There was another story on "60 minutes"

[question everything]

besides the Couric interview of the Edwardses.

I am talking about Dennis Kozlowski. All the time when he was saying how innocent he was I kept thinking that, even if he was, the obscenity of paying anyone $100 million in compensation!

How much money does one person need?

Earlier in the day I caught some of CNN "on the money" and one of the guests was talking about Home Depot, another place where a former CEO left with his millions. And one of the hosts was wondering about shopping there - with not much alternative since all the small hardware stores closed - but whether customers, as opposed to share holders, should worry about organizations like that.

And the guest said yes. That the millions going to the pocket of the CEO are not pumped back to the store, or used to pay decent salaries, or to pay for health insurance. That one ends up with unhappy employees, or with high employees turnover. Do you want to patronize an organization with unhappy employees?

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Home depot carries only the most generic merchandise they can

get away with. Need a 3" long bolt or a seal kit for a moen? Forget it, it'll have to wait till monday, till a real store is open.
& just try to find an employee in one of those places, if they see you coming they run the other way.

[napi21]

5. They also carry the lowest and CHEAPEST version, model, brand,

of every item available. Even things like Armstrong flooring is specifically madeonly forthe Home Depot's and Lowes' of the world. I waspreparing to paint out house last year, and checked the net to find out what the best paint was. After a lot of research, I found the best was a Dutch Boy product, but even though Home Depot carries Dutch Boy, they don't have and CAN'T GET the grade of Dutch BoyI wanted. THAT was only available at specific authorized paint stores. When I went to the closest one, I talked to the manager about that, and he said it's a deal the mfg. has with the paint stores.

I'm not saying I never shop at Home Depot, I do, but never forsomething I want to last a LONG TIME or when my prime concern is quality!

[MADem]

6. I agree. You do better at a local, private builder's supply outfit, really. nt

[DCKit]

7. They don't run

They're just not there anymore. The big investors have decided that knowledgeable employees are too expensive, so they laid them off in favor of untrained, ignorant stockers. I choose to spend more and get what I need (and better quality to boot) at my local hardware store.

[question everything]

9. IF you can find a local hardware store

In the past five years, three local neighborhood hardware stores closed all within 10 miles of Home Depot.

[napi21]

2. I watched that, and although Dennis sounded sincere, I think his story

was all BS. IMO there is one of two possibilities with him. Either he's lying his a** off, or he was way too stupid to have been the CEO of Tyco. There is NO person who reaches the level of CEO who doesn't know what's HIS money and what's the Company's money! Dennis ignored thatline and got caught! At the end of that show the host said something about if Dennis doesn't win his appeal, he has to serve 8 to 20 years. I have NO SYMPATHY at all. Somehow he managed to get on60 Minutes to tell HIS story, but he's still guilty and I'm hopinghe servescloser to the 20 thanthe 8.

[truedelphi]

3. Dennis Kozlowski - Boy it gives a person a reality check

Doesn't it?

I also caught the discussion of Home Depot - and it is so weird that this is happening
in ubiquitous fashion.

That the executive class gets paid 224 times what the average salaried worker gets paid.
Regardless if they run the company correctly or not.

[question everything]

8. Correction. CEOs are making 400 times the average worker

Used to be 40 in the 70s before Reaganomics. In the 80s it became more profitable to buy another company - and fire most of the employees and raid their pension funds - instead of investing in their own. When investor bankers and brokers made money by negotiating such mergers and acquisitions - regardless of the final outcome.

[Suich]

4. Liar, liar, pants on fire, Kozlowski!

As Judge Milean (sp?) says, "I wouldn't believe him if his tongue came notarized!"



:)