I visited my local Home Depot store today, and I have to say, it was a wonderful experience.
The floors were clean. The merchandise I was there to buy was clean and tidy. I was greeted. I was asked if I needed help. Checkout was a breeze (my store has new hand scanners at the self checkout). There weren’t any stray shopping carts cluttering up the parking lot or front of the store. And when I checked with a cashier about something, they were helpful and polite.
I had a chance to chat with the tool department head, who was unboxing windshield washer fluid near the pro tools desk displays. Before and after our quick chat, he fielded questions and helped out customers. I’ve seen him do this before; he’s helpful even when answering a question takes him across the store back and forth. He’ll be a great store manager one day.
I really like my local Home Depot.
What I have found is that experiences can vary depending on the store, although this seems to be more with Lowes stores than Home Depot stores, at least around me. The Lowes 45 minutes away is fantastic, while a closer location (my least favorite) is “meh,” while the Home Depot stores near me all seem to range from “very good” to “great.”
I didn’t really pay attention to these types of things when I was younger. If I had a lousy experience at a particular store, it would color my views towards that chain, when I should have just been displeased with just that store location.
Maybe I’m noticing more now, or maybe things have changed over the years, but it has become easier for me to recognize signs that a store is well managed or poorly managed.
What has your Home Depot experiences been like? Lowes?
Do you have a store or location that you prefer?
There’s a good Lowes around 20 minutes from here, two so-so ones within 35-40 minutes, and a great one 45 minutes from here. In contrast, there are three great Home Depot locations within 15 minutes, and a couple more within a 30-45 minute drive that I have not frequented enough to comment about.
