A Southern California repairman says a marathon wait for a quart of paint at Lowe’s was enough to steer him—and whatever loyalty he had left—toward Home Depot. A TikTok posted by @scratch_built_a–, the creator behind Scratch Built Association in Menifee, California, recounts a slow-burn frustration that ended with a manager pulled aside and a customer walking out.
Why Did This Man Leave Lowe’s for Home Depot?
The repairman says he stood at the paint counter for what felt like an eternity. “I was waiting and waiting and waiting, and then I waited a little more, and I waited some more,” he explains. “I just needed a simple [quart] of paint, and I invested so much time that I decided not to go elsewhere.”
He names the trap himself—the sunk-cost fallacy—and stays. Eventually, he flags down a manager, but not to complain about the workers on the floor. His grievance, he says, is with corporate.
“This isn’t for anyone in the store. It’s not the cashier. It’s not the manager. … Not even the paint person,” he tells the manager. “But I know corporate’s trying to save as much, uh, nickels and dimes as they can.”
Then he flips the argument. Understaffing stores, he argues, is itself a betrayal of the fiduciary duty executives claim to owe shareholders. “If you keep having [expletive] practices where your stores aren’t properly staffed and it causes fairly loyal customers to go elsewhere, then you’re not doing your fiduciary responsibility to your stockholders.”
His exit line is unbothered: “I’ve been in Lowe’s plenty of times because I was a fairly loyal customer, but we’ll see how Home Depot goes from now on. Peace out.”
Let’s see what the people had to say.
‘Ever Think About Ace or True Value Hardware Stores?’
“Home Depot is the same,” said one commenter. “I worked for the other one and know people that work for HD. They both understaff due to soft sales and the need to come under in payroll budgets.”
A second said, “Ever think about Ace or True Value hardware stores. They have better service.”
Another suggested avoiding corporate stores altogether: “Go to a small local shop if u want the customer service it’s like going to fast food and expecting a five-star meal.”
Home Depot, Lowe’s: Cuts at the Top, Waits at the Counter
The complaint lands during a stretch when the two biggest home-improvement chains are publicly repositioning around store-level service. In late January, Home Depot confirmed it was cutting roughly 800 corporate roles and ordering headquarters staff back to the office five days a week. A spokesperson said the moves aim to simplify corporate operations to better support stores and stay closer to frontline associates.
Lowe’s is running a parallel play. Per a Wall Street Journal report, the Mooresville, North Carolina, chain is slashing about 600 corporate and support roles, less than 1% of the workforce, to help the company focus on its store employees. Whether any of that reaches the paint counter—where creators like the Scratch Built Association handyman are still measuring the wait in sighs—is another question entirely.
Subplot News reached out to @scratch_built_a– via TikTok message and direct message and to Home Depot and Lowe’s via email.
Update July 15, 2026: In a message to Subplot News, Darren (@scratch_built_a–) said the experience happened at the Murrieta, California, Lowe’s, and no one from the store has followed up with him.
@scratch_built_ass Home Depot might not be better, but I'll give them a try until I can find those local stores that I should already be shopping at. #homedepot #lowes #fiduciaryresponsibility #fuckcorporate #fyp ♬ original sound – scratch_built_association
