Done with Home Depot, from now on it's Lowe's

Ron-P

My last 3 trips to Home Depot have been a complete joke. Between horrible customer service, lack of having products in stock and the time it takes to get though the checkout, I'm done. Lowe's is so much better in every aspect it's not even comparable to how horrid Home Depot has gotten.

First: It took over 15 minutes at the checkout for them to find the right price on the sheets of plywood I was buying.

Second: It took over 20 minutes to check out in the garden shop. Very, very poor CS, the guy rung up wrong prices and way over charged me on quantities I was buying. Example; I bought 4 2x2's he charged me for 9. This was just one of many items. The ones I did not catch I had to wait for him to go to the return counter to credit my card.

Third (today): Their big saw is broken and they have no 5/8" 2'x4' sheets of plywood in stock and I cannot haul 4'x8' sheet of plywood home in my MINI.

Today was it. I'm done with Home Depot FOREVER! From here on out it's Lowe's. Their much less busy, always have the items I want in stock and while it's a bit farther of a drive I won't be wasting time as I seem to do every time I go to Home Depot.

To Home Depot: I give you the one finger salute.

auto_pilot

Home Depot is teh suxors...

I bought the materials for my bathroom remodel from those jokers...NEVER AGAIN. Shattered half a box of my subway tiles...so the shower tiles didn't extend to the ceiling...Gave us the wrong comode and tank...BOZOS.

I now make the 15 minute extra drive to Lowe's.

BIZILL

don't blame home depot. blame yourself for owning a mini. you need a truck. just kidding. i too have noticed home depot and their suckage.

Face

I usually go to Lowes, but occasionally I need to go to Home Depot for items Lowes doesn't. I wish one of the two would pick up Benjamen Moore Paint already instead of the garbage they carry.

mhardy6647

Patronize your local hardware store (if they still exist). You may pay a bit more, but probably won't have any of the problems you ascribe to the Big Box home stores.

We're fortunate enough to have a small local chain, Moore's, in the next town. Excellent service, OK selection and prices, and they do have Benjamin Moore paint, too! That's my preferred brand for interior painting, too.

polkatese

I've abandoned HD in favor to Lowe's since 2003. Cleaner isles, helpful CSs, etc. The exact identical reason for abandoning WallFart in favor of Target, back in 2000.

disneyjoe7

I sometimes feel the product line is better at HD then Lowe's, where Lowe's will carry a lower line at times just to carry something different. Other then that I hate all big box stores as they close others around them and they will change product line just because it's cheaper. So you with a water filter is forced to buy a whole kit as you have trouble replacing a filter. Sad.

auto_pilot

I thought Behr's was number one rated?

disneyjoe7

It is

exalted512

Its opposite here. The lowes has horrible CS and the home depot is great. I also really like shopping at home depot ever since i saw the article where the 4 guys got fired for help catching a shop lifter. Now I just fill my cart and walk out the door. Dont have to mess with 15 minute lines at all.
-Cody

Rivrrat

They both suck, period.

I used to work in a lumber yard when I was a kid, woodworking is a hobby of mine, and I do high amp dc telcom power for a living. I pretty much have most of their depts covered. It's sad when their customers ask me what I think after speaking to an employee, and getting the impression they're not so smart on the subject at hand.

As far as their merits. HD is a little better at the blood and guts things, Lowes is a little better at decorator items. Niether has anything beyond basic stuff in stock.

Neither is worth a damn at special order items, although, if you're remodeling a kitchen like I just did, HD designers are paid hourly. while Lowes are on commission. I went ith HD's kitchen design people, ordered the cabs, and installed them myself.

Systems

I agree lol, their com's show happy happy employees just waiting to help. When I go I can’t find anyone and when I do they are avoiding people like crazy, clearly not making eye contact and you have to brow beat them to find out where stair way lighting is.

MrNightly

After working at Lowe's for over a year, I can't stand that place... HD people are at least a little happy in my area, while Lowe's everyone is miserable. And stuck up.

I'm sure its regional as most stores are, but I stick with HD around here, ever since I left Lowe's Management! Although Lowes' are much cleaner and have higher quality of product, I just can't stand the stuck up attitude. Also, HD seems twice as close as Lowe's with 2x the stores across the country.

But I hear ya, man, both are lacking in CS. If I ever opened a store, and had employee's treating people like they do, no freaking way would they last more than 10 minutes.

But really... what do you expect for 7 bucks an hour as most of them make?

ben62670

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Patronize your local hardware store (if they still exist). You may pay a bit more, but probably won't have any of the problems you ascribe to the Big Box home stores.

