then finally ring up the item.

What the hell happened? When did everything get so screwed up at Home Depot? When did this policy get set forth? Why did the register woman cause so much more hassle and stuff for herself? The people on line certainly weren't mad at me... they knew I told her to take them.

If you read about a lynching at a Home Depot in Middlesex County, New Jersey, they you know why it happened.