Closings

Re: HD closure

I have NO special info, but I expect they will be closed for a fairly long time.  Flood damage in some places included sewage! plus by now there could be mold and mildew which will require remediation.  Depending on how high the water rose racks, counters, work areas, sheet rock walls etc. may need extensive repairs a/o replacement.  All of which will also require testing and inspections.  All at the same time that so many other places need the same.

steel said:

KarenMarlowe said:

 I remember when my sister was getting married in 1977, the area was impassable for days. 

 Wow, your sister's wedding must have been really well attended!

 It actually was. It was in the front yard of my parent's house; reception in the backyard. The weather cooperated for a short time...

I ❤️  Cardinal. And I’m not really even a yard person. 

Other sources:

Millstone - here.  I don’t know their status post Ida though. I’m sure the ducks made out fine. 

Orange Garden Center. Virtually a straight shot down Valley/Scotland/High.

ZO Landscaping Supply just off of Boyden

Metropolitan Plant Xchange in WO. Bagged mulch products. Don’t know if that includes stone.

yahooyahoo said:

According to the Google-sphere, the Vauxhall location is Home Depot's largest store at 217,000 square feet. For comparison, their average store is 105,000 sq. ft.

 I used to work there for my first job when I was recovering. You're correct about the size. To that point, that HD is the only one where the aprons worn by the employees say SuperStore.

Jaytee said:

drummerboy said:

 are those shoppers in there? 

 Looks like employees. Familiar faces. Imagine that was even before the store closes at 9 pm. They had to be rescued. Their cars are all totaled. This is worse than Floyd. Far worse, imagine waist deep water around 10 pm! What happened afterwards has to be catastrophic. That store lost everything that was on the floor and lower shelves. 

 The folks wearing aprons are definitely employees but those others may be security staff. That said, there were many customers in there based on all the faces I didn't recognize. That must have really sucked. I was told that the flood mitigating devices did not succeed for a variety of reasons. Bummer. Still, the folks would have been trapped in the store if they were trying to prevent the water filling the parking lot from entering. I visited the day after to bring them some donuts or something. It was eerie to see the resting positions of some of the cars.

I heard HD is aiming to re-open on October 1st.

I called Planet Fitness in East Hanover to see if I could use that gym. They said that the Union PF will not reopen until next year.

jamie said:

I heard HD is aiming to re-open on October 1st.

 They are still closed.

Here's another view of HD during the storm: https://www.reddit.com/r/ThatLookedExpensive/comments/pgdbmy/home_depot_in_vauxhall_nj_during_the_flood/

I just drove past the Union Home Depot and a sign out front sez: "Yes we are OPEN".

steel said:

I just drove past the Union Home Depot and a sign out front sez: "Yes we are OPEN".

 Yeah, they opened on Monday.

jimmurphy said:

 Yeah, they opened on Monday.

 And golly! They made use of the opportunity to modernize some things and change others. Merchandising layout for some areas was reorganized and some vendors have decided to withdraw. Expect to need a little more time to find things on your first visit after reopening.

But WORST OF ALLLLLLL {GASP!} the Dunkin's has left the building! It was kind of analogous to those chairs or benches they have in department stores by the ladies' shoes or in smaller stores like J Jill or Ann Taylor. You know, for a husband to sit as they wait for their wife - or something like that. I dunno, that's what I'm told [cough cough] anyway.

I also got to catch up with some friends and heard about some of the events from first-hand accounts. That water did some pretty **** crazy things. A couple of close calls, safety-wise, too. 

I just hope that they have improved the check-out lines!

steel said:

I just hope that they have improved the check-out lines!

 Well, there have been changes there, for sure. There are many more self-checkout stations but fewer registers with a person there to handle your purchases. The pro desk is different now. I didn't check how many registers are over by the lumber & building materials exit/entry. The garden center didn't look like it expanded the checkout capacity.

If you're looking for Christmas stuff you're in luck! Halloween stuff on the other hand... 

jfinnegan said:

If you're looking for Christmas stuff you're in luck! Halloween stuff on the other hand... 

 Has to do with when they ship in the inventory.  Hard to ship in Halloween goods in October

Yeah, I was more surprised by how much Christmas stuff was there than the lack of Halloween stuff. I went over to Lowe's and they had no Halloween stuff either. I would have figured they would still have Halloween stuff out. 

I shall be curious to see how they have changed the contractor check-out area. I hope have designed it with better consideration for all the money-dropping crews who daily each spend hundreds of dollars at a clip and who are trying to get out of there to get back to a job site while only two and often only ONE person was there to check them out. Often there were ridiculous wait-time lines for crews who were on the clock with deadline pressure.

Impossible to do self-check-out with loads of 2x4s, drywall etc. 

steel said:

I shall be curious to see how they have changed the contractor check-out area. I hope have designed it with better consideration for all the money-dropping crews who daily each spend hundreds of dollars at a clip and who are trying to get out of there to get back to a job site while only two and often only ONE person was there to check them out. Often there were ridiculous wait-time lines for crews who were on the clock with deadline pressure.

Impossible to do self-check-out with loads of 2x4s, drywall etc. 

 I've always wondered why any contractor would do regular shopping like that.  One or two things, sure. After hours, sure, but big lumber orders?  Use a regular lumber yard.  Electrical?  The place on Newark way is better and cheaper.  Drywall?  Have it delivered.  Waiting on line is dead time for a contractor.

DanDietrich said:

 I've always wondered why any contractor would do regular shopping like that.  One or two things, sure. After hours, sure, but big lumber orders?  Use a regular lumber yard.  Electrical?  The place on Newark way is better and cheaper.  Drywall?  Have it delivered.  Waiting on line is dead time for a contractor.

 You wonder why? Because they’re not licensed contractors. The professional calls in the order and it’s loaded on carts waiting for pick up. You just go to the contractors desk (special services) and pay. Done.