Don't till it, Brent. That'll just bring new and exciting weed varieties to the surface. Just cut it low and broadcast more seed over the top.

It was a banner year for crabgrass with the heat and drought. It seems to be feast or famine when it comes to warmth and moisture these past couple years.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

I'm not a contractor and I don't play one on the internet, I'm just a customer who has to do most things myself out of necessity. We've had a HD nearby for 2 years. Previously, we had Walmart, asmall ACE hardware store and that was it beyond our local hardware and feed store. When HD opened, they hired away all of WalMart's best hardware dept. employees.
My 20 year old electric water heater gave up the ghost and so I went shopping. Having not bought one in that many years I was unsure of the new SEER numbers and how to read them and asked an employee in the new HD to explain the difference between two heaters I was looking at that were a hundred bucks or so different in price.
"Can you tell me what these numbers mean?"
NO
"no ?"
NO
"You work in this department and you don't know what these numbers mean?"
NO
"Ok, what's the difference in the way these two heaters are made that justifies the difference in price?"
I DON'T KNOW
"Could it be that the only difference is that one has a longer warranty?"
MAYBE, YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE
"Well goodness, thanks so much for your help"
WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT?
"Neither thanks, I think I'll go to ACE"
I had to wait a couple of days to take delivery but I got a better heater for 50 bucks less and the guys at the locally owned ACE knew what they were talking about. I wrote up the employee online and got a 10 dollar HD gift card, she lasted about another month and then vanished. A neighbor of mine works there in flooring sales and hates it. She confirms that they have relegated virtually all decisions to corporate level. There is no HR person locally so employees are completely at the mercy of buffoon managers who have no power other than harassing their help, and training is virtually non-existent. I avoid the place like the plague. I'm getting ready to replace my barn evaporative cooler and HD is an Arvin Mastercool dealer, but I'm going to drive to Phoenix even though they have the unit I need in stock. Screw 'em.

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

The big box stores can't keep any employees because they treat them as disposable expenses. All the part timers last 3-4 months thats it. They hire them, treat them like crap, than get rid of them when they have a slow month or they mess up. As you would expect with such a turnover training is pretty much non existant.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

That's probably the very reason there seems to be a resurgence of the smaller, local-ish hardware stores. Ace and True Value are pretty large (actually they're cooperatives) but they're independently owned so the owners have a lot of stake in how they operate. The True Value in our town has increased their sales 8.5% every year after the 25% hit they took when the new HD opened up 7 years ago (we're friends with the two guys that own it). An Ace Hardware opened up 4 years ago on the same strip, 5 miles north. Two years a Shop Rite Hardware (not sure if that's a chain or co-op?) opened up on the same strip, halfway between the two. I don't know the owners of the Ace or Shop Rite, other than casually, but their parking lots always have several cars in them. Anecdotally they seem to be doing just fine considering the economy.

The T-V owners, after a number of discussions with other T-V owners, say the local hardware stores that fall victim to the big boxes opening up are generally on iffy financial footing to begin with and that's the last nail in the coffin. Those that are financially sound are able to withstand that initial 2-3 year hit to their bottom and able to consistently regain the lost business, often surpassing it.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

My hardware/lumber yard is <9 miles from the farm, always opens at 7:30, closes at 5:30 (4:00 on Saturday), will deliver (same day...most time the same HOUR ) for a paltry $20 extra and there's not a person working in the place that hasn't been there at least 5 years and if I had to guess the average employee has been there closer to 25 years. They are well stocked, competent and the prices are comparable to any big box.

Life is good.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.