LITTLE ROCK, AR – Turned away and told his military service wasn’t good enough. A central Arkansas man says that’s what he was told, when he tried to present his military ID to get a discount.
“I went in to Home Depot on Monday morning,” says Jeff Newkirk.
Jeff Newkirk’s latest trip to this Home Depot in west Little Rock, as his Facebook page sums up didn’t end well.
“Went to check out and gave him my military ID,” says Newkirk.
Newkirk, a military veteran, has three honorable discharges from the U.S. Navy, Army National Guard and the Army Reserves Airborne Special Forces.
“Loved it. Met a lot of great people,” says Newkirk.
He spent 13 years in the service.
He says he’d typically use what’s called his DD214 at places like Home Depot for the last decade getting a military discount. Until he says, Monday.
“He said that wasn’t good enough anymore,” says Newkirk.
When he questioned why he couldn’t use his military ID he says the store manager gave him the response that led to the bad day.
“I said well what’s not good enough? He said well your service is not good enough anymore,” says Newkirk.
His Facebook post says he got so mad so quick he had to leave. Still fuming when he got home, he took to Facebook to vent. A rundown of what happened has now been shared more than 600 times.
“I’m kind of shocked at how far it’s gone.”
It turns out Home Depot does provide every day military discounts. Honoring retired, disabled or active duty service members.
But Newkirk says the policy wasn’t the problem.
“It’s about what he said, how he said it and I even asked him a second time,” explains Newkirk.
The problem he says a service he’s proud of not considered good enough.
Home Depot says the policy changed in March of 2010. But before they only honored military discounts on patriotic holidays.
They actually expanded the policy to an every day deal it just doesn’t include Newkirk’s kind of ID.
In a response Home Depot says “We’re very sorry for the confusion that occurred.”
“I went in to Home Depot on Monday morning,” says Jeff Newkirk.
Jeff Newkirk’s latest trip to this Home Depot in west Little Rock, as his Facebook page sums up didn’t end well.
“Went to check out and gave him my military ID,” says Newkirk.
Newkirk, a military veteran, has three honorable discharges from the U.S. Navy, Army National Guard and the Army Reserves Airborne Special Forces.
“Loved it. Met a lot of great people,” says Newkirk.
He spent 13 years in the service.
He says he’d typically use what’s called his DD214 at places like Home Depot for the last decade getting a military discount. Until he says, Monday.
“He said that wasn’t good enough anymore,” says Newkirk.
When he questioned why he couldn’t use his military ID he says the store manager gave him the response that led to the bad day.
“I said well what’s not good enough? He said well your service is not good enough anymore,” says Newkirk.
His Facebook post says he got so mad so quick he had to leave. Still fuming when he got home, he took to Facebook to vent. A rundown of what happened has now been shared more than 600 times.
“I’m kind of shocked at how far it’s gone.”
It turns out Home Depot does provide every day military discounts. Honoring retired, disabled or active duty service members.
But Newkirk says the policy wasn’t the problem.
“It’s about what he said, how he said it and I even asked him a second time,” explains Newkirk.
The problem he says a service he’s proud of not considered good enough.
Home Depot says the policy changed in March of 2010. But before they only honored military discounts on patriotic holidays.
They actually expanded the policy to an every day deal it just doesn’t include Newkirk’s kind of ID.
In a response Home Depot says “We’re very sorry for the confusion that occurred.”
