Garden Center at The Home Depot

"I waited a long time to get the tree cut but all the other services was great"

"My work truck got burglarized there, aggressive vagabond moochers in front of the store, and my retired ex-Marine buddy got ripped off. Yesterday I parked my work truck in the Waterbury HD parking lot about 7 cars away from the garden center entrance. Within 30 minutes that I was inside the store somebody snipped off a padlock on the back of my truck and stole my power tools plus copper fittings - damage worth of hundreds of dollars. When I asked the store manager for a surveillance tape, he told me that they only monitor the inside and perimeter of the building and that there are no cameras in the parking lot. When I called a few of my contractor buddies from Waterbury, every single one of them had their vehicle either burglarized, or knew somebody who did in that parking lot. My understanding is that vehicle break-ins are a common occurrence in this parking lot and that the Home Depot does not do anything about it to protect their customers. When I spoke to police, they told me that it is a private property so their hands are tight and that unless I know the serial numbers of all of my power tools that I will never see them again. The next nightmare almost every time I go there are swarms of aggressive moocher vagabonds from the shelter next door that approach people for change in the parking lot or in front of the exit / entrance to the store. Please instead of giving them any change, call the police and complain to the manager on duty to get rid of them, because the minute you walk into the store, their accomplices will burglarize your vehicle. The third sour experience within the past couple of years with this store was when my older buddy, a retired ex-Marine Vietnam vet needed to buy a few thousand dollars worth of materials for his home remodeling project. Being elderly, he forgot his VA ID at home, so he went to the customer service desk and asked them that if he makes the purchase today, if they will they honor the military discount when he brings his ID next time. They told him: "yes". Couple weeks later he went to this store and brought his receipt and VA ID, and was shocked when they told him: "Sorry, we do not give military discount unless you are a disabled vet, or on active duty". The store manager was called and gave the same "store policy BS". So that's how they ripped off a retiree for hundreds of dollars inside this store. By the way, his truck got broken into and burglarized couple years ago at this location as well. The bottom line is that the Lowe's in Southington gives military discount to anyone who served regardless off the status, disabled or not, active or not, as long as you have a valid VA ID. The Lowe's is more neat, better stocked, less crowded, and has no vagabonds in the parking lot. In summary it would cost me less to drive the extra 15 minutes for the next 20 years to Southington considering the losses me and my friend incurred at this Home Depot store."