Done with Home Depot, from now on it's Lowe's (1 Viewer)

[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. (I waited for a manager to complain to about how bad this experience was.)

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.

 

[MarkHastings]

Ugh, Lowe's annoys me more than Home Depot. They're over friendly and it's annoying.

It's funny, I've made the following observation for years - Home Depot is a "Guys" place where as Lowe's is more of a "Woman's" place. Most of my female friends love Lowe's, but the guys still love Home Depot better.

 

[Scott L]

just a poor manager at that single Home Depot maybe?

edit- Mark just called you a woman!

 

[Ron-P]

That's ok, many say I drive a "chick" car.

If Lowe's is a women's store and HD a guys, I'll gladly shop with all the chicks. Better eye-candy.

 

[MarkHastings]

LOL, it wasn't meant that way - I meant it as, Lowe's is geared toward women with it's "approachability" and "Friendly" atmosphere. Home Depot is geared toward men with it's "rawness" and "Dirtiness", which some people don't like.

 

[Ron-P]

I'm a clean freak.

 

[hodedofome]

It's just the opposite where I live, HD is the girls place and Lowes is the guys place. Lowes you wait in line and the customer service isn't as good.

 

[Michael Warner]

Invariably whichever store I choose to go to is out of stock on whatever item I need no matter how mundane. Each trip to the hardware store usually results in visits to three different shops.

 

[Alf S]

Customer serice at HD indeed sucks big time...you can almost NEVER find help...they rarely have enough check out isles open, and their layout is always messy and disorganized...I'll stick with Lowes whenever possible.

 

[Malcolm R]

We don't have a Lowe's anywhere in the state, so at the moment we have no choice. :frowning:

 

[Peter Burtch]

If I recall correctly from the business news this week, HD just got rid of their supply business (bloat from the former CEO). With any luck this will give them the ability to concentrate on their retail stores. They really need a lot of work in some areas(!)

 

[Greg_S_H]

The Home Depots around here are fine. Like Mark, my perception is that Lowe's is good for decor items and things like that, but I have to go to Home Depot if I have a serious need to do some fixit work around the house. That said, I'm more often in Lowe's because it's closer and they do have items I need most of the time.

When I have a tricky plumbing problem, on the other hand, I usually have to bypass both places and head for Ace or a local plumbing supply store.

 

[GregClarke]

I went to Home Depot a while ago to purchase one specific item.
The first employee had never heard of it and referred me to another guy. He had never heard of it either and so on a total of FIVE times!
The sixth guy took me right to it and couldn't explain why no one else had heard of it.

The item: soldering iron.
I avoid Home Depot now when possible.

 

[Brian Perry]

I hate the "I Can Help In ALL Departments" that is printed on all of the HD associates' uniforms/aprons. This couldn't be further from the truth. Even the people stationed in a particular department are often clueless about that department's products.

 

[MarkHastings]

Yeah, Lowe's has an awesome lighting department. They are also great with great looking bathroom fixtures and cabinets, decor, etc.

I always hit Lowe's when I'm in a more 'decorative' mood - whereas Home Depot seems to excel when it comes to stuff like building a deck. I always go to Home Depot when I'm doing more hard core home improvement.

 

[DaveF]

My serious DIY friend -- he does all his home remodeling because he doesn't trust anyone else to do it right -- much prefers Lowes. The consensus around here is that Home Depot has lesser customer service; in particular they are understaffed and it's difficult getting help locating items.

I prefer Lowes, in large part because their location is maximally convenient to me. And they've given me at least one very good bit of service, making it super easy to special order and bathroom fixture and waived the shipping with me picking it up in store.

My one recommendation to all the super-box hardware stores: have Hand Cleansing stations at the exits. These stores are filthy and I hate the grimy feeling I get after shopping there. (blech) Even better, offer a wipedown of purchased products. I had a box fan box stain my carpet at home; the packaging was so filthy it left a black stream on the floor when upacking it. I had to get out the carpet clean and scrub it out.

 

[RobertR]

Yeah, I have a Lowes all of a block and a half from me.

 

[Matt_Vaudrin]

I avoid Home Depot as often as possible too. Not because of bad service. But because my sister was fired from there a few years back for saying something to a co-worker that got back to the manager. It wasn't anything rude or bad, the manager just didn't like her opinion on the subject that will remain unnamed.

Now there's a apparently a large civil suit against many Home Depots, because many people were fired for similar reasons.

 

[MarkHastings]

Ah, we have a Lowe's and Home Depot right across the street from each other. That's why I'm able to base my shopping decisions on the more 'appropriate' store.

 

[BrianW]

Same here, Mark. I have a Lowe's and Home Depot just around the corner, right next door to one another. I prefer Lowe's for most stuff, but a few things (like Behr paint) I'll make a "special" trip to Home Depot.

I remember when the Lowe's was being built, the staff at Home Depot just laughed it off, scoffing at the prospect of Lowe's being able to take customers away. Yet they were surly, unhelpful, and even antagonistic toward their customers. I don't know what they thought they cornered the market in that made their store so great, but it wasn't customer service.

When Lowe's opened, they had policies like opening another register if a line got more than two people deep, which made life much better than Home Depot's single open register for all the world to use. Lowe's staff were genuinely knowledgeable and helpful, and they stole quite a bit of business from Home Depot

The folks at Home Depot started to clean up their act. Simultaneously, Lowe's started cutting back on staff so they had to drop many of their policies that made shopping their so much less of a hassle. Lowe's is still better at customer service, but Home Depot has vastly improved its attitude.


Plus, Lowe's has better-looking women than the Mall of America.