I went to this store because I needed a one-stop shop to complete a small job. I was greeted promptly and offered help, good start. I explained what I was doing and that I needed to get a basic setup for one time use; paint, roller, tray, tape and drop cloth. I was helped well enough with the paint but left to find the rest of my items on my own. Fair enough. I came in with an exact measurement of the wall area I needed to paint and a paint volume amount estimate from Sherwin Williams website. I asked the employee that had helped me to give her opinion and she didn't know so she asked the guy that was in charge. I told him how many square feet I was painting and told him that I thought I needed right around a gallon. He immediately said no, you need two gallons, to which I responded are you sure a gallon and quart wouldn't be plenty. "No. Two gallons." I bought two gallons on his confident recommendation. The checkout person was then confused when I told her I didn't have an account I would be charging it to. Anyone reading this should be clear that I'm definitely not a contractor. I signed up for an account, which gave me a discount. That was appreciated. Total purchase was about $110, at about $35 per gallon of paint plus my supplies. 8 hours later I'm finished painting and I have about an inch left in the bottom of the first gallon of paint. Plenty left for a touch up.
I went back about a week later to try to return the unused paint because I felt I had been given very poor guidance in the amount I needed and at $35 a gallon that's a big error. I was immediately told that returns of tinted paint are not accepted. I explained that I had been very specific in my measurements and had an estimate from their online calculator, to which they disagreed and instructed me to buy more than twice as much as I really needed. This is the crux of the situation. I fully understand the concept of an estimate, but this shouldn't have been a blind guess and 100% wrong.
The guy that originally told me to buy two gallons walked up and was immediately defensive and abrasive. He told me that it was an estimate and there's really no way to be 100% accurate. Fair enough. I explained that I fully understood that, but being off by 100% is not a little off and that when I asked if an additional quart would be enough of a cushion (which I agree is a good idea) I was told in no uncertain terms that I needed an additional gallon and not a quart. He quickly told me that he wasn't going to eat the cost of a gallon of paint just because I purchased the wrong amount. He then thoughtfully explained to me that if I got an estimate from a contractor to renovate my kitchen for $150,000 and then when it was all said and done it was $160,000 that I would still have to pay $160,000 because sometimes things cost a little more than estimated. I said fine and didn't try to explain the difference between him being 100% wrong in his paint estimate and a full kitchen renovation. Apparently at this store the amount of painted needed for about 320 square feet of wall area and a major renovation project are one in the same. I quickly realized that pointing out the flaws in his argument would fall on deaf ears. I was then told I could come back three days later when the manager might be there and that maybe she would do a refund. Rather than try my luck with these employees again, I decided to use the extra gallon of paint to refresh a few friend's Mardi Gras ladders. This way at least someone gets some satisfaction.
Maybe something about this situation is just beyond my understanding as a layman. I went to this store for personal service and expertise and I received neither, but rather was treated in a condescending way and pushed into purchasing twice as much paint as I needed. If you're a contractor/decorator/professional, or really like to be treated poorly, this place might be great. If you're an average Joe looking for a little help and quality advice, I'd recommend going elsewhere. read more