We're fortunate enough to have a small local chain, Moore's, in the next town. Excellent service, OK selection and prices, and they do have Benjamin Moore paint, too! That's my preferred brand for interior painting, too.

+1 on this post
Both the biggie hardware stores suck down here. True value has all the stuff I typically need damn near the price of the big stores. The big stores kinda give you the kid in a candy store feeling, but I usually end up leaving pissed cause in that big of a store they don't have what you really need. They are like Radio shack is now. Can't find crap! I try to stick with the lumber yard, and the local hardware store.

Screw big industry. The little guy can't make a buck anymore!

ohskigod

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Patronize your local hardware store (if they still exist). .

I do this for plumbing stuff. Ask someone at home depot about something and you'll get a glazed look. I go to my local plumbing joint and they are EXTREMELY helpful. yeah, you pay a little more but who the hell cares.

drain for 25 bucks, or 30 at the local joint, but they can answer any question you have? no brainer

Ron-P

My local hardware store is an Ace, yet Ace put the local Mom and Pop Hardware (K&E Hardware) out of business.

But guess what, less then 1/2 mile away a Home Depot is going to open, less then a year from now. I sure hope to see Ace put under once HD opens. While I'm having an anti-Home Depot moment I loved K&E and have hated Ace for killing them off.

Jstas

Ace isn't a big box though, they are a mom-and-pop setup. They are franchised. Yes, they are still a big, corporate company but the store owners own the store. The store owner gets the store space and then signs up for the franchise and Ace gives them all kinds of promo items and handles their logistics, inventory control and advertising and the owner handles the business of that particular store and pays fees and percentages to Ace Hardware. I would rather see an Ace Hardware in town than a big box store.

That being said, I would much rather go to my local Lowe's than Home Depot. The prices are better on better products and the people are actually pleasant and helpful. The only thing HD has on Lowe's is selection. They have more of a variety of items. Lowe's is just a better environment and a better overall experience.

zombie boy 2000

I couldn't agree more with supporting your local hardware store. We have one a couple of blocks from the house we bought about a year ago and it has been a godsend. Being an older home, I've had to tackle countless projects (most of which I've never attempted), and the guys at the local joint have always steered me in the right direction.

The few times I've flubbed up and had to get something on a Sunday at either Lowe's or HD, the associates were anything but helpful. Believe me when I say I've always come loaded with questions. Unfortunately... at the big box stores in my area, they either answer esoterically or are nowhere to be found.

Yeah.. I don't mind shelling out a few extra coins for something at the local joint. But generally the help they offer me can't be measured monetarily. And I'm supporting a mom and pop operation in my very own neighborhood, which has it's own rewards.

haimoc

Both Home Depot and Lowe's closed to my city are fine. Sometimes, they are low in staffs and busy, they are tired and a bit rush in service, but that is understandable. No complain.

ben62670

zombie boy 2000 wrote: »

I couldn't agree more with supporting your local hardware store. We have one a couple of blocks from the house we bought about a year ago and it has been a godsend. Being an older home, I've had to tackle countless projects (most of which I've never attempted), and the guys at the local joint have always steered me in the right direction.

The few times I've flubbed up and had to get something on a Sunday at either Lowe's or HD, the associates were anything but helpful. Believe me when I say I've always come loaded with questions. Unfortunately... at the big box stores in my area, they either answer esoterically or are nowhere to be found.

Yeah.. I don't mind shelling out a few extra coins for something at the local joint. But generally the help they offer me can't be measured monetarily. And I'm supporting a mom and pop operation in my very own neighborhood, which has it's own rewards.

+1
Thank you for posting EXACTLY what I feel.
Ben

engtaz

ben62670 wrote: »

+1 on this post
Both the biggie hardware stores suck down here. True value has all the stuff I typically need damn near the price of the big stores. The big stores kinda give you the kid in a candy store feeling, but I usually end up leaving pissed cause in that big of a store they don't have what you really need. They are like Radio shack is now. Can't find crap! I try to stick with the lumber yard, and the local hardware store.

+1 on your post
I feel the same about Target when looking for item 9.99999 out of 10 I leave with nothing.

Ron-P

I just got back from Lowe's. They had what I needed (3/8" exterior plywood) and were able to cut it down for me. All that with great CS, very friendly and happy people, the saw guy even chatted with me while doing his job along with a very cute Lowe's girl.

Home Depot can't touch the CS that Lowe's gives and I'll go, even spend more, to support a better place to shop.

polkatese

Ron-P wrote: »

..along with a very cute Lowe's girl.

we need details, Ron. THAT alone would be enough reasons for me to frequent the place...:p