What we learned at Home Depot

By DVE-News/TV Reporters
MILFORD — We went to Home Depot and had the opportunity to talk with the store manager, Matthew Caterinicchia, and operations assistant manager, Rachel Bracey.
We asked Ms. Bracey what an operations assistant manager did and was told that they keep employees safe, happy and to make sure that the employees do their job correctly. An operations assistant manager must take an online test, then go to Atlanta for a week to train. The best reason to become an operations assistant is to help people.
Mr. Caterinicchia explained how he started to work at Home Depot. He worked as an assistant manager in another store when Home Depot called him to work in Seattle, Washington. Then he moved back to this area.
He said the toughest part of his job is making everyone happy. We then asked Mr. Caterinicchia when a person is hired, how does he decide which department they would work in. He said it was based on their experience and what they already know.
How old does a person have to be to work at Home Depot? They said you must be 18. In order to apply, you must apply online.
Then we asked general store questions. They said that the busiest time of the year is spring and Thanksgiving. There are 20 different departments in their store. They told us that on the first Saturdays and Sundays of the month, they hold workshops on all different kinds of things, then on the last Thursday of the month, they hold kid workshops. A lot of people come to the workshops and enjoy them.
Lastly, Mr. Caterinicchia said that at his Home Depot, it all comes down to worker safety and worker happiness. If our workers are happy, he said, they will help the people more which will make the consumers happier.
We then got a tour of the store. We were shown how to make keys, how to mix paint. We even helped a customer with paint! We saw how they cut wood, load trucks, and transport boxes safely. We saw their baler and compacter. They send out about six bundles of compacted recycling a month. That’s a lot of recycling!
We ended our interview and tour with cupcakes, juice, and a bag of goodies.
Thank you so much for your time and kindness! We learned a lot and had a great time!
By DVE-News/TV Reporters Alyssa Moon, Ian Copertino, Logan Degli-Angeli, Michael Helt, Joselyn Rodriguez, and Summer Seeley.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct the photo caption.