Interesting (bad) experience at HD today.

[82-T/A]

I've been going to Home Depot a LOT over the past... 8 years now. I'm also a shareholder. It's pretty much been between three Home Depots. I would say, the first two Home Depots, I really like... they're organized, almost always have what I need, and I can get in and out really quick.


This most recent Home Depot, one located in Tampa, is a total dump. The people were nice, but the Home Depot looks like it was just recently used as a refugee camp. They have rows and rows of weird desks set up near the entrance which are very similar to the Self Check-Out kiosks. The ones furthest are actually just the Self-Check-Out kiosks, which are usually down. The ones in the middle appear to be personal work desks and it looks like they're cordoned off, but if you're in a rush, you would go over there not realizing and... I don't know what they were thinking. The others are for Customer Service... and I sat there for almost an hour while 3 people were being helped simultaneously, and not a one of them moved. One guy kept signing things on the pin-pad... another lady kept asking questions, and some other guy was on the phone while the lady was waiting. AN HOUR I waited. I got up there to do a return and exchange and was out within 1 minute. I was pretty furious by that point...



I dunno, very frustrated.


I've always liked Lowes better, but find myself going to Home Depot more often.


Home Depot is better for the contractor that needs materials.
Lowes is better for the consumer who wants to upgrade / renovate their home.


Since I do everything myself, I generally just want to go to Home Depot and get straight materials.


I go to Lowes when I want better finishing products.

 

[Koolau]

10 years ago, we did most of our last (as in latest AND by-George-I-really-mean-it-LAST-ever-in-our-lives) remodel using HD. They seemed to have everything and were very helpful for the most part. My understanding at the time is that this store was considered the highest volume HD store in the world, though I have no proof of that. I do know their parking lot was always full.

So we dropped in a couple of weeks ago to buy some pesticide for our quarterly treatment (the stuff claims "up to a year" but I don't think they know our critters in Paradise.)

So, it occurred to me, we might have been in that HD 3 or 4 times in the past 10 years. It was an odd feeling. 10 years ago, it felt like we "lived" there and since, we've hardly darkened their door. It made me wonder how they survived financially since we quit going every other day!

But the store looked just the same. Amazingly, I was able to go right to the aisle to buy what I wanted and it was still in the same spot. What a concept! I think that's one thing we liked about HD back in the day - they didn't constantly move stuff around in the store (like Costco, for instance.)

Anyway, it was sort of a nostalgic experience - and a great relief that we probably won't be back to HD until the giant-economy size roach spray bottle is near empty in a couple of years. YMMV

 

[Jerry1]

A much better experience at Lowes today. We had a water issue and I needed a fan to help get things dried out. Of course anything local was gone but a Lowes about a 1/2 hour away said they had 54. Sweet, I'm on my way. I get there and there appeared to be none. Of course my first reaction was being upset about their web site not matching their inventory. However, I looked around and way above my head was a pallet of the fans. Of course after my experience at HD, I'm not too optimistic about getting someone to help me. Then, even with help, waiting for a high/low to get that pallet down was going to be brutal.

Well, the first person I met thought about it for a minute and said he'd be right there. He came with a lift that took him up and he grabbed some and I was on my way. I can't tell you how happy I was. I was in and out of there in about 15 minutes. And, it may seem like a minor thing, but he impressed me in that he had enough thought to grab more than one. I think he grabbed about 6 of them so he could put some down low where they belong. At some level it's a shame that I was surprised by this, but I was. I slipped him a $10 spot and just thanked him with a big smile on my face and I got going back home.

In the end, I think it's all a matter of location and luck with which employee, if there are any, that you come in contact with. Today, I got both right - thankfully.