This is by far the worst Harbor Freight within a 50 mile radius. I don't know who is responsible for hiring/training or if it's just the store but the employees are miserable. Every time you go in there it's like dealing with a bunch of hall monitors on a power trip. I.e. they remodeled the store and now have a, I'll call it a maze, to get to the registers. I had a return and walked directly to the registers instead of around the maze. This was UNACCEPTABLE to cashier Karen and she told me such. Mind you, there was no one in line, at the registers or even near the registers for that matter but I was scolded like a child nonetheless. "It's okay this time but next time you have to go all the way around and use the line" Me - "There was no one in line or at the registers" "It doesn't matter, the lines there for a reason. In the future you won't be able to go that way, there will be a gate and it will be exit only." Me - "okay but it's not there now and there was no one in line" "You just can't go that way and next time go around." Now, admittedly it was not the biggest deal in the world but, it wasn't a friendly interaction nor was it what anyone would consider good or friendly customer service.
Next visit, I was at the register and had a number of things for a project I was working on. A customer comes in and asks if the employee can throw away a can for them. The employee hesitates, looks around like she's looking for a trash then goes um yeah there's one back here and lifts up the small trash bin that's behind the registers. If it had been left at that it would have been great and the interaction over but she just couldn't leave it at that. She looks at me and goes ugh you don't want to know what I think about that. (I'm thinking you know what, I really don't but you're going to tell me anyway aren't you?) I just give an awkward laugh and continue taking my stuff out of the shopping cart. She goes on to tell me how she can't stand when people do that and why didn't they just leave it in their car. They brought it in specifically to throw it away inside the store blah blah blah. I go well at least they didn't bring it in and just leave it on a shelf somewhere, right? She could have just said true and again, ended it there but she had to go on again. Not exactly a good look to complain about a customer who did absolutely nothing wrong to another customer who is just trying to pay for their stuff and leave.
Final interaction was just today. I used to work and understand people wanting to go home. I don't even like going places when they are closing soon but I needed something to finish my project. I got to the store at 5:54 pm knowing they close at 6 on Sunday. The inside doors were locked even though there was no one around and someone inside goes "we close in 5 minutes that's why it's locked, you have to come through the exit doors." (As I'm typing this I'm thinking of the irony of them telling me I have to go through wrong way because they said so but when I went the "wrong way" I was scolded, at least they're inconsistent about it.) Anyway, I said I know and I just have one thing to grab, I know right where it is. I went to the section, grabbed it and was at the register in the time it took to walk there and back. They were giving away a free item which as an inside track member I wasn't offered so I asked about it. The cashier told me "I don't know if we have them, if we did they'd be in the aisle" okay which aisle? "Aisle 1" okay well I guess I'll be right back then. Walked back to aisle 1, got the item and brought it back to the register. Every other harbor freight I've been to keeps the free items behind the register so they don't have to send people back to the aisles to get them. It's great, especially if you don't know about the deal or if you forgot. Not South Attleboro though. This was the second time there was a free item promotion that I was made to leave the register and go to get. Again, customer service severely lacking at this location. There were 2 employees up there at the time and I was the only one in the store. If you had wanted to leave so badly, maybe be a little more helpful. As I was leaving, another customer was walking in and I heard one of the employees go "ughh here comes another one." I was in my truck and driving away at 6 in the dot so I didn't keep them but the still managed to give me an attitude.
Unless they have an item in stock that others don't or the other stores are very inconvenient, go to Warwick or Seekonk. The employees are a lot more helpful and they treat people kindly. I love Harbor Freight and think it's a great place for people to get affordable tools but the South Attleboro is not good. read more
