This years Black Friday sales kinda sucked all across the board. I didn’t buy anything, the deals just did not justify me going out. So yesterday I came across a deal from Lowes on a NEST thermostat for $199 which is normally $250. It was the last day of the sale. I could order it and wait 10 days for it to be delivered to a Lowes store. But I couldn’t get it shipped directly to my house. So I called my local Lowes, and they said they have it in stock for $199.
Within 10 minutes I was in the store looking for the NEST and the shelf was empty. I had to round-up a Lowes associate. He said they were not in stock, I asked for a rain-check and he said they do not offer rain-checks. I am sure not all Lowes are as bad as my local Lowes as I have visited some good ones. Mine is just terrible, the people who work there are clueless and when they see you walking to them they head the opposite way. I really hate going there as all my experiences have been negative. Once again I had left Lowes with a sour taste in my mouth. Ugh, one day I will learn.
So I called Home Depot and asked if they would price match the NEST and they said YES! I went straight there and showed them the picture I had on my phone of the Lowes sale and she instantly matched it. I didn’t have to wait for a manager or deal with a grumpy employee. I dealt with Chrissy, she was upbeat and happy to help me out. This is the kind of customer service that keeps me coming back to Home Depot. The employees are happy to help you. If you ask them where something is they will take the time and follow you down to the product to make sure you get what you are looking for and answer any questions. Lowes is the opposite, usually you have to interrupt the employees chatting with each other then they point and say ” If we have it it’s down there”.
I am not saying Home Depot is perfect as I ranted before about the pocket hose debacle. but in general I like Home Depot, I like the way they treat me as a customer and the way they do business. Comment below and let us know what your favorite big box store is.
I have a similar situation. The closest Home Depot to me kinda sucks, but the one that’s not that much farther is so much better. They carry more stuff and are just more helpful in general. The one closest to me is a much older store its really small cramped and dirty. I will say that small store gets in new stuff really quick though. They have had tools before anyone else had them, so I don’t know about that, and I got some great clearance deals too from that store so its not all bad.
My local Lowes isn’t as bad as yours sounds like but that is probably because they really need to keep on the ball since they built next door to my local Home Depot. As in they share the same parking lot as the good and well established Home Depot. I normally start at Lowes, get an idea for what they have and their prices then go next door and actually purchase what I need at Home Depot since the prices and customer service are generally better. Every once in a while Lowes will have something that I like better than HD and I will go back, but that is rare.
Home Depot is definitely my place to shop. About 2 years ago that was not the case. At that time, my local store was difficult to shop. The employees never seemed to know what I was talking about, and everyone had to find another associate to answer a question. I also bought a lawnmower and spent 45 minutes just waiting for someone to find the key. It was frustrating to say the least. But after an overhaul in management and staff, it was like night and day. Now, they are very knowledgeable in every department as well as friendly and eager to help.
I kinda like the service more in my Lowes than the Depot. The staff in Lowes is older and more experienced. But I still have to go to the Depot when Lowes does not have what I need.
Yeah, that really sucks when some idiot employee on the phone either knows nothing or is just lying to you. I would complain to the head office about your Lowes they would want to know that one of their stores is being run like that.
You should do a video about the Nest too. I have been temped to get on of those but didn’t really see the need. We have a programmable one but just use a single set point and call it a day. Seems to work fine.
It sucks that I only have a Lowes and not a Home Depot in my town the closest HD is about an hour away
It is totally dependent on the store staff! Within 9 miles I have two Home Depots and one Lowe’s. The HD closest to me is terrible – constantly out of stock, store a mess, and not so helpful employees. The HD 9 miles away is fantastic, and my preference but it’s hard to justify driving 9 miles when I have one (the bad one) just a mile away. My Lowe’s is also quite good. It’s always about the people….
So true, it is the people.
The cool thing is we are getting a Menards down the road. I can’t wait for it to open. I think it might be the death of Lowes nearby though. That Lowes is never busy.
Man, I wish I had a Menards near me!
Home Depot even price matches for Menard’s 11% off sales that happen about 6 or 7 times a year.
Sawdust and Dan are right; the sales staff does make it or break it for me. In general, the HD near est to me is kinda dark and dingy. It’s the kind of place where you wipe your feet on the way out. That said, they carry a lot more tools, ladders, electrical parts and supplies, etc., so it’s worth going there. HD carries Milwaukee; Lowes does not. Sales people there are easier to find and generally more helpful than at Lowes. They just seem to have stuff that the closer Lowes does not. Lowes is cleaner and brighter, but if they don’t have what you need….
My local lowes has much better customer service. We needed a new storm door and the employee was glad to show us all of the options and what the differences were. I have been to HD once as the closest one is an hour away, but they had excellent customer service.
The employees there were very helpful and were glad to help me if I couldn’t find something. In the end it depends on the employees and management.
Every single time I buy lumber at Home Depot they ring it up wrong because they don’t realize that different pieces of wood have different stickers on them and they get really, really furious when you point out the fact that they’re overcharging you by over 100%. God forbid you should ever have to ask anyone for a nylon washer or a metric fastener as they will just stare at you like you’re crazy. The last time I went to buy a router bit and the kid at the register was honestly trying to play “keep away” with it, insisting that there was no way he could sell it to me because “this one time [his] friend cut his hand real bad with a router in wood shop and they really shouldn’t even be carrying these things.”
The only plus side to this incompetence is the fact that you can easily take the UPC code from a $5 Skil blade, slap it on a $40 Freud blade and walk out of there feeling a lot better about the hour you just wasted arguing with some idiot kid who was screaming himself red in the face trying to get you to believe that a $2 furring strip SHOULD ring up at $9 because of “disposal fees.”
Man I love my HD 2 Dan those guys have always been great to me so far and I feel the same way about lowes feels like there always hiding it something just today I went in there today to look at the dws780 and dws 782 and the lowes guys was asking me what the difference was I looked at him and he told me straight out that he knew nothing about tools and that was his department don’t get me wrong he was a cool dude it did take him about 15-20 min to even come up and ask me if I needed any help while just standing there…
It may be a regional thing Dan because in Hawaii it’s just the opposite between Lowes and Home Depot. I frequent both stores as much as anyone in the area and I’ve found the Lowes guys to be all retirees who love their gigs. Maybe it’s because they’re all set for life in Kona and just stoked to be collecting benefits. The HD workers are bummed they have to pull a paycheck to cover their ridiculously high Hawaiian rents.
I love my too.
Magtek Mechanical
I usually deal with my local Lowes first, as it is the closest to wereI live and work. Been there so often I almost never need help, and when I do I pick out the people who have been there for some time. Always able to get the answer and help I need. I shy away from new employees as they are usually guessing.